Chapter 785 A Shocking Reversal
Ulrik's eyes narrowed, and Lorien couldn't help but look over.
What just happened?
"—A SHOCKING REVERSAL!"
Chase's voice finally faded into Sylas' subconscious once more. The four-armed man had been speaking all the while, but this was the first time Sylas even cared to listen.
Because of that, he had missed Chase's own surprise, how his voice had choked in his throat and how his foretelling of Lorien and Ulrik's dominance was wrung out from his lips, tarnished and dashed.
The four-armed announcer had no choice but to speak on Sylas' achievement, but he wasn't a fool either. He knew that this matter… had just gotten several orders of magnitude trickier.
The platform rumbled and the Aether supporting the Runes vanished.
Just like that, just three were left.
Sylas looked down at the platform. '… Interesting…'
His gaze seemed to peer through the stone, seeing the hidden formations beneath and spotting the uniqueness that triggered the foundations for the first round.
It seemed that this was another way to get Mature Aether to naturally power Runes. It was a weaker method than just drawing Runes to Breath Mastery, but it was no less functionally useful.
'The set up seems to be very involved, though.'
As Sylas was lost in thought, trying to soak up as much as he could, the uproar in the surroundings didn't show any signs of dying down.
…
Erythra and Nyssa looked toward one another, their irises reflecting the surprise in one another's gazes.
"What was that?" Nyssa whispered.
"… He's not a Breath Master… No, his Will is extremely powerful, it's beyond Blazing… No, maybe it's both…"
Erythra's words came out in a constant stream, but they weren't coherent in the slightest. It seemed that even she was confused.
A strong Will might help in taking control of a Rune, but how did that explain the dismantling of Sebastian's attack? That took a level of understanding of a Rune that went beyond common sense.
But everyone knew that in Rune Bump, the Runes in question were random and not real. They had no functional use outside of triggering a lock and key mechanism when they interacted with one another, forcing them to fuse together.
How could one "understand" it?
What they didn't realize was that this was precisely what made it so easy for Sylas. After studying the interaction between Lorien and Alaric's Runes, he realized all he needed to do was observe the interlocking mechanisms of Sebastian's Rune…
Those moving parts would be the weaknesses he needed to target, and thanks to that, in a single fluid motion…
He crushed him.
Taking control of a Rune with such ease didn't just start and end there, it also meant that Sylas' ability to direct and change his own Rune was several orders faster than the four around him as well. Except…
Sylas' gaze landed on Lorien, who was looking toward him with an odd look in her eyes as well.
When their eyes met, her pupils constricted, and she couldn't help but wonder if she had been exposed somehow. Why was Sylas observing her of all people even over Ulrik?
…
Voxena's eyes widened. Moments ago, she had been extremely calm and self-satisfied, but now her heart was doing flips in her chest, her heart lodging itself firmly in her throat.
Her skin flushed and she began to heat up. It was like an invisible hand was wrapping itself firmly on her throat.
She took deep breaths, trying to force herself to calm down.
This was just the first round… it was just the first round…
…
Mospheral sat in silence, his body relaxed and his expression unreadable. However, at that moment, the attendant stood so ramrod straight that it looked almost as though a string was being pulled up from the top of his head, his body stretched so taut he was nearly on the tips of his toes.
This… wasn't going well.
"… Interesting… This isn't a matter of Rune Mastery, it's a combination of Mastery and Will strength. His Will… is at least at the Sparking Realm… A Progenitor in the making, is it?"
Mospheral slowly stood to his feet.
There were many in the Skai Galaxy with Wills at this level. However, the number with Wills at this level that also had a planet in the middle of a Summoning was near zero.
This Sylas… just might have the first chance in 1300 years to become a Progenitor of a World of Skai Galaxy.
It seemed that even after all of this, they were still underestimating this young man.
What they didn't know was that their measure of Sylas' Will was only so off because it was tainted with Demonic Will.
If Mospheral knew that Sylas wasn't just at Sparking Will, but had crossed Sparked Will and already formed Shaping Will, he wouldn't be nearly so calm.
And yet, this so-called "calm" already involved him making a call.
This matter… could no longer be so easily ignored.
Another Progenitor couldn't be allowed to appear.
The last time… they had sacrificed far too much to kill him.
And compared to that world that had just been a Grade 7 Bronze World, it was likely that Sylas' World was even stronger than that.
Sylas needed to be dealt with as soon as possible.
…
Alaric and Sebastian were teleported away by the mechanism of the stage, and then there were just three.
Ulrik's expression remained calm, but the tense air that hung was heavy.
The Golden Grove was an organization that was eager to grow more Rune Masters. The announcer had said a great deal of nonsense about Mospheral's generosity, but those high enough in society knew that they weren't his Treasures to give.
And now… the situation had grown several orders more complicated.
"AND THEN THERE WERE THREE! In this round, one more of these geniuses will suffer defeat. Who will it be?!"
Chase's voice boomed, but it felt to Sylas that he was delaying. As for what the delay was for…
Sylas had a few guesses.