My Devourer System: Rise of the Bastard Son

Heavy clouds rolled over the sky, suffocating the light and casting shadows over Lucen's face. The padded grass beneath cushioned his feet as he approached Thomas.

Thomas' handsome face twisted into a sneer, his smooth black hair fell over his forehead.

"You'll wait till you're called, halfblood," Thomas sneered. "But I guess that inflated ego of yours needs to be lightened."

The warm wind grew stronger, pouring over Lucen's face, scattering his messy blonde hair even more. A real Knight—Lucen couldn't wait to cross weapons with him.

Thomas was a Mid-tier Knight, meaning he had tempered two of the Tripartite. Body and mind, Lucen guessed. But it was still a great achievement. The pain of tempering was said to be maddening at times.

Lucen lowered his stance and raised his spear. Thomas stood carelessly, using his sword as a cane. It was a thin blade that had a purplish hue.

"Come at me, boy," he yawned. "Let's not waste my time."

Lucen summoned his runes. [Surging Flames] burnt through his veins and grew as he took a deep breath. [Reading] and [Targeting] activated at once, focusing on Thomas to avoid straining his mind.

Thomas was filled with Elemental mana, but his mana had a distinct shape—something that resembled a viper, one born from dust and windstorms.

Lucen let out the breath he was holding and shot forward. His strike went over Thomas's head as he casually bent backwards. But Lucen spun and struck low at his ankles.

He hoped Thomas would have to retreat, and he could keep up the pressure. But the black-haired Knight launched into the air with a casual hop and spun, sending a kick to Lucen's head.

Lucen got even lower and retreated, but Thomas hounded him. The moment his toes touched grass, he disappeared.

Thomas' mana trailed behind him, but Lucen could guess his intention. He whipped his spear behind him, and Thomas—who wanted to tap his shoulder—was forced to block.

Thomas' eyes widened. Lucen did not let the block stop him. The moment after their weapons clanged together, he was spinning low for a leg sweep.

Thomas dodged with a flashy backflip, but he couldn't see Lucen. He let go of the breath he was holding and chased after him. He would get behind him and tap the fool on the shoulder.

But Thomas' hand cocked back as he landed, and his elbow rocked Lucen's skull.

He stumbled, cursing as he tasted blood in his mouth. Thomas' arrogant smile mocked him, his black eyes glowed with mirth.

"Don't be stupid, halfblood."

Lucen snarled and continued attacking. Thomas flowed through the air and stormed over the ground like a haughty spirit. Lucen spun his spear in front of him, attacking suddenly and without warning.

Occasionally, Thomas was forced to block Lucen's attacks with his sword. Lucen only jabbed to make it hard for him to parry.

Sharp kicks and spinning swings, purple lines were drawn through the air, and silver flashes followed them. They flew and danced over the green grass in a blinding display of speed, their footsteps barely moving the grass.

Thomas had mana sense almost as good as his, but he also had the preternatural sense of where Lucen was attacking. He barely glanced at his sneaky feints and even yawned as he jumped over Lucen.

It probably had something to do with tempering your soul or mind. Lucen didn't know—he had been unable to coalesce his soul despite his constant channelling.

He could Veil his mana, but [Breath of Veil] was too weak to contend with Thomas' mana sense. He needed a burst of speed that Thomas couldn't anticipate. Something different, melding perfectly with the mana of his environment.

[I'm too busy with the ongoing fusion, but I like this direction. Use Reading and Breath of Veil to align your mana to the environment.]

Thomas sensed his moment of distraction. His foot slammed into Lucen's torso, and he stumbled, coughing.

[You already have different types of mana present. But you'll need to move your mana internally.]

He usually just poured mana into spells, not worrying about controlling it. But didn't Life mana move with his breath when he first got it?

[Exactly. Life mostly moves with breath, Elemental moves with song, and Divine moves with praise. But now you have to command your mana. This will help especially when you're finally a Knight.]

He engaged Thomas again with a flowing combo of three attacks, calling on his mana to move. Life mana moved, but the others ignored him.

He reached down into himself to find something—a ball of anger and sickness that he had been ignoring. His Divine mana stirred.

Lucen jumped and spun his spear in a wide arc. Thomas had dodged, a smirk widened on his face. He was about to attack.

Now! His fury and desire boiled inside him. To punch this arrogant bastard in the nose. His mana stirred and blended in natural mana in the air.

Thomas closed in, and his palm was open. The snake bastard was about to fucking slap him.

He called on the energy built by [Surging Flames]. Thomas thought he needed to build up energy before he attacked. His mana stayed blended into the natural mana of the air, so he wouldn't notice the sudden surge of mana.

Thomas' slap sailed through the air. Lucen leaned back and let it pass inches from his face, then he cocked his fist back.

The bastard thought he'd easily dodge—then something slammed into his jaw. A bang made Helie and the others jump, then widened their eyes.

Thomas had fallen on his ass. His eyes were wide with disbelief, his jaw was red where Lucen's fist had imprinted itself.

"Sorry, I meant to punch your nose," Lucen chuckled.

Thomas' face turned red immediately. He shot to his feet, and his mana surged as he activated his enhancement spell. His mana flared purple, like poison. The purplish hue of his sword glowed brightly.

"Filthy halfblood, I'll cut your tongue out."

Lucen raised his spear, smiling. "Come at me."