Chapter 31: The Sovereign's Path
The heavy iron door was hut behind me. The warmth of the pep room was filled with silence. My mind was repeating the horrors of the scenes I had seen in the last match. There was only the long, cold stone tunnel which lead to the Arena. I could hear the roar of the crowd who was hungry for some action.
Was I afraid? Maybe. Do I have a plan? Maybe, I do.
I was alone.
But as I took my first step, the world didn't feel as oppressive as it should have. My 55 Agility wasn't just a number on a screen. It felt dynamic as I could feel my perception rewritten. The frantic, echoing footsteps of the people could be felt to move in slow motion. The world had slowed down, and my mind was racing to make a plan for the next match.
i called for the System. A translucent blue screen flickered in my vision.
Available LP: 600
Time to make a statement. I wasn't just a goblin with a strong right arm anymore. I was a leader. A Sovereign. My power had to reflect that. My fingers were moving with impossible speed. They danced through the glowing menus.
[Confirm Purchase: Sovereign's Chain? - 400 LP]
[Description: The mana signatures of your squad members will be binded to your own. Your physical strikes will carry a fraction of their power. Your mind is braced by their collective will.]
YES.
My LP drained away, and a new sensation bloomed in my chest. I could feel my core humming with resonance and surprisingly it was not just my core. I was able to feel the resonance among all of our cores. Nyssa's sharp, analytical buzz. Rolf's deep, earthy thrum. Kaelith's cold, silent hum. They were with me. I was their weapon, and they were my shield.
Available LP: 200
But a shield wouldn't be enough. Kael the Soulless was a walking cataclysm. I needed more. I needed to break my own limits. I scrolled down, past the safe skills, past the predictable upgrades, to the high-risk, high-reward section. There it was.
[Confirm Purchase: Core Overclock? - 200 LP]
Warning: Puts extreme strain on the user's core. Doubles all physical stats for 60 seconds. Cooldown: 24 hours. Potential for permanent core degradation on repeated use.
YES.
The final 200 LP vanished. A new, dangerous energy coiled in my gut, a dormant serpent waiting for the signal to strike. One minute. That's all I would get. It would have to be enough.
The System notifications blinked out, and I stepped from the tunnel into the Apex Arena.
My breath caught. The swamp and the Volcanic Caldera was all gone. We stood on a vast, circular plane, which was pure white marble. But it felt weird. It felt alive. As I kept my foot on it, the marble trembled. It recognized my existence. The thin, vibrant moss sprouted in my footprints, and delicate, glowing vines crept across the cracks and reached me. It felt like the arena itself was choosing a side.
Twenty yards away, Kael the Soulless was waiting. His existence itself felt like death waiting to be served. The white marble beneath his feet crumbled. It crumbled into fine, grey ash. It was a circle of absolute desolation that expanded with every breath he took. He repelled life itself. He was complete opposite of me. The arena itself was screaming at the repulsion of two opposing powers.
As I approached him, I could see his eyes burning with blue flames. They contained emotion. An emotion of contempt. He did not see me as a rival. he did not see me as an opponent. All he saw was a pest to be squashed.
His voice felt as if the prince of Death was speaking. "Submit."
That single word was enough to shake me to my core. But I held on. I could not let my resolve waver. I activated the Sovereign's Chain and connect myself with the resonance of my teammates.
A grin, sharp and full of teeth, spread across my face. "Did you say submit?" I laughed, faking it. I tried to sound confident and taunt him. "Try a word with more than two syllables next time, you glorified tin can."
Kael the Soulless tilted his head, the motion unnervingly smooth. "Your arrogance is a fleeting comfort. I will enjoy peeling it from your bones."
"You can try," I shot back, my voice dripping with condescension. "Bet you cannot do that on your own. You would need a set of instructions to just work properly. You would need a team of elite mages to figure out how to tie your shoe laces." At this point, I was spitting words.
Arch-Lich Malacor's voice boomed which was laced with ancient, chilling amusement. This skull head was enjoying the situation. "The final duel for the Apex Crown begins. Prove your worth."
Kael the Soulless raised his Soul-Reaver. The black metal seemed to drink the very light from the arena. He took his first step.
BOOM.
It felt like a bomb exploded at his feet. He exploded with maximum speed. The marble beneath his feet crack under his boot. It detonated creating a crater of grey dust.
I didn't flinch. I just grinned wider and sank into a stance, the coiled serpent in my core beginning to stir.
"Let's dance, you oversized paperweight."
[Core Overclock: Activated]