BXBX NOVEL Chapter 98: Caius's Storm Aura
His muscles tensed, and a palpable surge of power coursed through him, doubling his speed and strength. The air vibrated with the intensity of his power, and a low hum resonated through the arena as the storm aura reached its peak.
Zeus remained calm, his expression unchanging as he watched Caius transform. A smirk tugged at the corners of his mouth, and his eyes sparkled with a mixture of excitement and anticipation.
Without wasting a second, Caius launched himself at Zeus, his movements now a blur of speed and power. His swords sliced through the air with deadly precision, each strike backed by the full force of his enhanced aura.
But Zeus didn\'t flinch. Instead, he watched Caius\'s approach with a casual, almost bored expression, his smirk widening as the distance between them closed. There was a glint of amusement in his eyes, as if he was enjoying a private joke at Caius\'s expense.
Caius\'s sword descended with blinding speed, the blade aimed to cleave through Zeus. But with lightning-fast reflexes, Zeus raised his left hand and caught the blade mid-swing. The power behind Caius\'s strike was undeniable, but it seemed to amuse Zeus more than anything.
A low, mocking chuckle escaped Zeus\'s lips, the sound echoing eerily in the charged atmosphere. "Finally," he drawled, his voice dripping with condescension, "you\'re worthy enough to face me."
Caius\'s eyes widened in disbelief, his breath catching as he tried to pull his sword free. But Zeus\'s grip was like iron, unyielding and immovable. Before Caius could fully process what was happening, Zeus shifted his weight and, with his right hand, delivered a powerful punch straight to Caius\'s chest.
The blow landed with a bone-crushing force, driving the air from Caius\'s lungs. He staggered backward, his body reeling from the impact, but his grip on his sword remained firm. His expression twisted with fury as he struggled to regain his balance.
"Damn you!" Caius spat, his voice a snarl of rage as he forced himself forward, his eyes blazing with determination.
Zeus watched him with a cool, detached expression, his stance relaxed as if the fight was nothing more than a mild inconvenience. "Is that all?" Zeus taunted, his voice laced with amusement. "I thought the third rank would be more challenging."
Caius\'s face contorted with anger, his knuckles white as he reached for his second sword. With a swift, fluid motion, he unsheathed the blade, the metal gleaming ominously in the arena\'s light. "You won\'t be laughing for long," Caius growled, his voice low and dangerous.
Without hesitation, he charged at Zeus again, this time with both swords at the ready. His movements were more aggressive, his strikes fueled by a mix of fury and desperation.
"Thunder Strike!" he roared, pouring every ounce of his power into the attack. The blades crackled with thunder energy, their arcs leaving trails of electricity in the air.
Zeus stood his ground, watching Caius\'s frenzied approach with a calm smirk. His eyes followed the electrified blades as they slashed through the air toward him. But instead of dodging, Zeus remained rooted in place, his confidence unshaken.
At the last possible moment, Zeus raised his hands, allowing the energy within him to surge to the surface. A brilliant thunder aura burst from his limbs, coating his hands in crackling electricity. The arena seemed to hum with the power he radiated.
Just as Caius\'s twin swords were about to strike, Zeus\'s hands shot forward, catching both blades in his grasp. The impact sent a shockwave through the arena, but Zeus didn\'t flinch.
The thunder energy from Caius\'s attack clashed with Zeus\'s own aura, but Zeus held firm, stopping the swords dead in their tracks.
Caius\'s eyes widened in disbelief, his breath catching in his throat. "You\'re… also a thunder element warrior?" he stammered, his voice filled with shock and confusion.
Zeus\'s smirk deepened, his grip tightening on the swords as he effortlessly held them at bay. "Who said I wasn\'t?" he replied, his tone laced with amusement and a hint of superiority.
With a sudden, explosive burst of strength, Zeus shoved Caius\'s swords aside, throwing him off balance. In the same fluid motion, Zeus\'s right hand shot forward, delivering a bone-crushing punch directly to Caius\'s midsection.
The impact reverberated through the arena, sending Caius hurtling backward, his feet barely skimming the ground as he skidded across the stone floor.
Desperately, Caius dug his swords into the ground, the blades screeching as they dragged along the arena floor, finally bringing him to a halt just inches from the boundary.
His chest heaved as he gasped for air, his body trembling under the immense strain of maintaining his Storm Aura. Sweat dripped down his face, mingling with the dust and grime of the battle.
His eyes darted to Zeus, and in that moment, he realized the stark difference between them—Zeus stood there, unscathed and composed, as if the fight had been nothing more than a warm-up.
Zeus\'s smirk remained firmly in place, his eyes gleaming with a mixture of amusement and superiority. "Now, why don\'t you surrender, se-ni-or?" he taunted, deliberately drawing out the word with a mocking tone that sliced through the air like a blade.
Caius\'s face burned with a mix of anger and humiliation. His knuckles whitened around the hilts of his swords, the metal trembling in his grip as he fought to steady himself.
The weight of the spectators\' gazes bore down on him, their silent judgment palpable as they watched him struggle. The pressure mounted with each passing second, his pride screaming at him to fight back, to prove he was still worthy of his rank.