The Demon Queen's Royal Consort-Chapter 86 - Circle of Geniuses - III

**

The air in the arena was thick with energy, and the silence preceding the duel was almost palpable. Athena and Vex stood facing each other from opposite sides of the floating platform, their imposing presences creating a tension so heavy it made even the most seasoned spectators hold their breath.

Athena, with her regal posture and icy gaze, raised her hands slightly. Six orbs of brilliant light materialized around her, orbiting her body like miniature suns. Each pulsed with concentrated energy, the heat they emitted so intense that the arena floor beneath her feet began to melt, forming small pools of incandescent material.

"Let's begin," Athena said, her voice calm yet commanding.

The orbs of light moved swiftly, weaving a hypnotic pattern around her. Suddenly, two additional arms appeared, controlling the radiant orbs that surrounded her.

**

The arena erupted into action as Vex's pupils contracted. Her focus sharpened, and she dropped into an almost animalistic stance, hands planted on the ground. Prana exploded through her body, her nails elongating to an unnatural length, piercing the arena floor. She launched herself toward Athena with staggering speed.

The six orbs orbiting Athena began firing concentrated beams of light at blinding speed. Each shot missed Vex by mere millimeters, and wherever they struck the ground, chunks of it disintegrated.

In the blink of an eye, Vex appeared in front of Athena, her claws slashing toward the mage's head. One of Athena's arms manipulated an orb, transforming it into a shield.

"BOOOOOOOM!"

A shockwave rippled outward as Vex's strike collided with Athena's barrier. The arm controlling the orb dissipated like smoke—but another instantly took its place, conjuring arrows of light that shot toward Vex.

Those watching could no longer distinguish Athena's real limbs from her illusions. Everything looked real, down to the finest detail of her clothing.

"Light tricks won't fool me, mage," Vex said, her voice dripping with disdain and excitement.

The light arrows streaked toward Vex, each carrying enough energy to melt anything in their path. Vex moved like lightning, performing gravity-defying acrobatics as she dodged. She flipped, twisted midair, and weaved between the beams with impossible agility. Her expression grew more feral with each passing second.

Once again closing the distance, she unleashed a flurry of claw strikes, each met by Athena's shields. Every slash released residual wind blades that sliced through the air toward Athena.

The mage raised a hand, and a luminous barrier formed, blocking the attacks. But Vex didn't relent. Using the momentum of her leap, she lunged again, her claws gleaming with stored energy.

Vex struck Athena with a swift, precise slash, her claws cutting through the air with a hiss. But instead of blood, Athena's image shattered into fragments of light—revealing an illusion.

The real Athena stood several meters away, her eyes glowing gold as the orbs continued orbiting her.

"Impressive," Athena said, her voice echoing softly. "But you'll need more than instincts to reach me."

Vex didn't respond. She was already moving again, her claws releasing more wind blades as she zigzagged toward Athena, dodging the relentless beams of light.

'Incredible, less than ten seconds have passed, yet the fight is already this intense!' I analyzed. 'I still don't understand Athena's second affinity, but every time she uses it, something trembles inside me. It's like she sometimes knows what's about to happen before it does—not to mention that strange energy in her eyes.'

The arena was in an uproar. The duel between Athena and Vex had become a spectacle of magic, instinct, and raw power. The spectators—both the young geniuses and the more experienced ones—were completely engrossed, every movement followed with feverish attention.

Vex, feeling the pressure from Athena's light orbs, decided to escalate the fight. Her eyes, once glowing with wild crimson energy, turned completely opaque, as if veiled by a silver mist. The air around her seemed to vibrate, and strange distortions began occurring.

Her footsteps, once crisp and precise, now sounded out of sync. The sound of her movement echoed only after she had already moved, creating a disorienting effect. It was as if time and space around Vex had warped, making her movements unpredictable.

"You're fast, mage," Vex said, her voice echoing oddly, as if coming from multiple directions at once. "But let's see if you can keep up with this."

She advanced in an impossible zigzag, her claws scraping the ground. Yet the sound didn't follow logically—only when she was already far away did screeching noises erupt behind, beside, or even in front of Athena.

Vex increased her speed as her claws began vibrating at a high frequency, emitting a piercing, metallic shriek. Athena, trying to maintain distance, fired more light beams, but Vex dodged with supernatural agility, her movements nearly imperceptible.

In a moment of distraction, Vex found an opening. She spun midair, her claws slicing through space in a fluid, precise motion. The attack was so fast Athena barely had time to react. Vex's claws tore through Athena's light shield like a hot knife through butter, leaving a deep gash running from her shoulder down to her abdomen.

Athena staggered back, clutching the wound with one hand while the other kept the light orbs in orbit. Her face, once composed, now showed a flicker of concern.

"Interesting," Athena said, her voice still steady but laced with reluctant admiration. "Your cheap little trick has improved since we last met."

Vex didn't let up, ignoring Athena's barbed comment. She lunged again, her claws vibrating and slicing through the air with a sound that seemed to rend reality itself. Athena, now injured, knew she had to act fast. Her light orbs, previously focused on offense, shifted to defense, forming luminous barriers to block Vex's strikes.

But Vex was relentless. Her sound affinity allowed her to "feel" vibrations in the air, anticipating Athena's moves before they happened. She twisted midair, her claws releasing wind blades that shredded the light shields like paper.

At a critical moment, Vex found another opening. She leaped, her claws glowing with stored energy, and struck Athena square in the chest. The mage was sent flying backward, a second deep wound forming an 'X' over her torso. Blood spilled, and for a moment, it seemed the duel was decided.

But Athena wasn't finished. Her eyes flashed, a strange shimmer enveloped her, and—as if it had never existed—the wound on her chest vanished. Even her robe returned to its pristine state, untouched.

The light orbs around her blazed brighter, and she smiled—a cold, calculated smile.

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"You're not the only one who's improved in this time," Athena said. "As I told you once before—time is relative!" Her voice echoed with an authority that silenced even the spectators.

'That's it! Time! If space is the framework that holds reality together, time is the pulse that makes it flow.'

The sense of familiarity I felt with Athena was due to her affinity resonating with mine in some way. Time and space had always been a heavily debated topic on Earth—quantum entanglement, space-time distortion, wormholes—all ideas revolved around this intrinsic relationship.

**

The battle only seemed to escalate further. Vex, with a feral grin, began transforming. Her fangs grew longer, her claws sharper. Her face twisted slightly, taking on fox-like features.

The light around Athena also intensified—now six arms controlled the six orbs, all acting in unison.

The spectators were completely enthralled, every movement followed with rapt attention. What had started as a test of skill had turned into an epic clash where every detail mattered.

And the best was yet to come.

"Round two," Athena murmured.