Chapter 257
Arran felt a surge of worry as he saw Brightblade sway on her feet . She had seemed invincible just a moment earlier, moving with an impossible speed, but now she looked vulnerable . Hurt, even .
Her opponent wasted no time in exploiting the opening . Seeing a chance, the Elder launched a barrage of attacks — numerous streaks of fire and lightning that shimmered with power, each of them soaring toward Brightblade with staggering speed .
For a moment, Arran feared that was the end of it . The attacks were too many, too fast, too powerful .
But just as the first streak of lightning was about to hit, there was a flicker in the air before it . The attack was suddenly deflected, sent flying into the distance . It crashed into the formation surrounding the dueling grounds a moment later, sending a ripple through the air before it dissipated .
Another attack came only a fraction of a second later, however . She deflected this one as well, but it came even closer than the first to hitting her . And even before it crashed into the formation, it was followed by yet another attack .
In the space of a few seconds, dozens of attacks rained down on Brightblade, violent bolts of Essence with terrifying power . And while Brightblade somehow managed to block them all, each new attack came closer to hitting her .
The first attacks had been stopped several paces in front of her, but now, they came within an arm's length of her body . And still, the onslaught continued undimished . At this rate, it was a matter of seconds before she would be hit .
Arran clenched his jaw as he watched, desperately wishing there was something — anything — he could do . But even if he could get past the formation, the power used here was too much for him to make a difference .
Some of the deflected attacks hit the ground instead of the formation, and each of those tore a deep scar into the earth, dozens of paces long and several feet deep . Even with Arran's resistance to magic, a single attack like that would rip through his body with ease .
He nearly screamed in frustration as he saw that Brightblade's opponent stepped up his attacks, with the man clearly sensing that he was on the verge of victory . There was no chance for her to recover, much less launch a counter-attack — she was already struggling to defend herself .
Then, she was hit .
She moved her hand just a second too late, the attack already striking her as a shield formed behind it, too late to make a difference .
Yet as the ball of seething fire and lightning struck her body, there was a brief but blindingly bright flash of light, and she staggered backward — hurt, but still alive .
Arran felt a surge of relief, but it lasted only a second . She had miraculously survived the first attack, but more followed behind it . Her opponent had seen his chance, and he had no intention of wasting it .
Again she was struck, and again she staggered backward . There was no blocking the attacks now — a rain of fire and lightning bore down upon her, driving her back further and further, her movements weaker with every step she took .
Suddenly, Arran felt a hand on his shoulder . "There's nothing you can do," Elder Theron's voice came .
Arran blinked as he realized that his hand was on his sword, his body tense as he subconsciously moved to attack, with only the Elder's hand holding him back . Another second, and he would have rushed onto the battlefield .
Though he took his hand off his sword, he was unable to relax his body — not with Brightblade on the verge of being defeated .
Meanwhile, the barrage of attacks on Brightblade continued unceasingly, the onslaught slowly driving her toward the edge of the formation . Arran wanted to scream for her to move, to evade, to do anything but stand there as she was battered with fire and lightning .
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