Chapter 916 Focus [Top Five in Golden Tickets Bonus]
The strain of the three Monarchs was clear and obvious, waves of Level 50 Aether coming from each one of them. But they had a resonance between them that formed a pressure that matched the E-Grade…
And then came the Crowns above their heads.
This wasn't something they should have, especially not in Sylas' Territory. This could only mean that they were relying on something else entirely.
Whatever it was, there was a great synergy between it, and they were using it to overwhelm the laws of government in the Silver City. Or, rather, the laws of the system in the region designed to block outsiders from taking advantage of its benefits.
They stood on what looked like a complex magic circle high above the city and right above the obelisk. In a perfect triangle formed by the three of them, they each took an edge, their entire focus on pouring their Will and Aether into the formation.
And that was when Sylas appeared.
Roderic was the first to see him because of his vantage point. His expression changed before a malevolent glint shone in his eyes.
"Enemy," he said coldly.
The reaction of Amara and Thorian was calm. They weren't naive enough to think that it was impossible that they were being interfered with. They were ready for such a thing.
But then Sylas suddenly stopped, crossing his arms and observing calmly.
A coincidence?
There was a flicker in Roderic's eyes. Sylas was literally just outside of their range. Just two meters or so closer and they would be able to act. But just outside that range, they could do nothing but look at him.
"Focus," Roderic said, reacting quickly to the situation.
It didn't matter what the truth was. So long as they were finished, it wouldn't matter. And… wouldn't this give them a chance to claim the second piece at the same time?
After that, it would just be a matter of finding the third and then they would have a clear path to forging a D-Grade Race. At that point, who would be able to stop the Africor Continent?
The fire in Roderic's eyes blazed.
…
Sylas stood in the skies, his arms crossed. He didn't even look at the three Monarchs, ignoring Roderic's gaze entirely. His focus was on the magic circle.
It was a form of Runes he had never seen before. Once again, he felt like there was so much about this world he didn't know. He had all the talent he could possibly have, but he didn't have the tools to use it effectively.
'They're using their crowns to support the formation too. But at best, they're mimicking Rune Flesh or so… it's not bad, I guess…'
What Sylas was more interested in were the Runes themselves. If he could copy them, wouldn't that mean he could do it himself?
He had already memorized the magic circle, but actually understanding it was a different matter entirely.
In addition, they seemed to have used some sort of special medium to draw it.
'No, the special medium is the crowns themselves. They're using the control it grants them to draw the Runes and ultimately form it… I see, it's almost like a wizard's wand in those fantasy stories. Those aren't real crowns; they probably poured a great deal of resources into crafting them.'
Sylas understood now, but he also knew that it would be even more dangerous to take a step forward now.
Those Crowns… he wasn't sure what methods or resources they had used, but they allowed them to not only display the Rune Mastery of Flesh Masters, but the influence over the laws in the region made it so that the Runes themselves had high Mastery.
Not only were their drawing skills at Flesh Mastery, but the Runes they formed were also at Flesh Mastery, making them 50% perfect and flooded with Mature Aether.
But more important than that, they were all Level 50. However, there was a unique resonance between them that gave them aura matching the E-Grade. The result was Runes that reacted as though they were being supported by Level 51 Aether, a huge watershed.
This was all to say that their Rune drawing skill might be far inferior to Sylas even with help…
But the result was shocking nonetheless. If Sylas wasn't careful, he would die.
"Okay," he said calmly. There was a flash in his teeth as his canines glistened in the high sun.
He would just wait, then. They could go ahead and exhaust themselves.
His arms remained crossed about his chest and he glanced back toward where Cassarae was still running and shook his head. That woman really was too stubborn.
Sylas' indifference made Roderic's brow twitch. There was something about his presence, not to mention the changes to his body, that weighed down on his soul.
It didn't make any sense. With the support of Thorian and Amara, he didn't fear even E-Grades. And yet, the nonchalant Level 0 before him made him feel as though a thick rope was tightening around his throat.
Then he saw Sylas' lip curl.
He thought it was a taunt, but Sylas was just inwardly laughing because Cassarae had run into a gang of polar bears and was slaughtering up a storm while she cursed at a tempo that was probably even more violent than her blade.
He didn't need to be there to know she probably had threatened to castrate him three times already by now.
Sylas made sure she'd be alright, then turned back to studying the magic circle.
Amara and Thorian were beginning to feel that something was wrong with Roderic's state of mind and his Will seemed to be wavering.
"FOCUS, RODERIC!" Amara snapped.
Roderic's pupils trembled and he exhaled a breath. Pushing out the distractions, he set his jaw.
What was there to be so in fear of?
"Oh."
Sylas spoke for the first time. He reached out a finger, a sharp claw drawing across the air. Slowly, a crown appeared above his head and the laws of the world rippled.
After a bit, he shook his head. 'No, not like this.'
He swiped a hand as though erasing the world and then started again.
Roderic felt his mind almost collapse.