Reincarnation Of A Swordsman: The Omni Mage

But this one was different—it was stronger than any he\'d encountered before.

Terra and Zack must have combined their mana into a single, potent trap.

They had been planning for this, patiently waiting for him to get close. And now, he had walked straight into it.

He gritted his teeth, trying to summon another [Lightning Bolt], but before he could release it, a thick [Mud Wall] shot up, blocking his attack completely.

Terra and Zack were on the other side, which was exactly what he wanted. He would be finished if they could act on him in his situation.

He activated [Lightning Dash] again almost immediately and tried to zip out of the hardened mud.

"Damn it!" Kyle cursed under his breath after his plan failed.

\'Okay, I can\'t force my way out. But I can...\' His mind was racing and he eventually thought of a solution.

There was a certain rune he could use and Kyle didn\'t hesitate, reaching into his pouch, he pulled out a rune that made him grateful he crafted it.

It was a simple but effective one: [Dispel]. It was a rune that could siphon mana out of a spell, although it took time to do so.

With one hand, he quickly pressed it into the mud around his legs and channeled a burst of his mana into it.

The rune glowed briefly before it slowly began doing its job.

"From the rate the mana\'s being dispelled, it\'ll take about 45 seconds before it\'s through," Kyle calculated, his thoughts racing. "I can\'t afford to wait 45 seconds."

His heart pounded as his eyes darted toward the mud wall, wary of the moment Zack would charge in.

But there was nothing—no movement yet. Kyle\'s mind raced. Why hadn\'t Zack taken the opportunity to finish him?

"Oh," Kyle realized. "I left Terra blind. He must be waiting for her sight to return."

His eyes narrowed. "Why can\'t he just come at me alone? I\'m trapped, so he should be able to handle me... unless—he\'s out of mana!"

Kyle\'s lips curled into a grin, confidence surging. "I\'m so going to defeat him if I get out before he comes."

He glanced at the rune one more time, confirming it was still doing its job, its faint glow providing him hope.

"Almost there… just hold on."

***

Zack paced nervously around the blinded Terra lying on the arena floor, weighing his options.

His face, usually full of humor, was clouded with a rare seriousness that felt out of place with demeanor.

"I\'m out of mana and Terra\'s still blind... should I just call it quits?"

Twack!

He slapped the side of his head hard. "No. I can\'t quit. Not after coming this far."

He had burned through his mana recklessly, pushing Kyle into a corner, giving him a fight that few could handle.

But unluckily, the decisive blow never came, and now the momentum was slipping away.

Zack had hoped his last-ditch trap would hold Kyle long enough—but Terra\'s blindness was stalling his victory.

"The spell should last 60 seconds," Zack calculated, breathing heavily. "Terra\'s eyes will be fine before then."

A smile crept back onto his face as he envisioned his comeback.

BOOM!

Debris erupted from the mud wall in a loud explosion, chunks of earth flying everywhere.

Zack\'s smile froze when he directed his gaze to the previous erected wall, his eyes was widened in shock.

"Oh shit..." he muttered, watching the wall collapse in on itself.

Kyle stepped out from behind the wreckage, his posture confident, eyes cold and calculating as they locked onto Zack\'s.

Zack had clearly underestimated just how quickly Kyle could turn the tables—and now, his chances of winning were slipping through his fingers.

"Nice trap," Kyle called out, a confident grin spreading across his face.

"But you\'ll need more than that to stop me."

Zack raised an eyebrow, not fazed in an attempt to look confident—he couldn\'t let Kyle sense his weakness.

"Oh. I like a challenge. Let\'s see what else you\'ve got."

Kyle\'s fingers crackled with energy as he prepared for the next round.

Zack looked at his companion that was already getting up—that was his only hope in this fight.

With a grin, he screamed. "Terra! Mud wall!"

This time, the wall rose wider and faster and Zack and Terra disappeared behind them.

Kyle took a deep breath, steadying himself. He could feel the walls closing in, but Kyle wasn\'t out of options.

He pressed his hand to the wall. The runes he had etched earlier began to glow faintly as he infused them with his mana.

In a flash, the wall exploded outward, chunks of earth scattering across the arena.

He dashed through the opening, just in time to see Terra charging toward him again. Kyle\'s mind raced.

Terra\'s sheer strength was its biggest asset, but Kyle knew he had to exploit its sluggishness.

Kyle stretched out his hand and summoned another rune mid-air, sending a [Lightning Bolt] directly at Terra.

The beast absorbed the hit again, its stone body showing little signs of damage, but Kyle wasn\'t aiming to hurt it.

The impact was enough to disrupt its forward momentum, causing Terra to stumble.

Seizing his chance, Kyle leapt onto Terra\'s back, lightning sparking at his fingertips as he summoned his energy once more.

Terra roared in anger, thrashing wildly, but Kyle clung on, using his enhanced speed and agility to stay atop the massive creature.

"Zack!" Kyle called, his voice echoing across the arena. "Looks like your pet\'s a little slow today!"

Zack grinned, wiping sweat from his brow. "You\'re gonna regret that, Kyle! Terra! Quake!"

The ground beneath them rumbled violently again, but this time Kyle was prepared.

As Terra\'s powerful quake began to disrupt the arena floor, Kyle leapt off the beast, using his momentum to propel himself into the air.

Lightning surged through his body, and with a crack of thunder, he shot forward, racing straight toward Zack.

Zack raised his arms defensively, but Kyle was too fast.

In the blink of an eye, Kyle was in front of him, delivering a powerful punch charged with lightning energy.

The force of the blow sent Zack stumbling backward, struggling to regain his balance.

Panting, Zack glanced over at Terra, who was still recovering from its disorientation.

"You\'re good, Kyle," Zack said between breaths. "But we\'re not done yet."

Kyle grinned. "I wouldn\'t expect anything less."

Terra roared again, recovering its balance and charging toward Kyle with renewed fury.

Kyle\'s heart raced—he could feel the intensity of the battle building. This was it. He had to finish this, and fast.

Kyle leapt back, giving himself some space as he prepared his next move.

He knew Zack would keep using Terra as a shield, and with their combined power, he couldn\'t afford to be reckless. But Kyle had one last trick up his sleeve.

He reached into his pocket, pulling out a small rune he had prepared earlier. It glowed faintly in his palm as he infused it with mana.

"Let\'s see how you handle this," Kyle muttered, tossing the rune toward Zack and Terra.

As soon as the rune hit the ground, it erupted in a burst of electricity, forming a temporary barrier of lightning between Kyle and his opponents—the barrier would last for 3 seconds and that more than enough for Kyle.

The barrier crackled with energy, preventing Terra from charging forward and giving Kyle the time he needed.

Kyle summoned alot of mana , feeling the energy surge through him.

"Lightning Dash!"

In a blur of movement, Kyle shot forward, bypassing Terra entirely and heading straight for Zack.

Zack\'s eyes widened in surprise, but he didn\'t have time to react.

Kyle closed the distance in an instant, landing a powerful blow to Zack\'s chest.

The impact sent Zack flying backward, crashing into the ground with a grunt. He tried to stand, but the force of Kyle\'s attack had left him winded.

Breathing heavily, Kyle stood over Zack, his lightning still crackling faintly around him.

The spectators were on their feet, cheering wildly as the match had reached its climax.

Zack lay on the ground for a moment before chuckling softly.

He glanced at Terra and could sense she had exhausted her mana too—there was really no fight they could produce against Kyle at this point. He knew it was over.

"Alright, alright. You got me," he said, raising a hand in surrender.

"I\'m down."

Kyle offered Zack a hand, helping him to his feet. "That was one hell of a match," Kyle said with a wide smile.

Zack grinned, wiping the sweat from his brow, an evidence of how exhausted he was.

"Yeah, you too, man. You earned that win."

The crowd roared in approval as the announcer stepped forward, raising his hand. "And the winner is… Kyle!"

Kyle smiled, breathing a sigh of relief as the tension in his body began to fade.

He had won, but it had been a close call. Zack had pushed him harder than anyone so far, and he knew the next battle might be even tougher.

As the crowd continued to cheer, Kyle glanced over at Zack and Terra.

Zack\'s grin was wide, and despite the loss, he seemed genuinely happy for Kyle.

"Well," Zack said, clapping Kyle on the shoulder. "You better win this whole thing now. I didn\'t get knocked out for nothing."

Kyle laughed and said with a proud expression.

"You bet I will!"