Chapter 169: Take Over

The Nightmare Lynx canceled his barrier and pounced towards the nearest Arcanist, Rufus.

Sidon and Himilco remained on the side as they gather their energy for a killing move. A strong Arcane Magic that could potentially eliminate the beast in one blow...

'Wait, Master Reiji... The Lynx seems to be slow... Let me try it a bit...' Rufus suggested after seeing Lynx move.

It has an absurd defense but its movement appeared to be quite slow compared to what he saw during the first five fights.

They really can't use the recent battles as a reference when facing an unpredictable Nightmare Lynx...

He only heard a few rumors about this beast but the most interesting about them is that their strange abilities were said to have come from the bad dreams of the beasts or any living beings around them. That was why they are called Nightmare Lynx. 

Of course, none of it has been proven but it was probably a viable explanation considering the uniqueness of each beast.

Bang! Bang!

Rufus faced the Nightmare Lynx alone and realized that it wasn't as strong as he imagined...

He used the wooden sword Arcana to parry the claw strikes of the Evil Beast. Just like what he said to Reiji, he has some skills with the swords but it was nothing impressive compared to a real swordsman.

At most, he only practiced it as a requirement during his days in the Martial Arts Training Hall.

Footwork, sword swing, sword stance, and his battle sense are there but it wasn't developed... At the very least, he remembers that basic foundation of holding a sword in a battle.

"You're doing well! Keep it up, Rufus!" Sidon cheered for their teammate as they have their Arcane Magic ready... 

As soon as they find an opportunity, they will quickly deal with the Nightmare Lynx...

It would be best if the beast's barrier wasn't erected as their strike's power may not be enough to kill it...

"Look... The beast's barrier came up again..."

"Try to find a pattern..."

"That's what I'm doing..."

While Rufus was trying to deal with the beast, his teammates were doing their best to analyze its weakness and what other skills it possesses...

Finally, after more than a minute of parrying and dodging, the Lynx decided to use its trump card!

Two more Lynxes were being formed!

It has a cloning ability! 

Rufus remembered that the team that fought against that lynx was unable to last long and surrendered in the end. 

"Tsk! It takes 10 seconds to form a clone... We made a mistake! Kill the beast that Rufus is dealing with! As long as we eliminate him, the clones will disappear..."

"I will take care of it..."

Sidon and Himilco almost panicked after seeing the forming lynxes... If they were successfully formed, it would be game over for their group and they would fail this first evaluation.

They can't allow that to happen.

Haa!

As Rufus was about to let his master handle the Evil Beast, he felt a strong fluctuation of Spiritual Energy behind him. 

'You--!'

There was a flame vortex rushing from behind and it targeted both Rufus and the true body of the Nightmare Lynx...

Because Rufus's body was blocking the source of their attack, the Lynx didn't saw the flame vortex heading his way...

"Rufus! Move aside!"

Himilco warned the young man... They know that Rufus is still an outstanding Arcanists and his Shell Protection should be able to lessen the damage that he'll take.

After all, that ability is specifically designed to protect the practitioner from being damaged by their own Arcane Magic.

As Rufus tried dodging, he felt another Arcane Magic blocking his escape path...

It is a lance formed by Spiritual Energy... This is an attack made by Sidon...

He similarly warned Rufus about this, though it was too late...

"Tsk..." Rufus was about to release all of his Spiritual Energy to protect himself but a voice interrupted his plans. This happened extremely fast as they are connected with a Sense Link.

'Let me Take Over for now.'

It was Reiji's voice and Rufus did not hesitate to let his master handle the rest.

***

The two Second-Class Arcanists watching the battle were drawn to the performance of Nika Daime... 

Her two teammates were holding a door-size shield and a lamp...

They were only a common-rank Arcana but it was a perfect combination for Nika's Revolver...

The shield creates a barrier that protects a small area... Nika who lacks close-range abilities stays within the circle to launch her powerful gunshot...

When she needed to reload or spend her Spiritual Energy to replenish the bullets, the young girl holding the lamp would use three Arcane Magic to boost their speed and blind the Evil Beast...

She doesn't have a strong attacking ability but she has several Arcane Magic that can assist the two in dealing with the Nightmare Lynx.

"Mhmm... It seems that using the Revolver requires a strong grip to have a steady aim..."

Sven muttered after seeing that every time Nika pulled the trigger, the Revolver creates a small explosion that will propel the bullets that she created. However, it was accompanied by a strong recoil that Nika has to use some of her Spiritual Energy to control her weapon...

"The beast is already injured... That Revolver's penetrative ability is too strong..."

"That right... It's quite scary... I'm pretty sure that an average Armor-Type Magic Items wouldn't be able to stop even one of its bullets."

Sven concluded after noticing that even with the Nightmare Lynx's tough hide, the bullet can just pass through it easily and would leave the lynx screaming in pain...

"That's true... The only drawback is that the replenishment of bullets takes quite some time. Without her teammates protecting her, she would be open to counterattacks...

"Well, there's no way that an extremely powerful Arcana would be flawless... There should be some imperfections to balance it..."

As the two were concentrating on Nika's team... They heard the Arcanists beside them gasp in disbelief...

They quickly found the source of disturbance...

Another Nightmare Lynx with cloning ability has appeared!

"This is bad for them..."

"As expected of an Evil Beast that couldn't be tamed, they're really quite something... It's a good thing that we've only captured the young ones..."

"Of course, there's no way that the trainees can handle a fully grown Nightmare Lynx that has survived within the wild."

The Third-Class Arcanists within the crowd analyzed after seeing the strength of the Evil Beasts...

In truth, even a Third-Class like them would have difficulty fighting against the cloning ability of the lynx...

After all, the difference of each class was only their Spiritual Energy pool, Arcana's awakening status, and their Soul Energy control.

The number of skills doesn't matter in each class... After all, as long as one has enough energy pool, they can make or have Magic Items to compensate as much as they can...

What's important is that they can control these abilities to a certain extent...

As soon as the Lynx started to form his clones, the two Arcanists at the back attacked the main body without any care to Rufus... They either trusted him that he can avoid it or the two just didn't care at all...

A few worried Arcanists squinted their eyes as they felt that it was too much for Rufus who can no longer excel in combat after his huge setback.

The others unconsciously touched the Magic Item they have that has a Healing Magic with them.

Boom!

The main body was hit by the two high-grade Arcane Magic!

It caused a small explosion as the Nightmare Lynx managed to cast his barrier although it was a bit late... 

Smoke and dust have covered Rufus and the Lynx.

Sidon and Himilco still smiled at this since the beast must've taken huge damage.

"Wait! Sidon, the cloning! Look!"

Himilco shouted in horror... Even though they successfully hit the beast, the clone was still formed...

It only means one thing so the two started to sweat profusely... They already spent most of their Spiritual Energy.

If the clone started attacking, it's impossible for them to defend against it...

"Should we surrender?" Himilco whispered to Sidon.

If they got injured here, they would have problems in the second or third part of the evaluation. It might be a wise decision to just stop here and prepare for the next evaluation...

Graa!

Instead of attacking the two Arcanists, the clones went into the smoke angrily...

"W-what's going on?"

As soon as Sidon asked this, they heard the sounds of battle inside the smoke...

"It's Rufus... He's still fighting!"

They felt the familiar Spiritual Energy but something was weird...

The energy was getting stronger and stronger until it came to the point that it was suffocating them!

Even the crowd of trainees watching the battle, the red-robed Arcanists, the two Second-Class Arcanists, and even Lynxes on the other arena felt it...

"This--- It's Spiritual Pressure!"

Everyone was frightened upon realization.