After defeating Gaja in the arena, Atreus made his way to the Pavilion of the Fenrirborne Tribe. As he sat down to rest, many spectators believed that the battle had been won with a decisive move.
However, what they didn't know was that Kahn had barely used 30% of his strength throughout the entire fight.
By physical stats alone, Kahn was already comparable to a 6th stage saint. He used the battle as a test of his skills, pushing himself to see how long he could last without relying on his other abilities and combat techniques.
Despite his formidable power, Kahn refrained from using any of the five combat techniques taught by Romulus. He repressed his strength during the entire fight, concealing his true potential.
Few knew the extent of Kahn's abilities, and even fewer understood the true nature of his power. He possessed a rare combination of strength and strategy that made him a formidable opponent. While some might have considered his decision to hold back in battle as foolhardy, to Kahn, it was a necessary test of his own limits and a way to refine his skills.
As he sat in the Pavilion of the Fenrirborne Tribe, Atreus contemplated the true nature of power and the importance of strategy in combat. He knew that to truly master his abilities, he needed to approach each fight as a test of his own limits.
The path to greatness was not just about raw strength but also about mastering the art of strategy and discipline.
In reality, Kahn wanted to create the impression that he was struggling against an equally ranked opponent, so that no one would consider him to be the strongest enemy.
He recalled the words of Sun Tzu...
"Be extremely subtle, even to the point of formlessness. Be extremely mysterious, even to the point of soundlessness. Thereby you can be the director of the opponent's fate."
Kahn was following this philosophy, using his subtlety and mystery to manipulate the perceptions of those around him.
Kahn's decision to appear weak instead of showcasing his strength was a calculated move.
He knew that if he revealed his full power too soon, his enemies would be prepared for his attacks in future battles. By concealing his true abilities, he could keep his opponents guessing, always one step ahead.
Even Romulus taught him back then that true power was not just about physical strength, but also about mental fortitude and strategic thinking.
And Rathnaar had also advised him that sometimes, the greatest strength lay in appearing weak and allowing one's opponent to underestimate them.
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After the battle with Gaja, Atreus decided to spectate other matches taking place in the arena.
As he scanned the crowds, he spotted the Kun Peng Tribe, descendants of the Roc, who were considered the second strongest tribe in Elysium after the Fenrirborne Tribe.
Despite their formidable strength, the Kun Peng Tribe was often overlooked and undermined, largely due to Romulus being the Heavenly King and the Fenrirborne Tribe's dominant position in terms of total members and influence.
Atreus watched with interest as the Kun Peng Tribe's warrior showcased his skills and battled fiercely against the opponent despite lacking physical strength and only having agility as his advantage in the battle. He admired this warrior's perseverance and determination, despite the odds being stacked against him.
As he continued to watch the matches, Atreus realized that there were many other talented warriors in Elysium who had yet to make their mark. He felt a sense of excitement and anticipation, wondering who he would face next and how he would fare against them.
As Atreus continued to spectate the battles in the arena, he saw many strong contenders who could potentially be his next opponents.
One of the most impressive fighters was the Shadow Disciple of the Heavenly King of Metal, who was both strong and fast in battle. He dominated his opponents with his skills from start to finish, even making Kahn feel a sense of competitiveness.
Another formidable fighter was a female from the Tendua tribe, who was also the Shadow Disciple of the Heavenly King of Light. Throughout her entire two-hour-long battle, she wasn't even hurt once, showcasing her incredible speed and affinity for the lightning element. Her lightning-fast strikes were a great deciding factor in her victory.
Additionally, there was a green Basilisk-kin who looked like a man with the head of a python. He was from the Basilisk tribe, same as the Empress, and excelled in using his abilities to hypnotize and slow down his opponents through his venom.
However, to achieve these effects, he intentionally left openings for his opponents to attack him, just so he could land a direct hit of his venom. This made for an interesting and unorthodox fighting style that caught Atreus' attention.
Lastly, there was one particular Apekin named Harambe of the Kong Tribe who wielded a staff.
He was the Shadow Disciple of the Heavenly King of Water, and his fighting style was a unique blend of powerful wood element-based attacks and staff techniques. Atreus watched as he effortlessly defeated his opponent, leaving them battered and bruised in the arena.
As Kahn continued to observe the matches, he was also collecting data on his potential opponents and their fighting styles. He used this information to simulate how to defeat them using his only Brawler Saint skills and Water/Ice Elemental affinity.
Suddenly, his attention was drawn to the current match, where a light gray snow leopard-kin was taunting his opponent, a Pandakin warrior with a straw hat on his head and a bamboo stick in his mouth.
"You're just a big fat panda" with scorn, his opponent, a snow leopard-kin spoke.
But the Pandakin confidently replied...
"Oh, I'm not a big fat panda... I'm THE big fat panda."
As the snow leopard-kin attacked, the Pandakin effortlessly caught his fist and held onto his pinky finger.
"Is that the Wushi finger?" asked the leopard-kin, baffled and terrified.
But the Pandakin simply replied with one word:
"Skadoosh!"
BOOM!!
The massive wave of golden energy reverberated and spread across the dimension they were fighting.
As the aura finally fainted, the leopard was knocked unconscious while the Pandakin won the match with ease.
Facepalm!
Kahn who sat in his pavilion facepalmed himself, worrying about the copyright lawsuits.
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Finally, after a long time, his opponent was decided.
He faced the opponent in the arena.
"Hey Leopard, try not to die." he spoke to his opponent who was none other than the shadow disciple of the Heavenly King of Light.
But after hearing those words, the feline spoke in disdain…
"You damn wolfkin bastard! I'm a Jaguar-kin!" she bellowed in anger.
"Ah… Is that supposed to matter? You both look the same to me." responded Atreus.
Gasp!
Billions of people gasped.
"Haha ha ha!"
The Heavenly King of Water laughed.
He spoke to Romulus telepathically.
[Your Shadow Disciple does take after you. He knows how to get in his opponent's head before the fight even starts.]
Even the Heavenly King of Light and Heavenly King of Meal were appalled. They wouldn't even dare to joke about something like that despite their positions.
Because what did it mean?
That all the descendants of the Godbeast Baihu looked the same?
Even Romulus felt a bit pressured. This was politically going to give him a lot of trouble.
Atreus had at least pissed off a billion citizens across the Nadur Empire, including the other shadow disciples belonging to this bloodline.
"You made this personal. And things turn ugly when I get personal." she threatened.
Atreus shrugged as if he didn't care.
"Stop bragging. All I have to do is throw a ball of yarn at you and my victory is assured."
Gasp!!
This time, the response was even bigger.
The fight finally started and both combatants were sent to a separate pocket dimension.
2 Hours Later...
The fight ended with Kahn's victory and all the spectators watched with their mouths wide open and jaws dropped.
Why?
Because this moment, the opponent was under his feet, she had already tapped out and forfeited the match but Atreus kept stomping on her neck for some reason.
"Bad pussy. Naughty pussy." he said in an admonishing tone.
He summoned a ball of water and drenched the opponent.
"Did the pussy get wet?" he asked with a devilish grin.
The opponent was getting thoroughly humiliated in front of the whole empire.
"What's the matter? Cat got your tongue?" he asked carefreely.
This entire battle was just Atreus taunting his opponent while beating the shit out of her as he kept making offensive jokes to her species and bloodline.
At this remark, millions of audiences went berserk across the empire.
Kahn previously wanted to act like an underdog after his first battle but now, he was gathering the ire of billions of people for some reason only he knew.
Even the Heavenly Kings and the Empress were speechless and barely contained the urge to intervene.
Because without even realizing… Kahn may have caused the next Civil War.
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