Chapter 289 Ruler VS Challenger End
.
.
.
—--------------
/Step…/
Dale took a step forward, still clutching onto Galatine, albeit now, the sword did not vibrate.
For those looking from afar, there was no way to tell what had changed, nor to determine how hurt Dale had become after those mysterious golden bolts of lightning ravaged his body.
Everything was hidden away by his heavy armor, the only sign of anything being awry was the faint bloodstains left behind with each and every step he took in the white sand.
But by looking from within, a bit of the truth was revealed.
His appearance still being mostly the same, albeit now, his forehead possessed a small white symbol imprinted on its skin.
It shone faintly, illuminating his battered face.
Due to the thunder, much of his skin had been damaged, burnt, or slightly charred…
Maybe it was for the best few could see his appearance.
And thankfully… No one will, as even now, his skin rapidly healed, and in no time, everything would be back in place.
"..."
Meanwhile, the Queen thought about what to do.
Her weapon still in her opponent's hand, she had to find a way to get it back, peacefully or not.
Her opponent was stronger and faster than her, and with her weapon, deadlier, but she had one thing he did not have, proficiency.
Even with that, she knew it would be difficult to get it back without an injury, and that alone could prove fatal.
She could also pull her weapon back, however, something felt different from before.
Her instincts told her it wasn't wise to do so. She felt that… She needed to build some distance between them.
It was the first time she ever felt the need to take a step back from an opponent, even in training, she never shied away from danger or her instructor's attacks, though that caused quite the amount of bruises over the years.
Nonetheless, a hundred strikes she received eventually turned to eighty, and from that to fifty, and from that to ten, and eventually, she wasn't hit anymore.
When that time came, she found herself alone.
Still, thinking would do her no good, she couldn't stay like that for long, and although buying time might be a good solution for her impasse…
It wasn't really what she wanted to do.
…
/Step…/
Dale continued on his march, eventually stopping just a step away from the center of the Arena, right on the line between the Black and White sands.
/Raise…/
He raised Galatine high into the air and it shone with Golden Light.
"!"
From cautious to extremely surprised, the Queen's expression changed drastically as she saw her own sword reply to the will of another warrior.
She questioned what she saw, but there was no way he was faking it, she knew its power first hand.
But what Dale did next surprised her even more.
/SLASH!/
He swung Galatine, but not at her, but at the invisible dome above them.
/THUD!/
To his strike, the dome seemingly trembled, but did not break.
Even so, a reaction was a reaction, throughout their entire fight before, the dome had barely swayed, a testimony to this seemingly simple strike's power.
"..."
'What is he doing?'
Seeing his actions, the Queen fell into confusion, another first Dale had taken.
Never was there a time she had to stop and think about someone's actions, at least in recent times. All warriors started somewhere after all.
Yet, that was long ago, so long it may as well be but a far away hazy memory.
She had now experienced countless fights and training over the course of her life, was there was little she could not understand or at least envision.
But his actions made no sense to her.
/SLASH!/
Dale slashed again, this time, his strike contained Mana, a lot of it.
His heart beat with extreme force, echoing like the bellows of a volcano.
His veins momentarily sparkled underneath his skin, full of power as a torrent of energy was transferred around his body.
/BOOOOOM!/
An insanely powerful strike rebounded from the dome, striking the Arena, digging deep into the ground, and creating a ravine deep enough for the spectators to have difficulty accessing its depth.
/SLASH!/
Dale struck again, this time, with Prime Source as well.
The energies mixed like last time, and a purplish slash carved the skies!
One after the other, Dale slashed at the skies, leaving wounds upon its pristine appearance.
But he had already used everything he had, Mana and Prime Source, what else could he employ?
...
"!"
'Don't tell me…'
/Stance…/
That was when Dale got into a stance, Galatine pointed forward, a thrusting position.
"..."
The Queen looked at Dale, as he pointed the sword at her.
Was he copying her? For what purpose? To mock her?
Then what was the point of his previous stunt?
To show her that he could break it, to stigmatize the difference in power between them?
She couldn't lie, she never thought of shattering what stood above her, she never even saw the point of doing so...
As such, what was he trying to achieve? Who was he challenging with this?
Was he even doing this with a purpose in mind?
But she was wrong, partially.
Dale wasn't mocking her, on the contrary, this was 'his' way of showing respect.
He imitated her because her form was the most perfect he had seen, he copied her because it contained exactly what he needed right now.
The most optimal channel for him to unleash his own strength.
Mana, Prime Source, his Items, Skills, he poured everything into the tip of this Legendary weapon, something that could and would resist his own power with ease.
Just so he could achieve that which he envisioned.
[DING]
The System flared in his ears again, but he didn't bother with it, his focus was elsewhere, it never strayed from his goals.
Nonetheless, the numbers still popped at the edge of his vision, although he did not notice them.
[4.9%... 5%]
That was when his aura changed, he felt lighter, no, he had always been like this.
It wasn't 'him' that had become lighter.
Closer to one another but not the same.
[5%... 6%... 7%...]
A simple idea, one 'he' recognized but never fulfilled.
[8%... 9%...]
His own limitations, created through lack of experience, one that time would wear away… But he had no such time.
To unleash it, he sought to always outdo himself, and in this never-ending search for something greater than himself, he missed the entire purpose.
[10%... 11%... 12%... 15%...]
That he, all alone, already possessed what was necessary for greatness.
Humans of the past sought inwards the way to reach the Sky, so why was he seeking the answers outward?
Even if in the end his target was within himself, he always looked at the picture as if his achievements came from outside, not inside.
To train what stood inside, one must first seek something outside of himself...
He wasn't wrong to seek it, but he was to disregard himself.
He sought power, so he awakened Mana, he sought precision, so he trained Martial Arts, he sought protection, so he hunted for treasures.
He sought more power, so he embraced the forest and awakened his Prime Self.
And he still wanted more… How greedy, but wasn't that Human nature?
What did all of those things have in common?
Wasn't it that, all along, they were all built upon… Himself?
Was it right to forget that a path, at the end of the day, could only be walked by one's own feet?
It does matter the path may not have been carved by him, but it does not nullify his efforts.
Heroes rise on the shoulders and efforts of many, countless generations of Humans seeking to improve and survive all led to who he is today.
[Alma Conqueror 19.9%]
/BOOOM!/
His mind flared, igniting his own Vitality ablaze.
If the Mind dictates the body, if you can control the Mind…
[Activating Galatine's Skill, Forward Thrust 9-Star]
Dale could see it, his limitations.
And he was going to blast it all apart.
The Human body was a creation of the Gods, but that did not stop man from seeking its secrets and breaking those chains imposed upon them.
As if it exists, doesn't it mean it was within their will? Even if those limitations were imposed not as chains but as measures for their own safety?
Even if not… Then what can they do?
The Gods made man ambitions, are they in the right to be unable to cope with their decisions and actions afterward?
Dale would not shy away from seeking his own truths, even if at the end of the path stood a God.
"!!"
He pulled his arm back and pierced with Galatine forward, but not towards the Queen, but to what stood above her.
The invisible barrier.
His arm pushed with every ounce of strength he could muster, his items flared together, his will tangible.
/BLAAAST!/
A beam of white light broke through the Heavens above, shattering a hole in the sky!
[DING]
[DING]
/Raise…/
The System notifications went wild in his ears once more, but like before, his attention was elsewhere.
Dale raised his left hand, calling his partner.
…
/Meanwhile…/
/Vibrate…/
Caladgolg, shimmering lightly, suddenly stopped.[1]
/BLAST!/
And with indescribable speed, it took off into the skies, breaking everything in its path as it rose to the skies above.
/Shine…/
As it flew higher and higher, light seemed to be cut apart, leaving behind its basic colors as a trail.
/Vanish…/
And amidst the high clouds, the sword vanished.
…
/Shine.../
Inclined on a wall, a spear shone...
Weakly... Faintly... Light gathered in its tip... And then receded... Slowly, but consistently.
Like the beating of a heart.
...
/FLY!/
/CRACK!/
/GRAB!/
Back in the Arena, from within the clouds above, a beam of light descended like a meteor, breaking through the repairing arena as it fell right next to Dale's hand.
Without hesitation, Dale grabbed it, raising it above him.
He then looked at the Queen, and for a moment, she froze.
Right now, Dale was unstoppable.
Holding two Legendary Armamentes, was there anyone alive to contend with him?
/Throw…/
But when he threw Galatine back, her wits returned to her as her eyebrows furrowed.
She understood what this gesture meant.
One last bout, equal, everything.
/Cough.../
For a moment, her eyes grew calm, and a happy sensation grew inside of her.
She now understood something... When she was young, she used to spar with her father.
And whenever she grew tired, he would often let out a sigh or cough.
She used to think that was displeasure but... Was it really the case?
She saw her own flaws by being in the same position as him, albeit not either.
"HUPP!"
/THUNDER!/
Her eyes opened wide as she gnashed her teeth, her temples tensed and blood flowed down from her lips.
She wanted to win, she really wanted to, it had been a very, very long time since she felt like this.
She wanted to be the Champion, to overcome this Challenger!
/STEP!/
/CRACK!/
She took one step forward, getting into a stance, one she already used before, the same one Dale used just now.
But this was the form she was most confident in.
This time, the weight of her step shattered what little of the Arena remained intact, causing an Earthquake all around.
All but around Dale… Who managed to remain calm even as everything around him broke apart.
Mana was infused into the ground, causing sand and dust to explode upward like geysers.
Unfortunately, no one saw this scene.
Dale's previous attack with Galatine broke the dome, causing it to stop functioning properly.
And if the blinding light wasn't enough, everything within the dome was now opaque.
A happy coincidence, as the reveal of Dale's current weapon would certainly shake his position and future plans…
Or maybe… The will of the Gods who silently watched the match.
[Activating Skill, Falling Star 9.5-Star]
[Activating Skill, Morning Dawn 9.5-Star]
They each activated their own Skills, and the world was soon covered in light.
…
.
.
.
Notes
I say... This came out well.
I hope you enjoyed what is likely the last player Arc of Babylon.
Now we'll have one concluding Arc and Babylon will end, and with it, I think I'll close the Volume with a timeskip.
Soon... It's time for us to explore the real world.
What secrets does it hold? For the past and the future?
[1] It still pisses me off I spent 290 chapters calling it wrong, it's supposed to be Bolg not Golg (Crying emoji)
Follow current nov𝒆ls on freew(𝒆)bnov𝒆l.(c)om