I Was Born With A Bloodline That Ended The World-Chapter 89: Reluctant Spark

Rhian smirked as he adjusted his stance again.

He could see it in her eyes, she wasn’t going to back down, but she also wasn’t going to give in and use her trump card. Not yet.

She was too stubborn for that.

She would keep pushing herself with her regular enhancements, even if it wasn’t enough.

She knew the moment she activated her lightning state, what he’d heard her call Lightning body, she’d have to end it quickly.

That form came with limits. Time. Drain. And the pressure to win before it burned her out.

Right now, they were perfectly matched.

But only when she used it.

Without it, Rhian had the edge.

He had the raw strength, the endurance, the wings for defense, and that relentless ability to learn as they fought.

Nia was fast, deadly, and precise, but he could feel her falling behind. Each second she refused to activate it widened the gap between them.

Still, she kept coming.

She threw a lightning-laced punch at his jaw, he deflected it, caught her wrist, and twisted.

She tried to pivot and kick, but his foot hooked hers and swept her off balance.

She caught herself mid-air with a burst of static under her boots, but the moment she landed, Rhian was already on her again.

Strike. Block. Counter.

His elbow slammed into her shoulder and forced her back three steps. She hissed, gritting her teeth as she stared at him, chest rising with each breath.

"Use it," Rhian said calmly, taking a step forward.

She narrowed her eyes. "Don’t need it."

"You sure?" He motioned for her to come again. "You’re slipping."

"You wish."

But even as she said it, she knew he was right. Her arms were getting heavy.

Her limbs were slower between charges. Her lightning sparked out of sync, flickering with fatigue.

It wasn’t a matter of pride anymore. It was stubbornness. And it was costing her ground.

Rhian wasn’t mocking her. He wasn’t showing off. That’s what annoyed her most. He was being patient. Respectful. And still dominating the fight.

She exploded forward again, this time using more lightning in her legs, zipping to his side and aiming a spinning backfist to his temple.

He ducked it.

She spun low, trying to sweep. He stepped over and brought his knee down toward her chest.

She barely rolled away, dragging a sharp breath through her teeth.

Rhian stood tall again, eyes still calm. "I’ll keep matching you, Nia. If you don’t push, I won’t either."

She knew what he meant. He was testing her. Not mocking. Waiting to see if she’d finally accept what they both knew.

If she wanted to win or even match him now, she needed to let go. To stop hesitating. To use her Lightning Body and go all out.

But she still hesitated.

And Rhian was going to make her pay for it.

Rhian exhaled through his nose, calm and steady. Then something in him shifted.

He stepped forward.

He closed the distance in a blink, and before Nia could fully react, she found herself swinging at an afterimage.

A breath later, her own shadow yanked her foot mid-step, Rhian had slipped under her guard, pulled her off balance, and was already behind her.

She twisted, letting lightning flare down her arms, and unleashed a backhand crackling with voltage.

He ducked under it, pushed off the floor with one foot, and brought his knee up into her ribs.

The impact echoed.

The reinforced floor cracked slightly where her foot had braced. She coughed, eyes widening as she slid back, catching herself on a burst of static.

Rhian didn’t wait.

He pressed.

He blurred forward again, this time using a feint, his right shoulder dipped, his wings flared behind him like a shield, and his real strike came low, a rising elbow aimed straight for her chin.

She blocked it with both arms, lightning bursting around the impact, but her footing crumbled again. She launched herself upward, trying to reset in midair.

That’s when he used the illusion.

A copy of himself appeared midair beside her, arms wide, matching his posture. For a heartbeat, she was distracted just enough to miss the real him flying up behind her.

Rhian’s wing shielded his body mid-flight, and he twisted in the air.

He spun, his heel cutting across like a blade, slamming into her shoulder and sending her crashing down.

She hit the floor hard, lightning flaring on impact.

He dropped down a second later, landing softly just in front of her.

She growled, lightning flooding her veins now, but it wasn’t the full transformation. Her body moved faster, stronger, but Rhian adjusted with her. His footwork, his timing, everything was adapting on the fly.

That was the worst part.

He wasn’t just strong, he was learning her.

Every dodge. Every block. Every spark she threw at him.

He read it.

He slipped through it.

He made her miss by inches, then punished her openings with precision. A knee to the stomach. A punch to the thigh. A shoulder into her ribs.

She didn’t fall apart.

But she couldn’t gain ground either.

And Rhian, he wasn’t even gritting his teeth.

He fought clean and calculated. His illusions blended into his movement, shadow grips slowed her steps, and the wings blocked everything she tried to launch from distance.

For every five strikes she threw, he landed one.

But his one did more.

At one point, she tried faking him out, lightning flaring around her, a flash-step left with a hook aimed at his jaw.

He leaned just enough to let it pass, then countered with a punch to her ribs that folded her midair.

She dropped again, coughing.

And still, he didn’t taunt her.

He just reset his stance, wings drawn back, eyes locked.

Nia stood up, arms buzzing with power, chest rising hard with every breath.

She wasn’t done.

But if she didn’t go all out soon, she wasn’t going to win either.

Rhian looked at her, his stance relaxed but his eyes sharp. "Come on... stop holding back."