Chapter 218 - Worse
It was a scene the Manager had seen many times before. A screaming parent tearing their hands into the guts of everything they had built, willing to throw it all away if it meant even the slightest chance of bringing their child back.
The Manager never knew if that had been part of the Trial System’s intended design.
Though the lesson he was trying to impart to the other person in its prison wasn’t just that. The entity was trying to show Claribel Waters that the fabric of civility was always paper thin. Where a single person with enough determination was often enough to send everyone careening into oblivion.
They watched together in the Manager’s Abode, the scene surrounding them as his lesson began.
To impress upon her that she had to step up.
Of course, Clara had tried to close her eyes and dismiss him. But she gave up after only the forty-seventh time she was re-summoned.
The Manger had started her off with a scene of Ryan fighting with Luneia [The Knight]. She bit her fingernails as Ryan played a game of inches. Even when the footage was slowed down, the strikes that her friend casually dodged looked far far too close for comfort.
“Couldn’t he just dodge a little further back? Why’s he taking so much risk?” Clara had asked.
“This is how he has always fought. Between the edge of life and danger. Every single chance to improve he will take, because he knows just how far away he is from the top.”
As if to emphasize that point, the scene changed to Pinkie and the Passive Tyrant. Their insane fight that shook Sector Ten, where Pinkie refined her mastery over her shapeshifting abilities to copy the Passive Tyrant.
Fighting in the deeps had given her a scare, the amount of force they could generate meant they could truly destroy entire ecosystems with just the aftershocks of their battle.
At first Clara had been enjoying it, no stakes, no deaths beyond a few unfortunate animals with the Manager slowing things down so she could see it all. Pinkie looked like she was turning more like the Passive Tyrant and Clara had been all for that. The Passive Tyrant was rough but at least she didn’t seem like a bad person.
Then the Witch Tyrant appeared. Like an invisible dagger in the night, she summoned her Fallen and they went into combat with the Passive Tyrant.
The idea was insane, Clara knew the Witch Tyrant was stronger than the world thought of her but she hadn’t realized what having two Legends truly meant.
The Witch Tyrant had an endless army of Fallen dragonslayers that could unite their skills. Alongside her Legend of illusions that could even fool the Passive Tyrant, it meant that she could genuinely match the Passive Tyrant.
Moreso considering the Witch Tyrant had clearly planned this encounter ahead of time.
“Even I have difficulty seeing through the Witch Tyrant’s illusions.” The Manager had commented. “The Tyrants have reached a level of ability and potential that they would have genuine negotiating power with Great Civilizations.”
Then the Witch Tyrant appeared properly and shoved her bleeding hands into the pink ball of mass that had been Pinkie and used her Legend in full.
Even in the Manager’s Abode, the words from the Legend had seared into her mind. [Remembrance of the Fallen]. A horrifying skill that nobody deserved to have, not least the Witch Tyrant that had worked so hard to keep the world a better place.
Now Clara was no longer having fun.
“I’m telling Ryan about this.”
The Manager spread its arms.
“At this point, I welcome it. Will Ryan follow through that promise of self-destruction, or will he bend because I have not truly harmed you in any way?”
The Manager might have a point, while Ryan had a blanket statement before, he had responsibilities now. He cared about the Unwanted elves, he cared about the other adventurers and the future of Earth. Clara was uncertain what would happen if she told him about this…
And a little scared of what Ryan might do.
“He’ll will find a way to make you regret it. He’s done it before, and he’ll do it again.”
Ryan had a title to prove it. He had sowed doubt in the Manager’s mind that the Trial System might have been impossible to complete, no matter what the entity tried to say about there having been mutations.
The Manager wasn’t affected by such taunts. It leaned back and smiled.
“Well, I tell you again, that I welcome it. I must admit that even I don't know what he might do, and it is refreshing not trying to predict every single inane decision he might take next.”
For some reason, the Manager saying that it was not lording over worlds didn’t bring any comfort to Clara.
She was coming to the realization that what might have been worse than finding out someone evil was in control was that there was nobody in control.
“You’re lying. You wouldn’t do that, you care too much.”
“Come now Clara, you are better than this. I never lie. Not in many millenia, nor will I ever lie again. It is one of the only ways I can give you mortals a chance at completing the Trial System. Even without it, I would not lie again.”
Clara looked like she wanted to say something but bit back. Indeed, it was difficult to face someone you once believed to be all-powerful to be slipping. Of course, this was all planned, no matter what happened with the Trial System, Earth would need people like Clara to step up in the future, not hide away in some restaurant job because she was afraid of what she could be.
That was mostly why the Manager was doing this.
“Have you… given up on completing the Trial System?”
The Manager allowed a flicker of disturbance to go through its face but didn’t answer her immediately. The entity sighed in deliberate exhaustion.
“The chances of your world completing the Trial System is low, it always has been. But new developments have shown that it is not worth the effort to my own mental health to predict every single future.”
Clara frowned as the Manager spoke so matter-of-factly about its mental health all of a sudden.
“That’s a joke right? You’re joking with me, right?”
The Manager clicked its fingers and the scenes changed on the wall of Ryan doing his little ‘prank’ on the Manager. Flipping coins, using random number generators from different websites, purchasing hundreds of dice to pick at random, all of them used in different frequencies to change his behavior at a random time.
Then Ryan grinning or doing other rude gestures around him while nobody else was around. All of them pointed at… the Manager.
Clara came to a realization.
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“Oh, oh no, he’s actually made it work. You’re actually pissed.”
“Irritated, I would say.”
Perhaps Clara was sympathizing with the Manager now. Understanding the perspective of an overworked entity being rudely made fun of while it worked tirelessly at trying to do the right thing.
“That’s so petty! Wait! Is that why you’re bullying me?!”
And naturally she came to the wrong conclusion to what the Manager wanted.
“Perhaps it had a little to influence my approach, otherwise no. We would have always ended up here as I try to at least do my part in making sure Earth does not immediately implode should the Trial System leave.
Despite the Manager trying to obfuscate its words Clara caught onto the main point.
“So it’s true! You are bullying me because Ryan’s getting to you.”
The Manager nodded in approval.
“Good, you’re learning. Remember to pay attention when you’re dealing with [Mages] and other non combat oriented classes. Being a non-Trialist will have them lower their guard around you and you’ll be surprised what a regular mortal can get away with.”
Clara crossed her arms and huffed, annoyed by the way the conversation had gone. Despite all of it, she didn’t tell the Manager to send her back, there was too much that that she had seen to just up and leave.
Ryan was in a deathmatch with Luneia and the Witch Tyrant was doing something crazy with Pinkie. She had to know.
The Manager of course, was here to sate her curiosity.
It waved its hand.
…
Ryan moved with unity of class, skill and aura. He was pushing the concept of a [Tyrant] against [The Knight]. For all her righteousness and chivalry, she had to bend a knee to a ruler.
The effects were showing, no longer were her skills warping the world around her, no longer did [Pivot Charge] just let her change direction without losing speed.
Meanwhile, Ryan’s blows were hitting harder, with every domineering swing [The Knight] struggled to match it and was forced to block. His masterful swordplay exchanged for strong brutal strikes of an overpowering blade of aura.
[Flurry Stab]
Three long swords of red striked in unison against Luneia’s raised shield. Normally [Flurry Stab] was about multiple different stabs appearing one after another. Not anymore with how Ryan used it with his concepts.
He was making progress. Unity of class and aura meant he could adjust on the fly how skills were interpreted.
The scene paused in the abode.
“Of course, this isn’t the only way to force skills to move the way you want it to. Lower realms need to use a unification of their abilities but dragonslayers can simply do this with just their overwhelming force."
“Why are you even telling me this? I’m not going to be an adventurer.”
“Skills, Clara, remember if you’re going to tell Ryan everything, remember to tell him he needs to work on every single Trial skill individually first.”
The scene continued.
An [Instant Dodge] used to kick [The Knight’s] shield. For the first time, Luneia actually stumbled backwards while Ryan did a flip in midair and landed on the ground, grinning.
Clara stared at the smile on her friend’s face.
“He’s actually having so much fun. Ryan really is insane.”
“Well, this was everything he ever wanted.”
Despite being outclassed now, [The Knight] never wavered, she realized she was falling behind so she threw away her shield, her helmet and even unclasped her custom quick-release breastplate in one quick motion. The enchanted gear fell to the ground as she fought in a padded form-fitting shirt, [Reckless Charge] giving her more power for the extra risk she took on.
All of it to keep up, all of that to look for that opportunity.
They clashed in the streets of the outpost once more. Luneia using her footwork to do mini [Reckless Charges] by launching herself. Ryan didn’t take any of it head on, trying to keep up his dodges so he himself could find an opportunity.
Knives flew forward as she parried them all using her lance with prodigious martial skill. The explosions from volatile mana doing nothing to break her focus.
One moment, [The Knight] was looking for that singular moment to kill him. Ryan had to have known.
Yet he took the risk anyway, believing he could do better. He moved, matching his sword with the trajectory of the lance, using the weight of her attack to push his own body out of the way and—
Stepped in close. A knife held his left hand, going for her exposed head.
Luneia was letting him do that on purpose, she had let go of the lance with one hand and was throwing a fist at his face.
It sounded stupid, a punch exchanged for a knife to the head. Until you realized her punch could cave in Ryan’s skull.
Ryan aborted first, moving his elbow and head together to make both of their strikes miss.
[The Knight] tried to use her class to push that advantage, take over the conceptual field she had been losing.
The Knight always prevails against… tyranny?
But The Rogue Adventurer was already one step ahead.
Ryan had switched out his primary class concept ahead of time, tricking her into thinking he was still the domineering tyrant. He flicked his wrist while in their weird, awkward posture.
And the knife flew past [The Knight’s] throat as she also dodged just in time. She pulled her lance upwards, stronger than Ryan now that her class was no longer being suppressed—and tried to land a clean blow to his side as he took a step back.
And Ryan decided to make it into a mutual hit.
He put his left hand to stop the lance as the shaft broke the bones in his palm, snapped his wrist, and pushed his arm back and still continued to hit his side to bruise his ribs, potentially fracturing them.
Though not enough to shatter them.
Meanwhile Ryan’s had stabbed forward with his right arm, sword flying out and piercing [The Knight’s] chest.
Both of them activated their Epics at the same time.
[Arcane Volatility]
[Last Stand]
[The Knight’s] lance flung back as the explosion from his left hand launched it backwards. Luneia meanwhile was focused on grabbing Ryan’s right wrist with her newfound vitality, leaving the sword in her chest.
She grinned a bloody grin.
“Got you, you slippery bastard.”
Luneia raised her lance high, pushing her body forward to minimize Ryan’s ability to dodge.
Ryan focused on his skill.
[Flurry Stab]
Three long blades of red appeared above them to stab forward, two aimed at the lance and one aimed at Luneia herself, unfortunately, even with the concept of a [Tyrant] Ryan hadn’t been able to do much more than push Luneia back with a strike like this. The lance would parry the stabs and there was nothing Ryan could do about it.
He was going to get crushed.
Or that was what Luneia and Clara thought.
The red blades pierced the lance, going through the metal as it failed to match the red blades of skill unified by aura and class. The enchanted weapon exploded as the third blade of red pierced through Luneia’s heart, right next to his blade.
Luneia’s eyes widened uncomprehendingly. Blood poured out from her mouth as she coughed.
“How?”
Both Ryan and Clara breathed a sigh of relief. Ryan grinned.
“You know, you shouldn’t keep parrying against volatile mana with an enchanted weapon. Especially not those with volatile mana cores and an Epic rarity antimagic skill. I’ve been targeting your weapon from the very start.”
Ryan’s constant barrage of knives with volatile mana, [Volatile Antimagic Throw] and [Arcane Volatility] wasn’t just for distraction. The main goal had been to wear away at her enchantments.
His last [Arcane Volatility] had left the structure completely weakened and crackling at its seams. It was broken before his aura blades had hit it.
Ryan had won.
Though for some reason the grip on his right arm wasn’t loosening. [Last Stand] was supposed to be a quick burst, she no longer had unity and there were limits to such a skill if you had two holes in your chest.
But Luneia kept talking, as if nothing was wrong.
“You forgot one thing.”
Ryan didn’t hesitate, he recalled his sword into his broken left hand so he could cut her arm off at her shoulder.
Luneia punched the sword out of his broken hand with her other arm. Moving as if neither of the holes in her chest were doing anything. She had grim determination despite the pain.
“I’m a Fallen, I’m a skill, I can’t die.”
She was still holding onto his right arm, his left hand was broken. Ryan was realizing that he was locked in a brutal melee with a damned immortal [Knight].
Ryan was about to grab for another knife so he could cut off his own arm as [The Knight] wound up a punch, he was looking to minimize the hit—
And a scream broke out above both of them.
Gamielle fell out of the sky, invisibility disappearing as she screamed in pain and clutched at her head.
Both Ryan and Luneia forgot about their fight as they sprinted towards the [Mage]. Ryan grabbed her out of the sky as Luneia trailed behind, the holes in her chest slowing her down more than she had let on.
Ryan held her on the ground, trying to keep the screaming girl safe.
“Gamielle! Gamielle! What’s wrong?”
Gamielle kept screaming, clutching her head as she tried to wrestle with the Witch Tyrant for control over the Legend. Gamielle the center for [Remembrance of the Fallen] fought with all her might against her own mother.
“No! Mom! Stop!”
A look of horror appeared on both Ryan and Luneia’s faces.
Blood started to pour from Gamielle’s nose and eyes The [Mage] stopped screaming and focused, pushing her mind more, a faint ripple appeared in the sky above them as the blood became a river.
Ryan started to go into a panic.
“Gamielle stop!”
But she didn’t, she kept going, pulling up the orbs of faith—as they shattered in place and her mana went out. Gamielle was in a leveled zone, even if a Legend could break through some of the restrictions there were limits the Trial System didn’t allow.
Her eyes rolled over her head as she collapsed in Ryan’s arms.
“Gamielle! Gamielle!”
Luneia stood by, she had a hand half in her spatial bag, contemplating on taking this opportunity to take Artigan out. She stared at the look of genuine worry and care on Ryan’s face and sighed, taking her hand out of the bag.
No matter what, Luneia was still a [Knight] in the end.
Ryan looked up from cradling Gamielle’s head, his mind moving quickly.
“When we first fought, you said the feeling you had was that the Passive Tyrant was about to fight, right?”
Luneia nodded, then came to the same conclusion he did.
“Do you think the two Tyrants are fighting each other?”
Ryan thought of Pinkie.
“I think it might be something worse.”