.
Gamielle sat with Grand Elementalist Mak’erra, or M’erra as she called her. They were hovering high in the air, watching Cerul that was also circling the outpost. The Cerulean Crow was clearly enjoying the feeling of superiority, being high above the adventurers in chaos.
M’erra’s finger twitched, wanting to cause a mess herself. Gamielle eyed the grumpy elf in curiosity.
“Weren’t you working on those for a while? You really gave it away to an adventurer?”
“That damned half-elf turned orc stole it when I was distracted. Then she used them as fistwraps! I will have to find her in the next Sector and beat the disrespect out of her.”
Gamielle sorely doubted that M’erra missed the orc girl trying to steal from her. Then again, she had half expected M’erra to kill Valee as well. The old elf had taken far too long to accept the idea of humans being able to become elves through the Trial System selection. A half-elf that to be an orc? As much as M’erra had learned to chill out since she’d died, even Gamielle wasn’t sure if something like that would make the elf snap.
As if to illustrate the point, M’erra spat down below. Her spit flying true and hitting one of the humans that dared call themselves part of the leafstalkers. Gamielle made a face.
“That’s a little mean, M’erra.”
“Bah. That’s the least they deserve. See, that dwarf understands. She doesn’t join the leafstalkers because she respects our traditions.”
Gamielle didn’t say.
The dwarven Realmer was still standing guard around the Trial. Zedart and Valee had managed to slip past her but she was refusing to let anyone go through. Which was of course, sensible, whatever was happening in there wasn’t something any of the adventurers could deal with.
Enzo of Fighting Fancy appeared in front.
“Hey! We want to go through! We’re going to go backup Zedart and Valee.”
Fighting Fancy had arrived after having failed to capture Zedart, now they were announcing they wanted to back them up. The dwarf was having none of it, more than annoyed by the fact that those two had managed to get past her.
“Those two I can acknowledge but if yer so willing to feed yourself to Artigan’s achievements then you can taste ma axe instead. Maybe in yer next life you’ll be more sensible.”
A cold hearted calculation, as expected of someone that survived the war with the Settlers. Fighting Fancy saw the fully enchanted dwarven artificer and turned to the crowd that had started dispersing. They had stopped to watch the show.
Enzo slammed his shield, his voice calling out the bystanders.
“Are all of us a bunch of cowards?!”
[Warrior’s Challenge]
The skill made him louder than it should’ve been, enhanced with [Warrior’s Roar], the skill he’d received for defying Artigan’s aura. The enhanced taunt had all of the prideful adventurers glaring at Fighting Fancy.
Enzo pointed at the portal.
“There are two of us that went ahead. They know what needed to be done to a monster–”
“ENOUGH!”
The dwarven Realmer had gotten caught up in the skill as well, her fury directed at the [Warrior] trying to rally the others against her.
“You think this is a game? Artigan will crush insects like you. None of you are capable of doing anything to him.”
But that was the wrong thing to say. The dwarf had gotten caught up in her own emotions and not taken into account the feelings of the crowd. Adventurers had their own pride, They did not like being told they were insects and cowards.
Enzo gave the dwarven Realmer a leveled look.
“We of Fighting Fancy have made Artigan bleed! We are not so arrogant that we believe we can kill him, but we can at least help those two who have gone ahead. Are we all that pathetic that we can’t even support two of the most talented adventurers in generations?! Can you all live with yourselves if those two die and you have sat here doing nothing?!”
“Well said.”
A dark elf stepped out in front. He was not influenced by the [Warrior’s Challenge] at all. Mahjit the [Mage] appeared in front, his team in tow behind him.
The fake [Savant Mage] stood with Fighting Fancy, against the Realmer.
The dwarf was at a loss on what to do. It was one thing to threaten and bully thirders, it was another to do a wholesale slaughter. Mahjit took that moment of hesitation to assert control.
The dwarven Realmer swung her axe, discharging a wave of magic straight at the group. Mahjit threw three [Firebolts], weakening the magical structure. He formed a shield but there hadn’t been a need to. Another [Warrior] went up front with a tower shield and took on the brunt of the magical attack.
“Huh.” Was all Gamielle said.
She had completely dismissed Mahjit, she knew he was a fake [Savant] and his magical talent was only so-so. She hadn’t even realized that he was in the outpost, ready to challenge the Trial so he could go up the next realm for the tournament. The real [Savant Mage] hummed.
“Your plan really is working, Ryan.”
“I really need to slap him harder when he starts saying he’s not talented.”
M’erra looked at it all below, she frowned at the dark elf [Mage] and then shook her head. These were not the Trialists she remembered, the ones that ruthlessly destroyed the land in an endless march for advancement.
“Times really do change too quickly with you Earthers around.”
–
Back at the fourth Trial
Ryan threw a pile of corpses at Valee, forcing her to break connection with the ground. The Demon King charged, his footing having somewhat adjusted to the changed terrain. The fact that the ground remained permanently slippery without interacting with aura confirmed her Epic to Ryan.
Arctus swung at a distance, not willing to go into a close melee with him. Zedart stepped forward, slashing at them both. Ryan had to dodge, though there was too much risk with Zedart’s skill.
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[Aura Command: Knife]
His aura tendrils solidified into a wickedly long blade. It smashed into the Demon King’s greatsword, the force of one arm equal to the Arctus’ blow with two hands. The clash shattered the ground beneath them. Ryan threw three knives at Zedart with his left hand. The [Swordsman] shifted to the left, dodging one and blocking the other with a close grip.
[Instant Dodge]
Ryan’s body blurred across the slippery ground, towards Zedart. A rough patch appeared in his steps, placed by Valee. But he was expecting it. He threw his body forward, knife hand pointed directly at Zedart.
The [Swordsman] was good at parrying and countering but dealing with straight overwhelming power?
Even Zedart didn’t think he could parry that. He slid his front foot back, an elegant move, mixing his ability to step on the frictionless ground but also utilizing it at the same time. He kept his sword close while moving his body instead–making the stab barely miss.
Ryan made the blade longer and swung out–his arm too fast for a third realm to react to. Zedart couldn’t get his body or his blade away in time. The [Swordsman] tried to leap to minimize the impact and went flying into the distance. A slight crack appearing on the surface of his longsword.
The Demon King was upon him. Spinning his greatsword in a blur, blood drawing to him. The blade and his armor growing blood red spikes. A pure crimson helmet encased the Demon King’s face.
[Wake of Slaughter]
A second phase move, a move that claimed the lives of countless Settlers. Being used just so he could keep up with Ryan’s right arm.
Unfortunately, the Demon King was still weaker than Larix.
This time Ryan threw more of his body into his arm’s swing. Second phase Arctus went flying off into the distance.
“Fucking monster!”
Valee had enough. Zedart was still running back and they were realizing that Ryan had still been holding back. Even the silent agreement with Demon King Arctus wasn’t enough to keep up.
The orc’s arm bindings came off as they unravelled like snakes and fell to the ground. The ends of ten bindings wrapped tight around each arm. The other ends sunk deep into the ground.
Then Valee started sprinting at him.
“I’m the control! Zedart and Arctus bruisers! No finisher, whittle him down!”
The control was supposed to be someone that managed the battlefield. Generally given to a [Rogue] or a [Mage]. Yet she was running at him. Ryan didn’t think she was stupid, the way her bindings seemed to swim through the terrain gave him pause.
She flung one of her hands. The bindings sliding out from the ground–wrapping itself with the earth around it, turning into earthen whips. Ryan could honestly say that he’d never seen weapons like these before. He swung to cut with his knife hand.
The rocks shattered around the point of impact but the bindings were not cut. They , bringing the other side of the earth wrapped whips flinging at his head.
He reverted the form of his aura and punched, making all the whips of rock shatter, scattering the bindings into the air.
Valee’s hand moved and the flailing bindings from sunk back into the ground. The other hand whipped out, bringing the ten whips from the sky. The bindings that had sunk into the ground came from below. One from the top and one from the ground. Ryan shattered them both, slapping them aside with his arm and threw his knives at her.
The rock bindings whipped up and knocked his knives apart.
. Ryan remembered how the ground didn’t shatter under their feet. Whatever Valee had done with [Adaptive Terrain] seemed to attach itself with the rocks themselves, making them more durable and definitely painful if he got hit. He just couldn’t tell how powerful they were until now because his right arm was far too strong.
He could see her plan, if Valee could keep this up then they could indeed whittle down his aura. His arm wasn’t a perfect loop, he was still expending resources for every strike and [Aura Command] change he did.
Her earthen whips tried to keep his arm occupied–but what if he… instead of shattering the earth bindings he grabbed them. They tried to slip away from his grip but his arm was too fast–he snatched two of the threads and pulled. One of two things should have happened. Either the bindings ripped or Valee would gotten thrown into the distance.
Neither did.
For the first time in the fight, Ryan’s arm failed to overwhelm his opponent. His arm pulled at the bindings and the orc girl was holding his strength with only one arm.
The orc girl grinned, her teeth bared at him. The bindings that he was holding glowed–the runes traveling back and through her torso, back to her other arm. The one that had its other bindings sunk onto the ground. All of the bindings glowed, runes traveling down and into the ground. They were taught, as if they were webs holding two points together.
Ryan felt like he was trying to lift the entire ground with his arm strength alone.
He didn’t have time to talk or analyze what had happened, the Demon King was upon him. He let go of the bindings. Ryan couldn’t handle either of them without his right arm.
Yet the Demon King did not jump in alone. Zedart stood on the other side, keeping his distance as well. Ryan took a step towards Arctus when a whip of earth slammed down from above him. When he flicked it away with his right, then the Demon King moved in to swing from the side.
When Ryan extended out again, the Demon King stepped back and Zedart moved in to stab him from the other side. Ryan threw his knives backwards but the throw with his left arm was nothing to the [Swordsman]. Zedart parried all of them and sent out a [Cleave]. The Demon King swinging a tempo behind.
He reformed his aura into a blade and swung his arm as fast as he could. . It was strong enough to shatter both the [Cleave] and send the Demon King back, but nothing compared to earlier. The hasty two cycles of his aura had cost more than the three cycled swing from earlier.
He didn’t want to use his trump card. Both because it was too dangerous and if he used it he wouldn’t be able to prove his point to Valee and Zedart.
The orc with the whips was grinning now.
–
They slammed into the portal, diving right in, it was absolute pandemonium in the Trial outpost. Spurred on by the [Warrior’s Challenge], a flurry of adventurers backed up Fighting Fancy and went to overwhelm the dwarven Realmer.
Mahjit and most of Fighting Fancy had managed to break through. Cheers roaring up from the adventurers behind them while the Realmer started at the words above it all.
The first thing Mahjit noticed was a lack of Trial adaptation, the amount of people that had just barged into the Trial. The second thing he noticed was the sea of bodies around him.
The third thing he noticed almost made him lose his mind.
Four figures were duking it out, a fair bit away from where they arrived.
But it wasn’t a scene familiar with Thirders.
Valee with tens of snaking earthen whips tore apart the battlefield, flinging corpses everywhere. Every time her whips ripped out of the ground it left deep gouging gashes in the dirt. Deeper than anything a realm three [Warrior] could do with a maxed out [Earthen Throw]. Her eyes were of pure focus, desperately trying to keep her opponent contained.
A Demon King. The Demon King Arctus, known for the highest individual combat capability amongst the kingdoms of the Fifth Trial had used his trump card. His armor looked like a living breathing organism. Crimson veins pulsing throughout it. It was drawing more and more from the battlefield. His giant greatsword also benefiting from his trump card, being twice as long.
Zedart the [Swordsman] swinging a sword of brilliant white, creating spectral afterimages that were continuously getting shattered. A stark contrast to the giant metal from the Demon King. Zedart was not using the perfect posture that he had always kept against others. He was ducking, diving and with all of his strength. Just to stay alive.
All three of them were in a pincer maneuver against a single elf. The brilliant white haired Artigan was grinning. As if being in the center of the most brutal realm three melee in history was the most enjoyable thing in the world.
Mahjit and Enzo froze, for they felt like there was nothing they could do. Every single strike in that conflict would kill them all.
“This can’t be a third realm fight…”
Third realms were supposed to fight with short bursts of fantastical power. Skills were supposed to be finishing moves or a skill that changed the battlefield once. Not something you threw around continuously like you didn’t run out of resources. Every single monster in there was continuously chaining skills or permanently using an active. Like they were veteran fifth realms already.
He met Mahjit’s eyes and gave him a look of pure sinister delight. He laughed harder, put his left arm behind his back and started fighting all three of his opponents
All three of them seemed shocked at the sudden rise in power. The music got louder, announcing Artigan’s victory.
All of the adventurers that entered couldn’t breathe, the music came from the air itself, emanating from Artigan. It announced his victory in blood and war. Drumming away, faster than their own heartbeats.
“YOU FUCKING WHORES!”
Valee’s roar only managed to get the attention of Mahjit and Enzo, the others were still entranced by Artigan, fighting off all three opponents with one arm held behind his back. The orc was screaming her lungs out, trying to shout over the music.
“YOU’RE FEEDING HIM MOMENTUM! GET THE FUCK OUT OF HERE!”
It took a moment to register, but Mahjit truly was helping Artigan build his aura. He moved, grabbing members of Fighting Fancy and throwing them the other way, breaking their line of sight. They snapped away their attention and realized they’d royally fucked up. They had to get out of here. They were burdens. The dwarf had been right.
A shadow suddenly loomed over Mahjit. Demon King Arctus stood over them, his greatsword already swinging. Mahjit’s mind moved faster than his body could react.
The blade came down like an executioner’s axe.
Axe drop: is
23 chapters ahead!
