It had always been weird as to why Ryan didn’t have the [Strongest of the Fifth Realm] title already. The [Dread Phantom] had received it imdiately after leaving the safety zone in the third realm so why hadn’t he received it when he had entered Sector Five?
Well, the answer was simple.
The Trial System questioned whether Ryan truly was the strongest adventurer in the fifth realm.
It ant that there was soone out there that had the potential to beat him.
In this case, it was [The Knight], Luneia. Soone who had been in the fifth realm for nearly two decades.
There were always adventurers that seemingly stopped at a realm for one reason or another. While they often gave excuses like wanting to retire or having found other pursuits, they often didn’t fit their personalities.
So people accused them of trying to hoard the bounty of leveled zone for themselves. That didn’t hold up to scrutiny for Luneia when Sector Eight was the best place for riches.
Those people didn’t know the truth. It was likely that many of the powerful adventurers that stopped at weird realm grades were Fallen.
Like [The Knight] before him, Luneia.
One look at her sapphire encrusted armor showed you exactly who her idol had been. Having risen up during the heroic generation, Luneia was the picturesque definition of a shining [Knight] that would stand against it all. A lance was better against monsters as opposed to Seffara’s battleaxe.
Luneia was an upstanding woman that had won the fourther tourney and was expected to beco a dragonslayer.
She scratched her head, realizing she’d given away her Fallen status.
“Ach, they don’t tell anything. So you really are a project of the Witch Tyrant, huh?”
Ryan spread his arms and gave her a grin.
“A project that’s ended up with her getting punched in the face. That wasn’t part of her plans, I can assure you of that.”
[The Knight] whistled. “Impressive, though I think I’ve actually heard of that one before.”
“Really?”
“Yeah, people say shit like that before they realize they were stuck in the Witch Tyrant’s web all along.”
Ryan considered this and then shrugged.
“Well, if that’s true, then that’s fine too. After all, I’m just a silly little [Rogue] adventurer trying to do what he thinks is right.”
He gave her a grin. Ryan had that now, a quiet confidence in knowing what he wanted and not letting the Witch Tyrant
Luneia nodded at that. “Then I hope you’re not on your last life because I’m not planning on holding back, no point in it otherwise.”
[The Knight] readied her shield and lance. A sturdy presence filled the outpost as Ryan felt his [Dangersense] ring.
“I hope you’re ready.”
Ryan took out his shattersword and grinned.
——
Sector Ten
Pinkie dashed forward without shattering the ground. She threw two light jabs while sweeping her tail forward in an attempt to pull the legs out of her opponent.
The Passive Tyrant used one of her palms to block both jabs and then kicked the tail lightly as it passed. All the bones were pulverized on impact.
“Not bad, but a little too slow on the sweep. Either go slower on the jabs or add so more fast twitch fibers on the tail. Where’s your wings? You were better coordinated with them than without.”
Pinkie growled as massive draconic wings burst out from her back.
The worst part was that the Passive Tyrant was right.
Pinkie was so used to fighting in her draconic form that any form she fought in needed wings to bring out proper balance. The Passive Tyrant could tell her body better than she could with just a glance.
Embarrassing for a [Shapeshifter], less so considering she was up against the Passive Tyrant.
The [Mystical Shapeshifter] wasn’t trying to fight like an ordinary humanoid. She wasn’t even bringing out the partial transformation of the Passive Tyrant. No, Pinkie wanted to get the ntality down first.
She was going further than anybody could have ever dread, not just the muscles and bone or blood but the neurons as well. Burning out the fear receptors and pushing adrenaline and hormones so it would more align with the way the Passive Tyrant saw and reacted to the world.
Her eyes dilated at the challenge. Even if the Witch Tyrant descended right now she would try to punch her first.
Imagine this, an immovable wall was coming right at you. Logically, you knew you should get out of the way or run.
But what if you were stupid enough to believe you could smash through it and win?
That was the Passive Tyrant. That was the ntality she was trying to rewire her own brain to match.
The madness of a Mystical Shapeshifter wanting to copy the greatest creature in The Realm. It would copy everything until everything the Passive Tyrant had was its.
First the ntality.
And what wall was greater than the Passive Tyrant herself?
Pinkie’s tail full of flat spikes dug into the ground beneath the Passive Tyrant—and threw it up.
The ground itself was thrown into the air—the Passive Tyrant included. Pinkie took flight.
Aerial maneuverability was one of her aces. She flew around dizzyingly around her prey, no, her opponent. She breathed lightning.
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The Passive Tyrant stood still amidst the pink lightning that would cook dragonslayers alive and just shook her head. She took a step—
And Pinkie barely snapped back in ti to dodge the fist that would have collapsed her entire torso whole. Pinkie’s fist extended, like so sinuous snake that was snapping up to bite.
The Passive Tyrant blocked it with her arm then kicked the tail that was sweeping up from below, shattering Pinkie’s tailspikes.
The Passive Tyrant stood on air like it was solid ground. She nodded appreciatively.
“Better. But your dragonbreath isn’t half as strong as it could be. Are you sure you’ve copied the right storm dragon? If you’ve moved the mana sac sowhere other than your upper chest it’s going to be inefficient.”
This ti, Pinkie growled in annoyance. “Noted.”
Believe it or not, this was the Passive Tyrant. She would actually give good advice and could be an excellent teacher if she tried. She didn’t do this to just adventurers either but to monsters as well. Her instincts stretched to more than just humanoid biology.
It took Pinkie too long to realize that was the answer to her question.
Why did the Passive Tyrant despise killing those weaker than her?
It was simple. The Passive Tyrant was sowing the seeds for future challenges. Because deep down, the Passive Tyrant understood that once she was stronger than everyone else, her own growth would be slower.
So, understanding this, she went around teaching creatures with high potential.
All so one day soone or sothing might rise to match her.
Pinkie had witnessed the Passive Tyrant harassing the most powerful of monsters multiple tis already. It had taken too long for her to understand the why of it because
If Pinkie had t a certain one-eyed [Mage], she might have found out that the Passive Tyrant was not alone in her actions either. One-Eyed Rick had co to a similar conclusion as he realized the depths of magic would take too long to understand by himself.
Pinkie changed the contour of her wings to make her movents more erratic, she summoned four lances of thunderous mana that she wielded with four arms.
“I think two lanes would be better for you in the long run. Honestly ignore the lances and use that snapping snake strike again. That would be more effective here!”
The worst part was that the Passive Tyrant was probably right again.
——
Decades ago, in the fields of Sector Three.
“No, no, you’ve got damned strong joints, I think you could do a spinning hip check. Wait, hold on.”
The juvenile amperdon bucked its legs in a panic, being held in a bear grip by a tiny human. She slamd the multiple ton creature on the ground, blunting the sharp leaves on her skin.
‘Try it again!’
It had no choice but to try as this weird humanoid thingy tried to make it do so crazy move that no other amperdon had ever done before.
‘Oh shoot, sorry didn’t think your leg would snap. Here I’ve got a potion. Let’s try it again, slower this ti.’
The Passive Tyrant spun around and hip checked the amperdon, making it go tumbling into the ground.
——
Decades ago, digging around in Sector Four.
“No you angry idiot, curl. You have so many muscles and you’re using none of it. Ugh insects… how do I communicate… wait I got it.”
She punched the ground, shaking it and started roaring at them..
The bullipede nest exploded out and fled. She found the most talented one and kicked it around repeatedly until it started moving faster.
“That’s it! Again! Again! Faster or I’m having you all for dinner!”
——
… If martial artists on Earth had once honed their skills through watching beasts… then it could be said that apex monsters of The Realm had their abilities honed because they’d been bullied by the Passive Tyrant.
If there was a monster with a weird move, it was very likely the Passive Tyrant had taught it.
…It also ant that the Passive Tyrant was the greatest source of indirect adventurer deaths in The Realm. Even if you included the Witch Tyrant’s madness in the past two decades it still didn’t co close.
Teaching Pinkie was perhaps going to be the pri example of the Passive Tyrant’s careless behavior.
The [Mystical Shapeshifter] had four arms that were hovering around like snakes. The ends each into outstretched draconic claws. They ca to bite at the tiny figure in the air.
The Passive Tyrant had to actually raise her arm to block one, then she did a light jab and pulverized another claw—she pulled her left leg up to kick another and—while she was getting ready to sidestep the fourth, the first claw split around the blocking arm and caught the Passive Tyrant off guard.
She ducked, kicked and punched the others away to give herself more room but the claw had been right in her face and she hadn’t noticed the change quick enough.
One of the split claws grazed her shoulder, taking a small bit of skin and flesh with it.
A small scratch for a dragonslayer, but blood did start to trickle down her arm.
Both Pinkie and Passive Tyrant stopped to stare at the wound.
Pinkie imdiately absorbed the claw that had cut the Tyrant back into her body. Taking in the small amounts of skin and blood and combining it with the other parts of the Passive Tyrant she had picked up from the ground.
None had been as effective as this. It was as if the Passive Tyrant’s DNA itself demanded that you claim it through combat first.
Pinkie shuddered as she absorbed the mass of information that had been contained in that fragnt of the Witch Tyrant.
The Passive Tyrant looked up from her wound and started to reassess the [Mystical Shapeshifter] in front of her.
Pinkie gave her a grin back. No more fear, only a beast looking at her prey. A perfect mirror of the Passive Tyrant’s grin from earlier.
“Don’t worry, I’ll give you the fight you’ve been looking for.”
——
Sector Five
Ryan opened with a slash, his blade expanded in full. It collided with the shield of [The Knight] as she tried to stab him with her lance. He tried to use his palm to shove it away but found that his opponent was stronger than he was. Though not enough that [The Knight] could just sweep his grip aside.
Both of them blinked.
“You’re a tough one, ain’t ya?”
“I was about to say the sa thing.”
She pulled the lance out of his grip, then raised it in the air.
“Didn’t you say you were a [Rogue]?”
“I am, but did you really expect the whole truth from a [Rogue]?”
“Fiend!”
She turned around and swept the lance down to crush his side. Ryan leapt back and spun his sword back around and she raised her lance to block—and there Ryan felt it again. A force that made him feel weaker than he should have been.
Another aura, standing firm.
What?
“Oof, that’s a hefty aura for soone so small.”
“You’re shorter than I am.”
“Yeah but I’ve lifted more weights than you.”
“What does that have to—”
As demonstration, she launched him away with a sweep of her lance. Ryan flew back, skidding on the ground. She stepped forth, looking down on him now. Her silver white aura blazing forth, smaller than his, but no less lacking in quality.
Ryan scoffed. “A literal white knight.”
“Heard that ans sothing different in your generation. A sha.”
He grinned as he took out the knives from his belt.
He covered them in aura as he launched himself, circling [The Knight] at speed as she kept her lance and shield up.
She was a Fallen and he didn’t need to hold back. This was soone he could truly go all out against and not worry about them dying. He pushed his limit, using his aura to boost himself in speed and minimizing external aura.
Continuous sonic booms battered the outpost as he closed the circle. When he got close—[The Knight] charged forwards. A mad dash with surprising speed to smash through his montum.
Ryan threw his knives and two of them shattered on her shield and the other one shattered on her helt.
Once again, his aura doing nothing.
He dodged the lance strike with ease and—
“[Pivot Charge]”
The world suddenly twisted so that [The Knight] was facing towards him. No stopping or changing of montum like a normal [Pivot Charge] skill. But it was as if sothing had stopped ti, picked up the [Knight] and turned her around to charge at him.
It was too close.
[Instant Dodge]
Ryan’s body jerked back as the lance almost went through his torso. He jumped and hopped backwards, completely unnerved by what had happened.
“What the hell? That’s not a [Pivot Charge].”
Luneia ca to a skidding stop and lifted her visor up to smile at him.
“Are you sure about that? I am a bad liar after all.”
His first thought was that [The Knight] had faked her skillset to the world, then he rembered there were videos of he using her skills online. It really only left two other options. Both incredibly rare but ones he had experience with.
“Either you’re not a fifth realm anymore or you’ve upgraded your skill into an Epic on your own.”
[Pivot Charge] was an Uncommon skill. It was the sa rarity as [Instant Dodge] and his skill couldn’t just displace himself from the world like she had.
“Wrong on both.” [The Knight] laughed. “I think I know why the Witch sent after you. You have a lot of crazy skills, with no real depth in any of them. I guess I’m the one that’s going to have to show you what you’re missing out on.”
Luneia then threw off her helt and dropped her shield, then shouted out her skill like an idiot.
“[Reckless Charge]!”
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