just testing

marinesusmc · Games

Not enough ratings

96 Chs

2

451 Aftermath

Index

Book

As Ashahell glanced at the Mad Doctor, who was leaning against a wall with his eyes closed, he sneered secretly before putting on a face of sympathy.

All around them, the gory scenes that were visible in the pits looked like they had descended straight from hell.

An anti-degradation spell had been cast in the area, so that investigation wouldn't be hampered, which meant that all the people in the cave right now could see exactly what state the enemy had left these sect members in before leaving.

All around him, sect officials who were experienced in decoding a battle scene were pouring over the grisly contents of the shiny liquids, trying to ascertain how this deed had taken place.

Ashahell, on the other hand, was bored.

Ever since the incident in the Central Tower due to which suspicion had fallen on him, he had been under close watch by the head Hero-level figure of the High Council.

That damn old man wasn't even letting up his surveillance when he was in the bathroom!

It seemed that he wasn't prepared to take any chances, even though he had mostly shown a lackluster attitude until now regarding the threat from the Church.

If it weren't for the special high-level inheritance that Ashahell had been given by the Church, he wouldn't even have been able to tell that he was being spied upon.

This inheritance was stronger than any that existed in all the Big 4, and when he had asked, he had been told that it was just one step away from being as strong as the one left behind by the Empire of Angaria.

Either way, his actions were completely stalled for now, and it seemed that he would have to wait for an opportunity to strike.

This Mad Doctor had once been one of the fiercest deniers when he had pitched his plan of slowing down the mining of Ker Gems in the continent to save it in a general assembly that had been attended by all the Champions and Heroes of Angaria.

Frankly, if it weren't the case that it was his duty as the sect master to investigate happenings like these personally, he wouldn't have bothered coming here, and he might even have thought that Angaria itself was taking revenge on those who didn't care for it.

If the stories he had heard about the man were true, then the word "Mad" didn't even come close to accurately describing just what kind of mentality he had.

Walking up to him, Ashahell laid a hand on his shoulder before saying in a sad tone, "I'm sorry for your loss. I heard that this was the son whom you trusted to take forward your legacy. It is really a pity. To think that they were in so much pain that they even broke apart the restrictions of the legendary Ambrosial Fluid…I can't believe it. Even though it wasn't true Ambrosial Fluid as written in history, it's still shocking! You have my full cooperation!"

The Mad Doctor, himself, couldn't tell whether the sect leader was mocking his situation.

Honestly, he didn't even care.

He was too filled with rage in order to think about anything beyond catching the one who had dared to kill his son.

So, he just nodded.

The sect leader looked like he was about to leave, but in the last second before he did, he paused and looked at him with a serious gaze.

"Remember the rules. The High Council has an eye on the Central Continent now, after the events during those silly games. Anyone who threatens any of the key figures in the Central Continent will be dealt with by the harshest means. Don't throw away your life. Just wait for a chance."

Leaving these words, the sect leader teleported away, leaving a shaking father who had lost his son, but couldn't do anything to take revenge.

"AAARGHHH!"

After letting out another scream of frustration which startled the other sect officials still in the room, he considered whether he should just take the chance and go kill that King. If the culprit was the master behind him, then he would definitely show himself.

However, remembering the last time he had foolishly feuded with a Hero, he let go of this thought, knowing that it really would be futile to just throw away his life, like the sect leader said, thereby letting the culprit off scot-free.

No. He would lie in wait, and he would strike.

Before that, he had to take out his frustration on someone.

Was there someone else responsible for all this happening?

Of course. The kid who had thought that he could get away with hiding a locator trinket in the bathroom.

…..

Percy was walking along the large walkway that led to the Central Tower with his head bent.

He had heard the news: somehow, someone had infiltrated the sect, triggered an alarm in the Central Tower and then gone to the secret bunker of the Mad Doctor to slaughter all of those who had been training to become peak Warriors there.

Usually, if such a thing happened, sects would band together to curse the perpetrator, showing the unity that a sect should have.

However, in the Sect of Hedon, which was practically known for its unconventionality, many rejoiced in the misfortune of the Mad Doctor.

All of those who were killed were notorious for bullying those weaker than them and using their background to escape scrutiny from those stronger than them.

They had been a stain on the sect who regularly terrorized the inhabitants of the border village, who were looked upon favorably by the vast majority.

Hence, news that they had been killed was welcomed.

Even the reason for the news leaking out was someone among the sect officials who had been happy about the incident.

When he had first heard it, Percy had rejoiced, as it meant that whoever had infiltrated the sect hadn't been killed, be it his master or his eldest disciple brother.

However, he then started to wonder just how they could have pulled it off. Could they have known that he was acting as a double agent?

Even if that was the case, how had they managed to breach the Central Tower- the most secure location in the Sect of Hedon?

All these questions pointed to the possibility that his Master was much more powerful than he had let on.

Alas, he had blown the chance to stick with the man and obtain revenge.

He would be naïve if he thought that he could just go back to his Master, claiming that it was just a coincidence that his father had been on alert for the attack.

Whatever the case was, his relationship with his master was done.

Putting aside these matters, he started considering what all of this meant for him.

With this question, he realized that he was the one who would be blamed by his father for the death of his elder brother.

That would mean…another round of torture. A much longer one this time, mostly, as the man must be fuming.

Well, at least there was the consolation that he wouldn't be killed, as the number of sons still alive were quite low.

Gritting his teeth, Percy closed his eyes and flipped through the images of all those he had to take revenge for.

This had always been the one thing that kept him sane through the many rounds of torture inflicted on him by his father.

He hoped that it would be enough this time too, but he had to admit that he was scared.

Scared that his journey might end here, leaving behind many, many regrets.

Sighing, he felt a communication trinket vibrating in his pocket, which meant that his father was summoning him to begin.

With a bitter expression of hopelessness, Percy took out the trinket linked to the one to his father, but was surprised when he saw that there was no incoming message.

If it hadn't been his father, then who else had messaged him?

Quickly, he flipped through all the trinkets he had on him, before finding an unfamiliar one with a strange symbol on it.

Communication trinkets were mostly plain slips of parchment, so this one stood out.

It was the image of a man sitting on a throne, with his palm outstretched.

Above that palm was a strange shape, and as Percy looked closer, he realized that it was Angaria, from above.

Marveling at the exquisite artwork, he touched the trinket, wondering how it had gotten in his pocket.

"Hey, kid. Did you think you could get rid of me that easily?"

M-Master!

It was the voice of his Master!

As his jaw dropped in shock, Percy quickly made his way to the forest on the side of the walkway.

It was only after getting to an isolated area and checking that no one was around him did he touch the trinket again to let the message continue.

"If you did, then get ready to be sorely disappointed. When I accept a disciple, it's for life. Even if punks like that retarded Doctor come in the way, your Master will handle them for you. Although it is true that I can't kill that cretin right now, be rest assured that it will happen. Till then, just live. I promised you a reward, right? Well, here's one. I think it'll be useful to you. Don't risk death by trying to contact me. When the time is right, I'll find you. Till then, take care."

As Percy walked with shaking steps to a tree nearby for support, he replayed the message.

Using the tree as support, he sunk to the ground, holding the trinket close to his heart, as if it were his most prized possession.

Again and again, he listened to the message, because it was proof of something he had never even dreamed would happen.

Someone…cared for him.

Truly cared for him.

As tears started flowing down his cheeks, Percy heard the message for the 50th time.

However, at that moment, a communication trinket vibrated again, and this time, it was his father.

If this message had come before he had received word form his Master, he would definitely have been very afraid.

However, now, just the knowledge that someone was out there who was thinking about him was enough to reinvigorate his zeal to stay alive.

He didn't ask useless questions such as how his Master had found out everything. No, they were irrelevant.

All he needed to do was live.

Just as Percy was about to leave to the teleportation platform, he realized that he had forgotten something.

His Master had said that there was also a reward!

Checking the trinket, Percy saw that there was an additional, smaller trinket underneath it, which he touched to make a sentence appear in his mind.

"Pre-Cast Spell-Pain blocking self-hypnosis: Allows those who have pre-cast this spell to feel no pain for a pre-set time period."

More tears started to flow down his cheeks, but this time, they were due to happiness.

Now, he understood why his Master had said that it would be useful to him.

…

Meanwhile, after dropping that trinket in Percy's pocket and seeing his reaction, Daneel had returned to his dorm room and asked the system whether there was anything he had missed, as had become his custom since the last time when he had missed an important notification.

When he heard the system's reply, he couldn't help but go into a daze.

[Phenomena Analysis Module has analyzed Ambrosial Fluid through the floating moisture that came into contact with host's skin.

Ambrosial Fluid: A solution that allows a Warrior to reach the Peak Exalted Warrior level through forceful reconstruction of body and mageroot.

Drawbacks: Limits power to Peak Warrior Level.

Drawbacks can be eliminated by modifications to the fluid.]

Index452 Ker Roo

Index

Book

Breathing heavily, Daneel got up in a flash and asked the system to repeat the notification.

Am-ambrosial fluid?

What the heck?!

How the hell could such a thing exist?!

Daneel had already known that the Mad Doctor was doing something to push the levels of those scum to the Peak Warrior level.

However, he had just thought that they were a few levels away, as he had had no way to find out their exact power levels during his short confrontation with them.

Now, hearing that this method was so magical that it could actually let an Amateur Warrior become a Peak Exalted one in a matter of months…he couldn't believe it!

Why the heck wasn't the sect practically filled with Exalted Warriors then?

There must be plenty of Warriors who only broke through due to sheer effort!

Why weren't they given this option, so that the Big 4 could grow powerful with leaps and bounds?

As he asked the system this, Daneel got his answers.

[Ambrosial Fluid requires top-grade materials that are rare in Angaria. Hence, the effective cost of setting up the fluid comes out to be in the hundreds of thousands of Ker Gems.

Also, the process of destruction and reconstruction is excruciating. Any foreign drugs or spells during the working of the Ambrosial Fluid results in abnormalities forming, so one can only handle the Fluid using their own fortitude. Hence, it has been recorded that many ingredients always used to get wasted because those undergoing the procedure would break in the process, critically injuring their consciousness.

Finally, those who are ready to leave behind any chance of advancing to the next level after working so hard to reach the Warrior level are few and far in between.]

Hmm…since when had the system started to reason?

Chalking it up to the recent upgrade, Daneel thought about the reasons listed, and realized that it made sense.

Still, one doubt appeared to him.

"Why was I not informed about a method like this if it was recorded before?"

[System has not been instructed to relay information on this topic. Also, in the data collected, it has been written that the ingredients for this process are extinct.]

Berating himself for not doing so before, Daneel immediately said, "Always prioritize information which can help me advance faster, and relay it to me as soon as it is recorded."

[Affirmative.]

Setting the alert now and feeling a little at ease, Daneel pondered over everything he had heard so far.

Clearly, this process must still be available to the higher ups of the sect. Still, the third point of the system did make the most sense: no one would be willing to give up the chance like that.

Putting aside the matter as he didn't have enough information, Daneel took a deep breath to ready himself for the bad news.

The good news was that he had a method to race to the Peak Warrior level. However, whatever material the system had said was needed to counteract the drawbacks must definitely be either extinct, or very hard to get.

Since coming to this world, he had almost never been directly handed things like the protagonists in many of the novels he used to read when he was back on Earth.

Instead, he had always had to claw his way to whatever he wanted to accomplish, and although he didn't regret this, he sometimes found himself wondering how it would be if he were like the overpowers characters in those stories.

Shaking his head to get rid of stray thoughts like these, Daneel finally asked, "Which item is required to counteract the drawbacks?"

[Ker Root.]

As Daneel heard these two words, he felt his heart drop, simply because of the fact that he had never even heard of them before.

Bracing himself, he asked the system what a Ker Root was.

[Ker Root: Ker Roots are one of the energy sources that used to be used by Champions in the ancient ages.

According to the data collected regarding Energy and Angaria, the occurrence of high-Energy areas across the land is random. The level of higher Energy also varies.

These high-Energy areas result in mines.

The two known levels of Energy result in Ether mines and Ker Gem mines.

Ker Roots are abnormalities which form during the conversion from a high-Energy area to a Ker Gem mine.

In 10 occurrences out of 100, part of the high Energy is converted into a red-colored heart-shaped object called a Ker Root. The other part results in the formation of the Ker Gem mine.

The Ker Root also constantly releases it's Energy to the Ker Gem mine, which means that by the time the mine reached full potential i.e the extra Energy vanishes, the Ker Root vanishes too.

Ker Roots have the property of releasing Energy peacefully in such a way that the one absorbing feels no discomfort whatsoever. The drawback of having one's path cut off to becoming a Champion while using Ambrosial Fluid is due to the repeated remolding, which results in a body lacking the ability to fulfill the conditions required to break through to become a Champion. A Ker Root's higher grade Energy would protect the Warrior's body and Mageroot, resulting in the elimination of the drawback.]

As Daneel took in all this information, he felt as if his head were reeling.

Some times, he felt as if the system was like those old men in the stories, whose only purpose was to spout exposition.

Finally digesting everything the system had spewed at him, he let out the breath he had been holding.

Great! Now, he had to find something that was rare even during the ancient times!

Calming down, Daneel first realized that he had no reason to complain at all.

Even having the possibility of using just months to do what others needed years for was a dream come true, so it would only make sense that it required something that was so rare.

So, now what? He was supposed to find a Ker Gem mine that hadn't been completely found yet?

Great.

Still unable to stop himself from grumbling a little as he had had his hopes up that it might be something easier to obtain, Daneel lied back down on his bed and started thinking about what to do next.

The scum were all dead, but the Mad Doctor was still alive. Heck, he was probably happily torturing Percy by now.

The spell that Daneel had given him was derived from the system's capability to control his face when needed. According to the system, it was a sort of self-hypnosis, and this was great as if Percy cast some spell while being inflicted with horrible weapons, the Mad Doctor would definitely notice using the movements of the Elementary Particles. With this spell, all Percy had to do was pre-cast it.

Feeling happy and proud that he had come up with that idea to help his disciple, Daneel got back to the matter at hand.

If he thought about it, even training every day felt futile next to the possibility of finding a Ker Root and somersaulting to become an Exalted Warrior.

Sill, Daneel didn't even know if one could be found in this day and age.

Whatever the case was, it seemed that he would have to break into the Central Tower again in order to visit more rooms in the floors which were hidden in the hope of finding more information he could use, and to look for ways to incriminate Ashahell.

Deciding to do this next, Daneel went to sleep.

….

Meanwhile, at a particular location on one of the rocky beaches surrounding Angaria.

This was a place that was frequently visited by the locals, as it had an incredible view, but none of them knew that this had been the base of operations for the Church of Rectitude for quite a long time.

Hidden using a 'Confounding Formation' that hid all traces of a base from those around it while also having the capability to constantly shift around if needed, the base of the Church comprised of a single tent, inside which was seated a man wearing purple robes.

The robes were similar in style to those worn by the members of the Church who had invaded Angaria, but it seemed to be made of a better material.

At the moment, this figure seemed to be in a deep sleep, but when a high-pitched alarm of sorts started to reverberate in the tent, he woke up and looked around.

His facial features were mostly unremarkable, except for his eyes.

His eyes seemed to be like two blinding torches that would scorch anyone that dared to look into them, and just a glance of them would definitely make one wish to bow down and pray that the one in possession of these eyes did not decide on a whim that they no longer needed to breathe.

Finding the source of the sound, these eyes dimmed, before the man stood up and shook off the dust that had settled on top of him during his long 'nap'.

Walking to an apparatus in the corner of the room that looked like a wooden table on which lay 3 shining human skulls that had patterns etched on them, the man placed his hand on the skull in the center and closed his eyes.

"Incoming Directive from the newly ascended Bishop who is in charge of foreign activities."

Raising an eyebrow in surprise due to the unexpected news, he asked, "Newly ascended Bishop? What happened to Bishop Francis?"

"He was killed in cold blood by an unknown assailant. Stand by for transmission."

Compressing his lips into a thin line due to the news, the man waited patiently, before hearing an authoritative female voice.

"As per my analysis of the Church's handling of the island-continent known as Angaria, the Church has been too soft. We need to increase our efforts and move forward the date of the purge, lest we risk the TriCobra Sect reinvoking their efforts on that continent after all the efforts which were made to drive them away. For this purpose, a Deacon of the Church, who was originally born on that continent but has now seen the Truth, will be sent."

Index453 Archpriest Kolean

Index

Book

When the phrase "seen the truth" passed through the man's ears, his lips curled, as if he was resisting the urge to laugh out loud.

Taking a second to calm himself down, he said, "Directive acknowledged, your Holiness. I shall be waiting for the arrival of the Deacon."

As soon as he said this, the air around him started crackling, as if a thunderstorm was imminent right above his head.

Realizing what that meant, the man got an expression of panic on his face for the first time in a long time before running out of the tent, with a speed that made it look as if he had teleported.

Boom!

From the clear sky in the direction of the Endless Sea, a thunderbolt as thick as the waist of a man struck down at the tent, obliterating it and wiping it off the surface of Angaria.

The thunderbolt was so bright that it blinded the man, who hadn't been quick enough to close his eyes.

When he opened them after a few moments and blinked, he noticed that there was someone standing in front of him, where the tent had been, with an expression of peace on his face.

The heat of the thunderbolt had even melted the stones on the beach, turning it into a circular, solid mess that had strange designs etched on it.

Beside the man was the table with the three skulls, which seemed to have been unharmed, even though that thunderbolt had been strong enough to directly kill a Hero-level figure.

Taking a deep breath and immediately folding his hands in front of him near his stomach, the purple-frocked man bent low.

As his upper body became parallel to the ground, he bent one knee, lowering himself and placing both of his hands on the knee before placing his head on the hands.

This was the unique sign of respect in the Church, and it was said to have been passed down for hundreds of thousands of years.

"Archpriest Kolean greets the arrival of the Deacon. Praise be to the Almighty Saint Rectitude!"

"Praise be. Rise."

Hearing the calm voice of the man who was definitely not a day over 20, Kolean got up from the bow.

Still keeping his arms in front as a sign of respect, he observed this new Deacon that had been sent by the Church at such a great expense.

Teleportation over such a large distance was no ordinary matter, and it was said that it needed the will of those above Heroes for it to happen. Clearly, the new Bishop who had risen to power seemed to have quite a few connections, in order to make sure that her directive had been carried out as soon as she made it.

This new Deacon reminded him of someone he had seen before, in one of the briefings that he had had before attaining his post.

Right! He looked a lot like the previous King of Lanthanor, who had been killed recently!

So that meant that…

"I see you've made the connection. Yes, this body belonged to a sinner from this land who has seen the Truth. Haven't you?"

As soon as the last word left the lips of the newly arrived man, something very strange occurred.

Except for his face, the rest of his body seemed to freeze.

As for the face, it morphed into such an expression of fright and panic that it even made the hairs on the back of Kolean's hand stand up.

Looking around with confusion, the Deacon, or his face, at least, screamed in a voice filled with horror.

"NO! I LET YOU IN, I SAW YOUR DAMN TRUTH! YOU SAID YOU WOULDN'T PUT ME TO SLEEP AGAIN! NOOO! GET OUT GET OUT GET OUT GET OUT-"

"Ahem."

Suddenly, that scream was cut off, as the face of the Deacon once again relaxed into that peaceful expression.

Righting the collar of the red-colored cassock he was wearing, the Deacon spoke in an idle tone.

"I guess he needs more time. Time that we don't have, unfortunately, due to the new Bishop's orders. The original plan was to wait at least 5 more years before beginning full-scale deployment after looking for a way to weaken these heathen's defenses. Now, her Holiness wants it done in 3, or even 2 years."

Hearing this, Kolean raised an eyebrow, but didn't say anything.

As the one posted here, he knew exactly how strong this continent was.

Hence, the best approach had been to take things slow, otherwise, their purge might end up bringing more loss to the Church than profit.

What reason could there be for the Bishop wanting to hurry along things?

Alas, he had no authority to ask, so he just nodded and took out a capsule-shaped trinket from his pocket.

"Stop. I brought my own arrangements."

Seeing him do this, the Deacon raised his hand and took out a similar capsule.

Only, where the Archpriest's capsule had been a dull bronze, his was golden.

As he threw it into the air, both of them watched as a 2 story villa made of shimmering stone appeared in front of them.

The Archpriest was trying hard not to drop his jaw. Just how rich was this damn Deacon!

Of course, people who continued to live for hundreds and hundreds of years while switching bodies really would accumulate a lot of wealth, but it was the first time he was seeing someone splurge like so.

"Isn't one of the directives of Saint Rectitude that one must be humble and satisfied with what they have?", he blurted out, unable to control himself.

The villa even had a balcony, a lawn and a rectangular box on the lawn meant for grilling food.

It was occupying an area of at least 500 sq.meters, which, when compared to his measly tent that used to occupy a mere 50 sq. meters, was quite gargantuan.

The specialty of his tent before, and the house in front of him now, was that they had the ability to shift around from time to time, avoiding detection, and even having defenses that would keep a Hero level individual out.

His tent, alone, would easily cost millions of Ker Gems, if judged in the general currency of this continent.

Hence, he couldn't even imagine how much this house would have cost.

"Those are the old rules. With the help of our new Bishop, the Church is preparing to cast off its old, conservative self to become an organization that will defeat all. Many great things are going to happen under this Bishop, Kolean, mark my words. You would be wise to throw your lot in with her. Anyway, come on. You don't need to salvage the tent that was destroyed. You can lodge with me."

C-casting off its old self?

Quite shocked by such momentous news, Kolean had to take a few moments to assemble his thoughts, and by the time he had done so, the Deacon had already entered the house, leaving the door ajar.

As Kolean followed and entered the door to see the spacious interiors that had all the amenities that he had only been able to dream of during his extended stay here, the house vanished from sight, erasing the marks left behind by the thunderbolt along with it.

Seeing the Deacon sitting on a sofa near the fireplace, Kolean walked forward, and sat down in front of him before asking respectfully, "What do you have planned, my Lord?"

"I see you still need time to make such a decision. Well, take all the time you need. The reason I was sent with this body is that it is a native of this continent, and as such, its original inhabitant will be instrumental in helping us look for more ways to break down their defenses. I've begun looking through his memories, and I've already found some interesting things. For instance,-"

As the two continued discussing the plans to bring Angaria to its heels before the appointed date, the one who had made it his mission to put a stop to them was currently pacing around in front of a bathroom in the Central Tower of the Sect of Hedon, as if he really had to go, but had no opportunity to do so as the bathroom was full.

His face even had an expression of constipation, but the truth was that he was trying hard to make a decision.

Finally, shrugging his shoulders, he asked the system to proceed.

Whoosh!

Suddenly, all the plumbing in the bathroom started to shoot out water explosively, badly scaring all of those who were relaxing inside.

The Central Tower had been on high alert ever since that incident before, so the moment something amiss was discovered, the alarm of the Central Tower started to ring.

Immediately, those in the bathroom ran out of the door with fear, with some even half-naked, as they had been instructed to gather at the safest core areas of the Sect as soon as they heard the alarm if they wanted to be safe.

Scrambling to pull their robes up, they ran to the Sect Meeting Place, which was the designated 'core area' of this floor.

Meanwhile, Daneel was shaking his head, cursing at the things he had to do in order to save this continent.

[Cloaking commencing.]

In the next moment, he found himself back in a corridor similar to the one which had contained the vault.

Only, this one contained more than one room, and the one he was looking for was coincidentally right in front of him.

"Records of Official Studies on Angaria."

As the room which was supposed to store all the journals of the high-level scholars of the sect who had undertaken extensive studies on the continent, this was the place with the highest possibility of containing clues on how to find a Ker Root.

So, tapping the one who had come to guard this area on the shoulder to initiate Mind Control, Daneel proceeded to infiltrate the room with the hope of finding a way to realize his dream to shooting forward to become a Peak Warrior.

Index454 Planning

Index

Book

10 minutes later.

After the alarm died down due to the discovery that the incident in the bathroom had been due to a small malfunction in the plumbing formation which was actually common, everyone started to return to their duties, including the ones sent to the hidden floors of the Central Tower to guard them.

In the crowd of those going back to their offices was a blonde-haired kid, whose head was bent low, as if he was in deep thought.

After getting to his small office, he first checked if there were any more payments to be made before sinking into the chair and propping his chin on his hands.

Closing his eyes, he asked the system, "Repeat the notification about the tips to find Ker Roots."

[Affirmative. According to multiple scholars who have studied the continent of Angaria, when Ker Roots are formed, the area above that spot becomes deprived of Energy, resulting in the sudden death of greenery. Unlike the formation of Ker Gem Mines, where the indication is lusher greenery due to the higher amount of Energy, Ker Roots first absorb high amounts of Energy in a short span of time, resulting in the sudden drop. However, the indication can vary from the size of a single plant to a large glade.

Also, Ker Roots draw the attention of beasts, which tend to loiter around such places more, as it is beneficial to their power.]

Great.

Before, Daneel had thought that it might be like searching for a needle in a haystack.

No, although the size of the haystack had decreased, the difficulty more or less remained the same.

More than once, he had considered just sweeping through the entire continent, using the system to scan everything below him.

Of course, unlike others who had to split their concentration between flying and looking for the signs, the system was best equipped to give him an accurate appraisal of what was going on below in a timely fashion.

However, Daneel did not want to this unless it was the last option.

How would it look if someone suddenly decided to go on a blanket flying mission which would take him all over Angaria?

Suspicion was the first thing he would face, and after that, he might even be hunted by the Big 4 on suspicion of working for the Church to scout out their competition.

Although he could carefully do it, slowly, without arousing any suspicion, this would take months, and by then, it would already be time to face all the lunatics who could come after him due to the news that he had high-level inheritance.

Indeed, even though the Mad Doctor's son and the other scum were dead, this threat still remained.

Originally, Daneel's plan had been to lure them to Lanthanor being using the Ruler's Inheritance to scare them away once and for all.

Yet, now, that was no longer an option due to the fact that he might be consumed by the Remnant Hero that was the Empire Spirit right after that.

What other option was there?

As Daneel started to think about those who could look for something like this, a name appeared in his mind:

The Watcher.

Of course, that bodyless head would definitely have the spell to view the entirety of Angaria from above!

Not intending to waste any more time, Daneel proceeded to the exit from the Sect that he had been told about by Jessica.

It was in the form of a hidden pathway in the forest that led to a 'breach' in the formation, but when he reached it, he realized that something was wrong.

There were sect officials barring it.

Initially, he hesitated, wondering whether to go forward and show himself.

However, recalling that he was an official member of the Central Tower after all, he walked forward and asked, "Could you let me pass, brothers?"

Travis and his mop of blonde hair were famous among the sect right now because of the way he had obtained his post, and because everyone was waiting to see his ass handed to him in a few weeks, when there came the time for him to be challenged again.

So, seeing him, the sect officials, who were at least 30 years old, sneered and said, "Sorry, this path is closed, as are all the others which lead out of the sect unofficially. We are under high alert, you know."

"Oh, is that the case? I'll take my leave then."

Answering casually, Daneel was just about to leave when he considered whether to Mind Control these two to bypass them.

However, from further inward, he could sense 3 more pairs of eyes on him.

Clearly, the sect was making it a priority to not let anyone leave through indirect channels.

Knowing that this was his doing, Daneel grumbled under his breath while heading back to his dormitory.

What was he supposed to do?

How was he supposed to leave the sect?

It looked like this damn alert wouldn't die down any time soon, at least until they caught the culprit behind the events on the day the Mad Doctor lost his son.

Wait…the culprit?

Could it…be possible for him to pin this on Ashahell?

He had been looking for ways to increase the suspicion on the man anyway.

As far as he had seen, there was no effective way of completely changing the attitude of the High Council from 'suspicious' to 'he's a part of the Church, kill him' with one plan.

So, why not adopt the strategy of slowly accumulating suspicions until they became too many to be ignored?

After all, Ashahell didn't know who his opponent was. He was just sitting in the tower, unaware that he was within Daneel's sights.

If Daneel did more and more suspicious actions in the Sect of Hedon, and even Angaria, after he got out, and found a way to pin them all on Ashahell, he could imagine the High Council changing their attitude.

So, setting a new short-term plan with his primary one still being the goal to obtain the Ker Root so that he could advance, Daneel smiled sinisterly while walking to his office, thinking exactly what to do to make everyone think of at least the possibility that it was their own sect leader who had distracted everyone in order to facilitate the death of the son of the Mad Doctor, among others.

After all, as someone from Earth, he was well-versed in the techniques used to throw blame on someone and completely ruin their public image, even if they had done nothing wrong at all to deserve it.

…..

Meanwhile, in the Black Raven Kingdom.

In the Palace of the Black Raven, in a room reserved for the King's training.

As Faxul punched a bag filled with sand, he couldn't help but feel frustrated, as he had been stuck for far too long.

Ever since that moment when something had awakened within him to allow him to rush through the levels to become an Exalted Human, he had been stalled at the last step that separated him from the Warrior realm.

As theirs was a Kingdom that also had a long history of Kings, many of whom had reached the Warrior level, Faxul had a lot of information to draw on.

After researching thoroughly, he had found out about the method of breaking through using 'need', or constant accumulation.

Knowing that a war was coming soon, he didn't even consider doing the latter, as no one knew just how much time that would take.

As for the former, he didn't know how to proceed.

He had been thinking about 'need' extensively, all the time.

What did he need to do with the power he would obtain?

What was his goal?

If there was only one thing he could accomplish before dying, what could it be?

Questions like these revolved in his mind all day, but sadly, although he was getting closer to figuring out the answers, he had nowhere near the amount of clarity that his friend always seemed to have.

He had considered whether he should contact Daneel to ask for help, but he had hesitated.

Even though Daneel was his best friend whom he could even trust his life with, he had already helped him so much, in so many ways.

Hence, unless there was no other option left, Faxul had decided to forge his own path ahead.

"You're too impatient. Black Ravens wait for the wind to fly them to dazzling heights. We don't flap our wings impatiently."

Hearing the wise voice of the Protector Raven in his head, Faxul smiled slightly before replying, "I know. But you know why I want to break through so badly."

In his mind, Faxul shared a connection where only the thoughts he wanted could be shared with the Raven.

However, it seemed that the other way around wasn't true.

He could sense most, if not all, of the Protector Raven's emotions and thoughts, and right now, he could tell that it was hesitating whether to tell him something.

Knowing that there were some things he couldn't rush, Faxul patiently waited while punching the bag in front of him with all his might.

"Come with me," it said, before flying to the balcony outside the room in which Faxul was training in.

The huge Raven was flapping its wings a small distance away from the balcony, and as Faxul leaped off the railing in a practiced motion, he landed snugly on its back, as if this was something they did often.

"Where are we going?"

"You'll see."

Nodding and closing his mouth, Faxul set his gaze on the landscape while he was flown out of the Black Raven Kingdom, to a random forest east of the Palace.

As he felt the Protector Raven descending, he noticed that they had reached a large waterfall.

"Go in there.", said the Raven, prompting Faxul to enter the curtain of water that had been gestured at by it.

Using a simple spell to repel the water, Faxul walked in and was surprised to see an ancient stone podium that had beautiful patterns carved on it.

"What is this?", he asked, and when he received the reply, he couldn't help but gasp with shock.

"Something that claims it can help anyone reach the Champion level directly."

Index455 A Reckless Plan 1

Index

Book

Off the top of his head, Daneel could remember two major ways to incriminate someone: either spread a rumor about their involvement in a particular event, or plant false evidence to make others think that they had done something they hadn't in reality.

Usually, the Sect Master was one of the most respected figures in the entire Sect.

However, just like everything else, this wasn't the case in the Sect of Hedon.

Either due to the fact that the one who was in control of all of them wasn't that much older than the average Warrior, or due to the reason that the Sect Master was an aloof person who didn't spend much time in the Central Tower, the general opinion on Sect Master Ashahell was mostly neutral.

Very few disliked him, but there were also only very few who liked him a lot in his post.

In such cases, the best thing to do was to find a rival who could take their post, and empower them with tools that they could use to take their rival, who would be, in this case, Ashahell down.

Here, Daneel hit a snag.

"A rival for Sect Leader Ashahell? Are you kidding? Do you think Peak Champion Level powerhouses just pop up wherever you want like cabbages?"

"Sect Leader Ashahell isn't the most charismatic of people, but he is the strongest amongst us all."

These were the typical answers that Daneel received when he casually brought up the topic over lunch with a few people that Travis was supposed to be acquainted with.

Everyone knew he was dead meat in a few weeks anyway, so they had begun to pity him.

Ignoring this annoying attitude, Daneel continued his investigations.

He knew that somewhere, there must be something that he could use to bring suspicion and blame on Ashahell.

For this purpose, he had even tasked the system with actively eavesdropping on all conversations around him, 24/7, looking for clues.

Although this put a strain on his mageroot due to the fact that the system had to develop a spell to make this happen, he didn't mind, and put up with the slight throb in his forehead.

Finally, 2 days later, Daneel caught a break.

"The Sect Leader was definitely gloating over the Mad Doctor's misfortune. I was right there! On the surface, it looked like he was consoling him but I could tell that he was happy! The Mad Doctor could, too! He screamed with frustration after the Sect Leader left!"

"Really? Can't that scream be because hundreds of thousands of Ker Gems, the Mad Doctor's lifetime accumulation, were wasted due to that culprit's actions? From what I heard, it was only his son who had the actual solution. The others only had lesser ones, and their fathers paid for it! Although those people are just a bunch of retired Warriors, it was their life savings too! Apparently, they all formed a group which has sworn to take revenge!"

"Nah, I know it for sure. That scream was because of whatever the Sect Leader told him. I bet they must have had some disagreements before."

"Might be. It's a pity that solution couldn't be purified. What a waste of resources."

"Meh. What do you know. This happens all the time with the top levels of the Sect. They spend hundreds of thousands of gems, like obtaining the solution for their sons, but they just turn out to be whiny brats! Now THAT is a waste."

"Sigh."

That last sigh was definitely to lament over the disparity between themselves, who were regular Sect Officials that were at most at the Eminent Warrior level, and the higher echelons of the Sect.

Daneel had had to put up with a very irritating headache for 2 days in order to finally obtain this very valuable information, so he felt really glad that he had taken the decision to persevere.

Hearing them, he couldn't help but think that there was definitely a parallel between Earth and this Sect.

Even on Earth, the wealthiest and most powerful people in the world would never hesitate to spend bucketloads of money, that would count as a treasure and lifetime sustenance for most of the rest of the world, for trivial reasons.

Of course, the argument could be made that these people had the right to do so as they had worked hard to obtain that money, but similar to the case in Angaria where the saving of those Ker Gems might result in the decrease of the rate of overall Energy dispersal over the centuries on the continent, those people could act to save the planet they were on before it became too late, even though there were many warning signs.

This line of thought led Daneel to once again think that Ashahell's purpose really had some merit to it. He just wanted to save the continent, and he saw no other way to do so.

However, killing millions of people was definitely not the way, and Daneel would put a stop to him.

Yet, when he asked himself what he would do regarding saving the continent from the fate of completely running out of Energy, he could only say that he had to take things one at a time.

Ending this inner monologue, Daneel concentrated on the other important information that had just surfaced.

The Mad Doctor had some kind of feud with Ashahell.

What could it be?

Personal things such as these definitely wouldn't be lying around randomly for him to read and find out.

Also, it wouldn't be wise to ask around specific stuff like this. If word got to anyone in the higher echelons, it would definitely arouse suspicion. Just asking about people's opinion of the Sect Leader, and possible rivals had already been pretty risky.

Sinking into deep thought, Daneel finally hit upon an idea that was bold, and frankly, a little bit reckless.

However, it had the most chance of succeeding.

Deciding to act immediately, he exited his office and made his way to the infirmary.

The Mad Doctor had that moniker for two reasons: One, of course, was because he was pretty mad, but the other was because of the fact that he was one of the most accomplished healers in the entire Sect.

Such mastery of healing spells required detailed study, as one would have to watch for themselves exactly what kind of effect elementary particles had on the skin and tissues of a human in order to learn and figure out ways to heal life-threatening injuries.

He officially held the post as Head of Medicine, and according to the rules of the sect, all 'Head's had to entertain requests to pick disciples who would continue their craft.

This was to make sure that a post wouldn't stay vacant when the time came for the one possessing it to step down.

The infirmary occupied an entire floor of the Central Tower, mainly filled with strange solutions of various colors in which injured people were placed, and beds where those who had gotten out of the solution was resting.

As he paused, he saw with his own eyes how the index finger of someone who had crushed it during training regenerated from the stump, albeit at a slow pace.

On one corner, there was a room titled "Head of Medicine", which Daneel headed to.

However, he was stopped on the way by a man who was wearing blue robes, which meant that he worked as an official healer in the Central Tower.

"Whoa, whoa, do you have a death wish? Where are you going?"

"I wanted to apply to be taken as an apprentice with the-"

"Oh, so you're definitely mad! The Mad-, err, I mean, the respectable Head has just lost his son. He is in no state to take requests. Instead, you might find yourself become the unwilling test subject for a radical healing approach! If you want to live with all of your limbs, I suggest you leave, right now."

Daneel smiled ruefully at first, as he was actually counting on the fact that the Mad Doctor would be unstable.

Yet, so as not to appear odd and make this man suspect that something was going on, he got an idea and said, "That's where you're wrong! Yes, the respectable Head lost a son, but I think this is the best time! Think about it! Isn't there a chance that he might pick me as a replacement to train?"

Hearing this, the man looked at Daneel with pity.

Shaking his head, he said, "Ah, I see you have the incurable disease of stupidity. Carry on. It was nice seeing you. If you need a message passed on to your next of kin, you can tell me now."

"Pfft. Just watch me."

Shrugging off the hand laid on his shoulder for consolation, Daneel proceeded to walk towards the office of the Mad Doctor with confident strides.

Knocking on the door, he heard a guttural voice say, "Come in."

As he entered under the pitying gaze of the man, Daneel froze, as he was quite shocked by the sight of the Mad Doctor.

The man's veins were jutting out all over his body, and his eyes were so bloodshot that Daneel could barely make out the whites in them.

His hands were covered with blood, but Daneel couldn't tell whose it was.

Seeing someone he didn't know enter, he bellowed, "What the f*ck do you want?", while the anger of a Champion sent the surrounding elementary particles into a tizzy, making random lightning and fire appear across the room.

This sight finally made Daneel wonder whether he had been just a bit too reckless.

…

Meanwhile, inside the waterfall at an unmarked spot east of the Black Raven Kingdom.

As Faxul hesitantly walked forward and touched the stone podium, a voice reverberated in his mind, making him step back with shock.

"Hehe, kiddo, it's your lucky day. Are you ready to become a Peak Champion? And oh, by the way, your closest friend used one of my brethren to grow that strong, too. How else do you think he was capable of all those wonders?"

Index456 A Reckless Plan 2

Index

Book

As Faxul stood in the cave, frozen, with the sound of the waterfall behind him, he didn't know what to think.

Daneel had accomplished all those wonders with the help of a stone podium like this one?

At this moment, Faxul had a choice.

He could play it completely safe-he could contact his best friend, ask him if what the podium was saying was true, and consider what to do next.

If it really was true, maybe Daneel might even share whatever he had obtained

But…why hadn't he done that yet?

The other choice was to step ahead and explore this by himself, so that he could find out more before taking a decision.

As someone who had never hesitated to take risks on the path to power to accomplish what he wanted, Faxul considered both choices very seriously.

Before, his motivation had been to obtain revenge for his parents' death. That singular motivation had led him to take the risk with that technique to grow stronger, even though his friend had strongly advised against it.

Now, his main motivation was to be a good King-one that his father would have been proud of.

For that purpose, Faxul knew that the best thing he could do for his people was to get strong enough so that he could at least hope to defend them when the time for the war came.

Although it was what his entire life was about right now, he was also indebted to his friend, who had made it possible for him to ascend the throne in the first place.

Knowing this fact, doing something like choosing the latter option would really make him someone who didn't deserve Daneel's attention at all.

Even if it was true that Daneel had used the podium, or something like it, to go stronger and had hidden this fact for reasons that were his own, Faxul found no logic good enough to make him want to hide this from Daneel-the one person in his life who had done so much for him.

So, without any more hesitation, Faxul was just about to take out the special communication trinket, that was shaped in the form of a special coin carved with the Lanthanorian crest, when he suddenly felt that something was wrong.

Usually, when one touched a trinket, all it would require was a conscious thought to activate the formation and send the message.

However, right now, Faxul felt as if his mind was completely cut off.

With growing horror, Faxul tried again and again, but the communication trinket did not respond in any way.

Finally, realizing that he was in danger, Faxul turned around and started to run.

The thing that had finally let him realize that fact had been his failed attempts at contacting the Protector Raven.

Somehow, he had been completely cut off from the world.

He hadn't had to walk in a lot to reach the podium, so the curtain of water was just a few meters away.

If he could reach it, he could simply indicate to the Protector Raven that something was wrong, and it would definitely save him.

However, strangely, the distance between him and the entrance of the cave hidden by the waterfall seemed to be widening.

Every step he took seemed to take him farther away from the exit, instead of closer.

This incongruity in what he was trying to do and what was happening made him puzzled, before he started to understand that he had entered some sort of bewilderment formation.

Calming down, he was just about to cast a spell that would allow him to find the correct path out, when he found that he could no longer feel his Mageroot either.

What the…hell?!

Cutting off someone's mind, even though it sounded very mystical, was something that wasn't unheard of in the Central Continent.

Often, magical prisons would have complex formations like these, supplied by Eldinor, to make sure that no communication would happen with the outside.

However, the ability to make one feel as if they had no mageroot at all-this, this was impossible.

Who the hell was doing all this?

At first, Faxul focused on the podium, but he saw that it had been inactive from when he had touched it.

Who, else, could be responsible for all this?

Faxul got his answer a minute later.

From the distance, he could see the shadow of a meandering giant, which was at least 7 foot tall, walk forward with loud thuds.

As his heart started to beat faster, Faxul watched on, powerless to do anything as doom walked toward him.

When the shadow turned a corner, Faxul realized that it was just a man.

The shadows had made him seem much large, and the echoes of his footsteps had made it seem as if he were a giant.

However, just as he was about to feel relieved, he saw that something was wrong.

The man was wearing ragged clothes, which looked as if they had been on his skin for years and years.

A stench floated into Faxul's years-that of someone who hadn't bathed in decades.

Wrinkling his nose, Faxul noticed that these weren't the most disconcerting things about the man.

No, it was his face, and the way he walked.

If Daneel were here, he would have recognized that this man looked like he was wearing a straightjacket.

His arms were tightly pressed to his body by invisible forces, and his knees were twisted inwards, making it so that walking was probably the only thing they could do.

As for his face-it was one straight out of the darkest of nightmares.

Hair matted with mud and other fluids framed it, and through the gaps that were present, Faxul could see that the man's eyes were wide open.

His eyeballs were rolled back so that only a small part of his pupil was visible, and his head also moved from side to side as he walked towards Faxul.

The unknown was often the most terrifying thing, in most cases.

Even now, it was the same.

Faxul found himself rooted to the spot: unable to move as he saw the monstrosity approach closer and closer.

With each meter that was covered between them, he could see more and more details.

For instance, he could see that this man was wearing clothes that had been royal once, but he couldn't tell which Kingdom they were from.

His features were bold and striking, but the crazy look on his face would never let anyone focus on them.

His teeth were shut tight, but he seemed to be moving his lips up and down, as if he wanted to talk, but couldn't.

All in all, Faxul prayed with all his might that this was just some dream he was trapped in.

However, the stench, and the danger, were all too real.

He had thought that he at least his strength as a Fighter left to defend himself, but he felt that sapped from him too when the man reached him.

Raising his right hand which had been pressed tightly on his body all this while, he tapped Faxul's forehead, which made the latter's eyes roll up into the back of his head before he fainted.

The hand had been shaking, as if there was someone trying to stop it, but failing repeatedly as the will of the force driving the hand was too strong.

After Faxul collapsed into a heap, a voice could finally be heard from the figure.

"Heehee…

A new host?!

A brother to suffer with me…

No, he shouldn't have to suffer like me…

But I was so lonely all this time!

That doesn't mean…

Shut up! He's staying with us!

Oh Almighty Lord of…

Screw your Almighty Lord who has forsaken you! First, he will fulfill his duty outside! Then, we must make the assimilation with that bastard Hero in the stone fail! IT MUST FAIL, AND HE MUST BECOME LIKE US!

You idiot, that Hero is listening…"

In the beginning, it was as if two voices were conversing with each other alternatively.

Towards the end, the first voice completely took over, and it had such hints of madness that it would have driven away anyone who heard it.

Only, the last sentence was spoken by the second voice, which seemed more or less sane.

After the last statement reverberated in the cave, the figure ducked down and looked around, as if trying to see whether anyone was watching it.

It was a childish gesture, but it showed just how far gone into the depths of madness that first voice was.

After making sure that it was alone, the figure grabbed Faxul's arm and dragged it to the stone podium.

Laying it on the top, the figure retreated into the cave, with its hands completely immobile again.

By the time the sound of its footsteps faded, Faxul woke up with a start.

Wait…why am I on the ground? And what's that smell?

The last thing I remember was…trying to decide what to do.

Did I faint because of something this podium did?

Should I tell Daneel about it?

As Faxul asked himself the last question in his mind, a different answer than before sprang from its depths, its origin unknown.

It was very different from the voice that used to be in his head before, when he had transplanted that other consciousness into his body to gain power faster.

It was of a much higher level, and it felt indistinguishable from his own thoughts.

Oh, yes. His friend had been very distressed when he hadn't followed his advice before, regarding the other consciousness.

What was to say he would share what he knew now?

Why wouldn't he keep it with himself in the hopes of becoming the strongest alone?

Yes, maybe contacting Daneel would be a bad idea.

Maybe he could try this thing out first.

As thoughts like these started to revolve in Faxul's mind, he considered whether to touch the podium and talk to it again.

….

Meanwhile, in the office of the Head of Medicine.

After being screamed at by the Mad Doctor, Daneel closed the door behind him and abruptly sat down on the seat in front of him.

The Mad Doctor looked absolutely ready to slaughter him, so Daneel got straight to the point.

"Sir, I know what happened to your eldest son. I was a staunch supporter of his. My blood is boiling for revenge. Please let me help you in your quest for revenge."

Index457 Unexpected Outcome

Index

Book

The Mad Doctor was a loner-used to people staying away from him in general due to his disposition and image, he was quite surprised when he saw someone say that they wanted to join him in something.

Of course, there were always requests to learn medicine under him, from those who prepared themselves to ignore his 'madness' if he was willing to teach them.

He was usually inclined to say 'f*ck off' to them, so the only ones he taught grudgingly right now were those doctors in the room outside, who had been assigned by the sect to ensure that his post wouldn't remain empty if he perished.

Hence, hearing someone say something like this, he couldn't help but pause.

As the fluctuating elementary particles in the room died down and started to return to normal, Daneel heaved a sigh of relief, feeling glad that his plan had worked.

This reckless plan was due to a supposition that had occurred to him about the Mad Doctor before: usually, people who were highly affected emotionally about a matter would connect with someone who showed that they were being affected in the same way, albeit to a lower extent.

Not everyone could show true sincerity in emotion, either. It would require a certain level of ability to show empathy, which Daneel had due to his experience in acting.

Just like he had imagined, finding someone who shared the same emotion as himself made the Mad Doctor feel relieved for once.

His anger at the kid in front of him vanishing, the man redirected it to the culprit.

"If I don't bathe in that scum's blood, then I will renounce my name and my life. I am surprised to see someone who was close to Henry when he was alive. How did you two meet? Tell me about him. I was mostly busy with my work, and I neglected to spend time with my son. I want to know more. Tell me."

Daneel had initially been rejoicing after hearing the first part of the Mad Doctor's statement, but the second stumped him.

He had only hoped that the shared 'pain' would allow him to coax the information regarding the conflict that this man had with Ashahell out.

However, now, he found that he was in a dilemma.

The Mad Doctor had spoken in a dangerously low voice, so Daneel knew that rejecting was not an option.

Creating stuff out of thin air and telling it was also not advisable at all, as if it was later found out that none of the stuff he had told had happened, he would definitely face death, or worse.

Now, how the heck was he supposed to answer about that disgusting cretin?

Thankfully, the system came to his rescue.

[Certain conversations which were eavesdropped on during the time that host was searching for information before relate to the activities of the Mad Doctor's eldest son. Would host like system to replay those?]

"Yes! Yes!"

Fighting the urge to smile due to the happiness that he had been saved, Daneel waited as those conversations replayed in his head.

However, after that, he had to work hard not to let disgust show on his face.

Most of the conversations were about the way that kid had used to take advantage of those both in the Sect and in the border village using his almost untouchable background.

Others were about how that bunch of bullies would have been brought to justice long back if it weren't for their backing.

Taking a deep breath, Daneel realized that he would have to foul his mouth if he wanted to keep the ruse up.

He hesitated for a bit, but proceeded, as he knew exactly what hung in the balance- it was the fates of millions of people.

More and more, Daneel started to realize that he was getting prepared to do anything to reach the goal.

If this kept continuing, was it possible that he could become someone like Ashahell who wouldn't hesitate to commit mass genocide?

No. They were unrelated things. Surely, he was only having these thoughts as he was in a panic.

Telling himself this and taking a deep breath, Daneel started speaking.

"Of course! Henry was always the leader to follow. His ideas were legendary! Once, we went to the border village to a certain woman's-"

20 minutes later, the Mad Doctor's mood shifted somewhat to one of grief.

It seemed that until now, the man had been holding onto his anger and thirst for vengeance, but listening to some stories about his eldest son, who really had grown up to become just as despicably horny and detestable like himself, he couldn't help but begin the process of grieving.

Only, even his method of grieving was, well, 'mad'.

Standing up abruptly after Daneel's stories were done, he walked to a cupboard and retrieved a painting of that cretin.

After doing so, he sat back down and kept staring at the picture, while steam appeared near his eyes from time to time.

It seemed that he was crying, but as he was too proud to let anyone see it, he was evaporating the tears with magic.

Finally, after a few minutes, he set aside the picture and sat in deep thought.

As this continued for an unbearable amount of time, Daneel even began to wonder whether the man had fallen asleep or something with his eyes open.

However, after what felt like an eternity, the Mad Doctor finally looked up, and his eyes had a shine in them that hadn't been visible before.

"I will find a way to kill those two bastards, even if I end up dying after that."

W-what? Seriously?

As Daneel heard the Mad Doctor say this under his breath with a tone of bloodthirsty determination, he didn't know whether to laugh or cry.

He was exactly the one that this Champion level powerhouse had sworn to kill, and at his level, he couldn't even hope to resist.

It seemed that his reckless plan had completely backfired and taken him from the frying pan into the damn volcano.

Before, he had known about the special decree that the High Council would be watching over the Central Continent, which had made him feel relieved that the Mad Doctor would at least not march out for revenge without any hesitation.

Somehow, he had made the man decide to do just that.

Well, when madness was involved, outcomes seldom fit the norms.

One step at a time.

He had created a disaster for himself, but before he could begin thinking about what to do to solve it, he had to first finish what he had come here to do in the first place.

As if he hadn't heard the Mad Doctor make that proclamation, Daneel spoke out hesitantly.

"S-sir, I didn't know whether you knew of this, so I wanted to bring it to your attention, as I couldn't bear to hear people speaking like this about my idol's father. They said that the Sect Leader was gloating due to your misfortune! That can't be true, right, sir?"

Although Daneel felt like washing his mouth with disinfectant due to using the word 'idol', he felt relieved when he finally received the answer he had been looking for.

"Humph. I never expected that he would still hold a grudge because I rejected his plan to decrease mining. Screw that obnoxious kid. Just because he has talent, does he think-"

As the Mad Doctor went on a rant about how the Sect Leader was the worst one to occupy that post in the past 100 years, the gears in Daneel's mind started to turn.

Now, he knew about the grudge, and knowing what he did about Ashahell, he could understand why that had affected the man so much.

With a twinkle in his eyes, Daneel began planning how he was going to use the conflict between these two, so that it could result in the High Council suspecting Ashahell more and completely putting a stop to his actions by imprisoning or killing him, instead of just keeping a watch over him like now.

Was this plan immoral? Yes, of course, as he was going to plant false evidence and take advantage of someone whose confidence he had won by exploiting his grief.

However, Daneel felt no qualms at all, as he knew that sometimes, actions shouldn't be looked at on the surface. Instead, what should also be taken into consideration was whether the targets deserved it, and whether the end result would be beneficial on the whole, while not violating any inviolable bottom lines.

After the Mad Doctor stopped speaking, Daneel just said, "Please do contact me, sir, if I can be of any assistance to avenge the man I looked up to most. I'll take my leave then."

As a grunt came in reply, he hurried out, and when he closed the door to the office behind him, he came face to face with the healer from before whose jaw dropped on seeing that Daneel didn't have a scratch on him.

"Wh-what?! Don't tell me it worked!"

"Why don't you go find out for yourself?"

As Daneel said this, the healer sputtered for a few moments before rushing to the office, as if he didn't want to let this opportunity slip.

Chuckling to himself in a rare moment of amusement, Daneel walked to the door.

Bang!

The next second, the healer found himself skidding across the hospital room, with his face having an extra addition of a bootprint.

When he tried to search for the blonde haired kid who had almost caused him to be skinned alive, he was nowhere to be found, which made the man scream with frustration before admitting himself and starting to treat himself in the medical ward, all the while grumbling about how he was going to make sure to have his revenge when he got his hands on that obnoxious bastard.

458 Change of Plans

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Meanwhile, Faxul had been standing at the same spot in the cave for 10 minutes, trying what to do next.

Every time he thought about contacting Daneel, doubts would appear in his head, making him think more and more that that would be a bad idea.

He even felt a sense of…déjà vu. As if…he had been agonizing over this before, but had made a decision.

However, he didn't remember doing it.

Attributing it to the strange atmosphere in the place, Faxul took a deep breath and berated himself for dillydallying so much.

Yes, he could tell Daneel later after finding out more.

The moment he had this thought, the feeling that it was right appeared inside him.

Hmm? I was unsure about this, right? Then why do I feel so sure now?

Rhetorically asking himself this, he walked forward and touched the podium.

Unlike before, when he had heard the arrogant voice, all that was transmitted to him now was a technique.

At first, Faxul thought that it was a spell model, but slowly, he realized that it was so much more.

It was…an inheritance-a treasure that had been quoted often in the records in the Kingdom, but hadn't been seen for many years.

"This is your birthright, Black Raven King. It is called the 'Raven's Might'. It will allow you to harness the power of the Protector Raven, and the other Ravens in the Kingdom to push yourself forward on the Path to Power. All Ravens are magical beings which absorb Energy in their own way. This technique allows you to tap into those reserves, and although that means that the Ravens will lose a part of their power, they can simply gain it back over time. I must warn you, King. If anyone else knows about me or this technique, they will try to snatch it away. They will even quote that I only mean harm, or that this technique has some trap. Do not listen to them. If you need reasons to trust me and believe in what I'm saying, then simply ask the Protector Raven outside how it knows this place. I will not even argue my own case. For now, farewell, King. If you do believe in me, I urge you to return, as there are any more techniques that I can pass on, which will aid you in your quest to help the people of the Black Raven Kingdom."

As Faxul heard this speech which sounded inside his head with a noble tone, more and more thoughts started appearing that whatever was inside this podium could be trusted.

No. Why should it be trusted? He wasn't dumb enough to take everything he heard at face value.

But, no! All he needed to do was ask the Protector Raven outside for proof!

What if the risk was present that he could be prosecuted for possessing this treasure? After all, it wouldn't be the first time it was happening on the Continent.

In this way, each and every one of his qualms repeatedly got answered by an inner voice, which, of course, he assumed to be his own.

Finally, he decided that the best thing to do might be to put the technique aside for now until he found out from the Protector Raven just how it knew about this place.

Leaving the stone podium while in deep thought, Faxul walked towards the curtain of water and exited it, all while being stared at by a pair of rabid eyes from the inner parts of the cave.

After he passed through the waterfall, he saw that the Protector Raven was basking in the sun with its massive body, while idly munching on some animal it seemed to have picked up as a snack.

"What happened? Did you obtain it?", it asked, which made Faxul frown slightly.

"How did you know about this place?"

On being asked this question, the Protector Raven hesitated, and Faxul could tell through the bond he shared with it that it was deciding whether or not to answer.

Finally, it seemed to have decided to tell him what he wanted to know.

"I only know of this due to the memories that are passed down from Protector Raven to Protector Raven. According to them, the stone podium inside was once in our Kingdom. At that time, the most talented King of that time managed to pass the stringent conditions of the podium and attained unbelievable techniques."

After pausing to prune it's glossy, black feathers, the Protector Raven continued.

"At the time, the King managed to shoot forward in power, but the Big 4 intervened. In my memory, the Protector Raven of that time only saw the King trying to protect the podium at all costs, while those from the Big 4 besieged him from all sides. The wondrous thing was that even if he was outnumbered, he still managed to kill many of his opponents, and even managed to escape. However, the King told my ancestor that the Big 4 had interrupted and ruined a very important process that would have seen him become one of the strongest beings on the continent. After faking his death and hiding the podium, he made the Protector Raven swear that this matter would be kept a purpose. At the same time, a bond was formed between the podium and the Protector Raven, which was passed down to me. I felt that bond calling to me, when I saw you pushing yourself so much to gain power. We both know war is coming. The Big 4 must be preoccupied with that, unlike then. So, I decided to heed that call and bring you here, at least to see whether the podium finds you worthy. My King, whatever you obtained in there, I strongly suggest that you keep it to yourself. Wars have been fought over even less valuable things."

The Protector Raven almost seemed as if it had prepared this speech the moment Faxul had walked out, as if it knew that he would have this question.

He had read about an ancient Black Raven King who had been persecuted by the Big 4, but in the records, the reason was unknown.

It did make sense now.

Faxul knew clearly that such a magical technique would definitely garner attention from the highest echelons of this world.

However, why would his best friend, who had only helped him till now without even expecting much in return, covet it?

Again, like clockwork, answers appeared in his mind which refuted this.

Everyone could change according to the situation, his inner voice said.

So, it was probably best not to take a chance.

Besides, the technique might not even work. Why not try it first?

In this way, Faxul's thought to contact Daneel was postponed yet again.

Getting on the Protector Raven, he prepared to go back to the Palace, but he couldn't shake the thought that something was wrong.

…

Meanwhile, in the Kingdom of Lanthanor.

The guard that had been posted 24/7 in the Library in the Academy that the present King had studied in had just been about to get off his shift.

He only had one duty, and it was pretty boring: sitting in the hidden and forbidden highest floor of the library, he had to keep watch over a door and notify the Grand Court Mage if there was any change.

For months now, there had been nothing, and this had become one of the shortest straws that could be drawn by those who were assigned for general guard duty.

However, today, it seemed that things were going to be different.

A red light started to shine from under the gap of the only door in the corridor, and it grew in intensity until it became so bright that the guard had to blink in order to see anything.

Shocked by the sudden event, he even fell on the ground, as he had been in the middle of the process of getting up to walk around before his replacement arrived.

Hurriedly, he took out a communication trinket and contacted the Grand Court Mage.

Receiving the message, Kellor immediately contacted the King, but he received no reply.

The King had instructed them that this red light was of the utmost priority, and that he should definitely be intimated if it appeared.

Yet, the King had been in complete closed door training for weeks!

Wondering what the heck he was supposed to do, Kellor started pacing around, while repeatedly sending messages through the communication trinket of the King and the oathstone, hoping that whatever the significance of that red light, it could wait until the King received the message about it.

….

Meanwhile, Daneel had just been on the way to his dormitory so that he could plan exactly how he was going to plant evidence.

Suddenly, he stopped in the middle of the Central Walkway due to a message from the system.

[One of the alarms set down using the system has been tripped. Unable to ascertain exact alarm due to interference from Sect Formation. Please exit the formation if host wishes to identify which alarm it is.]

As his heart started to beat faster, Daneel realized that something must definitely be wrong outside.

The 'alarms' he had placed were all highly important: they ranged from the one he had set up to identify trespassers in the Withering Leaf Sect, to the one he had placed in Eldinor, near the core of the formation, to try and find out who might have taken away the items.

There were many more which were equally crucial, so Daneel knew that whatever it was, it needed his immediate attention.

But how was he supposed to go out?

Gritting his teeth, Daneel decided that it was time to take dire measures.

Walking to the mission office, he saw that there were missions to the outside which were under the supervision of an Exalted Warrior.

Looking for the shortest one, he saw that it was one week long, and the mission was to travel to all of the 'no-trespasing' and forbidden regions on the continent to check whether the formations that had been placed there were secure.

It was monotonous work, so there were not many people interested.

However, Daneel signed up without hesitation.

A few hours later, he set off with 3 others, and the moment he exited the sect, he was inundated by messages from Kellor that the Empire Spirit in Lanthanor was shining red, indicating that something had happened to it.

The last time that had happened, he had 'unlocked' one of its levels.

This was already shocking in itself, but the message from the system that sounded in his head made the rest of his thoughts disappear.

As he stopped in the air with his eyes wide open, he hoped that he was dreaming.

[Alarm placed inside target 'Faxul's' mind to identify interference from secondary consciousness has been triggered. The alarm has been wiped away. However, from the information received, system has been able to identify the source. Target 'Faxul' has come under the effect of a Hero-level Mind Control Spell, which is directing his thoughts subtly.]

Index459 Going to the Black Raven Kingdom

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After having the notification repeated to him multiple times, Daneel felt a sense of urgency rise within him.

This was his closest friend in the world – the one who had been with him each and every step of the way, no matter what they had had to go through.

Who the hell was targeting him?

Could it be to get to him?

And to think that it was actually a Hero level individual! What could they be hoping to gain?

Multiple questions like these flashed through his mind, but Daneel decided that he should stop thinking too much until he went by himself to verify what was going on.

The thought that he should be afraid and consider staying away because a Hero-level individual might be waiting to smash him into oblivion didn't even cross his mind.

No, he was going to be cautious, but there was no way that he would abandon his best friend.

Meanwhile, the rest of the team members were staring at him with irritated expressions on their faces, wondering why this kid looked like he had seen a ghost.

These were going to be two very grueling days, and their moods were already bad because they had had to choose this mission, unless they wanted to go without Ker gems for days.

The leader seemed the most annoyed – as an Exalted Warrior, usually, he would never undertake such monotonous and low-paying tasks. However, because of the state of high alert the sect was in, each and every team that was going out had to be escorted by a trusted Exalted or Eminent Warrior, so that they could keep an eye on the sect members when they were outside, while also ensuring that additional attacks could be thwarted.

"We don't have all day! Come on!"

As he snapped at the blonde haired kid, he seemed to come back to his senses.

After looking around and getting an expression as if he had decided on something, the kid nodded and apologized, saying, "Sorry about that. Let's go."

With a humph, the Exalted Warrior led the way, flying through the air for a little bit of time until reaching a certain spot from which they would teleport after making sure that they weren't being followed.

These were all steps that had been implemented for the safety of the sect members, and they had to be followed rigorously.

The first stop was coincidentally the spot where Daneel had broken through to become a Warrior.

Apparently, areas like these which still had remnants of formations from the ancient ages that were very dangerous even to Warrior level individuals had formations laid down by the Big Four which would prevent regular humans from entering them and being killed.

If this hadn't been the case, the number of deaths would have been a lot more, which was detrimental to the continent as a whole.

Hence, even though most of the Big Four didn't care much about the regular humans except treating them as livestock from which they could pick out talented individuals, they had taken the duty together to maintain the formations in these dangerous areas.

As soon as they reached the valley, the blonde haired kid among them suddenly shouted out, drawing all of their attention.

Pointing behind them, he exclaimed, "What's that?!"

His expression of extreme fear made the others panic too as they turned around with alarm.

However, seeing nothing there, they turned back, with the Exalted Warrior glaring at the blonde haired kid and saying, "What the hell did you see?"

"Oh, nothing. I thought I spotted enemies. My bad. I'm feeling a little sick. Could you all please take over my workload, too? Of course, when we get back, please tell them that we all shared the work equally, and forget that I asked you this. You would do that for me, right?"

"Of course!"

Everyone replied together, as all four individuals' minds told them that this was what they were supposed to do.

"Wonderful. So even if you don't see me, assume that I'm following you. Don't wait for me when teleporting. I'll find you on the last leg of the task."

"Very well! Have a good rest!"

The Exalted Warrior who had been grumpy all along now had a smile on his face as he said this, even waving at Daneel who immediately teleported away to "rest".

It seemed that he was getting better and better at mind control, as it had been very easy to even bring that Exalted Warrior and the others under his control simultaneously without letting them identify that anything was wrong.

They might have felt that prick in their consciousness due to the invasion of a foreign one, but they must have discarded it right after the "suggestions" started, as the distraction was enough for the spell to completely engulf them.

After a few seconds, Daneel were standing in the air above the Black Raven Palace.

Getting into the kingdom had been quite easy, as he was now in possession of a Champion level system that could let him infiltrate without triggering any alarms.

This was why a Champion, or in most cases, even a Warrior could have free reign over the entire Central Continent if they were allowed to let loose their power.

It was only the core formation of the Palace that he needed to worry about, but right now, he was not in its sphere of influence.

Unlike the Palace of Lanthanor which reminded him or of the Victorian era structures from Earth, the Black Raven Palace emphasized openness over all else.

In the center of a large open space with sprawling gardens, the central building was surrounded by many spires, all of which were supposed to contain areas where Black Ravens could rest and recuperate when not training.

The throne room was located right in the center of the Palace, which coincidentally happened to be right below him, but Daneel hesitated, wondering whether he should barge in.

He had considered whether to contact his friend and asked him to come out, but if it really were a trap for him, or if the influence of the mind control denied that request but also got suspicious that he was onto it, Daneel knew that he would cause more harm than good.

He had rushed over in a hurry, but right now, he was stumped regarding what he was supposed to do.

The system was only at Champion level, and he doubted whether it would have any effect on a damn Hero level spell.

Just to confirm, he asked the system regarding it and got the answer that it needed to be upgraded, which was definitely his least likable sentence uttered by the system by now.

The biggest problem was that he didn't know who the hell was responsible for all of this, so he couldn't act recklessly.

In fact, even him standing here might be a big risk, but Daneel had been assured that there was no one keeping an eye on him right now.

Of course, there was the possibility that someone at the Hero level might be watching him, but if that were the case, there was really nothing he could do.

Heck, if a hero level individuals wanted to, Daneel could bet that they would easily be able to kill him in a breath no matter where he was, as that was the maximum level on this continent.

Besides, for his friend, he was ready to take any risk.

"Argh!"

After standing in the air for five minutes without finding any method to best handle the situation, Daneel was just about to give in to his frustration and barge into the Palace.

However, suddenly, a notification from the system sounded in his mind again.

[Phenomena Analysis Module has scanned target "Faxul". Because of host's repeated usage of the Mind Control spell, system is capable of analyzing similar spells with greater ease. System has been able to identify that a source which is near to the target is handling the mind control spell. However, this source appears to be a formation which is receiving instructions from somewhere else and relaying them to the target. System has been unable to deduce the original location of the consciousness that is sending the commands and handling the mind control spell. System has only been able to find the general location of the formation. Would host like to know where it is?]

"Yes!"

[The source of the formation is the large Black Raven statue in the throne room. System suspects that this formation is also capable of surveillance. As system was not the Champion level when host was last at this location, this formation hadn't been detected.]

As Daneel heard this, he did a double take.

His damn gut had been right!

All those times when he had been in the Black Raven throne room, he had felt as if he were being watched by something.

In fact, it had even felt as if that Black Raven statue was real, and was watching him all the time.

It turned out that he was right, although in a roundabout way.

Along with this discovery, Daneel began to string together the other mysterious occurrences in the Black Raven Kingdom that he had had no option but to brush off before.

Faxul's sudden increase in power, the subtle change in his consciousness, the gut feeling that he should place backups in the Kingdom just in case – all of them must be because there was someone targeting Faxul from the very beginning, listening in on everything happening in the throne room, and even possibly in the entire Kingdom.

This was… A little too much to take in.

At this point, Daneel couldn't guess who could have the motivation and means to carry this out.

Whatever the case, swooping in to try and help his friend right now was definitely not the answer.

Understanding this, Daneel was just about to turn around and teleport away when a sudden chill made him freeze.

At the same moment, the system spoke in his mind with urgency.

[Space has been locked! A Peak Exalted Warrior has teleported to the location 100 meters behind host!]

A stench reached Daneel's nostrils first, which made him wrinkle his nose before turning around to see just who had managed to find him here.

It was a man whose arms were pressed against his body as if he was wearing a straightjacket, with his face hidden behind a curtain of dirty hair matted with mud.

Only his eyes seemed to shine, and the madness inside them made Daneel feel unsettled.

Staring into Daneel's eyes, the man spoke in a very strange manner.

Each alternate sentence seemed to be spoken by an entirely different person, with even the mannerisms, expression and tone changing.

"Hehe...Finally broke free of that damn bird-wait, why was I here again?

Please kill me!

Oh, who cares...I think I'll kill you for fun...I miss the taste of blood...

Please, you must do it before I go under its control again!"

Previous460 Fighting the Crazy Man 1

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[Hero-level Displacement Formation detected.

Displacement Formation: A formation which completely 'displaces' an area. This means that any fluctuations of elementary particles in this area will remain hidden to any and all surveillance spells at or below the Hero Level. In the displaced area, space is locked down, and a barrier is also in place which prevents those inside from exiting unless the formation is deactivated. Communication is also blocked.]

As this message echoed inside his mind, Daneel realized that he was well and truly trapped.

He had heard of Displacement Formations before. They were ultra-rare formations which ensured that no one would be able to interfere in a fight, while also ensuring that the vibrations from high-level fights, which would usually be able to be detected from hundreds of kilometers away would stay hidden.

In essence, it was something used when one wanted to kill their enemy after abolishing all outside factors.

Looking at the crazy man's chest, Daneel noticed that he was wearing a black circular amulet that had the image of a Raven engraved on it. It had shining feathers placed artistically around it, and it was especially eye-catching right now due to the fact that it seemed to be shining.

Noticing his gaze, the crazy man spoke once again in that strange way.

"This is just something I stole from the bird to make sure no one can interfere when I…play.

You need to kill me if you want to get out!

Oh, shut up and go back to your hole. Let's see who kills who."

Suddenly, before Daneel could make heads or tails of the situation and decide what to do, the crazy man shot toward him with a sonic boom.

Alarmed, Daneel could only deploy a simple magical barrier before impact.

Boom!

As a fist ruptured the barrier and impacted his chest, Daneel was blown back, somersaulting in the air multiple times before coming to rest and wiping blood that had appeared near his lips.

It seemed that he needed to fight first, before doing anything else.

Now that he thought about it, Daneel couldn't even remember the last time he had had a good fight.

It had just been too long.

So, as he felt the heart-pumping excitement that could only be experienced during a high-stakes fight, Daneel pulled back a fist and shot it forward to meet his opponent who had zoomed forward again for another attack.

"Heeeheheeee! That's it! No fun slaughtering an innocent lamb! A struggling pig that tries to run away is so much tastier!"

Shouting insane statements like these, the crazy man's fist met Daneel's, but once again, it was Daneel who was blown back, and this time, even his shoulder had gotten dislocated due to the force.

At the point of impact of their fists, another sonic boom had appeared which drove the clouds away in an arc all around.

All right. Time to get serious.

This was an Exalted Warrior, after all, and Daneel was just an amateur one. It was suicide to face him head on without using the tricks up his sleeve, but Daneel had done just that to get his head into the fight.

He had been considering whether to hold off on using the Basilisk's Breath, but that was no longer an option, as only death awaited him if he chose to discard this trump card of his.

What use was there fearing possession if the other alternative was death?

Besides, the main confirmed threat was the Ruler's Inheritance, which Daneel couldn't use now anyway as he was in the Black Raven Kingdom.

So, taking a deep breath, Daneel pulled back his fist a second time.

His opponent was already approaching him with the intent to kill, all the while laughing creepily as if this was the most fun thing he was doing in decades.

However, this time, right before the fists connected, Daneel activated the Basilisk's Breath and blinked.

Time slowed down.

The clouds that had been dispersing at a fairly fast pace due to the speed of the crazy man slowed down to a crawl, and Daneel could fully see the maniacal expression on his face which craved blood.

It seemed that it was destined to be disappointed.

Boom!

At the last moment, Daneel's fist bypassed the crazy man's, shooting toward his chin.

The opponent's fist flew harmlessly over Daneel's shoulder, but the force of the wind still hurt his face.

The first two strikes had only been at the level of an Eminent Warrior, which had allowed Daneel to get away with minor injuries that were already being healed due to his ability to passively launch healing spells using the system. Any other opponent would have to put their full head into the fight, unable to do such a thing as they would be too busy fending off their opponent.

Clearly, the opponent had been warming up during those two, and this third one had had the full strength of an Exalted Warrior.

If it had hit, Daneel's arm might have gotten torn off, as there was, after all, a difference of 2 major levels between them.

It seemed that his opponent had also been expecting this, as Daneel could see the expression of surprise on his face when his fist didn't connect.

This time, it was the crazy man who did the somersaulting, and Daneel flew forward to continue the fight.

However, to his shock, he felt something prick his brain, as if someone was using a needle on his scalp in an attempt to get inside.

"YAAARGH!"

Immediately stopping, Daneel screamed with pain while he fought madly to stop that needle from going any further.

A second later, it disappeared, but he had already lost his window to attack.

[Host is under the attack of Hero-level Mind Control spell that has been cast by a Warrior. Due to the lacking power and complexity of the caster, the spell has been weakened. Host has thrown off the attack. System is in the process of analyzing the spell.]

"Hmph. Seems the trick I picked up from that bird is useful after all."

Spitting out this sentence, the crazy man took the initiative again, and this time, it looked like he was pulling out all the stops.

Two knives made of metal appeared in his hands, but strangely, Daneel could see the air deforming around the edges of the blades.

Quickly, he understood.

This was an Exalted Warrior-level combination spell that used metal and gravity elemental particles in a unique method to create a whirling blade that could cut through anything.

The intricate blade was designed like a chainsaw, and gravity was lowered at one end and heightened on the other to make it whirl.

This required a level of complexity and control that an Exalted Human, or even an Amateur or Eminent Warrior was capable of.

The most important thing was that in battle, this spell needed to be maintained.

This was how Warrior who were both mages and Fighters usually fought: using magic, they would give themselves an incredible edge which they would use to cut down their opponents.

If Daneel was even touched by one of those blades, it would be his end.

Taking a deep breath, he raised his arms and kept the Basilisk's Breath activated, while commanding the system to stand by for spell commands.

Whoosh!

"Enough games. Time for you to die before that bird comes back."

Bam!

Breaking through the barrier that Daneel had conjured to slow his opponent down, the maniacal smile returned to the crazy man's face as he swung down with his right arm, intending to cut Daneel in half.

Just in time, Daneel moved back, and as the blade swept past only an inch away from his skin, he felt his enchanted clothes, that were supposed to block the strike of an Exalted Human, tear apart.

An angry red line also appeared on his chest in the path of the blade, as the whirling serrated edge was just too dangerous to handle even if it didn't impact his body.

The air that was expelled at high speed, itself, was enough to cause injury.

Thus began the cat and mouse game between Daneel and the crazy stinking man.

Daneel only used rudimentary magic to slow the man down, while he dodged for dear life using the Basilisk's technique.

His main trump card was the Champion level system, and his status as a Paragon who could wield all elementary particles.

Behind him, a massive missile-shaped object started to come into being, which Daneel didn't bother to hide as there was only open space around them.

When it was finished, it would move at a speed faster than an Exalted Warrior to pierce the opponent and put an end to him.

At the Champion level, there were certain spells which resulted in explosions using the concept of making opposite elementary particles react in a controlled manner after accelerating them.

This wasn't capable of Warriors, as their mageroots wouldn't be able to handle the complexity of controlling the particles effectively at high speeds to result in an explosion of force.

However, according to the journals Daneel had read, this wasn't used by Champions as it would take too long on a battlefield.

He wasn't a fool to sit around twiddling his thumbs and hoping that a fight with those above his level would come to him. No, every day, Daneel would spend some time making plans to handle such opponents, and this was one of those which leveraged the system in an efficient manner.

The 1.5-meter long missile had two parts: a 0.5 meter long exploding mechanism in the back, and a 'blade' of sorts made of condensed metal and fire elementary particles.

He had named the spell "Paragon Missile", and it would rend his enemies before they knew what hit them.

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