Chapter 170: Chapter 170: True Essence of Battle [II]
Far off to the side, the crowd watched in shock. Looks of disbelief plastered across their faces as they witnessed the battle unfold.
The first fight had played out smoothly, with the young lord emerging victorious with ease despite his opponent being a relatively high C-rank being.
Basing the second fight on the first, they hadn’t anticipated much of a gap in strength. But now they could see they were wrong.
Very wrong.
A single clash between the two figures wrought untold damage. The carnage stretching for tens of thousands of meters bore witness to it all.
This power was far beyond that of any C-rank being... it was too catastrophic.
Combined with the extremely dense mana in the air and the worried looks flashing across the elders’ faces, it was enough to tell them everything.
Leaving only one conclusion.
The grey-robed figure was one of those elusive B-rank beings.
If it were any other time, that realization would have stirred a huge commotion across all of Tempest City. The presence of such a powerhouse was not to be taken lightly.
Even more so given the reason for his arrival.
But strangely enough, an eerie silence hovered over the entire crowd as another realization struck them like a goddamn war hammer.
It was already shocking that the grey-robed figure was a B-rank powerhouse.
What was even more shocking was how the young lord was able to stand against him with nearly matching power.
Within the crowd, a youth draped in a simple robe while clutching a bow breathed heavily as he struggled to process the sight before him.
"This... I don’t... understand," Kaeden mumbled beneath his breath as his brow furrowed.
He had seen the young lord advance to D-rank with his own eyes just recently. Barely a few days had passed.
Why then did he suddenly possess the power to contend against a mighty B-rank being?
Such a thing ought to have been impossible...
Just as the last word formed, his thoughts trailed off as a wry smile spread across his confused face.
"Impossible, huh?"
What did that word even mean to the young lord anymore?
Did it even apply to him?
He just kept shattering expectation after expectation.
Ranks... limits... barriers...
As if they meant nothing.
His fists clenched tightly at the thought as he took in a sharp breath, trying to comfort himself.
At this point, he wouldn’t be surprised if the lord came out on the winning side.
A D-rank winning against a B-rank being?
If it were another time, he would have discarded the thought as gibberish nonsense before it could even form.
The teachings imparted to him, the records of power... they all deemed such a feat beyond impossible.
But what was it to the lord?
Just another limit to be broken?
Cracking a faint smile at the thought, he let out a slow breath as his bearing eased.
With the monstrous potential he had seen in the young lord, he had always known he would ascend and wield power at B-rank and beyond.
He just hadn’t expected it to be so soon.
***
As time slowly slipped by, the shock and confusion faded.
The crowd broke into soft murmurs that soon turned into uncontainable cheers sweeping across them.
"So this is the power of a B-rank being..." one youth muttered, yearning flashing across his eyes.
Power so great it could shatter everything around it with just a slight flick of the fingers.
"Amazing... if only I too..."
"Hahaha, won’t you look at that... a B-rank being! I had a feeling there was something different about him. I just couldn’t figure out what."
"Hmm, aren’t you the same person who said he was just another weakling the young lord would crush easily?"
"Huh? What nonsense! You must have heard wrong! My perception and deduction skills have never been wrong. Well, except that one time... and..."
"Wait... aren’t you all missing the point? The lord’s power is enough to rival that of a B-rank being! How is that even possible?"
"Hmph... your shock originates from doubt. But I believed in the young lord’s power from the beginning. That’s why I knew he would win. As I said, my senses are unmatched."
"Huh? Unmatched? Why is there a smug look on your face? Do you think you’re better than me?! No one’s better than me!"
"Wait... I think you’re taking this all wrong."
"Are you telling me how to think? Now I’m going to kick your ass...because I’m a genius!"
Just as the murmurs grew more intense, a sudden surge of energy exploded within the crowd.
Followed by another.
And another.
Before excited yells echoed out.
"Holy shit... look! My Nine Cloud Movement Technique has suddenly evolved!"
"Haha, my Stone Shield Armour skill! It evolved as well. I feel like I can conjure stronger and sturdier structures!"
"Huh? I don’t understand... I thought it was set to break through in at least a few weeks. Why now? I was just watching the young lord’s battle intently."
"Me too..."
As the cheers grew even louder, more figures within the crowd turned to monitor the battle with greater focus.
And sure enough, they could feel the bottlenecks within their skills stirring as if on the verge of breakthrough.
It didn’t even matter what kind of skill it was.
High-ranked or low-ranked alike.
It was almost as if the battle between the young lord and the grey-robed figure encapsulated the true essence of battle.
The longer one watched, the more insights poured into them.
Normally, even when observing battles between truly strong beings, one couldn’t simply acquire insights at random. Unless one was extremely perceptive, they might gain a few.
But now, regardless of power or rank, everyone could feel a subtle change within themselves.
The only way this could be possible was if the figure they were drawing insight from had mastered a certain skill to the highest attainable level.
Or...
***
"The essence of battle... it feels so pure within his form," Rysten inhaled, a knowing look flashing across his face.
As he glanced down, noticing the few figures who had experienced breakthroughs simply by observing the young lord, even he could feel his own art stirring once more as if urging him to join the battle.
But he knew better.
He would be more of a hindrance than a helping hand if he stepped in.
The scale of the battle was simply beyond him.
At the side, a silvery-haired middle-aged woman nodded slightly in agreement with Rysten’s words as a soft smile formed across her face.
At first, when the grey-robed figure’s rank had been exposed, she had been extremely panicked.
Unlike most of the figures within the crowd, she and the rest of the elders had a better grasp of the figure’s overwhelming power.
The gap between an initial and middle C-rank being was at times already unbridgeable.
They couldn’t even begin to imagine the difference between a D-rank being and a B-rank being.
But the youth was no ordinary D-rank being.
The more she watched, the more relaxed she became.
Through it all, she noticed something extremely peculiar about him.
Not his overwhelming power.
His body.
The way he moved, adjusted, and grew rapidly in battle, turning a life-and-death struggle into an intricate dance, almost gave her the illusion his body had been built solely for one thing.
Battle.
"Incredible... truly incredible," Mistress Aria mumbled, unable to tear her gaze away as a look of awe burned deep within her eyes.
***
Elsewhere within the depths of Tempest, behind a rusty old shop.
A little girl stared at the glowing screen projection before her.
Her face scrunched up slightly as she scratched her nose repeatedly.
All her life, she had known Alaric as a shameless old man who loved scamming people.
But through it all, he had always remained detached.
Choosing to observe rather than interfere when it came to the affairs of the world.
Well, until he met the dark-robed youth.
She could see how intrigued he had been from the start, and as time slowly passed, she could see why.
The few times he had suddenly broken out into fits of uncontainable laughter and joy had all been caused by the youth.
She mused as she glanced at the excited look now hovering across his face.
A rare sight.
Was the youth truly that awesome?
Mira thought helplessly as she stared at the shimmering screen.
Her fingers clenched tightly as frustration welled inside her.
Perhaps to the old man, he could see everything unfolding before him in real time.
But to her, all she could see were streaks of light as the two figures blurred before her sight.
It was as if with every exchange, their speed increased explosively.
Soon, not even the crowd at the city gates or the elders watching from afar could monitor what was happening as their figures vanished into blurs.
The only indication that a battle was still unfolding were the continual echoes of clashes resounding for thousands of meters.
Before suddenly, both figures in the distance came to a halt.
Their bodies were covered in blood and injuries.
But neither of them seemed to mind.
Slowly pacing around each other.
No words were exchanged, but the intense glints in their eyes were undeniable.
A single move to determine the winner of the battle.
