Return of the Mythic Bloodline-Chapter 340: Dual against the Core Disciples

At first, I had no intention of standing out while I was here under the guise of Lucifer Morningstar.

Silently investigating for clues about the traitor, searching for any news of my family, and finding a way to meet Nymeria, who lived on the farthest mountain from here, had already kept me more than busy. Drawing attention to myself at a time like this was nothing short of stupidity.

Yet I still went ahead and challenged both Core Disciples, even though I could have simply jumped around the platform and passed the ten-minute trial.

The reason behind my actions was simple. The name Thunderbane, a title that once carried overwhelming might and authority, had fallen to a level I could not comprehend.

Yes, I knew that the strongest had already perished, but it still did not make sense, especially when Master Robert himself was the one teaching these remaining Thunderbanes.

I wanted to see the true level of the strongest Thunderbanes of this era. That was why I challenged both of them, to gauge their strength.

And the result was nothing but sheer disappointment.

Thorin did possess destructive lightning of the heavenly class. However, his body was far too weak to wield it properly. This idiot had not trained his physique in the slightest.

With just a single punch, he had already been brought to the ground.

"Is this the strength of the Thunderbanes of this era?" I muttered coldly, looking down at Thorin as he struggled on the floor. "Your predecessors must be crying in the heavens, seeing you crawling at the feet of an outsider—"

Before I could finish my words, a sharp blade suddenly reached my throat. I immediately raised my sword, blocking the attack.

Even so, the force behind it was immense, pushing me back several feet.

"You are going too far, Junior Brother Lucifer," Lyra said. Her voice was cold, and the usual smile on her face was gone.

"Oh? Even though I am only using half my strength, she managed to push me back," I chuckled inwardly. "She is the real deal."

With a smirk on my face, I whispered, "So what? I have the strength to back my arrogance. Do you?"

Her eyes narrowed, annoyance clear as she swung her blade with terrifying precision.

Her silver sword began to glow blue, crackles of lightning dancing along its edge.

"Sword Aura?" I murmured inwardly, raising an eyebrow. "No, it is only an imitation."

With every strike, she forced me back several feet, completely dominating the duel.

Multiple cuts appeared on my robe, yet she still could not breach my defences and injure me.

"Your swordsmanship is sharp, Sister Lyra," I said, a smile curling on my face. "But it is not enough."

With a smooth movement, I deflected the trajectory of her blade. At the same time, a sphere of lightning materialised in my free hand.

"Lightning Bolt!"

In a sudden thrust, I drove my hand forward toward her stomach.

Just as the bolt was about to reach her, another blade descended upon my arm.

Sensing the attack, I instantly retreated several feet backward.

"Let me help you, Lyra," Thorin said, joining the fight, one hand still clutching his stomach where I had punched him.

"So you have finally let go of your arrogance and decided to fight me seriously," I said, playfully swinging my sword.

With a beckoning gesture, I added, "Come at me together."

"Brother Thorin, can you hold him for a minute?" Lyra asked, gripping her sword with both hands.

Thorin flinched at her request.

"L-Lyra, are you going to use—"

Before he could finish his sentence, I appeared before him in an instant, my foot hurtling toward his face like a cannon.

He ducked low, barely avoiding the kick.

"Always keep your eyes on your opponent during a fight," I said, launching another fierce punch toward him.

"Lightning Wall!"

A thick wall of blue lightning materialised between my fist and his body.

I sensed the sudden emergence of lightning and could have easily avoided it, but I chose to strike it anyway, unwilling to reveal my full strength.

The moment my fist collided with the heavenly-class lightning, the skin on my knuckles tore apart and blood burst forth.

As the wall dissipated, Thorin had already prepared another attack, forming a sharp rod of lightning in his hand.

"This is for hitting my brother!" he shouted, launching the rod at me like a whip.

"Brother?" I asked, dodging to the side. "Oh, so you are Cedric’s brother. No wonder your face felt annoyingly familiar."

"Y-you bastard!" Thorin snarled, veins bulging on his forehead.

"Lightning Whip: Hundred Slash!"

With a sudden flick of his arm, the lightning whip turned ferocious, unleashing countless strikes at blinding speed.

At the same time, Lyra had completed the technique she had asked time to prepare.

A radiant aura enveloped her blade, its length doubling in size.

"Sword of Thunderbane: Chapter One

Fang of the Thunder Wolf!"

From the swing of her sword, a terrifying lightning fang materialised and rushed straight toward me while I was still occupied defending against the relentless whip attacks.

"She managed to unleash the first Chapter with only pseudo sword aura?" I gasped inwardly, genuinely impressed, yet completely forgetting one crucial detail.

"How am I supposed to withstand that attack?"

The only way to block it was to release lightning of the same class or use complete sword aura combined with calamity-class lightning.

Both options were out of the question, as they would raise countless questions and draw even more unwanted attention.

So I chose the third option.

"Master Robert, the ten minutes are up. Please stop the duel!"

The moment the words left my mouth, Master Robert stepped in, dispersing both the whip attack and the lightning fang with a simple wave of his hand.

"The duel ends here. Lucifer Morningstar has cleared the second trial. He is now the third Core Disciple of the Thunderbane Sect!" Master Robert announced, though the irritation on his face clearly showed that he had wanted to see me beaten senseless.

"Huh! Huhhh! Huhhhhh!" Thorin shouted, unable to believe what I had just done.

"You bastard! Do you have no honour?" he roared. "How could you give up just when we were about to defeat you?"

Ignoring his outburst entirely, I walked toward Lyra, joined my hands in the martial salute, bowed slightly, and said, "It was a great duel, Sister Lyra. You have proven that the next generation of Thunderbanes is not far behind their predecessors."

My sudden display of respect left everyone present completely stunned.

"Th-thank you, Junior Brother Lucifer," Lyra replied softly, averting her gaze as a hint of embarrassment coloured her face.

To avoid the inevitable and irritating interrogation from the elders, whom I could already sense were eager to question me, I turned to Master Robert.

"I am too exhausted and might faint at any moment. Please allow me to return to my chambers."

Master Robert shot me one last glare, fully understanding the truth behind my so-called exhaustion.

Letting out a weary sigh, he muttered, "Get lost, rude brat."

---

I spent the remainder of the short evening in meditation, replaying my duel with Lyra and analysing how she used the Sword of Thunderbane.

I did not even realise how much time had passed until it was already midnight.

Just as I was about to rise from my seat to sneak out once again, the ring Ume had given me began to glow.

"Ding.

The Goddess is requesting to be summoned to the host’s location.

Would you like to accept her request? 𝙛𝒓𝓮𝙚𝔀𝒆𝒃𝓷𝒐𝓿𝙚𝓵.𝙘𝒐𝒎

[Yes] [No]?"