Chapter 436: Lording
Sylas could imagine that from Lucius' perspective, things had spun too far out of control. What he wanted to know now was just how much unilateral control Lucius had over the situation?
Right now, it could be said that he wasn't truly facing off against the Grimblades, but rather Lucius himself. That said, they weren't necessarily mutually exclusive.
For example, Archibald was a huge boon to Lucius, and the latter was clearly using him now. However, the appearance of Archibald had also allowed Lucius to be rewarded by the Grimblades... at least from what Sylas had deduced.
So where was the line, exactly?
The Grimblades would certainly also be aware of his feats, so how far would they allow Lucius to go?
All things considered, Lucius was the son of his grandfather's brother, making him Sylas' cousin, though once removed. Compared to the other Brown-family-callbacks, Sylas was actually quite close to the main line. In fact, had his grandfather not left to raise his father, his father would be in Lucius' position right now and there would be four heirs instead of three.
That made all of this even more complicated because how the family treated him might actually bleed into how they wanted to treat his grandfather.
Would they stand by a family decision made so long ago even if it turned out to be wrong? Or would they show flexibility?
Then there was the most important part.
On the one hand, Lucius might be inclined to not take things too far because the family would likely see him as a valuable asset.
But on the other hand, precisely because the family knew, the fact that Lucius hadn't controlled and managed him properly could be seen as a ding to his candidacy for heir, and as such... Lucius might decide to take things too far precisely to prove that he could be managed.
All of these thoughts were swirling around in Sylas' head. The number of layers to the situation was deep, and he knew that it was no longer about simple or surface level actions. In fact, depending on what Lucius' exact thought processes were, even the same action could be either stupid or highly intelligent depending.
For example... if he chose to attack Sylas now... was it because of his ego? Or was it a play at something more complex than that?
As for what the true answer would be... even Sylas was curious.
Lucius might be unaware, but despite the pressure in the surroundings, Sylas had the means to end this right here and now. All he had to do was point out his new role in their Multi Quest. But... he wanted to see this first.
"Take him down," Lucius said lightly. "Detain him."
'A middle ground choice, hm? Well, that would likely depend.'
Sylas thought about how to deal with the situation as those around him moved. Much of their equipment seemed even better than Bloom and Mark's, and he could even see that they were getting a boost similar to his Guiz City Titles just by being here.
Luckily, as a General, he could leave Guiz City for however long he wanted. Otherwise, that four-month disappearance would have truly screwed him over.
Many thoughts swirled in Sylas' head.
Should he assert dominance? Should he try to fight back and then feign a loss? Should he not fight back at all?
Honestly speaking, he was leaning toward not fighting at all, not only for the sake of preserving what last bit of facade there was between the two of them, but also because he wasn't naive enough to feel like he was invincible.
He was fine with being detained by Cassarae because it had, one, given him time to meditate on something he had wanted to meditate on anyway, and two, because he knew she would never actually harm him.
But who was to say what Lucius might be capable of after catching him? He wasn't to the point where he was omnipotent just yet.
However, tearing off that last layer of facade would also put his family in harm's way.
Sylas took a breath, his gaze flickering.
Unfortunately, he still didn't have enough information about what was happening to make the most informed decision.
And in that case...
Sylas' gaze suddenly sharpened.
... It was time to gamble.
Bloom and Mark stood to the side, but they were still the first to react. This reaction wasn't to attack Sylas, but instead in realization of what was happening.
BANG!
A forceful wave of telekinesis spread out in a booming cadence. <Arctic Howl Mutant>, his new Aetherflow Gene Talent, and his telekinesis formed a net all together.
The coming troop was frozen in one moment, and then blown away in the next.
Each one was toppled off of their feet as Sylas stood in place, the harsh, cold winds whipping around him wildly as Winter's Edge pulsed and shrank continuously as though it was ready to deploy at any moment.
The temperature in the surroundings plummeted as Sylas crossed his arms over his chest. Blue Runes danced around him, cracking the ground in a new sheet of ice and spreading out
like a cancer.
Sylas didn't move, but he continued to stand in silence, his gaze flickering as though he was still thinking about whether he made the right move or not.
However, when he did decide on something, he never hesitated.
Scales began to grow along his body, etched in black and gold. His aura surged, becoming
even more powerful.
Clenching a fist, he uncrossed his arms and took a single step forward.
A tall set of illusory, golden slit eyes appeared to his back, lording over the world.
<Psychedelic Punch>.
He was easily 50 meters from the wall, but in that moment, it felt like he might as well be standing right in front of Lucius.
BANG!
The first was too fast, too shocking, too powerful.
Before anyone could react, the air shattered apart as the sound of what felt like an exploding
bomb resonated in their ears.