Chapter?681 151.3 - Let me see your strength


    Astron''s palm shot forward, cutting through the searing heat and directly toward Irina''s body. His movements were decisive, his eyes locked onto her with a


    determination that ignored the burns on his shoulder and leg. His singr focus on the offensive sent a clear message: he wasn''t backing down.


    Irina smirked, her mes burning brighter around her. "You''re persistent, I''ll give you that," she said, her voice steady despite the charged atmosphere. "But you should know by now-


    The faint shimmer of her barrier came into view as his palm neared it.


    "-this won''t work," she finished confidently.


    Astron''s hand stopped just short of the barrier, his movements suddenly shifting. His sharp gaze flicked downward for a fraction of a second before his leg swept low in one fluid motion. The unexpected strike aimed directly at her bnce point, catching her off guard.


    Irina''s smirk faltered slightly as she realized what he was doing. Her telekinesis was focused onpressing and bending the space around the barrier, creating an anchor that absorbed momentum from direct attacks. But that same precision also meant she couldn''t shift her focus quickly enough to counter his leg sweep.


    THUD!


    Astron''s leg connected, sweeping her feet out from under her. The sudden loss of bnce caused her to stumble, the carefullypressed space of her barrier shifting awkwardly as she instinctively tried to reorient herself.


    "Damn it," she muttered, catching herself just before she hit the ground by ring her mes outward for stability. Her eyes snapped up to meet his, zing with both irritation and grudging respect.


    Astron stepped back, his stance bnced and ready. "Barriers are great for stopping direct attacks," he said calmly, "but they don''t help much if you can''t stay on your


    feet.""


    His hand was right before her face, shimmering. The exchange just now, had already made it evident.


    This fight.


    Irina lost.


    Irina let out a slow breath, her mes dimming slightly as she lowered her hands. Her gaze remained locked onto Astron''s, his hand still hovering near her face, the faint shimmer of his mana a silent deration of victory.


    She straightened, brushing off the lingering heat around her shoulders, and gave a wry smile. "Alright," she said, her tone calm but edged with reluctant eptance. "You got me,"


    There was no need for useless pride-Astron had acted decisively, exploiting her weakness with precision. As much as it stung, she couldn''t deny that he''d earned this


    win.


    Irina''s thoughts turned inward, analyzing the exchange. Her barrier, while strong, had an inherent limitation: its focus. Compressing psions to bend space required pinpoint uracy and control, but that precision also made it difficult to shift the focal point quickly. Even with her immense telekic proficiency, moving the barrier''s focus mid-battle remained a challenge.


    ''It''s still a new technique,'' she thought, her mes flickering faintly in response to her frustration. ''I haven''t had enough time to refine it-especially against someone like him.''


    Her gaze softened slightly as she nced at Astron, his stance still poised but without arrogance. She could tell he wasn''t gloating; he was simply acknowledging the result of the duel. That alone eased the sting of her loss-slightly.


    "You exploited the weakness perfectly," she admitted, rolling her shoulders as her mana settled. "My barrier''s strong, but it''s not invincible. I can''t move the focal point fast enough to counter something like that. At least... not yet."


    Astron lowered his hand, his expression neutral but carrying a faint glimmer of respect. "You''re already miles ahead with it," he said evenly. "The technique itself is incredible. It just needs more time."


    Irina tilted her head, studying him. "You figured it out mid-fight, didn''t you?"


    He gave a small nod. "It wasn''t hard to notice the way you shifted focus. Thepression is wless, but there''s a slight dy when you transition. That''s the only opening-and even then, it''s small."


    ''Small, but he exploited it perfectly,'' Irina thought, her respect for his analytical skills growing despite herself. She folded her arms, the corner of her lips twitching into a faint smirk. "You''re really something.... Not bad....


    Astron tilted his head slightly. "Neither are you. That technique is something I''d rather not face once you perfect it."


    Thepliment caught her off guard, and for a moment, she didn''t know how to respond. She shifted her weight, hiding her reaction behind a casual shrug. "Give me a little time, and you won''t be able to exploit that opening again."


    "Is that so?"


    "Then, let''s try again."


    The faint shimmer of the arena''s restorative formation activated, bathing Astron in a soft, golden glow. The burns on his body faded in an instant, his skin knitting back to its original state as if the damage had never urred. Irina''s eyes flicked to the light briefly, noting the same effect on her own residual strain, though hers had been far less significant.


    The system had determined the exchange was over, and with that, it reset the field. It was one of the reasons they could keep pushing each other like this-injuries and fatigue were temporary, allowing them to test their limits without fear of long-term consequences.


    Astron rolled his shoulder experimentally, flexing his fingers as if testing the restoration. "Impressive setup," he remarked, his tone calm as he nced at the glowing formations embedded in the walls. "No wonder you''re used to fighting at full


    force."


    Irina folded her arms, her mes flickering faintly around her. "It''s convenient," she admitted, though her tone carried an edge of pride. "But don''t think the system''s doing all the work. You still have to handle the heat when it''s on."


    Astron''s lips twitched faintly at her quip, his sharp eyes studying her for a moment before nodding. "Fair enough," he said. Then his stance shifted slightly, more rxed but no less focused. "If you''re ready, then so am I."


    Irina raised an eyebrow, her own smirk widening. "You''re not backing out of this one, huh?"


    "There''s no reason to," Astron replied smoothly, his voice carrying a quiet confidence. "Fighting you pushes me as much as it does you. And it''s not like I need to hold back.


    just because you''re getting stronger."


    Irina''s mes red brighter, her excitement rising at his words. There was something gratifying about hearing him acknowledge her growth, even if he said it so matter-of-factly. She let her arms drop, her stance widening slightly as she channeled her mana once more.


    "Good," she said, her voiceced with challenge. "Because I don''t n on losing this


    time."


    Astron''s response was a slight tilt of his head, the smirk in his eyes deepening, somehow she could see it, as his aura red to life around him. "Then let''s see what


    you''ve got."


    The air between them grew charged again, the energy of the arena responding to their rising mana. mes crackled along Irina''s arms, coiling like serpents, while Astron''s presence sharpened, his movements already hinting at his readiness to


    strike.


    Neither hesitated.


    And then Irina moved first, her mes surging outward in a fiery wave as she cast a barrage of searing spears, each one aimed with precision.


    Astron darted forward, weaving through the assault with practiced ease. His speed had increased again, and Irina noted the subtle adjustments in his movements. ''He''s already improving,'' she thought, her respect for his adaptability growing even as her resolve hardened. ''But I''m not done yet!


    With a flick of her wrist, she redirected the spears mid-flight, her telekinesis bending their trajectories to cut off his escape. At the same time, she summoned a wall of mes to block his advance, forcing him to shift his approach.


    Astron didn''t falter. His movements were fluid, almost instinctive, as he shifted his weight and countered with a sudden burst of mana, propelling himself into an unpredictable trajectory. He aimed for her nk this time, his hand already poised to


    strike.


    But Irina was ready.


    Her barrier shimmered into existence, not as a single point of defense but as a flowing, adaptive shield that moved with her. She had learned from theirst exchange, and this time, her telekinesis allowed her to counter his speed more effectively.


    "Not bad," Astron remarked, his voice calm even as his strike met the edge of her


    barrier.n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om


    "Still think you''ve got me figured out?" Irina shot back, her mes roaring as she pressed forward.


    Their fight intensified, the room pulsing with heat and energy as their spells and


    strikes collided in a seamless blend of offense and defense. For both of them, this wasn''t just a spar-it was a test, a challenge to see who could adapt faster, strike harder, and push themselves further.


    And neither had any intention of holding back.


    *******


    The arena was a battlefield of scorched floors and lingering mana, the air thick with the heat of mes and the tension of unyieldingbat. Three hours had passed since the duel began, and neither Irina nor Astron showed any sign of backing down. Irina''s mes burned fiercely around her, though they flickered more unevenly now. Her breathing wasbored, and beads of sweat dripped down her face, dampening strands of her fiery red hair that clung to her skin. Blood trickled from a shallow cut on her arm, the result of Astron''s relentless offensive, and her once-pristine sparring attire bore scorch marks and tears.


    Across from her, Astron stood, his figure shadowed by the faint glow of mana still emanating from his body. Though his stance remainedposed, his condition was no less telling. His clothes were tattered, singed at the edges with streaks of soot and blood where her mes had found their mark. His calm breathing belied the strain of their prolonged battle, but the gleam in his eyes showed no sign of fatigue-only


    focus.


    Irina wiped the back of her hand across her brow, smearing a streak of ash. Her lips


    twitched into a faint smirk despite her exhaustion. "You''re not making this easy," she said, her voice hoarse but steady.


    "Wouldn''t want to disappoint you," Astron replied evenly, his tone calm but edged with


    quiet resolve. He shifted his weight slightly, his muscles tense and ready for the next


    exchange.


    Bothbatants remained still for a moment, their gazes locked as they assessed


    each other. The silence was heavy, the only sounds were the faint crackle of dying mes and the steady rhythm of their breathing.


    "You''ve improved," Astron said atst, his eyes narrowing slightly as he studied her.


    "Even when you''re tired, your control hasn''t slipped."


    Irina chuckled faintly, though it wasced with exhaustion. "You''re not so bad yourself," she admitted, rolling her shoulders despite the ache that settled in her


    muscles. "But you''re starting to look a little ragged. Are you sure you''re not running out of steam?"


    Astron nced down at his torn sleeves, the faint sheen of blood visible beneath the


    fabric. He raised an eyebrow, the ghost of a smirk tugging at his lips. "You could say I''ve had worse," he said, his tone dry.


    Irina''s smirk widened, though it was tempered by the fatigue pulling at her features.


    "Is that so?"


    She stepped forward, mes ring to life once more around her arms. Despite the


    strain in her body, her mana surged, the familiar heat rekindling her resolve. If Astron


    thought he could oust her, she was determined to prove him wrong.


    "Then a final fight?" "Indeed. A final fight."