Chapter 592: Harbinger
Michael had to sit down to digest all of this information.
Divas are made out of talents?
Now that he thought about it more, it made a lot of sense.
In hindsight, it was so glaringly obvious that he should have figured this out a lot sooner.
Divas took on the appearance, shape, and power of a person’s talent.
His Supreme Talent was Harbinger of the Future. That was why his Diva had arms that looked like a futuristic robot, with circuits for veins and muscles made out of synthetic fiber.
As for his Aubilities, the switch and the reverse...those were just technological advancements that were in line with his desire to make this world have the same technology as his previous one.
All this time, my Diva is just my Supreme Talent?
[I’m glad you understand it now. It is important for our growth that you fully understand what that means.
As of now, your idea of me is very shallow. It’s basic. You took the name ’Harbinger of the Future’ as literally as you could. That’s why your Aubilities seem like it’s time-related.
But it’s not. Our powers are more than that. It’s much more powerful than that. You just have to understand me first.]
It was true. His switch stopped time, and his new Aubility reversed time. These powers could be seen as a literal understanding of the Harbinger of the Future title.
Then what should I do? How should I improve?
[You have to do what allowed me to connect with you in the first place. You need to break past your limits. Only then will your understanding of your own powers deepen.
In moments of crisis, you will subconsciously seek yourself to find a deeper power. And therein lies the secret.]
Basically, his Diva, or Harbinger for short, was telling him that he should fight more, which was basically what other people already told him to do.
Only through fights will a Diva grow, they said.
And it looked like they were right, since the answer came straight from a Diva himself.
Okay, I guess I’ll have to ask for some sparring with my new friends in the Rising Six, he said, thinking it was a great idea.
But it seemed that Harbinger had an even better one.
[Open your eyes and look at what you see.]
He did as he was told and saw that the auction had progressed smoothly while he was busy talking to Harbinger.
"Ladies and gentlemen, the automobile bidding has been decided! It will go up for 1 billion gold coins, with the six Major Factions competing to see who gets the privilege to settle the bid.
Each of them has also unanimously agreed to send five Maugnetics through to the Pocket Dimension to compete against the other team!" Barnaby announced, much to the fanfare from the crowd.
It wasn’t long before the teams from the Major Factions began making their way to the stage.
Alaric and four of his best men walked down to the stage representing the Gilderaan company.
Aerith, and her crewmates were next, showing off the flag for Sinclair’s Elixir.
Then, Bobby and his blacksmiths went down to the stage, standing for the Quench company.
The three Legacies were given large rounds of applause from the crowd. They were all excited to see them in action.
Next were the Duchess and her Secret Service. They were people he hadn’t seen before during his visit to the palace. But judging from the competitive looks everyone gave them, it seemed that they were competent enough to contend with the Legacies.
Next was the Order of the Heavenly Knights, who sent out Knights led by the prodigy called Potbol. Everyone was wary of the axe-wielding bald dude, especially since everyone knew that he was personally trained by Kruger, a Heavenly Knight.
And lastly, the Magic Tower sent down their best wizards and mages. But strangely enough, they only deployed four of them, with one missing member from the bunch.
"Do you see their aura? Even without manifesting their Diva, I can feel my hair starting to stand," said Erlos, shaking his head.
"That Potbol guy sure looks innocent, but his axe swings are incredibly strong," Phim said, fixing his bangs out of worry.
"I sure am glad I’m not going against them," Reptar joked.
And as much as he would like to admit, Michael did think that they were out of his league at the current moment.
These were Maugnetics in the 8th and 9th stages of the Body Formation realm. Even with his advantages, he knew that he wouldn’t be able to last a single encounter with just a single one of them, much less five.
[You have to fight them,] Harbinger said.
What?
[This is your chance to sharpen your skills, to break the limits you never thought once possible.]
Immediately, he wanted to disagree. [How would I be able to break my limits fighting them? They’re Divas are four stages above me at the least! I would get it if they’re only one or two stages above me. But four? Don’t you think that’s a little much?
[Tsk...those guys are frauds? They really think those are Divas? They’re just empty shells]
After hearing the clear disdain in Harbinger’s voice, Michael wanted to learn more about why he thought he was superior to other Divas.
What makes you say that?
[They’re soulless. They can’t talk like me.]
He did have to admit that having a talking Diva put him a head above others. It was like comparing a human to a monkey; he could understand why Harbinger would think he’s superior.
[But that’s besides the point. Win or lose, this is your chance to fight against people at the top of the Body Formation realm.
Just being in close proximity to them and observing their moves will allow you to progress so much faster than just fighting people at your own level.]
His initial reaction was to deny Harbinger’s request. But after realizing that this was only a game and not a real life situation made him completely reconsider.
This wasn’t a matter of life and death. It was just an elimination from the bidding.
Sure, he could get hurt along the way, but that was part of the process. And if it led to more progress with his Diva, then a few drops of spilled blood was worth it.
Also, he was very tempted with the next auction bid after this one. Even if he could just get one drop out of 15, then the risks were more than acceptable.
Okay, I might agree with you on this.
[Of course, you’re me.]
But even if I want to, there’s no way that they’ll let me play.
He could afford to spend like the Major Factions. But he couldn’t fight like them. They had multiple Maugnetics under their purview. He only had himself.
Immediately, the Reborn company was rejected from contention. As long as they decide to have two or more Maugnetics playing in the game, then he couldn’t keep up with their bid.
[Come on... you know the solution to that.]
Michael looked down at his pockets.
This could work.