11 A Spectacular Win!

Five hours had passed since he fought Sam and Kate. Right now, the three of them were enjoying a cool breeze on the rooftop of Sam's house. "To Lucas's success", said Sam as he clinked glasses with both of them. "I won't be drinking for now", said Lucas as he placed his glass down after clinking.

"Be careful against Mom and Dad", said Kate. "Yeah, I know. They're going to be really strong. I can only hope that they go easy on me", he chuckled lightly. "There is a very low chance of that happening", he thought. "How can I defeat them? I can't activate my aura on will. That will be my only advantage. But even if I do activate, can I win against them?", he thought. Just as he was deep in thought, he heard a soothing voice call out to him.

"Luca, good luck winning against us", said that voice. Lucas turned around and saw a beautiful lady looking at him, her eyes filled with tenderness. "Mother. Thank you", he said as he smiled. "I came here to tell you that one rule has been changed. There is going to be a time limit. Either you defeat us, or survive from us", she said.

"Survive?", he thought. "Why did the rules change? Am I not strong enough?", he asked, dejected. Martha placed a hand on his shoulder. "No, my little Luca. You are very strong. No one can defeat you when they fight you without using any mana or aura even among your peers. You have trained yourself for lacking in that department. Even if you don't trust yourself, trust your mother. Can you do that?", she asked. Lucas nodded his head firmly. Martha then gave a kiss on his forehead, and bid him goodbye.

Lucas laid down on the rooftop and looked towards the sky. "In life, there are always moments, that push you down. But remember, it doesn't matter how hard you fall. It matters how hard you get up and keep pushing forward. Overcome your obstacles, my son", came a voice next to him. Lucas didn't want to get up right now. He felt comfortable lying down. "Yes, father. The Heart family never loses their heart. No matter the situation, Never Lose Heart", he said in a firm tone. This was what he needed before his fight. "That's the spirit. See you in the arena", said Ben and disappeared.

He then hopped down from the roof and began to walk towards the arena. He saw Leon standing in front of the entrance. "Any words of wisdom, Master?", he asked. Leon shook his head sideways. "Like I always say, trust your instincts. Good luck", he said and walked away. "I wonder how he will fare against them? But he is the best person I have trained in years", he began to ponder deeply.

Lucas walked into the arena again. This time, he didn't wait for his parents to come in. He quickly took out both of his blades. He knew he couldn't try and test everything out today. If he had to survive, the only way was to use these weapons to their full potential. "Although they are legendary tier weapons, I just hope they can withstand the onslaught of both mom and dad", he thought.

The moment his parents entered the arena, he readied his stance. They smiled at him. "It's good to be vigilant, but are you sure of your abilities to handle us?', asked Ben. The moment he saw the both of them, a quest was triggered.

[Quest Initiated]

[Survive for 10 Minutes]

[Survive 0/10 Minutes]

[Rewards - EXP +1500, Increase all stats by 5]

"Survive? Even the system knows that I'm weak right now, huh?", he thought as he looked at the screen above him. The robotic voice sounded from above. "The contestant shall need to survive for ten minutes under their attacks. The contestant is allowed to attack or defend. Round Two begin!", it said.

The moment it said 'begin', his parents disappeared. Lucas was shocked but he didn't waver. He closed his eyes instantly, activating the silver blade. He felt a slight change in the air from his left, so he twisted his body to the right. An icicle shot past his right shoulder, barely grazing him. He didn't open his eyes. "Surviving is going to be hard. And I can't feel their presence. I can't use stealth here. They will find me regardless", he thought. His thoughts were racing fast as his heartbeat raced against his chest. He knew that to win this, he needed to activate his aura.

While he was feeling the attacks in the air, slicing towards him, he began to think of the feeling that he felt. "I have to remember that feeling", he thought. He knew that this was a hard task, but he kept trying regardless. It was hard, but suddenly, he felt a warm sensation run through his body. "Is this that feeling?", he wondered as another fireball came from his back. He rolled to his left side and quickly jumped back.

"It's barely two minutes and I am on the losing end. I have to turn this fight around", he thought as the warm sensation flowed throughout his body. The system then popped a notification in front of him.

[Aura detected]

[Aura type: Weapon's Master]

[Current Aura Class: F]

[Aura's Capabilities: SSS]

The moment he saw the notification, his eyes were wide open. "Now I understand why Master said that this is sought by everyone", he thought. "My current capabilities are weak. I need to get stronger so that I can protect myself, and everyone I care about", he said with resolve. "What are you muttering about?", he heard Ben's voice. Lucas smiled calmly and opened his eyes.

A faint Dark blue covered him. "It seems that you have successfully activated your Aura. And you have even learned to control it amid this battle. Let's see how long you can maintain this state", he said as he took out a sword from his hilt. "Don't worry, this is a legendary weapon. So yours won't break that easily", he smiled.

The moment he saw the smile, Lucas knew he was in deep trouble. Five minutes had passed since the challenge started, and he still didn't hit. He was just evading around and trying to figure out his aura. Ben gave a stab to his right shoulder. Lucas twisted and activated the dark blade, spinning to hit Ben's left side.

He quickly parried Lucas's attack, stunning him. "That sword is a Longsword. And yet he can swing it like a blade? And to top it off, he isn't using Aura", exclaimed Lucas in his mind. "He is an expert swordsman, but he isn't to the level of Master. Master is faster than him", he thought as he parried. A cold chill came from his back.

"He isn't your only opponent", came a cold voice. The soothing voice which had always supported him was ice cold right now. He knew danger was imminent right now, and hence stayed vigilant. He then kicked Ben's stomach, pushing him away. As he felt the chill get denser, he used Ben as a springboard, jumping into the air.

As he was in the air, he twisted his body and saw a huge icicle coming towards the place he was standing a few seconds ago. He was shocked at the scene. "They're ramping it up now. I don't know how much longer I can hold this", he thought. Using Aura was taking a toll on his muscles. "Why is it so painful? Master uses it all the time. I haven't seen him in pain once", he thought.

The moment his feet were on the ground, he saw a fireball coming towards him. He closed his eyes and concentrated on his aura, trying to make it move towards the sword. "That's how Master does it. Let me just imitate what he does", he thought as he was in deep concentration. He didn't know that his parents were just circling him, watching what he would do next.

"He has shown immense growth, hasn't he?', asked Ben. Martha just nodded her head, smiling wide. Even though they were fighting against each other, she was proud that Lucas could achieve so much on his own. She also knew that disturbing him right now was bad, hence they both just circled. A full minute passed on the clock, and there were only four minutes left now.

He slowly felt the energy that was coursing through him, and he moved it towards his blade. His muscles screamed in pain, but he didn't mind it. He wanted to achieve it. Leon, with his hands behind his back, had a glint in his eyes. "This brat. He wants to recreate my move. You are doing well, boy. Just keep this up", he muttered. Slowly, a small grin crept up his face.

Lucas's blade began to get covered by his Aura. Another full minute had passed, making it seven minutes. Lucas didn't count the time. He just wanted to achieve something in this fight, making him grow stronger. The moment his blade was covered with Aura, he began to do the same for the second blade. Both blades were covered soon and Lucas's hand began to shake a little. "The pain is immense, but I can bear it", he thought as he opened his eyes. He looked at his parents standing there, circling him. Lucas smiled. "Right where I want them". he thought.

He then activated [Whirlwind], and began to spin. There weren't just wind slashes now, but there were his aura slashes mixed within them, making it more dangerous than before. Ben and Martha's eyes went wide. "To think he would use it this way", thought Ben. There was just a minute left on the clock, and Lucas was getting tired. "Status", he called in his mind.

[Status]

[Name: Lucas Heart]

[HP: 32/100]

[MP: 100/100]

[Level: 2]

[Job: None]

[Title: None]

[EXP: 400/500]

[System Level: 1/10]

[Strength: 30]

[Stamina: 20]

[Agility: 29]

[Perception: 22]

[Magic: 17]

[Stat points to be used: 0]

He saw his HP and was taken aback. "But how? I'm sure I didn't get hit that much. Is it because of Aura?', he thought. His Aura began to fade, and the strength he had begun to fade. He activated both of his blades, knowing this will be his final attack. He crouched, building his Aura in his legs, where he felt very little pain. After he felt that everything was placed there, he moved.

"Boom", came a sound when he moved. Rubble was kicked back with every step he took. He ran in circles, making it hard for his parents to hit him. After a minute, there was a buzz. "Round Two has been completed. The contestant has cleared this round", said the voice from above. Lucas let out a long sigh, as his vision faded once again and he fell to the ground with a thud.