Gork had warned about their numbers back at the clan, so I was not surprised, nor concerned.
Because among all of them, the most powerful one stood directly in front of .
I continued staring at the number hovering in my vision and among them, one stood out imdiately.
He was robed differently from the others, layered cloth hanging loose rather than fitted armor, bone charms and carved totems dangling from his waist. The faint glow around his hands and the way others positioned themselves slightly behind him made it obvious.
A shaman.
My mind imdiately calculated the potential. If I eliminated him and obtained a shaman-type skill, it would be sothing I could share with Narg back ho.
I was already considering the order in which to dismantle them when Caius’ voice cut through the noise.
"Stay back, all of you! This is a battle between two chiefs."
The command carried authority, and the reinforcents halted almost instinctively.
I blinked once.
"Oh," I said, genuinely surprised. "You might be the first person to acknowledge since I’ve arrived in this world."
Caius narrowed his brow slightly.
"You speak like you haven’t been here long."
"It’s barely been a week," I replied casually.
For the first ti since stepping out, his composure slipped.
Not dramatically—but enough. His golden eyes studied more closely now, recalculating.
Then, just as quickly, he regained control of his expression.
"Chief," Drel called out, clearly uneasy with the situation.
Caius shot him a sharp look.
"Didn’t you hear what I said?"
Drel stiffened and imdiately stepped back.
The other reinforcents followed suit, retreating to create distance, though none of them left entirely. They remained at the periter, weapons ready, but no longer advancing.
Within monts, the space between us cleared.
Just the two of us remained at the center of the wall, smoke still faintly lingering in the air.
"You should’ve let him join if he wanted to," I chid in casually. "In fact, all your Chosen can join in if they want. I don’t mind."
Caius smiled faintly at that.
He understood exactly what I was doing.
"I hope you realize how important people like us are in the King’s Gas," he said calmly. "If you do, then you wouldn’t casually strip away their abilities for the sake of personal greed, would you?"
"You’re right," I admitted without hesitation.
There was no point pretending otherwise.
One of the conditions to officially qualify for the King’s Gas was to have five or more Chosen within my clan. At the mont, I only had three—Gork, Talia, and Nira. I needed at least two more to et that requirent.
If I killed every Chosen I encountered, I would sabotage my own eligibility.
There was, of course, other requirent to et. Like defeating a current competitor who had already secured a slot in the Gas.
In my opinion, that condition was the more difficult one. The individuals who had already qualified were not weak. They were, by definition, dangerous.
But if I managed to clear that requirent, the rest would fall into place. Strength attracted allegiance. Power created opportunity.
If I demonstrated overwhelming dominance, others would align willingly rather than be forced.
So instead of attacking imdiately, I made an offer.
"I’ll honor your request for a one-on-one," I said evenly. "And I’ll make one in return."
Caius’ golden eyes did not leave mine.
"Pledge loyalty," I continued, "and let take your life. When your Graveyard brings you back, you swear allegiance. With at the head, we take on the King’s Ga together as a clan."
I did not say it mockingly.
I said it seriously.
But Caius barely reacted to the suggestion I had made. If anything, his expression only grew colder.
"You do realize that what you’ve done can only be settled with one of us losing our life, right?"
"What you’ve done?" I repeated, feigning confusion. "What exactly have I done?"
Caius’ brow furrowed, not in doubt, but in controlled irritation.
"Two of my Chosen are dead," he said. "Along with multiple regulars."
"Oh..." I tilted my head slightly. "That’s no big deal, is it?"
The air shifted slightly at that.
"No big deal..." he echoed, exhaling slowly. "The way you speak as if their deaths are of no importance... that pisses off."
"Don’t be so sentintal, Caius," I said, shrugging again. "You have a Graveyard, do you not?"
"And their abilities?" he pressed.
"You can always give them new ones, couldn’t you?" I replied.
That made him pause.
His brows creased slightly in confusion as he studied more closely.
"What are you talking about?" he asked.
I froze.
He doesn’t know about [Skill Share].
That alone told everything I needed to know.
The ability to share the skills I possess... that wasn’t common. It wasn’t standard. It wasn’t so widely accessible system chanic.
It was mine.
A perk unique to .
"Forget about it," I said quickly, waving it off as though it were insignificant. "Let’s just settle this quickly. Ti is of the essence, after all."
I shifted the topic deliberately.
But Caius was not slow.
"You can share abilities?" he asked calmly.
I didn’t answer.
And that was answer enough.
"Your reaction tells that’s right," he continued, studying with those faintly glowing golden eyes.
Then, after a brief pause, he asked:
"Is that your innate skill?"
I didn’t respond.
I couldn’t.
If I denied it too strongly, I would confirm it. If I admitted it, I would expose too much.
"It doesn’t seem like it," he added thoughtfully.
That line unsettled more than the question itself.
This was supposed to be a secret. A leverage point. Sothing I controlled.
And I had just let it slip.
Granted, I had wanted to know whether it was exclusive to or sothing others could do, but that didn’t change the fact that I had exposed a critical advantage in the middle of a negotiation.
"No matter," he said at last, abandoning the line of questioning. "I’ll find out anyway when you fall."
"You’re quite arrogant," I replied.
"Charcoal calling kettle black."
"Pardon?"
"To attack a fortified clan alone and so brazenly at that," he said evenly. "You must either be a fool... or your power is beyond comprehension."
There was no mockery in his tone.
Only assessnt.
"Well," I said, lowering my center of gravity slightly and settling into a stance, "we’ll see, won’t we?"
Outwardly, I remained relaxed.
Internally, my caution rose.
There was sothing about Caius that unsettled —not fear, not exactly, but awareness. He did not react impulsively. He did not rage when provoked. He did not chase pride at the expense of logic. Every movent he had made so far had been asured.
Opponents like that were difficult.
Not because they were unpredictable.
But because they were disciplined.
They did not make obvious mistakes.
And that ant defeating them required precision.
Still... this was the kind of challenge I had co for.
I did not invade this settlent to walk away from a worthy opponent.
"I suppose we should begin," I said.
"Right," he replied. "But be warned."
The air shifted.
Energy began to flow from him—not violently, but steadily. It spread outward in a controlled pulse that extended across the stone beneath our feet and into the surrounding space. The atmosphere grew heavier, not crushing, but authoritative.
"What you’re about to witness," he continued, "is unlike anything you’ve experience before."
I exhaled slowly, steadying my breathing.
"Bring it."
Then he spoke.
"Sovereign Subjugation."
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