Eloise stood right in the center of the group of five who had been suddenly teleported to the battlefield without any preamble.
They had known that the war was going on, and that even though all of the Exalted Warriors had been conscripted, they had been told that they were exempt so that they could act as a sudden trump card when needed.
They had been tense the whole while - ever since they had found out that an invasion from the Church was happening with their king at the lead, they had known that this was what they had been waiting for all this while, but they had had no way to expect in which way things would play out.
They had discussed between themselves, and the one thing that always came to the fore was that it was enough to trust him. They trusted him to save them and break their shackles, and when he did, their only goal was that they would be ready to fight by his side and make a difference with their strength instead of just being those that he could only protect and not rely on, which had been how it was until now, at least in the memories that they retained.
They had been born as normal people in the Central Continent, but their fates had been irrevocably changed by coming into contact with this man. Even now, they knew that most of their life was hidden to them, but emotions were funny things - it seemed as if they could surpa.s.s the need to have logic, and if they had been evoked once by someone, then they would do so again even if one had forgotten the reasons and circ.u.mstances due to which it had happened in the first place.
In fact, they had even been talking about their strides in these past few months when they had suddenly disappeared from their room in the Order.
As soon as Eloise came onto the battlefield, she directly zone out all of the noise - the fighting Heroes were above her, which was the group that anyone would pay the most attention to first because it was making such a large din that would probably be heard over a quarter of the continent if a formation hadn"t been set up to isolate this place, but in her case, and even in the case of all the five, their eyes lurched onto the man in front of them.
As soon as they had done so, they saw the emotion in his eyes, and suddenly, it was as if the world felt… Right.
In them, they had seen the longing that one would have for companions that they had known all their lives, but had had to abandon for reasons that they couldn"t control, and the emotion was so earnest that they could tell that it must even have manifested as a physical pang, just like how it felt when they lay their eyes on the man they had been waiting for all this while.
Eloise had only been told about her history with the king, but right now, for some reason, her eyes flitted between him, and another whom she searched for, even though she didn"t know why she was doing so.
Even if she didn"t find him with her eyes, for some reason, she could feel that he was close by, and this finally allowed her heart to completely calm down, for it had been continuously agitated for days and weeks and months on end, pus.h.i.+ng her to accomplish more than anyone else in the Order, and astonish all those who had thought that they had her figured out.
After that, each of them heard the words of the one they had been calling the Overseer, and they weren"t really surprised, because they had expected that if they were called here, then it would be to fight the man whom the Overseer seemed to hate so much.
In fact, they had known it even when they were given all the resources - and there had been a choice to not use them and give an easy fight to the king.
However… This plan had been sc.r.a.pped right away, again, because he…was King Daneel Anivron, and not some random person who might have to do things in the way that others wanted them to act.
Rather than not trusting him and wasting the opportunity that they had gotten, they decided to use it to its fullest extent, and when the time came for him to break them free, they would be ready to take their revenge in full force.
Still… It hurt.
It hurt that the one man they had been thinking about would be the one they had to face in battle right now, but as they heard his words… They looked up with pride in their eyes, as a single word that he had said continued to reverberate in their ears.
"Sovereigns."
Yes!
They were the Sovereigns of Angaria, and when the king gave them a command… They would obey.
Instantly, the five of them got into the battle formation that they had become famous for this past month. Eloise was in the back, with Aran and Ca.s.sandra right in front of her, acting as vanguards, as if she was the most precious cargo that had to be protected at all costs.
Eloise took one last look at the king, before closing her eyes and clasping her hands together.
As for the last two, Luther disappeared from the battlefield, blending into the shadows that were falling from above, and Kellor strode out to stand right in front of the king.
Cracking his knuckles, he even managed to smile and say, "Watch out, my King. I must say that if you don"t keep your guard up, you will be quite surprised…"
True, they had been compelled to fight by the oath that they had given, but that didn"t mean that they couldn"t do it in their own way.
As for the part about them dying if they didn"t beat the man in front of them… They knew that it would be resolved in due time, so they just prepared to give it their all.
The first thing that Daneel did as he saw this was return the smile, because it truly felt good to see these people that he loved so much after so long.
He had been able to see all of their growth, which was the reason behind them feeling unfamiliar, but he was proud of it, and he could also see that one thing hadn"t changed - they believed in him, even though they did not know clearly just why they did so, so much.
He looked forward to giving them back the memories. He looked forward to having another meeting of the Sovereigns among the clouds. He looked forward to laughing with them, dining with them, and spending time with these people who were a part of his life. He looked forward to it all… But first, he would have to fight.
Looking up, Daneel estimated the battle between the Heroes, and saw that it was still even, with his side gaining. Alas, the negative of this was that he needed to continuously empower the 100 Heroes, as otherwise, they would instantly fall behind and be defeated.
True, the playing field had been leveled out by making even the Mages monstrosities that could only use their physical strength, but the strength of numbers was still something that would only be overcome with his miraculous Champion Path.
And when that form was active… He couldn"t use the other one which would have allowed him to end this battle in a couple of seconds.
And that meant… That he would have to depend on something else.
Broadening his smile, Daneel said to the system, "Activate Fighter Domination Protocol B."
[Activating. Checking for consciousnesses. Consciousnesses found on host"s body. Activating Shapes.h.i.+fter Bloodline, Ultimate Form. Activating protocol.]
In the primary vault of Elysium, resources that had allowed him to make subsequent breakthroughs and become powerful enough to empower a hundred Heroes were not the only things that Daneel had found.
In the age of the Empire, the body parts of especially strong G.o.dbeasts were used to make powerful weapons, and hence, they were regarded as treasures.
And of course, a vault as unique as the one he had found would definitely have only the most…"special" objects placed within.
As soon as the system replied, Daneel felt his blood boiling, as if it had been agitated at once, and he vanished into a transparent mist, which was a precursor to Shapes.h.i.+fting.
However…the form he took after that was unlike any that had graced this continent in a long, long time.
The moment it came into being, a bright flash of light blinded everyone who had been gazing at the spot where Daneel had been standing until now, and as the sovereigns quickly made their eyes adjust, they dropped their jaws and stared, agape, at the majestic being that was now in front of them.
It was in the shape of a bird, with its wings folded to its sides, and it was ma.s.sive- its head was at least 23 feet(7 m) in the air, and it looked down at them, like an eagle trying to pick which of the mice on the ground it would swoop down to swallow.
However, the main thing that stood out…was that the entire body of the bird was made out of lightning.
"ZZZZZZ!!!"
A constant sound could be heard from it, and if one focused, they would find out that it was what one would hear before they were zapped by the G.o.ds above.
It was even inconceivable to think about, but reality stood in front of them- it was as if a ma.s.sive lightning bolt had taken shape to form this bird, and it still had all the sharp edges and dangerous might that would cut anyone in half if they dared to go near.
"Fight, you fools!", came the command from the pearl, in which the ent.i.ty seemed to have been similarly surprised until now, and with the command, Kellor grimaced and raised his hand.
The gigantic woodcutter"s ax that had graced the sky in his last fight appeared again, but this time, it was even bigger.
Just its haft was 30 feet (9.1 m) long, and the blade was a quarter as wide. The edge of the blade looked ready to chop through reality, and without any delay, it swung down onto the bird.
The bird looked pretty unperturbed as it watched the weapon come near, as if it didn"t have a care in the world.
Soon, the reason behind this became clear.
As the moment came for the ax to chop through its enemy…the bird simply split in two, resulting in two parts of its body that were still s.h.i.+ning brilliantly due to the dazzling lightning bolts they were made of.
After the ax pa.s.sed, the bird simply rejoined its two parts and even yawned, as if to say, "Is that it?"
In response, Kellor chuckled, and it felt so, so good.
He realized that he didn"t even remember the last time he laughed, but putting that aside, he simply turned around and said, "Eloise, if you please."
This time…it was Daneel"s turn to be surprised.
He had always wondered what Path Eloise would choose. Graced by the sect-preserving treasure that had cleansed her body and made her someone who was perfectly capable of training in either domain, her training had been effortless, and his intention had been to guide her when the time came for her breakthrough to become a Warrior.
After all, the best Paths needed groundwork to be laid down in this realm, itself, but alas, things had turned out in such a way that he had no way to be present at that crucial moment.
However, knowing that her instincts were sharper than many he had met, he had still been hoping that she would choose something extraordinary.
But when he saw her finally expose her Path…he never expected that he would be so bowled away.
Eloise had been concentrating all this while with her eyes closed, and even when Daneel had transformed, she had not opened her eyes.
Now, she finally did so, and as she unclasped her hands…a sudden change came over the battlefield.
Kellor"s ax had flown through and then swung again for another attempt.
Initially, Daneel had been about to react in the same way to teach his Grand Court Mage not to do the same thing again and expect a different result, but suddenly…a feeling of danger struck his mind.
Instantly, he zapped away.
The speed of the G.o.dbeast that had been known as the King of Lightning, which he had dubbed Zeus, was its forte, along with its body that could be split into the smallest of parts and then rea.s.sembled with no effort.
A moment later, when he looked back at the spot where he had just been…he couldn"t help but take in a sharp breath.
The ax had formed a deep crater in the ground, and Daneel knew that if he had stayed there, even the parts of his body would have been pulverized, causing him serious damage.
"System, what the f*ck is going on?", he asked, after making his own a.n.a.lysis and coming to an unbelievable conclusion.
Kellor"s attack…had had its power multiplied by five times!
[a.n.a.lyzing. Path found in database of theorized Paths during the age of the Empire. Paraphrased explanation:
"Path of the Saintess: A Saint or Saintess are typically supposed to be individuals who can give over their lives wholeheartedly for a cause. This ability to "give", without thought, and with holding nothing back, is something unique that can only be found in a few. If these few can be guided to turn this quality into their Path, then the results they can achieve will be tremendous. According to estimations, depending on how strong their ability to "give" is, an amplification effect limited to a number of attacks can be achieved. The amplification level, however, will be stronger than in any other similarly-oriented Paths, with the range being from 3-10x. Just in the Warrior realm, if trained properly, an amplification of 4x can be achieved. It does not need to be said how this might allow one to end the battle with a single blow, if used wisely. The main negative is that finding someone with such a pure heart is very, very difficult, and along with this, they must also possess extraordinary talent. Alas, it is an exceedingly rare combination, but I shall keep trying to prove this theory of mine."]
Well…whoever that researcher was, his theory had been proved.
The ability to "give"…was something that Daneel knew that Eloise possessed to a great extent.
She had spent all her life "giving", without desiring anything for herself. h.e.l.l, she had even been ready to "give" herself to the new King if it meant that she could save her mother, so what more proof was needed to show that she was someone perfect for this Path?
It went even deeper, though, as one might be willing to make harsh choices when faced with irreconcilable circ.u.mstances. In the case of Eloise, she had continued to keep giving, to Daneel, to the Kingdom, to all those who depended on her, until her entire life revolved around finding joy and contentment in knowing that she was doing her job well.
Daneel felt like applauding whoever had chosen this Path for her, as even he would not have been able to do better.
However…all these amusing thoughts raced out of his mind when he received a message from the system.
[Power level of opponent has broken through the Champion Realm. Host is advised to stop this power build up.]
When the ent.i.ty had exposed itself, its body had been weak, and it had been mainly depending on the 200 hundred Heroes on its beck and call.
But after somehow creating a spell on the spot to make the shackles of the Oath return to bind the monstrosities, which had been hidden by Daneel, the being had retreated into that sh.e.l.l in which it had been rapidly absorbing Energy.
Daneel had no intention of letting it zoom past into the Hero realm, so although he wished that he could give his sovereigns a prolonged fight, he decided to speed it up.
"My dear sovereigns, I am thoroughly amazed by your progress. All of you have become Peak Warriors, and made great strides in your Paths and Bloodlines. Eloise, especially…you"ve achieved something amazing. But pardon me, for I must play dirty now, as our foe awaits. When everything is back to normal, we can have a great fight. Now!"
As soon as Daneel said the last word, two individuals appeared in the midst of the five.
The first one to act was Elanev, whose arms had swollen, bulging with muscles, to be 4 times what they normally were.
With vexation on his face, he launched a punch, and with a loud sound, it broke through the sound barrier on its way…to Eloise.
Indeed, she was the core of this force, and if she wasn"t taken out, then Daneel would have to use a lot of Energy and time to deal with his sovereigns.
"Overdrive" allowed one to wield strength beyond their level, and hence, when a Peak Champion used it…it was truly something to behold.
Like a meteor hurtling through s.p.a.ce, the front of his fist even turned red from the air resistance, and when it struck the defensive barrier that popped up in front of her, it broke through with barely any effort.
ZAP!
With the singular sound of lightning, Daneel appeared above Eloise at this point.
For an instant, he switched back, and taking out a majestic sword, he tapped Eloise"s shoulder with its tip.
At that moment, when he saw her face, though, he was quite surprised to notice that she was actually…smiling, as her eyes met Elanev"s and found something there that seemed to give her pure joy, exactly like what she had found when she had seen him after so long.
It was only for a moment, though, and with Artefact taking effect, she fainted.
[Form of Oath detected on target deemed too strong to be broken directly. Artefact has been used to weaken and temporarily deactivate Oath. Backlash will result in minimal mental damage.]
Mental damage would need time to heal, but Daneel had no alternative.
After Eloise crumpled to the ground, though, he suddenly felt his mind attacked.
The reality that he saw s.h.i.+fted into one where zombies were marching in his direction, slowly, step by step, and in their eyes, he could see why the Mindhunter Path would act on him in this way.
Each of them were the people who had died due to his failures, and they were the specters who had come to haunt his conscience, and tell him that he wasn"t as perfect as everyone saw him to be.
If Aran had time, he might have even succeeded in trapping Daneel in that landscape filled with zombies, but thankfully…a majestic cry of a Black Raven sounded on the battlefield, heralding the arrival of the other sovereign that Daneel had taken with him.
A gigantic black bird with glistening feathers, each of which were like tiny black holes that were sucking in all of reality near them appeared behind Aran, and with a simple motion, it closed its wings…and swallowed him whole.
After breaking through to become a Peak Champion, Faxul had unlocked more of his abilities, and even his power was on another level. His form of the Black Raven, itself, had enlarged to become more similar to the proportions of the Ravens of old, so he was now a gigantic being whose wingspan was at least 50 feet(15.24 m).
As for the ability…it allowed him to forcefully teleport anyone to anywhere by swallowing them within his black hole, and any barriers that tried to stop this would be reduced to nothingness.
Hence, as Aran reappeared above Daneel, he was ready for the sword, which touched his shoulder, too, as Daneel had been able to move after breaking away from that landscape which had actually been quite dangerous.
He crumpled next to Eloise, but by this time, Kellor had turned around, and Ca.s.sandra had changed form.
A blazing Phoenix came into being, and the woodcutter"s ax also chopped down at the same moment.
However, a.s.sessing the battlefield, Daneel sent a message to his sovereigns, and together, all three of them launched attacks onto a spot on the ground, where it looked as if nothing was present.
It was abrupt- Faxul made a black hole appeared which made tremendous attractive force settle on the location, and it was followed by another punch from Elanev, whose legs had expanded, too, to give him dizzying speed that he used to reach the spot.
Finally, Daneel had changed back into the King of Lightning before turning into a ma.s.sive lightning bolt that moved faster than anything that had ever struck down from the Heavens, and together…they revealed the man who had been hiding in the shadows at that point.
Luther wasn"t ready to be defeated, though- he took out two daggers which he stabbed in Elanev"s direction, but suddenly, protective barriers appeared which stopped his attack, and that moment was enough for Daneel, as Luther"s defenses had already been broken down by their attacks.
As he crumpled, too, Daneel said, "All right, it"s two on two now. Have fun, boys, but try to finish quickly."
The element of surprise could only take them so far, but it was enough- there were only two Peak Warriors to take care of, now. Typically, with a full realm of difference in power, the fight should be easy, but the two Warriors were outfitted with incredibly strong defensive trinkets, and because they also shouldn"t be harmed, it wasn"t a battle that would resolve in an instant.
Still, Daneel was free, now, and as the two G.o.dbeasts began to fight while accompanied by the Fighter and Mage who also began their battle, Daneel finally flew to the pearl.
Transforming back into himself, he said, "It"s time to end this," before sending a message to the system.
"Activate Fighter Domination Protocol A. Let"s show him what we really achieved in that h.e.l.lhole."