Lucid of the Lucid Dream.
Though she possessed a delicate appearance and spoke in refined, courteous tones, her way of fighting was nothing of the sort.
No weapon, no magic—only her bare fists.
Ludger tilted his head aside to dodge the punch aimed straight at his face.
Unfazed that her blow had missed, Lucid stepped forward and lashed her leg like a whip.
“Quite the savage way of fighting, given your looks.”
Ludger leapt backward, evading the kick.
That was the right choice.
For the air itself burst apart along the arc of her leg, ripping the scenery as if torn open.
‘A martial fighter? With physical ability this extreme... Phantos is the only comparison that comes to mind.’
Engaging in close combat with someone like this would be foolish.
Ludger planned to maintain distance, to fight from range.
[Do you think I’ll let you?]
Tap.
With a light stomp, Lucid closed the distance instantly.
Her explosive leg power made her leap look like she was crossing space itself.
But Ludger had expected it.
If he were in her position, he would have closed the gap for close quarters as well.
In fact, drawing her in was his plan all along.
Behind Ludger’s back, small formulae appeared, unfolding.
[Source Code] spread dozens of magic sequences in the blink of an eye.
Individually weak, but together enough to overwhelm and immobilize an opponent.
‘Of course, this won’t be enough to finish her.’
She was one of Nirva’s five servants.
This barrage was nothing more than groundwork, a stalling tactic.
Would she dodge? Counterattack? Either way, Ludger had prepared.
But Lucid shattered those expectations from the ground up.
Booom!
Arms crossed before her, Lucid charged straight through the spells with her body.
‘Not dodging, not defending—just tanking them head-on?’
Even weaker spells held killing power, and there were many.
To take them with her body was absurd.
When she emerged from the magical downpour, she bore cuts and burns, yet her body was otherwise intact.
[Such tricks don’t work.]
She raised her right leg high, poised to stomp down on Ludger’s skull.
But before it struck, five layers of defensive magic shimmered above his head.
Craaaash!
Her stomp shattered the shields like roof tiles and slammed into Ludger’s body.
His form crashed to the ground, a cloud of dust erupting.
“Brother!”
Hans shouted as he retreated with the others, watching in horror.
Lucid landed lightly, like a feather, and stared into the haze.
───!!!
Suddenly, a beam of light shot out like lightning.
An attack forged from light magic—fastest of all elements.
Hidden by the dust, it left no room to react.
[Useless.]
Lucid merely stepped sideways, tilting her head.
So simple, yet every beam aiming for her vitals missed by a hair’s breadth.
Hans, Sedina, and Seridan froze in disbelief.
Then the dust split apart—Ludger burst forth, charging.
His whole body cloaked in shadow, his eyes gleamed with menace behind the crow mask as he swung his swordstick.
Lucid set her stance and struck its side with the edge of her hand.
Clang!
The blade wasn’t broken, but it was knocked far off course.
Lucid stepped in and drove a fist into his solar plexus.
A simple motion—yet powerful enough to warp space and tear the air apart.
Ludger caught the fist with a hand shrouded in shadow.
Boom!
His legs sank into the ground up to his ankles, the earth splitting behind him like a drought-cracked field.
But he did not fall.
He held her fist firmly, enduring it.
[Impressive. Your shadow cloak grants you extraordinary strength, does it?]
“And you—can you see the future?”
Ludger recalled what he had just witnessed.
The light magic he had fired at near point-blank speed—she had dodged it effortlessly.
Not mere reflexes.
It was more like she already knew it was coming.
[Apologies, but my ability isn’t that.]
“Right. You called yourself Lucid of the Lucid Dream. Not complete foresight... but awareness. You perceive exactly what I’m aiming for.”
Lucid said nothing, but Ludger knew he was right.
Lucid of the Lucid Dream.
Her true threat was neither her monstrous physique nor her martial skill.
It was complete awareness.
She perceived every technique, every target, every response her opponent intended.
That was how she had charged through the spell barrage.
Ludger had assumed she’d dodge or defend—prepared countermeasures for either.
But she had chosen a third option, nullifying his plan.
Because she knew what he was trying.
“Not foresight, but awareness of my intent. That’s your power, isn’t it?”
[Remarkable.]
Lucid genuinely admired him.
So little time, yet he had already dissected her ability.
Most foes would have panicked and perished, never even realizing.
“If one servant is like this, then the other four must each carry unique abilities as well.”
[And what difference does that make?]
“None. Except...”
Shadows flared around Ludger like black fire.
“...it means you’re going to lose.”
[My.]
Her ability flared again.
Sensing his next move, Lucid stomped hard.
A shockwave erupted point-blank, wind tearing stone apart.
Yet Ludger strode forward through it.
“Did you think close combat would help you?”
From his shoulders, shadowy beastly hands sprouted, interlacing their fingers before crashing down at her head.
Her awareness triggered again.
If she raised her arms to block, spikes would rise from her own shadow beneath.
So she moved to retreat.
But Ludger pressed her relentlessly.
Each time her feet touched down, spikes erupted from her shadow.
Simultaneous, unrelenting assaults.
Lucid twisted and dodged with superhuman reflexes.
“You dodge well. Let’s see if you can dodge this.”
Behind Ludger, radiance exploded outward.
Countless spear-like rays of light curved toward her in arcs.
No way to avoid.
Realizing this, Lucid deflected and struck aside what she could.
But there were too many, too fast.
She let the rest crash into her body, trusting her flesh.
Pain racked her frame, but her expression never wavered.
Instead, she smiled, enjoying it.
“You’re insane.”
A battle maniac who thrived on pain.
The most troublesome kind of opponent—dragging fights into the mud.
But Ludger had no intention of sinking with her.
His method was to find a weakness and crush it swiftly.
He would not let go of the initiative.
He would only push harder.
His eyes flared behind the mask as magic surged.
Fwoooom!
With a thunderous sound, colossal warships of ice plummeted from the sky.
The 6th-Circle grand spell [Heavenly Sea Icebreaker Fleet], not born of mana but of sheer imagination.
Lucid’s answer was simple.
She punched it.
Like a mantis striking at a cart—absurd.
Unless the mantis actually shattered the cart.
The ice warships exploded into hundreds of shards.
Through the glittering fragments, Lucid appeared unharmed.
She leapt skyward, higher still.
From above, she looked down at Ludger.
Her crimson eyepatch burned, pink flames flickering beneath.
She clenched her fist, pink energy spiraling upon it.
[Do you know what Dream Wave is?]
“Never heard of it.”
[This.]
She hurled her fist.
The pink vortex shot forth like a dragon’s roaring breath.
Ludger sensed it: not mana, but a force unique to Dreamland.
He carved formulae.
Not drawn thread by thread, but imprinted whole, as if pressed from a mold.
A spell born of memory and imagination, not incantation.
6th-Circle earth magic.
[Jincheon Stone-Whale Resonance]
The ground surged, a massive stone whale erupting.
It collided with the vortex, both vanishing in mutual destruction.
[Not yet.]
Her first attack had been only a greeting.
Now pink flames wreathed her arms and legs.
Fwoooosh!
Ignited, her legs flared like rockets—propelling her forward.
“Magia Ex Machina.”
Steel cubes whirled around Ludger, fusing into a colossal conical shield.
Not so much a shield as a knight’s gigantic lance.
Her flaming fist struck it.
BOOOM!
But instead of a clash, she pierced through easily.
The shield’s core glowed red, ◈ Nоvеlіgһт ◈ (Continue reading) melting like molten steel.
Lucid slipped through the gap without losing speed.
Her opposite fist thrust at Ludger’s chest.
[It ends here. A delightful fight it was.]
Forcing her to use Dream Wave—he deserved that recognition.
Were it not for Nirva’s orders, she would have prolonged the battle for pleasure.
But now—she drove her fist for his heart.
Thunk!
Ludger caught it.
[What...]
For the first time, Lucid’s expression shifted—surprise.
He had blocked her before, but never a fist imbued with Dream Wave.
That power should have shredded his shadows like paper.
At least, according to her awareness.
“Dream Wave, huh.”
His hand gripped hers.
Black flames whirled upon it—swirling like her own power.
An echo of Dream Wave.
“So that’s how it works.”
Meeting his eyes, Lucid shivered.
[How can you... Dream Wave isn’t something one mimics with mere realization.]
“You’re saying nonsense.”
Behind his mask, his eyes bent in a mocking crescent.
“You showed me how. Copying it was the easy part.”
