I Can Copy Curses

Orion stood tall and steady, holding his ground against Zeref's talent, Absolute Counter, but the same couldn't be said for the others.

As Zeref activated Absolute Counter, a heavy pressure erupted from her, sending one wave directly toward Orion and another outward in all directions. The ground beneath her feet cracked instantly, and the shockwave she unleashed created a raging wind that blew in every direction, with her at the center.

Some of the weaker participants were blown out of the arena, while others barely managed to hold onto its edge.

"See, what did I tell you?" Orion said, glancing around. "You're just too powerful."

"I don't care," Zeref replied before pulling her sword back and swinging again at Orion.

Orion smiled as he saw her draw her sword back. Seizing the moment, he stepped back and unleashed a barrage of wind blades at her.

"Absolute Counter!" Zeref shouted, pointing her sword at the wind blades. Her sword began to glow with a bright light. As the wind blades made contact with her sword, they suddenly changed direction, heading straight for Orion.

"Huh?" Zeref was surprised to find that Orion had vanished.

"5th level of Platinum Rank, you're really something." A soft voice came from behind her. She swiftly turned, swiping her sword, but it cut only air. No one was there.

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Just then, a blur appeared in front of her, and Orion revealed himself. But something was different—he didn't look like his usual self.

At that moment, Orion's body seemed to defy gravity, hovering effortlessly in the air. Spiraling tendrils of green wind energy coiled around him like serpentine extensions of his own being.

Long, snake-like streams of wind twisted around his arms and legs, while an immense, translucent serpent of pure wind energy wrapped tightly around his waist, coiling upward toward his neck in a protective yet powerful embrace.

The vibrant green energy pulsed and shimmered with life, casting a faint green hue over Orion's figure, making him appear as though he were one with the wind itself.

"Right now, I'm using my strongest form. I call this Windbreaker. In this state, my speed reaches its pinnacle, but it comes at a cost. I can only use this form temporarily, and if I can't defeat you in that time, I won't be able to fight anymore due to the drawbacks. So, prepare yourself—either you die, or I will."

As he finished speaking, he vanished from sight.

Zeref looked around cautiously but couldn't find any trace of him. It was as if he had disappeared from the arena entirely. But she knew better—he was still there, just moving too fast for her to perceive.

"Behind!"

Sensing a presence, she quickly turned around to see six Orions attacking her simultaneously.

"What is this? A Speed Mirage?"

Zeref was shocked. She knew what Speed Mirage meant—it was a technique where one moved so fast that they created multiple copies of themselves.

"But these are just false Speed Mirages."

She focused on the attacks of the six Orions, trying to figure out which one was real. Zeref understood the weakness of her own talent, Absolute Counter, and she believed Orion had realized it too from their previous battles.

Her talent could counter any attack, but only one at a time. If two people attacked her simultaneously from different directions, she could only counter one. That was the fatal flaw that came with her overwhelmingly strong ability.

Zeref closely observed the six Orions but couldn't determine which one was the real one. Her expression turned frustrated as her body began to release a white mist. A layer of frost extended from her feet, freezing a ten-meter radius around her, including the six Orions. But as soon as the frost touched them, their figures blurred and vanished.

"All of them were copies!"

Zeref was shocked and instantly on high alert.

Bang!

Suddenly, something struck her stomach hard, sending her flying and making her spit midair. She quickly used her ice talent to create a blockade behind her, coming to a stop.

"What was that?"

Zeref scanned the area, alert, but saw no one. Sweat began to trickle down her face as she searched for any sign of Orion, trying to comprehend what had just happened.

She hadn't seen anything—she couldn't. Orion had appeared in front of her, attacked, and disappeared before she even registered the blow. It was as if they were in entirely different leagues when it came to speed.

Bang!

Another hit struck her back, sending her hurtling away like a ragdoll.

"How is this possible? Why can't I sense him?"

She questioned herself in pure disbelief as she once again used her ice talent to create a barrier, stopping her movement.

Zeref felt shaken, recalling what had just occurred. She hadn't sensed anything when Orion attacked, not until the last possible moment. Only when she was already in the air, feeling the pain of his strike, did she realize she had been hit.

She cautiously scanned her surroundings again, sweating heavily, looking for any dust swirling or any sign of his movement. But there was nothing. It was as though Orion had become invisible.

Bang!

A kick landed on her stomach, sending her flying again. Before she could react, a fist struck her, causing her to cough up blood, and the impact slammed her body straight into the arena floor, creating a large pit.

Smoke and debris surrounded the pit as she lay helpless, her eyes open but filled with frustration and confusion. She couldn't see, sense, or anticipate anything. The attacks felt as though someone was toying with her, which infuriated her.

The worst part was that, due to the speed of the attacks, she couldn't react, and without reacting, she couldn't use her Absolute Counter. In situations where she wasn't fast enough to respond, she became incredibly vulnerable—insanely vulnerable to any attack if she couldn't use her talent.

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