BOOM!
"The King is at it again."
As the security guard patrolling the corridors of the Palace said these words to the one beside him, both of them simultaneously closed their ears to brace themselves.
BOOOOOMMMM!!!
Just like the last time, a single, loud sound was accompanied by a much louder one that almost seemed to shake the entire Palace.
This had been going on for a month. Actually, in the first 15 days, it had mostly sounds on the lower end of the octaves, but with each day, they got louder and louder, as if the King"s intention was to make the loudest one possible.
Afraid that their supervisor might berate them for putting on this unprofessional sight, they both removed their hands and quickly left the corridor, hoping that they could make it before it began again.
Inside a large meeting room that had been cleared of all objects, Daneel was lying on the ground, sweating.
However, his face had an expression of triumph on it, as he had finally done it.
For a month, he had been putting himself through the most grueling of trainings, as he knew that he had to get as proficient with the inheritances he had as possible.
He had targeted all three inheritances, as although the Ruler"s Inheritance felt like it was useless when there wasn"t anyone who was loyal to him nearby, he had found out that it still amplified his magic output by a not insignificant amount.
According to the system, this was the "pa.s.sive amplification" that was accorded to him due to there being so many people following him in one way or the other.
Of course, compared to the actual multiplication when he was in Lanthanor, it was quite minor, but it would still make a difference in the fight.
If he had known this, he might have chosen to use it in his fight against the Withering Leaf Sect Master, but he was actually thankful that he hadn"t done so as it still affected his mind.
Only, instead of directly hearing the thoughts of those near him, they were like murmurings, as if he was surrounded by a gaggle of ghosts intent on entertaining him.
If Daneel hadn"t spent long amounts of time getting used it, he might have gone crazy again if he used it in a fight.
Even now, he wasn"t proficient in using the actual inheritance in Lanthanor for the 5x multiplication. The best he could do was keep it active for 1 minute, before the voices would become too much.
However, at least now, he could keep the pa.s.sive inheritance active for 30 or so minutes, before the murmurings would start to creep over him.
All in all, he had gotten another power boost.
As for the Basilisk"s Breath, Daneel no longer had his arms and legs flinging around like a puppet every time he used it.
After obtaining the full inheritance, there had been clear instructions regarding how to train oneself to make sure that that didn"t happen.
It all had to do with familiarizing oneself with the slowed down time, and to realize how each command to the body interacted with the different parts of the body.
To learn this, Daneel had to spend hours and hours with the Basilisk"s Breath activated while he tried to do the simplest of things normally: such as walk or punch something.
Initially, it had been very frustrating, with him constantly tripping or hurting himself in just a few minutes.
Yet, now, after a month, he could keep it active for 30 minutes, after which it became too taxing for his mind.
After all, living in that state caused a dissonance with the normal state of existence, which might lead to serious problems if one stayed in it for too long.
As for the Art of the Withering Leaf, he was much more adept at it now, capable of using it in the middle of fights to surprise his enemies.
It was time to test it all.
"Bring him in."
As Daneel sent this message to Kellor, the Grand Court Mage who was waiting outside the cell of the Withering Leaf Sect Master opened it and lead the man out before he was trapped in a Dragon Claw immediately to prevent him from taking revenge on his captors.
Of course, he had expected this, but he still grumbled repeatedly.
Slowly, he was led to the room in which Daneel had been training all this while.
As Kellor and the Withering Leaf Sect Master entered it, both of them astonished to see deep crevices in many areas all around, as if they had been bombarded by some sort of cannonball.
Kellor could tell that this must be the reason behind the loud sounds that had been disturbing the sanct.i.ty of the Palace for a month, but he hesitated to ask the reason behind them.
Instead, he asked, "My King, would you mind if I stayed to watch? It might help me in my attempts to break through to become a Warrior."
Indeed, in all the time that the King had been absent from the Palace, he had been diligently training so that he could be powerful enough to help the King achieve his lofty aspirations.
Just recently, he had reached the peak of the Human level, and he had begun the process of becoming a Warrior with instructions from Daneel.
"Of course, I was going to tell you to do the same anyway. Stand to the side; I"ll use a Dragon Claw to protect you."
"I can use my own barrier, My Lord, it"s all right."
With a chuckle, Daneel said, "Oh, trust me, you need the claw. Go."
Puzzled, Kellor nodded and went to a corner before a Dragon claw materialized around him, leaving a gap for him to see through.
Why did the King think that he wouldn"t be able to use a barrier to withstand just the aftershocks of the battle? After all, no one would be attacking him directly.
"Sect leader. Care for a little spar? I gather it must be quite boring just sitting in the cell all day. Of course, if you swear that oath to me, you can live a much better one! What do you say?"
In response to the King"s words, the sect leader spit to the side, which made the King smile before making the Dragon claw disappear.
As the sect leader fell to the ground with nothing constricting him, his first thought was to run.
However, he knew that another claw would just trap him again.
So, the best option was to fight and hopefully kill this King, so that the formation would become unmastered.
Well, it was a long shot, but it was worth a try, along with the fact that it was much better than being cooped up in the cell all day.
Besides, he wasn"t injured now like before, so he should stand a much better chance at winning.
Thinking this, the sect leader leaped forward with his hand extended backward.
A large ice shard materialized beside him, ready to plunge into the King"s body if there was an opening.
However, what happened next made both the sect leader"s and Kellor"s jaws drop.
The King moved after the sect leader had almost reached him, but in 2 seconds, the sect leader dropped to the ground, wincing.
His ice shard had already fallen to the ground and started to disintegrate, as the sect leader was busy trying not to scream out loud from the pain.
Watching the sect leader"s body, Kellor could tell that he had been hit in 15 different places: all in the span of a fraction of the second, while the man was shooting through the air.
He had no chance to retaliate!
The King had moved so fast that the word "blur" wasn"t enough to describe it. It was like he was in a different dimension of speed altogether-one which they could never hope to reach or even see.
3x amplification. This is pure 2x amplification of Fighter power, mused Daneel, watching contentedly as the sect leader tried to get up.
"Again."
Gritting his teeth, the sect leader got up and launched forward again, but this time, the King stood still.
A web of interlocking metal links materialized in front of the King, wrapping around the sect leader who looked around in horror.
No…the speed of making something so complex and so strong was definitely not something capable of a Warrior!
As the sect leader thought this, fire appeared on the cage of metal he was caught in, along with revolving metal cutters that would tear him to shreds.
Right before they impacted his skin, they stopped, making him sigh in relief.
"Again."
It went on like this, with the sect leader being beaten down repeatedly, as if he was merely a kid trying to fight an adult.
If anyone saw the fight, they would be unable to believe that this was an Eminent Warrior fighting against an Amateur one that had just broken through a month ago.
Be it as a Fighter or a Mage, the sect leader was completely outmatched, and he could only fall on the ground, defeated before rising again because he couldn"t stand the condescension with which the King said the word "Again."
Finally, after half an hour and over 100 defeats, the King clapped his hands and said, "All right, final time. Let"s get this over with. Come."
The sect leader and Kellor both had a bad feeling, but the former leaped forward anyway.
Finally, the reason behind the loud sounds that had shaken the palace became clear.
With an expression of deep concentration on his face, the King Of Lanthanor raised both one hands with his palm facing up.
A small particle of fire came into being, before enlarging quickly as more and more fire elementary particles were pulled towards it.
As Kellor watched, in barely a second, a globe of the most concentrated fire he had ever seen came into existence above the King"s palm.
It was at such a high temperature that the air seemed to be warping around it, making it difficult to see.
At the last moment before the sect leader reached him, the King seemed to take something red out of his pocket and drop it into the globe.
BOOOOOOOOOOMMMMMMMM!!!!!
An explosion larger and louder than any he had seen in his life erupted in the room, and if it weren"t for the formation protecting it, it might have made the Palace collapse.
The King had made a Dragon claw appear around him at the last moment, so he and Kellor were safe.
However, the poor sect leader endured the brunt of the bright explosion.
A second later, he thudded to the ground, completely burnt black and barely breathing.
While Kellor rushed to him to check if he was OK while wondering just what the King had done, Daneel had a complicated expression on his face.
He wondered if this was how those scientists on Earth must have felt, when they saw the nuclear bomb they had built work for the first time.