A Supreme Fighter.
Before this battle, Daneel had asked himself what one who was worthy of holding this title should be able to do.
Was it a Fighter who was able to win all battles?
At least in the Legacy Battle, that was impossible as no Fighter would be able to predict all the variables that he might have to face.
Was it one who would be revered and worshipped by all as the goal to reach?
Such a Fighter would still be crushed if he had to go up against a group of Fighters, or if he faced a freak like Daneel's elder brother who had already crossed most of the boundaries of common sense.
No, in Daneel's view, a Supreme Fighter was one who would be able to adapt to any situation thrown at him in order to accomplish what he wished, even if the World, itself, wanted him to fail.
A Supreme Fighter was one who would be able to take any situation and turn it into one that was favorable to him.
With this in view, he had set out to create subroutine in the system, and when he heard its boot-up sequence, he couldn't help but smile with joy.
[Retrieving technique "Calm Mind". Allows faster processing of information.
Retrieving technique "Boulder Shoulders". Manipulates Energy present in shoulders to harden them.
Retrieving technique "Boundless Might". Allows one to direct force from a stable footing to output maximum power possible.
Adding technique "Invincible Arms". Allows extra amplification to arm strength using this technique to add to the force produced from the previous one.
Retrieving technique "Swift Feet." Allows prolonged/instantaneous acceleration.
Adding to technique "Flow like the Wing." Increases acceleration further.
Retrieving technique "Pillars of Eternal Might" to counter against speed-based foes.
….
….
....
187 techniques retrieved. 78 combinations of techniques created. 54 counter-techniques on standby.
'Supreme Fighter' subroutine activated with base as the 'Extreme' Inheritance. System on standby to deploy technique as required. ]
This…was Daneel's version of a 'Supreme Fighter'.
One who could use and even combine multiple Fighter techniques to handle anything thrown at him.
There were all kinds of combinations that allowed Daneel to output power amplified by multiple levels no matter which body part he used, and there were even counter-techniques which he could use depending on his opponent.
Daneel could bet that no one in history was capable of this, as they would have to train in all these techniques in order to deploy them.
Yet, he had the system which simply needed them in its database for it to let him use them without any hassle.
A typical Fighter would slowly learn the way to manipulate the Energy he absorbs day in and day out that is stored in each and every part of his body in order to exhibit a certain technique.
In Daneel's case, the system would simply do it, and all he needed to do was act accordingly to utilize the technique's power.
The 'Extreme' Inheritance, which allowed him to pull out all of his strength in a burst, was already overbearing enough. So, when other techniques were combined with this as the base to take the already overpowered amplification to new heights…the effect was pretty astonishing.
In essence, he was basically like a carefully designed one-man army who was equipped with each and every weapon necessary to achieve victory.
To test it out, Daneel sent out a single punch to the side.
[3 techniques were combined to output maximum power. Activating 'Extreme' Inheritance. Deactivating 'Extreme' Inheritance.]
BANG!
At the moment the punch ended, a shockwave was sent through the air which cut a tree in half.
"…"
Silence.
Absolute silence appeared in the entire area.
"NOT ONE, BUT TWO WARRIORS CAN OUTPUT CHAMPION LEVEL STRENGTH WHEN THEY ARE JUST FIGHTERS?! AND THEY ARE BOTH FROM THE CENTRAL CONTINENT?? I REFUSE TO BELIEVE THIS! THERE IS SOME KIND OF CHEATING GOING ON! MAYBE THEY ARE CHAMPIONS! OR MAYBE THE PEDESTRALS…"
"Sit."
Unable to take it anymore, a Hero had gotten up to begin this tirade which echoed the thoughts of many, many people around him.
Indeed, to the outside, it looked like Daneel had exhibited power on the Champion level, or at least close to it, with that punch.
After all, if a simple Warrior level Fighter could do something like punching in the air and causing a tree thicker than a man's waist to fall, then wouldn't he be able to easily defeat the Champion level monstrosities from a distance?
It was a fact that Warriors couldn't use ranged attacks without weapons, as at that stage, they were still limited to only utilizing their body to engage in hand to hand combat, if one didn't count anomalies such as Xander who were at the peak Warrior level and hence, were just one step away from becoming Champions.
It took the appearance of the Chief to stop him, and when he sat back down, the Chief spoke up again, saying, "As you can see above us, a fight is soon going to break out between the Head and I and two Heroes from the Church."
Although many had already understood who the enemies might be, the declaration from the Chief still made many gasp and even get fearful expressions on their faces.
Seeing this, the Chief humphed and said, "Angaria has stood for millennia in the control of those whom it gave birth to, and that will continue to be the case no matter how many more years pass. Today, the Head and I will show you why no one needs to be afraid of the Church. Watch, and if you ever wish to reach this level, keep a close eye. As for the battle below…"
Shooting a glance at the battlefield, the Chief continued.
"It will also be enthralling, and I encourage any who can to divert attention to it, too. Especially Warriors- you will see two individuals who have both surpassed their level using different methods. I will not comment on the methods, but suffice it to say that they are ones in our possession, and I will later be explaining to you all how it was made possible. But, for now, just watch, and witness the glory of Angaria."
The Chief was speaking through a clone, and he had made one appear on seeing the uproar on the pavilions. Knowing that it was best to speak to them once and then continue their fight so that they would at least know what they were witnessing, the Chief finished his task and refocused his attention on the spot above the sky where the 4 of them had just exchanged 'welcome' blows.
After that, though, they had paused.
As Heroes, they were capable of diverting their attention to multiple things at the same time due to the incredibly high complexity of their minds.
Hence, they had had an eye on the battlefield, so even they were given pause when they saw the King casually fling an attack that should only have come from a Champion.
After a moment, though, they analyzed what had happened and came up with the answer, and it was this moment that had been used by the Chief to go and give that proclamation.
It was the man in purple priest robes who spoke up first.
"What a pity. It is true that his main path is that of a Mage, but with this much talent, he could have achieved something extraordinary. Yet, he chose to go for momentary strength, instead. Although it is impressive to master so many techniques at once and utilize them together to gather this much strength, there is no way that such a person can actually breakthrough as they have no clear Path. All there is…is a jumble."
The man had spoken out what was on the minds of the Chief and Head.
The King had gone ahead and handpicked several techniques which he had combined to get this result, where he was comparable to a Champion.
His intelligence in being able to make such a combination was extraordinary.
But what was the use?
This kind of power could not be wielded for long by a Warrior, anyway. And later on, if he continued down this path, no matter how many combinations he made, he would never actually be able to break through.
So…they were disappointed, as they expected so much more.
But that didn't mean that they would show it in front of these enemies.
"He doesn't concern you. Your only worry…should be us. Head, you take this shiny guy. I'll go after my old opponent."
As the Chief said this, anger returned to the face of the Hero from the Church, but there was also a smile of expectation on his face.
This time…history would not repeat.
The Head also nodded, as he had understood that the Chief was also giving him an opportunity to cement his position in the minds of those on the High Council.
Sometimes, a direct reminder of one's strength was necessary.
Meanwhile, Daneel was quite happy on seeing the tree fall, too.
His estimations had already allowed him to find out that this would be the result, but it still felt good to see it for himself.
Of course, what felt even better was to see the shocked faces on all the might Heroes, Champions and Warriors on the pavilions above them.
Indeed, the shockwaves from the attack before had shattered the simple opaque sound-blocking formation that had been erected to prevent those in the battlefield from looking out.
So, he could clearly see both the pavilions and the Hero-level standoff above them.
It had been great to hear that tirade, and the shocked discussions that followed, but Daneel had also heard both the proclamation given by the Chief, and the conversation that had gone on above between the Heroes.
Anyone who heard themselves being mocked in that way would have felt worried and insecure, as they would wonder whether it was true that they had gone down the wrong path.
However…these things only gave immense relief to Daneel.
Ah, how good it felt when a plan succeeded right in front of his eyes.
Daneel had never wanted to become the 'target' of all of the Big 4 at this stage, nor had he wanted too much attention that would definitely gather around him if he displayed domineering strength that surpassed his level.
For someone normal, the only solution for something like this would be to conserve their strength and feign weakness.
Only, that was not an option at all for Daneel.
So…after planning for a long time, he had hit upon this method which used existing techniques to give him access to the kind of power that he wanted.
All the fools calling him a fool for choosing this method could never know that he had only taken a few seconds to give the system the instructions that had resulted in this scene.
All he cared about was the end result: he could be as powerful as he wished, he could get what he wanted, and he could escape becoming someone who would be targeted by all who coveted his power.
With everything set in place, Daneel could now fight with abandon.
A pure smile appearing on his face, he said, "All right, let's do this."
At the same moment that another loud peal of thunder sounded above them, Daneel and Elanev leaped forward at the same moment to finally meet in battle.
…
All over the Legacy Battlefield, the monstrosities were stomping around, looking for prey to get their hands on.
Alas, no matter how much they looked, they found no one.
That…was when they all heard a sound of earth-shattering from a specific direction.
Puzzled, the monstrosities began moving in that direction, but when that sound was followed by that of a tree falling, they all understood that that...was where their prey was.
Howling madly, they changed their walk to a run, as they set off like flies attracted to a light in the darkness.
Only…just like those flies which couldn't understand whether they were simply going to a heat source, or to a fire that would burn them, these monstrosities had no idea about the fate that awaited them.