ebookpocket.com Chapter 146: Contradiction [1]
Chapter 146: Contradiction [1]
Cael returned to his group, and they left the area, moving in the opposite direction from Elara’s team.
The forest was quieter now.
The teams that remained were the ones who had survived this long, and they knew better than to announce their presence.
Time passed. The barrier shrank again. And again.
Cael and his team started to come across other teams.
Brief skirmishes. Quick engagements.
During these battles, Cael used only wind and moonlight. He did not use any of his other skills, not even Dream Weave.
There was a reason for this.
In this world, a ranker had at most six skills, and as few as three.
Cael had already shown several to Seraphina. Mana Sovereignty. Death Reaper’s Dominion. Clones. Disguise. Teleportation. Now Dream Weave was added to that list.
But publicly, he was not going to use clones or Mana Sovereignty.
Those would raise too many questions. Dream Weave, however, was safe. Illusions were rare but not unheard of. He could use it without issue.
The barrier shrank for the sixth time.
Cael could feel it now. There were only eleven to fifteen teams left.
The fights were still ongoing, but the end was near. He could sense the desperation in the remaining mana signatures.
Some were hiding. Some were hunting. Some were simply waiting to be found.
Cael opened his status and checked his new special element.
---
Golden Flames [Locked]
---
Cael did not hesitate. He merged all the golden flame skills he had copied from Elara into the Golden Flames element.
A long series of lines scrolled across his interface. Merging. Integrating. Stabilizing.
Then, finally, the element was unlocked.
---
Golden Flames [8% Mastery]
---
Due to adding all the golden flame skills at once, his mastery had directly jumped to eight percent.
That was higher than he expected. But Cael was not worried about that.
After all, he was not going to use Golden Flames. He had something else in mind.
"Activate Fusion. Merge Frostflame and Golden Flames."
The interface responded immediately.
---
[Analyzing...]
[Structural Manipulation Overlap Detected...]
[Analysis Complete]
[Merging Unique Elements: Frostflame and Golden Flames]
[High probability of producing a hybrid unique element...]
Do you wish to proceed with fusion?
[Yes] [No]
---
Cael was surprised. The interface did not show the name of the hybrid element. That had never happened before.
Speaking of hybrid, the unique elements themselves were already hybrids. They combined properties that should not coexist. Fire that froze. Flames that healed.
So, Cael could not help but wonder what he was going to get.
He inwardly said, "Yes."
The interface changed again.
---
[Fusion Process Initiated]
[Stabilizing structural contradiction...]
[Synchronizing...]
[Resolving structural conflict...]
[#?#/?.....]
---
Cael’s eyes widened.
He had seen this text before. During the time when he was creating Mana Sovereignty.
That same string of garbled symbols. That same sense of something fundamental shifting beneath the surface.
But back then, Cael had been resonating with his class.
And now...
---
[Fundamental resonance with Iridescence...]
[Resonance Occurred...]
Do you wish to allow ’???’ to resonate with your Class: Iridescent Monarch?
[Yes] [No]
---
Sure enough, resonance had occurred.
But Cael was in no position to resonate right now. He was in the middle of the battle royale. His teammates were nearby. The barrier was still closing in.
So, he decided to postpone it until the trial was over.
The last time he had resonated was quite some time ago, back in the medical dorm at Everbright Academy.
People had started crying and laughing like madmen. The memory was still vivid and unsettling.
That said, he was very eager to resonate. After all, back when this kind of text appeared, he had gained an amazing skill like Mana Sovereignty.
Cael shook off the thought and focused on the present.
"Let’s finish this."
He nodded at his teammates, and together, they began hunting the nearby teams.
During the seventh shrink of the barrier, a team was disqualified.
Only ten teams remained.
Phase 2 was finally over.
"Finally, it’s over."
Cael muttered as he nodded at his team.
"Good work."
Edwin gave an awkward smile.
"I did nothing."
Aria and Brania shared the same sentiment. Their expressions were a mix of relief and embarrassment.
They had survived, but they had not contributed much. Cael had carried them through both phases.
Soon, the badges they wore began to glow. A soft blue light enveloped them.
Then they disappeared from their spots.
...
Cael’s vision blurred slightly. His hearing toned down for a moment, as if he was underwater.
Then, slowly but surely, the sounds of the stadium rushed back in.
Thousands of people were shouting and cheering. The noise was deafening, a wall of sound that crashed against his ears.
"DAWN FLAME GRACE!"
"DAWN FLAME GRACE!"
"SILVER MOON PRINCE!"
"SILVER MOON PRINCE!"
"DAWN FLAME GRACE!"
"SILVER MOON PRINCE!"
The chants overlapped, competing with each other. Two names. Two titles. One stadium.
Cael frowned as he realized that people were calling him.
After all, only he had silver hair and a moonlight element. It was too much to be a coincidence.
He did not know that by not eliminating Elara Grace, he had become a topic of discussion and a man of admiration for Arhal City.
Cael softly chuckled and wondered who came up with his title. It was not bad.
He did not wait for any formalities. He left, saying he needed rest, and pushed any following work onto his teammates.
Interviews. Debriefings. Media questions. None of it interested him.
Edwin, Aria, and Brania thought this was the least they could do. After all, Cael was the one who had done all the work during both Phase 1 and Phase 2.
Cael entered the guest dorm and walked into his room.
Without wasting any time, he used Swap.
Instantly, in place of Cael, the cautious Wind Clone arrived. The same Wind Clone who had recently gained the moonlight element.
Wind Clone was confused as he received the message from the main body, but he had not expected to be swapped in so suddenly.
He sighed and sat down on the bed.
...
On the other side, in Arhal City, inside the hotel room.
Cael arrived in place of Wind Clone. His other clones were scattered around the room, some sitting, some standing.
Frostflame Clone was sharpening his blade. Black Lightning Clone was staring out the window. Space Clone was reading a book.
Cael looked at them and said,
"I am going to resonate. Do not disturb me."
After saying that, he went into the bedroom and fell onto the bed.
The mattress was soft. The pillows were cool. He closed his eyes and summoned the interface again.
---
[Fundamental resonance with Iridescence...]
[Resonance Occurred...]
Do you wish to allow ’???’ to resonate with your Class: Iridescent Monarch?
[Yes] [No]
---
This time, without any hesitation, Cael chose "Yes".
His eyes blurred. The world started spinning. Colors bled into each other. Sounds became distant echoes.
Cael was not worried. This was not his first time resonating with his class. He had done it before. He knew what to expect.
Then he lost consciousness.
...
Cael’s eyes felt heavy as he opened them.
He instantly looked around.
He was in a huge grand hall. A throne room. The ceiling was high, lost in shadow.
Pillars lined the walls, carved with scenes of battle and crowning. Torches burned in sconces, casting flickering orange light across the majestic hall.
Cael saw a man with a regal posture sitting on the throne.
Clearly, he was the king. Or maybe an emperor. His crown was gold, embedded with red jewels. His robes were dark purple, lined with fur.
Cael searched for the true Iridescent Monarch and found her. She was standing guard, five steps below the throne.
Her posture was rigid. Her hand rested on the hilt of her sword. Her gray hair was braided tightly against her scalp.
Looking at the situation, Cael understood that the king and his subordinates were quarreling over some matter, which Cael did not understand at all.
The words were foreign. The context was missing.
By this, Cael learned that this king was inferior to the true Iridescent Monarch, or the Sun Maiden [The Sovereign of Eternal Flames.]
He could understand the Monarch’s voice. He could understand the Sovereign’s voice. But he could not understand the king’s.
He waited patiently. Whenever he resonated, the Monarch would do something crazy.
Just then, the hall doorkeeper announced something. Cael did not understand the words, but he knew the meaning.
Someone was coming.
The throne hall abruptly fell silent after hearing the doorkeeper’s announcement.
The ministers stopped talking. The guards shifted their stances. Even the king leaned forward slightly.
The hall door creaked open.
Then slow footsteps followed.
Cael was curious. He turned his head toward the newcomer.
Then his eyes widened. He involuntarily took one step back.
The one who entered was a woman with black hair. Her blue eyes scanned the ministers with cold authority.
Her dress was simple but elegant, dark blue with silver embroidery.
Cael unknowingly muttered a name.
"El... Elowyn?"