"This is..." Kayn furrowed his brows when he sensed the terrifying pressure that came from the direction of the platform. That aura just now definitely belonged to the master of the Sky Palace, Zushuatri. Kayn knew that there was no reason for Zushuatri to emit such an immense pressure unless... Someone unwelcomed had decided to pay a visit to the Sky Palace!
If that were true, then it would have to be an existence that was at least at the peak of the legendary realm. Otherwise, who could dare invoke such a reaction out of that old man? There was also the fact that Kayn was extremely sensitive to the space around him and could tell when it was being intruded upon. This sense was the reason why Kayn could prevent, predict, and avoid Izroth's sword skills.
Just a few moments ago, there was a massive fluctuation that came from where old man Zushuatri was located. However, what Kayn did not know was that Izroth also noticed that strange fluctuation in the distance.
In Izroth's eyes, there was a massive tear in space that spanned hundreds or possibly thousands of meters that briefly hovered vertically over where the platform should be located. Of course, this was thanks to the Spatial Awareness skill Izroth received back during his time in the Chaotic Dogma Realm. While it only lasted a split second, the amount of concentrated and dense spatial energy being emitted from it was unlike anything Izroth had witnessed before within RML.
'Did that spatial tear have to do with the trembling of the Sky Palace?'
Kayn released a deep sigh as he retracted his aura and folded his arms. He had resumed his normal appearance as when he had first arrived before Izroth.
"I'm afraid I'll have to cut our exchange short and make sure the master of the Sky Palace is alright. Therefore, we'll have to conclude this as a draw. As for the information about the Path of Dragons... You can consider it a gift for me having to take my leave on such short notice. Unfortunately, it will have to wait until the end of the selection. If everything is alright back at the platform, then I shall keep my previous promise at the time of the last relocation." Kayn stated.
To be honest, he was a little disappointed that the match had ended this way. He knew that the chances of someone being able to challenge Zushuatri at his own Sky Palace were minuscule, however, he could not afford to take any risk.
"It is a shame. Though I understand." Izroth responded as he sheathed his Sword of The Storm. Just like Kayn, he was also unsatisfied with the way things ended. He felt that things had just started to get interesting. Not to mention, the progress on his Heavenly Golden Body was at least five times faster than normal when fighting against Kayn. Izroth believed that this was also the reason why he felt as if his reaction time was increasing over the course of the battle.
He then continued, "Since the prince of the Dragon Palace has to take his leave on such an urgent matter, then I won't keep you from it."
After those words left Izroth's mouth, Kayn kicked off the ground as a strong gust of wind pushed out and cleared the surrounding storm from Kayn. In just the blink of an eye, he had completely disappeared from view. It was not that he physically disappeared, just that his current speed was so great that it gave the illusion of him vanishing. He went off in the direction of the platform to take a look at what was going on.
Izroth was not at all surprised by Kayn's fast movement. He knew that Kayn had not been going all out due to the natural gap that currently existed between the two of them. However, after his fight with Kayn, Izroth felt that he still had a long way to go if he wished to claim the number one spot within RML. While most people were focused on becoming the number one among players, Izroth's goal reached far beyond that.
Not only players, Izroth wanted to become the number one existence within all of RML! Netherworld Monarch? The eternal darkness of the Shadahi? Kingdom of Tempest? In his eyes, these were all stepping stones for him to climb even higher.
Most players would believe that Izroth was insane for having such thoughts. After all, it was common that strong NPCs and boss monsters would always be stronger than an individual player. That's why players used the power of numbers to conquer the path before them. It was why they formed parties and guilds to explore and take on the world that presented itself.
Therefore, for someone to say that they wanted to become stronger than an existence capable of commanding countless legendary individuals was laughable at best in the eyes of the public. However, Izroth believed that RML was different in this aspect. There was no clear limit set in place.
Indeed, the system may set certain restrictions or not allow a specific action if the player lacked the necessary skill to perform it, but it acted more as a safety measure than anything else. The system is similar to the restrictions the human body places upon itself to prevent one from self-harm by overexerting themselves.
A great example of this is when Izroth used an Element Fusion, but lacked the proper mana to perform it. If it had been any other player, they would have either died from the backlash or the system would have stopped the action since it knew the player would be unable to handle it.
Izroth, on the other hand, possessed the skill Breaker of Limits. While the description of the skill itself was vague, it allowed him to bypass the majority of these limits put onto players by the system. It was why he could perform an Element Fusion by directly using the life force of his body which would be his HP in this case.
Of course, this was a double-edged sword. If Izroth forced it too much, then it was possible that it could backfire on him. One had to know their own limits and what they are capable of, as well as, incapable of handling. If one did not know themselves, how could they ever hope to reach even greater heights?
'Right now, I'm confident that there's no player within all of RML who can match me in a one on one battle. But, it's still too difficult to say if I can directly confront a top guild like Cross Haven alone head-on, let alone the entire Netherworld.'
In the end, Izroth was one player and things such as cooldowns were an issue. Not only that but if multiple people possessed area of effect crowd control skills or someone had a unique class with a skill to interrupt his movements, then it was game over. Unlike warriors and fighters, Izroth did not possess a move that allowed him to break free from crowd control. Even if he did, there was no guarantee that he would not immediately be struck again by different crowd control.
The teamwork and gaming experience of a guild like Cross Haven was not to be underestimated. Their players had an abundance of experience and their guild focused on quality over quantity. Also, with their resources and player network, who knew what kind of secret hidden items they were saving as trump cards? If he could not face a top guild like Cross Haven alone head-on, how could he possibly face the equivalent of another kingdom's Crimson Corps Guard or the Netherworld?
Although Izroth had defeated Roudin, that did not mean he was necessarily more powerful than him. Actually, in terms of overall strength, Roudin was leagues above Izroth. Could Izroth summon down a small mountain and cause tsunamis to rise up across the Boundless Sea? With his current strength, he understood that it was impossible.
If Roudin had not gotten so careless by letting his guard down and underestimating him, then that fight would have been many times more difficult and challenging than it already was.
'Domain... I believe that this is the key to unlocking a greater power within RML. I'll have to see if I can get that guy to divulge the secret to obtaining one. If I have both a Source and Domain, then...'
Izroth already possessed a Source that set him apart from other players. He believed that if he was able to acquire a Domain, then it may... No, it would definitely be possible for him to confront a huge number of skilled enemies at once. Though this was mostly based on his gut feeling and pure speculation. But, how often had his gut feeling misled him?
'I'm still lacking in many areas, however, I will not let this be my limit.'
Izroth sat down in a meditative position with his eyes closed as he focused on performing the Source Chant. Immediately after doing so, he felt as if a cool and refreshing spring was running throughout his body.
'How refreshing... My Essence is flowing more smoothly and this basic Source Chant alone has already tripled in its efficiency. Is this the doing of that guy?'
Izroth thought back to when Kayn released that immense aura and pressure to unlock one of the seals on his Seal of Ten Chakrams, as well as, purify his Essence. He did not feel any different than before in terms of combat prowess, however, he could clearly feel a difference now that he was using the Source Chant. His speed in gathering Essence had tripled! Not only that, but even his Essence regeneration had increased to a new level!
After his brief exchange with Kayn, Izroth concentrated on regaining his lost Essence. There was no longer anyone else within the Untamed Land Storms who dared to approach Izroth while he was meditating. While they were tempted by the points, they would be fighting against someone who managed to survive a battle against the third young master of the Dragon Palace!
Originally, everyone believed that Izroth just got lucky and managed to sneak attack an already weakened individual who had a lot of points. But now, they truly understood that the difference between them and Izroth was similar to that of those other five monsters that were competing. He was not a wolf in sheep's clothing, but a tiger in wolf's clothing!
...
Izroth slowly opened his eyes and stood to his feet after he received an alert from the system about the final relocation that was about to take place. At the moment, his rank had dropped back down to 4th place, however, it remained steady at that placement.
'Is he returning?'
There were only around 20 seconds remaining until the final relocation took place and Kayn had yet to return after leaving towards the platform. Could something bad really have happened to the master of the Sky Palace, Zushuatri?
However, just as that thought crossed Izroth's mind, a meteor covered in sun-colored flames descended from the sky and landed not too far away from Izroth. Of course, it was not an actual meteor, but Kayn that had just returned to the Untamed Land Storms.
"I had already given thought that you would not show up." Izroth said.
"How could I miss such an interesting thing?" Kayn replied. When he went to check on Zushuatri, he instantly discovered that he was alright. But, that usually peaceful old man threw a fit and complained about him breaking the rules. Therefore, Kayn had to stay there longer than expected and smooth things over. In the end, he was a guest at the Sky Palace and would not make things too difficult for Zushuatri. Of course, he still got away at the first chance possible.
"Then, are you ready?" Kayn asked.
"Lead the way." Izroth responded with a carefree expression on his face and without hesitation. A few moments later, two magic circles appeared around him, however, Kayn tapped his finger lightly against both magic circles as they were instantly shattered apart! He had effortlessly prevented the forced relocation!
'He forcibly canceled two advanced magic circles with such ease.'
"It may be a bumpy ride, but don't hold on tight. I'm not a fan of being clung to by men." Kayn said. All of a sudden, he grabbed the back of Izroth's collar and kicked off the ground as he soared into the sky.
'This mode of transportation is a bit...'
Izroth had a blank look on his face as he was transported by Kayn in a crude manner. As the number one cultivator in the Seven Realms, Izroth had ridden true dragons and phoenixes to level sects to dust, carved stars into grand chariots to charge into battle, snapped a branch from the world heavenly tree to build a ship that could transverse the Seven Realms! Now... He was actually being transported in such an unrefined manner. Others within the Seven Realms would not believe it even if it happened right before their own eyes!
"What? Are you disappointed I didn't take on my dragon form to take you there? If I did that, it'd draw too much attention, so you'll just have to settle with this method." Kayn stated with a grin on his face. His eyes scanned over the regions of Sky Palace before stopping on a spot in the Living Forests. He then sped off towards that direction as he phased through the Limit Zone and the barrier that separated each region.