Free Web NovelChapter 175: Chapter 175: The Path Beyond
A great silence descended over the edges of the city gates. The crowd that had watched the battle unfold stood too stunned to speak.
At first, they hadn’t fully understood the magnitude of the clash. The lord had easily dealt with the first opponent. But as the fight continued, they saw just how far above the ranks of power the two powerhouses truly were.
If Thunderblade, who had once stood as overlord at the peak of Tempest was already deemed powerful, then they didn’t even know what to say about these two figures.
Their power was simply too great. There was no comparison, at least not to someone like Thunderblade.
But that wasn’t the most shocking part.
It was how easily the young lord had disposed of them.
Sure, he had suffered injuries, but they paled in comparison to what he had inflicted upon his enemies.
"Is this the true extent of your power?"
Far within the crowd, a youth clad in a simple robe while clutching an intricately carved bow stood staring into the distant wastelands. A look of awe burned deep within his eyes.
It was just too... wondrous.
Kaeden breathed, taking in multiple sharp breaths as he found himself at a loss for words.
He had known the lord’s power was extremely great. He just hadn’t expected it to be this absurd.
As his breathing steadied, a listless smile formed across his face as his fists tightened inadvertently.
All those simulations... all those calculated assumptions to gauge the youth’s power...wrong. And by a huge margin at that.
A D-rank being going against an elusive B-rank powerhouse and coming out on top?
He didn’t even know what to think anymore.
Was everything he had read in the records about powerhouses gaining astronomical strength the higher one advanced, making fights against higher-ranked beings impossible, all lies?
No! Kaeden mused, rejecting the idea before it could fully form.
He had witnessed the power of D-ranks and C-ranks alike. And now, with this battle, he had glimpsed the power of a B-rank.
The records were true. The dark-robed youth was simply an extreme outlier who didn’t seem to follow the natural rules of Arcadia.
Did those rules even apply to him anymore?
Kaeden mused, his lips twitching rapidly.
It was a common thought that had circled through his mind repeatedly over the past few weeks.
Every time he was about to discard it, the youth performed a reality-altering feat that made him doubt his own existence.
Sometimes he even felt as though the sole reason for his existence was to witness the young lord’s glorious path to power.
Was it?
He didn’t know anymore.
As Kaeden sank deeper into his troubled thoughts, the crowd broke into murmurs and cheers that swept across them like wildfire.
***
"Holy shit! Did you see the same thing I did, or am I dreaming?"
"Hmm, finally recognized how handsome I am? Pity it took you this long..."
"The young lord’s power... how is it so vast? I just don’t understand."
"Is the grey-robed elder really a B-rank powerhouse? He seemed so... weak. I bet I can take him on without breaking a sweat."
"Huh? You think you’re stronger than the young lord?! You think you’re on the same level as him? Clearly, you must be courting death!"
"I agree... everyone kick his ass for slandering the young lord."
"Wait, no! Don’t you know how to take a joke? Aaargh, stop! It hurts..."
"Hmph, then take this fist to your face!"
"I apologize... I was wrong."
"Good to see that you know your place."
"This... this power... why does he have so much while I’m stuck at F-rank with a stupid F-rank talent? Has my life been a lie!?" ƒreeωebnovel.ƈom
"Me too... I can’t take it anymore. What’s the point of growing stronger if monsters like this exist?"
"Hahaha! Clearly your heart is weak. My skill evolved just by watching the lord fight! Do you know what that makes me? A supreme genius! Bwahaha! I’m destined to walk the path to power beside the young lord!"
"Good luck doing that with your E-rank talent!"
***
As the murmurs spreading through the crowd grew louder with every passing moment, the elders standing at the side watched in equal astonishment, though their reactions were far more restrained than those of the common spectators.
Even so, the occasional flicker in their eyes betrayed the storm of emotions raging beneath their composed exteriors.
"Incredible... truly incredible," Rysten mumbled quietly, a mad grin plastered across his weathered face.
Throughout his long life, he had witnessed countless wondrous events, from the rise of prodigies to the fall of once-mighty powers.
Yet of them all, this was the one he knew would remain etched deepest in his memory.
He could still feel his blood boiling with excitement from witnessing the recent battle, or at least the fragments of it before everything had blurred beyond even his senses. freēwēbnovel.com
It felt oddly fulfilling.
Almost reminding him of the reckless days of his youth, when every battle was a gamble and every breakthrough felt as though the heavens themselves had opened before him.
Letting out a slow breath, a multitude of emotions flickered across his face.
From that battle alone, he had gained a wealth of insights. He was certain that if he spent time pondering and meditating upon them, they would fuel his growth for years, perhaps even decades, to come.
If someone had told him this before today, even he would have found it difficult to believe.
But now he had seen it with his own eyes.
He could finally grasp just how far the youth’s power had grown.
A small part of him even wished to remain and watch the young lord continue his ascent, witnessing each impossible step along the path to greatness.
But he couldn’t.
More importantly, he didn’t want to.
He could see now that the young lord’s continued stay in Tempest was doing more harm than good.
Tempest had become too small for him. Too restrictive. A cage disguised as a homeland.
It was time for him to spread his wings and explore the greater world beyond.
If he could find a worthy master to guide him and gain access to the resources necessary to sustain his growth, then Rysten could scarcely imagine the heights he would one day reach.
Perhaps, by then, even the legends whispered across the realm would pale in comparison.
Perhaps he might even possess the strength to face a B-rank existence without sustaining a single injury.
A wry smile crossed Rysten’s face as he slowly nodded to himself.
The road ahead would not be an easy one.
But some journeys were necessary, regardless of the hardships they demanded.
"I agree."
A middle-aged woman at the side, sporting silvery hair that flowed across her shoulders, muttered in agreement with Elder Rysten’s words.
The whole battle had indeed been amazing in multiple ways.
Even if they couldn’t witness all of it clearly, their enhanced D-rank senses and perception skills allowed them to pick up far more than the crowd below, making them appreciate it even more.
For a while, the motions of the battle had been so smooth that some might have even called it art.
A mesmerizing one at that.
If only she could have seen all of it.
Mistress Aria mused as a look of yearning burned deep within her eyes.
Within a small city like Tempest, it was rare for a figure like herself to consider herself weak given her D-rank power.
But in the shadow of the youth’s strength, the difference was so stark that she found it almost amusing.
For a time, she had even aspired to achieve the level of power the youth possessed.
But the more she understood about him, the more elusive that goal became.
Until today, when it felt outright impossible.
He really was in a league of his own.
Mistress Aria mused as she stared blankly at the youth sprawled across the wastelands.
Perhaps at another time she would have rushed forward to heal whatever injuries he had sustained from the battle.
But she had come to find it... unnecessary.
She had long appraised the youth’s physique and found it tough and resilient to monstrous levels.
And if that wasn’t enough, he possessed an innate beastly regeneration rate.
What would take others months to heal from, the youth could recover from in mere weeks.
But that wasn’t even the craziest part.
With close monitoring after each battle, she had come to realize that his body seemed to grow stronger and tougher with every injury inflicted upon it.
Perhaps that was the reason he had tanked Artorias’ blow with his body.
Snapping out of her daze, Mistress Aria shook her head helplessly.
Even if she wanted to, there was nothing she could do.
Not that she was leaving his fate to chance.
Glancing down, her eyes caught sight of the figures surrounding him before narrowing onto one.
Sporting long chestnut hair and large brown eyes, draped in a simple white robe.
Amber. Despite still being an E-rank being, she possessed far more vitality and light energy than Aria herself did.
A shocking fact to others.
But not to her. At least, not anymore.
It seemed the young lord’s monstrous talent rubbed off on all those around him.
Or maybe... Mistress Aria smiled.
The younger generation had already surpassed the old.
Whatever the case, she was certain he would be better off in their hands.
