Chương 383: Chapter 373 - The Lightning Within

Leonie stared at the massive giant before her, taking in its sheer size and the weight of its presence. It was strong, undeniably stronger than the Overseers and stronger than anything she had fought up to now, yet the rising pressure in her chest did not come from fear. Her fingers tightened around the hilt of her sword as her heartbeat lifted, steady but forceful, and she found herself wanting to take the creature on. It was not about impressing the others or proving a point to the group.

This was something she owed herself. She wanted to stand here because she had earned it. She stepped forward despite the oppressive force radiating from the giant.

"I want to fight it," she said, her voice cutting cleanly through the tension. Some of the others glanced her way, caught slightly off guard, but Alonso simply watched her with a calm, almost knowing smile. When he spoke, it was with the quiet certainty of someone who had already decided she could do it.

"Sure." The confidence in his eyes startled her more than she expected. She had seen that kind of unwavering belief directed at her many times, yet coming from him it shifted something deep inside her, stirring a warmth she pushed aside for the moment." Are you confident?" Lukas sent privately. She nodded once." Yes, I am."" Alright. I will boost you. Good luck." Leonie drew a slow breath as the others stepped aside, giving her room. The giant hadn't moved.

It stood watching her, looming in silence, and she sensed a strange hesitation in its posture, as if some unseen command held it back from striking first. She dismissed the thought and grounded herself, letting sparks flicker quietly along her skin as she called Heart of Sparks to embrace her.

Lukas' link settled over her like a second heartbeat, strengthening her form and sharpening her focus. She intensified the pressure of her skill until the air around her seemed to tighten in response. Then she moved. She blurred forward, sparks trailing in her wake as her sword cleared its sheath. Her heartbeat rose with every step, each pulse syncing with the crackle of electricity coiling around her armour. She felt alive, sharp, hungry for the clash.

The giant reacted with brutal speed, its foot dropping like a falling mountain where she had been. The impact shattered the stone battlement into uneven craters and sent a violent blast of wind bursting outward. The gust clawed at her hair and cloak, pulling her armour taut against her frame, but Leonie had already slipped past the shockwave, gliding beneath the giant's leg in a single, fluid sweep. Her Dark Stars tightened into a compact off-hand dagger as she rose.

She drew a thin, precise line across the tendons of its ankle with her main sword. The blade rang from the force of the cut. Electricity flooded the wound in jagged forks that snapped across the giant's skin. The creature roared, staggering as sparks tore through its flesh. Leonie felt the thrill of it. Her breath deepened. Her chest burned with a sharp, rising desire to fight. She kicked off a burst of rising stone fragments and launched upward, her body angled like a streak of lightning carving through the sky.

The Dark Star dagger dissolved into shards around her torso, forming a tight circular orbit, each fragment vibrating with contained charge. She flicked two forward. They shot toward the giant's eyes, but it moved its head just enough. The shards carved across its cheek and brow instead, leaving shallow cuts that flared bright with electricity. The giant jerked its head back, startled. A heartbeat of distraction. And a heartbeat was everything. Leonie closed the distance, sword raised toward its eye.

The giant swept its huge mace in a violent arc, wind tearing through the air with a deep BOOM that would have crushed her outright. She twisted mid-flight, letting the explosive gust shove her sideways, and she used the force to pivot gracefully around its forearm. Her boots grazed the stone. Sparks burst from her soles as she redirected momentum and sprinted up the curve of its arm. Every step sent a crackle along her nerves. Every breath sharpened her senses further.

She felt the tempo thrumming in her veins, lifting her, urging her to go faster. And faster. The giant snapped its other hand toward her, fingers slamming together like a cage. Leonie slipped through the narrowing gap with a flash of movement, her body bending into angles that defied normal limits as she darted past the enormous fist. She reached the elbow and drove her sword deep into a crease of skin. Lightning tore through the joint in a violent burst. CRACK The entire limb jerked. Muscles spasmed.

The giant howled and shook its arm with wild force, but Leonie did not resist directly. She flowed with the movement, using speed and positioning instead of brute strength, riding the shaking limb like a dancer across an unsteady stage. The world blurred around her as Heart of Sparks intensified. Her breath came faster. Her muscles felt razor-sharp, her thoughts clean and fierce. She vaulted upward again, using a tremor in the giant's shoulder as a springboard. Debris and wind lashed against her.

A broken chunk of stone slammed into her arm and spun her off-axis for a moment. Pain bit at her shoulder. Breath hitched. But she did not slow. If you encounter this narrative on Amazon, note that it's taken without the author's consent. Report it. Storm Domain pulsed outward. The Dark Stars shifted to stabilise her body and realign her centre of gravity. She exhaled sharply and shot forward again, sword raised. She carved a line of light across the giant's brow.

Lightning rushed into the cut and forced its eyes shut. The giant staggered and clawed blindly at the air, smashing stone and sending blocks tumbling with heavy THUDs. Leonie landed on a fractured pillar and raised her hand. Storm Domain expanded. Every Dark Star brightened until their edges gleamed like molten metal from the magnetization. They spiralled outward behind her into an arcing formation that crackled with tension. The giant felt the change and lowered its stance. It inhaled deeply.

A guttural, ancient roar ripped from its chest as it released a crushing wave of suppression, a storm of raw force that pressed against the battlement and made the very stones tremble. The pressure struck her. Her lungs tightened. Her ribs strained. The air felt heavy enough to grind her bones. For a moment her heartbeat faltered. She closed her eyes. She reached for something beyond technique. Beyond electricity. Beyond even the strength Lukas' link provided. A spark born from belief. A flicker of Will.

The air thickened around her. Edges bent, as if reality itself leaned in her direction. A pressure radiated from her frame and met the giant's suppression head-on. The weight on her chest shattered like glass. The giant hesitated. Leonie opened her eyes. Lightning spiralled along her limbs. Her Dark Stars snapped into flawless alignment. Storm Domain surged through them as they pierced her flesh with charge and turned her entire body into a single, accelerating current. She moved.

A single flash carried her to the giant's shoulder, her sword already rising. She cut through the thick muscles of its neck and vanished before the sparks landed. The world around her blurred into streaks of colour. Her breath tightened. Her pulse rose. Heart of Sparks clawed at her nerves with sharp, burning pain. She welcomed it. Pain fed the roar beneath her ribs. It fed her Will. It fed the storm she carried. Her silhouette fractured into flickers as she crossed the giant's chest.

Light trailed behind her blade like a tearing seam in the air. Each shift of her form broke sound with sharp cracks that rolled across the battlement. Faster. She felt her muscles strain, felt the sting of lightning flaring from the inside out, but she forced more speed. The spectral flicker of her Will expanded behind her like a second shape pressing on the world itself. Faster! She struck beneath the giant's jaw. She ripped across its ribs. She carved behind its spine.

She moved too quickly for her own afterimages to keep up. Bolts snapped around her legs as the Dark Stars magnetised her path and corrected her trajectory between each violent shift of direction. The giant tried to follow her, but its reactions were drowning. Each attempt to swing or grab landed on empty air. Each roar was too late, chasing the echo of where she had been. Her sword became pure motion. A storm wrapped in metal. Lightning burst with every impact.

Cuts landed faster than her thoughts could count them, a rising rhythm that hammered the air with sparks and the metallic scent of ozone. Her world narrowed to breath, speed, and the clarity of a single desire. I belong here. I am… strong. And she pushed harder. Her body blurred into a streak of white-blue as she crossed the giant's throat. The blade drew a clean, perfect line, but she kept moving, kept cutting, kept accelerating until the wound erupted with a storm's worth of electricity.

Light exploded outward in a rising column that illuminated the fog above. The giant froze. It tried one last breath, but the sound died on its tongue. Its legs buckled. Its head dropped with a slow, confused tremor. A moment later its entire form dissolved into drifting motes that rolled away like faint ash. Leonie landed on the stone, boots steady, sparks crawling slowly across her armour as the last of the lightning bled off her skin. She drew a long breath, chest rising, shoulders easing.

Then she lifted her chin. The sky above was quiet. She smiled.

"That was a good fight," came a voice from behind. She turned toward him, catching the calmness in his expression. There wasn't a hint of condescension in his tone, nor were those the sort of empty words used just to please someone. Leonie could tell immediately—Alonso simply meant what he said. Nothing more, nothing less. He, the world's strongest Climber, the sky above… recognised her as someone he had no doubts belonged at this level. Leonie smiled warmly.

"Not quite there yet but… thanks."

Alonso nodded. It was clear she had improved since their spar a week ago. Even her flicker of Will had grown stronger during the fight. He genuinely had high hopes for her, and he had no doubts she would become a formidable ally in the trials ahead. He then stared at what the Giant had left behind after dissolving. Seven orbs lay scattered on the ground— red orbs. Beside them were seven pieces of gear, and fourteen tempering materials. So the boss was the main haul after all.

His eyes scanned them and noticed that six of the gear pieces were Grade 1, but the last one… wasn't. It was a massive gauntlet of pale steel-grey, shaped from a single curved plate, with faint blue veins running across its surface. Grade 02 - Sky Giant's Gauntlet Tempering State: 0 Physical aptitude +2% Pillar aptitude +2% Physical strength +3% His eyes widened in surprise. Grade 2? The difference was more than twice.

Not only did it have the benefits of last stage's gear in stats, but it came with a new one on top. The others approached, and their eyes widened as well when they focused on it.

"Well, now this is really good stuff," Lukas said with a grin. Leonie stared at the gauntlet a moment longer before stepping forward and picking it up. The massive piece of armour shrank instantly to match her size, adjusting with a soft metallic ripple. She inspected it briefly, then turned and extended it toward him.

"You should take it," she said.

"Huh?" Alonso blinked, then shook his head.

"No. You defeated it, it's your spoil."

"We must use our resources where they bring the best output and performance," she replied, voice steady, arm still extended.

"We don't know what lies ahead, and right now you are our greatest asset. You will make better use of this than I will. And… in this world, in The Tower… we cannot afford to make poor choices." Alonso looked at the gauntlet, his gaze tightening as thoughts flickered behind his eyes. The idea tasted wrong in his mouth, like strength he had not earned, but… she was right. The ease of this Dungeon meant nothing. This stage would not be forgiving.

The challenges to come would be harder than anything they had faced so far. He accepted the gauntlet.

"Alright."