I Received System to Become Dragonborn
Chapter 956 - 956: Asked For This

Arty of course was stunned by the sudden attack. The boy had barely said a few words before lunging at her. The surprise jolted something primal deep within her. A raw instinctive urge to protect herself at all costs.

Her mind reacted faster than her body and without a single conscious motion, a massive gust of wind erupted outward from her.

The force was immediate and overwhelming.

The wind smashed into the boy before he could brace himself, flinging him backward at blinding speed and slamming him hard against the inner barrier of the arena.

Even with lightning wrapped around his legs, enhancing his speed and mobility, he couldn't resist the sheer power of the wind wave.

He grunted in pain. The impact left a visible dent in the barrier. But to her surprise, he only chuckled.

"Wow," he said, standing up and dusting off his cloak uniform. "You can exert that much power without even moving your hands. You don't need casting posture or focus. Just pure instinct." His lips curled again. "You really are strong… but that's all it is. Strength. It doesn't mean much when you're too slow to use it."

Crackles of energy built up around him. His expression sharpened.

He knew now that this girl couldn't be taken lightly.

Lightning surged and danced around his entire body. It sparked along his arms, curled around his legs, and shot through his blonde hair until it stood on end. His eyes gleamed with cold blue light as arcs of energy snapped in the air.

Arty watched him warily, her jaw clenched tight. Her heart thudded but her mind stayed sharp.

"Calm. Don't be reckless," she told herself. "He's not here to play. He means to harm me."

If that was the case, she would need to respond in kind. Which also meant that she didn't need to hold herself.

With a swift movement, Arty pulled off the enchanted bracelets and stuffed them into her pocket. Instantly, her suppressed power burst forth like an inferno.

Her Magic aura flared violently, surrounding her body in thick waves of pressure. The air around her shimmered. The ground cracked. The walls of the Projection Arena trembled as if reacting to the release of her true strength.

The boy's confident grin faltered for the first time.

"She was already strong before, and now this?"

Still, he forced down the unease.

"Heh, I don't need to worry. I've mastered a Rank 3 Lightning Technique. I can handle this."

He would go all out and prove that he, not this unknown girl, deserved to be Sylmira's private student and the Archmage's apprentice.

Without warning, he vanished in a streak of blue and white.

His body blurred, turning into a crackling bolt of motion. He zipped forward at a speed few in the academy could even comprehend. This was his trump card. His lightning element gave him the fastest movement speed among his peers and now he was unleashing it fully.

He closed the gap fast, his body flickering like lightning itself.

But he didn't know who Arty really was.

Not yet.

The Magic power she carried was gifted through her bond with her brother, a Dragonborn. It had granted her something different. Something more than the ability to wield Magic. Her sensory ability, even if untapped, moved on instinct alone.

Just as the boy drew close…

WHOOSH!

Another blast of wind exploded from Arty's direction, catching him off guard and pushing him backward again.

He moved to the side with impressive reflexes but then the earth rose beneath him, a jagged stone pillar smashing into his stomach and launching him into the air.

Before he could recover, a downdraft of wind hit him like a hammer. A focused wind strike knocked him toward the ground again.

BOOM!

BOOM!

BOOM!

Then three fireballs streaked across the arena and rained down on him, explosions blooming one after another with scorching heat and roaring noise.

Smoke and flames filled the air, and the arena looked like it had turned into a war zone.

Arty stood her ground. Her body was still as stone but her senses were on high alert. She knew better than to let her guard down after the things she'd fought before.

She had fought creatures from the realm Erend called the Chaos Realm who didn't give second chances and neither would she. Even when an enemy seemed defeated, they often weren't.

And she was right.

From the smoke and rubble, the boy launched at her once more. His body was cloaked in lightning but also pain. He suffered burnt skin and his uniform was scorched, but fury still burned in his eyes.

He moved with frightening speed, a streak of white and blue surging straight at her. He stopped just short in front of Arty with his hand outstretched and crackling with dangerous intent.

But her wind barrier flared to life and stopping him cold.

Through the shimmering shield, Arty could see the raw hatred in his eyes. His teeth were clenched, his jaw tight with desperation. He was injured and clearly struggling but far from giving up.

"Remember," Arty called out through the wind, her voice sharp and unshaking, "you asked for this."

Her words sliced through the chaotic air. The boy's eyes widened just before a wave of force blew him back.

The barrier pulsed outward and hurled him across the arena once more. In midair, Arty followed up with another barrage of fireballs that roared with intense heat and precision.

He slammed into the arena's edge with the fireballs. Flame met the barrier and the impact echoed across the chamber.

Then, without pause, Arty extended her hand toward the ground. The floor beneath him rippled like disturbed water.

Jagged stones erupted upward and twisted around him in a blur. Earth closed in with brutal swiftness and trapped his limbs until only his head remained exposed above the rocky shell.

He lay there, stunned, breath ragged and eyes burning with hatred. His once-smooth uniform was now a mess of ash and torn cloth, his body bruised and burned and he couldn't move.

Meanwhile, Arty still hadn't taken a single step.

At that moment, Sylmira came inside the barrier and witnessed the destruction with wide eyes. Moreover when she saw the blonde boy buried on the ground.

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