Elemental Cats

Toz's lightning bolt hadn't left a trace of its passing within the arena he and Dyra fought on.

With the element of space added to the lightning bolt, it didn't need to travel, and it appeared in front of its target almost instantly.

The element of darkness covered most of the lightning bolt's presence, but the explosive force of lightning and fire, reinforced by the weight and sharpness of metal, couldn't be perfectly concealed.

Orange, blue, and purple light burst out before the lightning bolt could strike its target, alerting everyone of its location. But even if they noticed the light, no one present would be able to react confidently to the lightning bolt.

The lightning bolt contained force and speed even Toz didn't know he was capable of conjuring. And seeing Brunswick hurt had triggered unexpectedly strong feelings of protectiveness in Toz.

Toz was already annoyed at the whole delegation due to their posturing and general attitude. But upon seeing how they even hurt his subordinate, his emotions took the lead over his magic, combining all six of his elements and creating the lightning bolt.

His emotional burst had sped up the conjuring process, but it had still taken some time for him to cast, which left him open for an attack. And the only time he would need such powerful magic would be against an opponent capable of taking full advantage of that opening, rendering the magic inefficient and without use.

Even Dyra might have been able to attack Toz during the moments he spent casting his magic if she had been prepared for it and not busy trying to get a grasp on the situation.

However, she wouldn't be able to withstand the bolt that caused the atmosphere to tremble just by existing. The other delegates were most likely similar in strength or weaker than Dyra, so they also would have suffered at the hands of Toz if he were to fire that bolt at them instead.

Unfortunately, Toz launched his lightning bolt at the one person who could actually take the bolt head-on.

Toz's target was Dyra's protector, Yill. The same person Brunswick looked at before his eyes started to bleed. It was clear from Brunswick's reaction that Yill was the person responsible for injuring him.

Toz barely had time to notice his fluctuating emotions before he sent the lightning bolt flying toward Yill.

However, Dyra's family wouldn't send someone who couldn't even protect Dyra as her protector.

While everyone else was too stunned or incapable of reacting, Yill's eyes widened in some surprise at the lightning bolt, but there wasn't a hint of alarm in them as she calmly raised her hand in the lightning bolt's direction.

The instant it took for the lightning bolt to blink across space and arrive in front of Yill and the instant left before the lightning struck her was enough time for Yill to lift an open palm and create a shield of ice. Yill's movements looked slow and composed. But they were still faster than Toz's lightning bolt.

The shield of ice expanded and enveloped the lightning bolt upon collision, containing the thunderous explosion of fire and preventing Toz's attack from affecting the surroundings.

Even the grey flames Toz had made sure were part of the attack were useless against Yill's ice.

The outcome of Toz's attack was surprisingly anti-climatic as all the mana he gathered and sent at Yill only ended up creating a lightbulb that flashed before fading out in a dim light.

"My apologies, miss. But it seems like I'll have to interfere with your battle."

Yill's words prompted Dyra to leave her daze.

"B-but I gave my word…!"

"Don't worry, miss. This feisty brat hasn't won over you, so your word will remain unbroken."

Dyra stomped her foot and pouted in an unexpected bout of childishness.

"Fine! Do whatever you want!"

Yill gave an apologetic look toward Dyra before turning her eyes toward Toz. The previously gentle and worried gaze that she had during the meeting when looking at Dyra was gone and replaced by a strict expression.

"Now then, you brat. I only responded in kind to that other kid's intrusive peeking. He tried to look at something he shouldn't have. It's admirable of you to stand up for him, your strength even more so. But now that you've attacked me, I'm officially allowed to defend myself without having to worry about the Transcendent's Pledge."

Toz got a bad feeling, and he slowly began backing away with a wary expression on his face. Even Dristel, a ninth level fighter, would have remained uninjured after Toz's lightning bolt. But Yill waved it away like it was nothing more than a fly.

Toz didn't quite believe his guess at first, but it was the only reasonable explanation he could find. Yill, Dyra's protector, was at the transcendent level. Her words even confirmed it. And the pressure and danger Toz felt from her built with each passing moment.

But Toz didn't let his fear consume him as he tried to find a way out while also asking the cats to stay put. If he couldn't put a scratch on her, they also wouldn't be able to do much and would instead just put themselves in danger.

"So, looking at someone makes him deserve that?"

Toz decided to try and stall by putting the blame on Yill for harming Brunswick.

"If you can't handle what you see, that's what you get. I hardly even did anything. I just let him take a peek at what he wanted to find out. Or should I say, what you wanted him to find out."

Yill took a look at Brunswick. She squinted before continuing.

"You don't have to worry, or fear, for that matter. He'll be fine, and I'm not planning to harm you. You're far too valuable."

Yill didn't seem to have any especially nefarious intents as she spoke, but Toz still felt chills rise up his spine.

Toz tried to take another step back and put more distance between himself and Yill, only to realize he couldn't move his feet. Without him noticing, ice had started creeping up his boots and legs.