The Blond Man had not made it this far on luck alone, though luck had played a part.
Every opponent he had faced along the way had relied on physical attacks.
Of course, all forms of damage ultimately came down to physical damage. Any change in the natural world could, at its root, be explained as the action of forces.
But Psychic Powers could be divided into two broad schools.
Psychic Powers had not existed for long, and Espers were rare, so no one had yet classified and named their abilities in rigorous scientific terms. Based on how those abilities worked and dealt damage, though, they could be divided, much like in a game, into the Physical Type and the Magic Type.
Physical Type Psychic Powers could greatly increase an Esper's strength or give them a variety of ways to attack. But the way they fought remained much like traditional combat: they won by inflicting enough physical damage on their opponents.
Magic Type powers were far more varied and complex. They ranged from relatively less threatening abilities, such as producing toxins or distracting odors, to controlling elements like wind, fire, and lightning; from Psychic Power that moved objects by thought to ultimate abilities that altered space and time, or illusions that controlled the mind. Any power that won without relying directly on physical blows fell into this category.
Relatively speaking, though, Magic Type Espers were rarer than Physical Type Espers.
The Blond Man's unchecked advance was partly because he had not encountered a particularly troublesome Magic Type Esper. His own Psychic Powers also gave him a clear advantage against Physical Type Espers.
The Blond Man's attacks carried the exceedingly rare Piercing Attribute.
His fists could break through an opponent's defenses with ease. No matter how thoroughly someone had tempered their