Dale dashed around the weapons hall in an orange haze. Wherever he passed by was filled with the strong smell of ozone.

Occasionally, Lord Byron’s beard became frizzy because of the static constantly released by the blades.

"I would advise you to avoid using them during a storm. Otherwise, I’m sure you’ll quickly find yourself becoming an actual lightning rod." The old man cautioned as he watched the other nod, clearly having fun.

Beyond all things and seriousness, Dale was still a teenager.

’Now that I think about it, I haven’t really had the chance to just have fun with my ability.’

He knew he was just a drop amongst the many in the world that had one.

Perhaps that was what had numbed him to the odd reality he lived in.

If it was a hundred years ago, it would have been. No, in fact, it was still odd that people had powers.

Maybe calling it abilities was partially at fault for taking away the wonder of things from them.

And since there didn’t seem to be any chance of a beast being dropped on them anytime soon — or at least while he was with Lord Byron — he would have some fun.

Dale stopped sprinting and just let himself bathe in the faint electric arcs that flared up from his skin.

He lifted his weapons to his face and tightened his grip around the handles.

’Could it work?’ He still hadn’t forgotten about the dark and light slashes he could produce from Decay and Blight respectively.

Dale thought about it for a second and used [Energy Pulse], regretting it immediately.

All he felt was a sudden, hot force passing through his skin and sending him flying.

His black slammed into a wall decorated with weapons and he fell with them.

He struggled to move as his mouth tasted like ash and a little bit of blood while his fingers felt numb.

His eyes landed on the blades that were on the ground where he had been.

Thicker electric arcs ran across their surface, occasionally striking the charred ground around them.

Lord Byron picked them up and scanned their surface with his eyes. "I would advise you not to ever try what you did just now again. Next time, it could be lethal."

Dale’s eyebrows furrowed. His jaw was still too weak to talk, so he could only retreat to his mind.

’But why did it work for Decay and Blight but not this one?’ It didn’t make any sense. Weren’t they both dual sabers?

The more he thought about it, the more he realized his mistake.

Yes, they were both dual sabers but they were not made from the same materials. For all he knew, the beast that was used to create his lost blades might have been feeding off another creature with an ability similar to his.

Either way, it didn’t matter. What, however, was that he wouldn’t be able to produce lightning slashes.

’I wonder what that would even look like.’

Dale forced himself to his feet and walked to the sabers, not bothering to put up the weapons that fell.

His body was numb, but he was able to easily push through it.

He outstretched his hand and Lord Byron handed them to him.

Dale nodded and walked away from the man, putting a little less than 25 meters between them.

Orange arcs of electricity ran down his arms and even his outline started to blur. He kicked off the ground in an orange haze.

The distance between both of them should have been covered in an instant yet it seemed to stretch on forever.

[Lightning Rod]

He threw the right saber forward and didn’t even look at it as all the arcs converged at the tip.

At the same time, he turned to the side, running right.

His speed had been halved by the loss of his blade but it would be worth it.

All he saw, from the corner of his eyes, was a bright orange flash and a thunderous boom as the lightning bolt flew out.

Dale continued his charge and quickly approached Lord Byron.

In front of the old man, the lightning bolt was speeding forward through space but was unable to get even a meter closer.

Dale knew that its energy would soon run out but before it did, he planned to reach the Hall Master.

The latter might be the most powerful person he had ever seen but there was no way even he could manipulate space in more than one place.

Despite his speed, Lord Byron turned his eyes to meet Dale’s.

He only pushed himself further and swung his saber.

The old man slightly tilted his torso, causing the blade to miss him by a few centimeters.

Dale continued to be on the offensive. He remained close enough to attack with swift, decisive moves while the Hall Master effortlessly dodged everything.

Lord Byron suddenly jumped out of the way and an orange flash from the corner of his eyes warned Dale of an incoming threat.

He pointed the tip of his left blade at the lightning bolt and it absorbed it.

’I cannot believe that worked!!’ He was genuinely stunned but wouldn’t let his face show it.

Dale quickly dashed to close in the distance once again.

He swung with swift unpredictable movements while Lord Byron’s reactions were measured and calm.

Dodging a kick, the Hall Master bent slightly to avoid another swing of the saber in his left hand.

Dale tossed the saber to his right hand, gripping it awkwardly as he thrust it towards the old man.

Lord Byron actually moved his hand this time to hold the blade. The edge of it rested between two of his fingers.

Dale tried, and failed, to pry it free.

He looked at the man and gritted his teeth.

[Energy Pulse]

The saber flashed bright orange and for the second time in a few minutes, Dale was flung aside.

With a clatter, the saber fell to the ground and Lord Byron stared at his hand.

No, not the hand, but the burn on it. Dale had managed to harm him.