My Devourer System: Rise of the Bastard Son

Darkness rolled over the trainyard. Clouds hung over them, dark and heavy, wind coursing over them.

Lucen wouldn't take back anything he said. But fighting an angry knight felt a bit daunting. His mana had gone back to its natural state, but he felt he could pull off that trick one more time.

Thomas' mana swirled like a hurricane, his purple sword was now visibly glowing.

"Try to stay on your feet, boy."

Lucen felt the world shift. Thomas disappeared like a mirage. His mana surging briefly, but by the time Lucen could read his move, he felt a fist slam into his stomach.

He felt his feet leave the ground, the wind rushed in his ears. He was flung twenty feet into the air, and Thomas wasn't still done.

Lucen raised his spear overhead as Thomas' crushing fist came from above and sent him rocketing to the ground.

He slapped against the soft grass, but the force chased the air from his lungs. His vision blurred, his spine burnt like molten lead.

But he still moved, rolling aside quickly. Thomas crashed into the earth seconds after.

His mana was too hard to read at this speed. That wasn't even the worst part. It was like Thomas' mana was trying to deceive him.

A low kick morphed into backhand, and an overhead slash from his sword transformed into a spinning triple kick.

His mana sense was either malfunctioning, or Thomas' enhancement spell was sending false signals. Tempering your body must have better integrated your spells.

Well, none of this was changing the fact that he was getting his ass beat. There had to be a way for him to keep up.

Thomas' purple blade hissed through the air. A chain of attacks so fast, Lucen simply saw a barrage of purple lines descending on him.

His fingers became numb as he skidded backwards uncontrollably. A spell—he's using a fucking spell?

Shameless bastard. It melded so well with his enhancement technique, and the mana was impossible to read before it landed.

If those blade strikes sought blood, he'd be a pile of bloody chunks right now. But he really was showing off his full arsenal to win a duel against a Squire.

There was only one way to win, at this point. He reached into Barth's treasured spear and tried to draw out its ability. It was unwilling to listen to a Squire despite his high Dominance stat.

The spear vibrated with his desire to beat this shameless fool, and it began to glow with starlight.

Thomas slowed down, raising an eyebrow. Lucen commanded his mana once more to Veil his surge of mana.

He released the spear, and it exploded forward, a white streak of light. Thomas dodged as flashily as he expected.

He stormed Thomas, his fist pulled back once more, his stored mana exploded through his body once more.

But Thomas' speed was incontestable. He spun on his heel and grabbed Lucen's neck, lifting him from the ground with a malicious smile.

"Stupid halfblood, you never learn. Your mediocre mana sense may be impressive—"

Thomas' eyes grew wider than fists. His hand disappeared from his neck like a dream, and his spear, returning in a flash of light, slammed back into his hand.

The momentum, and the fact his feet weren't on the ground, came around in a painful way. His shoulder groaned as the spear pulled him through the air and sent him rolling across the grass.

He stayed there for a second, face against the soft, fresh-smelling grass, staring at the tip of his spear. It was tinged with red blood.

He smiled widely.

A hand grasped the back of his neck and yanked him off the ground. Thomas' handsome face was twisted in rage, his dark eyes shone with venom.

"I'm going to make you regret your unfortunate birth."

His sword raised to mutilate him. But a hand grabbed his wrist.

Thomas winced and dropped his sword as the grip of the weathered arm tightened. Warren pulled the arm backwards, forcing Thomas to face him.

Warren's usually calm demeanor was there, but his gaze was so terribly sharp and cold that even Lucen shivered.

"You disgrace your master with such behaviour. If you were my student, I would never let you become a Knight. Too many people have forgotten that being a Knight isn't about skill or potential; it is about character and wisdom."

Warren let go of his hand and glanced down at the ripped line in Thomas' flamboyant clothes, and then at Lucen's red-tinged spear.

"Losing to a Squire. I should take away your authority, but that is not up to me. I will bring up your incompetence to Lord Chester."

Warren marched away. Thomas jumped from panicked looks at Warren, and venomous hatred for him, before deciding to pick up his sword and follow Warren.

Lucen's sore body felt like a wobbling bag of water. Hands grabbed him and pulled him up. Helie, Kon, Hither, and Elle, all smiling brightly.

"You're unbelievable," Helie squealed. "You were keeping up with a Mid-tier Knight as a fucking Squire."

"Thanks for avenging me, man." Kon grinned. "But you also got gutted there."

"I was very ready to throw a fireball at that asshole," Hither sneered.

"Warren was even impressed," Elle giggled. "He smiled after he turned away. I never seen Warren smile."

They took him to the sidelines, where water flowed in a smooth, white concrete channel. Lucen splashed some water on his face and hoped his vision would clear and his head would stop pounding.

"Hey, I don't want to be annoying," Helie said, sitting beside him. "But we need you, Lucen. We need to fight as a team when the Bull wolves get here, or we might just die that day."

"No lies said. I got chills watching Thomas move," Kon agreed. "And you're telling me he'd have trouble killing a single Bull wolf."

"He's a lot stronger than an average Mid-tier Knight," Lucen explained. "He's not far from the Top-tier. He can take a Bull wolf easily. But I get what you're saying. I'll do my best to work together."

[Fusion of Breath of Mending and Blood Rebirth complete…]

[I couldn't get it back to King-rank, but you've gained a Heroic-rank skill.]