Shattered Innocence: Transmigrated Into a Novel as an Extra - Chapter 554

Chapter 554: Father-in-law (4)
SWOOSH!

Lucavion shot forward again, his estoc a blur of blackened light.

CLANG!

The Duke met him, their blades shrieking against one another. Sparks danced between them—golden lightning against void-starred steel.

Lucavion’s strikes came fast, unpredictable, a relentless storm of piercing thrusts and feints. His footwork was wild yet precise, his blade weaving an erratic yet lethal pattern.

It was chaos. But it was controlled chaos.

And Thaddeus—

He understood now.

The way Lucavion fought, the way his instincts drove him—it wasn’t just technique.

It was survival.

This boy has danced with death too many times to count.

His golden eyes gleamed with quiet acknowledgment as he met the onslaught head-on.

CLANG! SWOOSH! THUNK!

Lucavion’s estoc flicked toward his throat—

Thaddeus sidestepped, his longsword sweeping in response—

Lucavion dodged, twisting mid-motion, already adjusting—

And that was what made him terrifying.

Every exchange, every clash—Lucavion absorbed.

He was learning. Adapting.

Each time their blades met, the Duke could feel it—Lucavion was pulling something from him. Not just skill—knowledge.

He’s using my own mana flow against me.

Thaddeus smiled.

This child is a swordsman.

Not just a warrior, not just an elite combatant—he was something else entirely.

A monster born for the blade.

But—

His mana control?

It wasn’t there yet.

Lucavion had the foundation, but his energy was still raw. Too wild. Too unstable. There were a hundred minor adjustments, a thousand refinements he could make—

But Thaddeus said nothing.

Because he knew—

This boy would figure it out on his own.

Lucavion thrust forward again, his estoc a streak of darkened light.

「Void Starfall Blade: Crescent Divide」

A horizontal cut, space itself tearing in its wake.

Thaddeus moved.

⚡ 「Storm Sovereign’s Dominion: Thunder Waltz」 ⚡

His body vanished in a burst of crackling speed—

And reappeared behind Lucavion.

SLASH!

Lucavion twisted—

But not fast enough.

A sharp line of red appeared across his back.

His coat, sliced open.

Blood trickled down his spine.

Yet—

Lucavion only grinned.

THWACK!

His boot lashed out, catching Thaddeus in the ribs, forcing the Duke to take a step back.

Lucavion spun his estoc in his grip, exhaling through his nose. “Heh… That was clean.”

Thaddeus merely lifted his sword in response.

Lucavion moved again.

Swords spoke where words did not.

And right now—his sword was speaking volumes.

CLANG!

Another exchange.

CLANK!

A counter.

SHNK!

Another cut—this time across Lucavion’s shoulder.

More blood.

But Lucavion didn’t stop.

His black eyes burned.

This was a trial by fire.

His 5-star strength was raw, unpolished. He knew that.

But as the fight raged, as pain seared through his body, as the clash of blades carved deeper into his muscles—

He could feel it.

His instincts sharpening.

His body adjusting.

His control refining.

This fight…

It’s tempering me.

THUNK!

Thaddeus’ blade slashed forward—

Lucavion dodged—barely.

But—

SHNK!

A deeper wound this time. His side.

Blood splattered onto the ground.

His coat, stained. His breathing, heavier.

But his smirk?

It didn’t fade.

Instead—

It widened.

“I can now try this to its full potential.”

Lucavion inhaled slowly, lifting his estoc to the right. His fingers tightened around the hilt, the blackened blade humming with power.

Memories flickered—visions from when he first broke through.

A dance, unfinished.

A technique he had glimpsed but not yet understood.

Until now.

The Void Starfall Blade wasn’t just about destruction. It wasn’t just about power.

It was about flow.

He could feel it now—how the void element intertwined with his strikes, how it erased resistance, how each step in this dance was meant to lead into the next.

He exhaled.

And then—

His body moved.

「Void Starfall Blade: Dance of the Celestial」

The first movement—

Stellar Prelude.

His blade flickered, stepping into the first strike—smooth, fluid, a slash that erased the air in its wake.

SWOOSH!

Thaddeus’ golden eyes flickered. He shifted, meeting the attack head-on.

⚡ CLANG! ⚡

A burst of electricity surged from his longsword, intercepting the void-forged strike. The force behind Lucavion’s attack pushed him back slightly.

But he did not waver.

Instead, he smiled.

The second movement—

Nebula Spiral.

Lucavion’s footwork twisted, his estoc carving through the air in an unpredictable arc. The void around his blade expanded, warping space itself, making the trajectory seem distorted.

Thaddeus narrowed his eyes.

He read the movement—

And countered.

⚡ 「Storm Sovereign’s Dominion: Tempest Coil」 ⚡

Lightning crackled, spiraling around his longsword as he rotated his wrist, redirecting Lucavion’s void-infused strike away from his body.

CLANK!

A perfect counter.

But Lucavion was already onto the third movement—

Falling Astral Spear.

His estoc shot forward, a single thrust imbued with all the momentum of the dance. The void compressed, refining itself into a pinpoint strike.

A fatal attack.

Thaddeus reacted instantly.

⚡ 「Storm Sovereign’s Dominion: Thunderclad Parry」 ⚡

Instead of dodging—

He met the attack directly.

His longsword glowed white-hot with lightning, absorbing the force of Lucavion’s strike before redirecting it sideways.

BOOM!

The ground split apart where the excess force was discharged.

Lucavion’s brows twitched.

Even this was getting countered?

But he wasn’t done.

The fourth movement—

Ecliptic Waltz.

A blur of motion.

Lucavion twisted mid-step, his estoc tracing an elegant circle of starlit void before crashing downward—

A cut that severed the very air between them.

⚡ CLASH! ⚡

This time, Thaddeus was forced to block.

The impact sent a shockwave through the battlefield, his boots grinding against the dirt as he held his ground.

Heh.

Lucavion could feel it.

Even the Duke had to defend now.

His smirk widened.

This was it—

The fifth and final movement.

Eventide Descent.

Lucavion exhaled, raising his estoc high—

Void starlight flooded around his blade, the energy coalescing into a shape far beyond a single strike.

For a moment, it was as if the night sky itself had descended into his hands.

Then—

He moved.

A downward slash, all the power of the Void Starfall Blade condensed into a single, unstoppable execution.

The air collapsed beneath the force—

Space twisted.

This was no mere attack.

This was a celestial phenomenon.

Thaddeus gritted his teeth.

He could not take this lightly.

⚡ 「Storm Sovereign’s Dominion: Heavenly Surge」 ⚡

Golden lightning exploded from his body, his sword radiating divine power as he met Lucavion’s descent.

The battlefield shook.

The two collided.

And then—

BOOOOOOM!

The clash of void and lightning sent a massive shockwave tearing through the battlefield. The earth shattered beneath them, energy distorting the very air as the final strikes met in a collision of raw, untamed power.

Lucavion’s estoc descended like a falling star, its void energy consuming everything in its path.

Thaddeus’ blade rose, golden lightning crackling as it split the heavens.

And then—

CLASH!

A burst of energy erupted outward, swallowing the clearing in a blinding explosion of black and gold.

Silence.

For a moment, nothing moved.

Then—

THUD.

Lucavion’s knees hit the ground.

His breathing was heavy. His body burned. Blood dripped from the fresh wounds across his arms, his side, his legs. His coat was in tatters, soaked with crimson.

And yet—

He was smiling.

A quiet, breathless chuckle left his lips.

“I did land a hit.”

The words were smooth, tinged with amusement. His fingers adjusted around his estoc, tilting the blade slightly—

A single drop of blood slid down the dark steel.

Not his.

Thaddeus’ blood.

The Duke exhaled, rolling his shoulder, his gaze shifting to the thin but deep cut carved into his upper arm.

The fabric of his coat had been sliced cleanly, and beneath it—a wound that had not been there before.

Thaddeus let out a low chuckle, his golden eyes glinting with something between respect and amusement.

“Yeah…” He turned his arm slightly, inspecting the blood running down his skin.

“Not bad.”

He exhaled, shaking his head slightly before returning his gaze to the young man before him.

Lucavion was still kneeling, catching his breath, his body exhausted but his smirk unfazed.

The fight was over.