Chapter 523

Aranor Starfury P.O.V.

It took a lot for me to remain calm. [Telekinesis] is among the most dangerous Skills ever encountered. At the high end of dungeon delving it alone is suspected of being responsible for one third of dungeon breaks simply because of how powerless casters are against it. Even knowing that I would have no problem killing Ajax as he is now it unsettles me to know the reverse is also true if I stand close enough to him and he takes me by surprise.

Most dangerous of all however is that Ajax is a hybrid fighter. Every time we had encountered [Telekinesis] before in the dungeon or outside of it the creature possessing it was a mage. Ajax’s speed, combined with his Shadow spells would make him a true terror on any battlefield

“Well that was a surprise.” Rex says from beside me.

“You didn’t know?” I arch an eyebrow to show my skepticism. 

“That we had a future pinnacle?” the man huffs as he says it. “Nope can’t say that I did.” 

It was only now that he said it that I realized it. A pinnacle, it had been so long since the last one died, I was young back then barely a hundred years old. A champion that stands unmatched by the other champions, able to not just match them but kill any of them in single combat quickly. 

Most pinnacle champions end up being hybrid fighters that split their Stats between physical and mental. This might seem odd since by being a hybrid most people give up on the upfront power of a mage or the extended tenacity of a physical fighter. The last pinnacle was a dwarf from Highmountain, it was a testament of how old I am to have lived at the same time as two different pinnacles. He had been a specialized physical fighter killer with a Legendary Skill [Compound Strikes] able to deal more and more damage to the same point with every hit. About fifty years before his death however he had gained another Legendary Skill [True Mana Strike] allowing him to direct his attacks at a spell’s structure, breaking it and the spell. 

It was the combination of the two skills on top of his otherwise champion level combat ability that made it so two champions were required to even stand up against him for any reasonable length of time. Now Ajax might not yet have the Stats and combat power of a champion but between his [Void Aspect Mana] and now [Telekinesis] he has a way to quickly put down both a physical fighter or a mage. 

“It’s a good thing we lost all those duels yesterday.” Rex continues. “That will help balance out this news.” 

“If this was supposed to be some show of force to make up for that he overshot” I answer in a deadpan tone. “By a lot.” 

“This was not the plan.” Rex shook his head before nodding towards Ajax and Xavier who were talking. “The initial plan was to have Ajax fight two against one. The plan quickly fell apart once they tried to harm his nephew.” 

I forced myself to pay attention to what the young nobles were doing, my friend and king would need to know about Ajax’s new development but there was nothing I could do about that. Instead I had a job to do here. 

“I’d like to see you back up those words!” Cal shouted at Fealin.” I demand a duel.” 

There was no clear provocation. It seemed obvious to everyone that Cal was floundering and looking for a way to repair his House’s reputation after Helmeth’s loss. From the way Fealin took a moment to respond this was clearly not going according to his plans. 

“That was quite the duel.” Clark said as he and Lancel joined me and Rex. Much like most other champions Clark didn’t seem to share the same supremacist view that most imperial nobles held.

“You don’t seem that worried about an imperial ducal House offending Duke Hearthbound.” I point out. 

“I’m sad to say that we were not just prepared for that to happen but even expecting it, it was more a question of when not if.” Clark sighed. “The duel does mean that even the biggest of the apology gifts the emperor sent with his grandchildren might not be enough of an apology however and they will most likely add something else on top of it.” 

The conversation for the four of us ended there. We all had a job to do here and it was to look out for the young nobles. It was interesting to see that despite Cal’s actions following his brother’s loss the rest of the nobles did not follow in his footsteps. 

Unlike yesterday’s duels the rest of the duels requested today were not outraged challenges but instead polite requests that followed the example Ajax’s brother and Lady Deeproot set. I would have liked to watch the polite and even groundbreaking interactions between imperial nobles and elves continue but I noticed Xavier and Arianwyn slip away from the rest as everyone was mingling waiting for the next duel. 

“So what is it that you want to share?” Arianwyn asked after setting up a privacy bubble. 

It was just me, her Xavier and Rex in that could hear now yet despite that Xavier still took a look around to make sure there wasn’t someone else that could maybe pierce the bubble. 

“It’s something my father wanted to share with your father.” Xavier answered. “Initially the plan was to tell you this right before you left for Sylvanthal but I think he’ll agree it's better to do it now considering Ajax’s recent showing. No doubt you’ll be sending the news as soon as you can so you might as well share all this at the same time.” 

“You think it’s as impactful as him having [Telekinesis]?” I can’t help the incredulity in my tone. Does he not realize what that Skill means combined with Ajax’s build. 

“Yes.” It’s not Xavier that answers my question but Rex, he can clearly see both Arianwyn and I are questioning this so he just turns to Xavier. “Tell them.” 

Xavier takes a deep breath before speaking. “Ajax is an Ascended human...” I feel my mind flow away as I try to process the words coming from the young prince, it’s like I’m listening from deep underwater as he explains the process of how humanoids can evolve their race, the boons that come from it as we as the Achievements that can be gained.

“That’s what I felt in his Aura.” Arianwyn exclaims once Xavier stops speaking and that is enough to pull my mind back into the present. “The overwhelming presence that made me feel inferior.” 

“Yes.” Xavier nodded. “He mostly has it suppressed, part of his Aura training, but as you saw he was very angry and his control slipped when his nephew got hurt.” 

In an odd twist of events Xavier sharing that information now is crucial. No doubt Arianwyn’s visit to other countries would be sped up to help her clear as many floors as she can before she levels any further. It’s a bit sad to see that her leveling will be actively restrained to keep her eligible for as many floors as possible.

Even more concerning however is Ajax’s leveling speed. It was already a foregone conclusion that he was not only going to reach the level of a champion in a few decades but with the experience increase and the addition of [Telekinesis] that timeline has been cut down to a single decade.

“That… that’s big.” Arinawyn seems at a loss as she processes everything. 

“That’s not all.” Xavier’s next words aren’t as impactful, but are still something we very much have to consider. “We confirmed that Ajax can help others get the boon for killing a floor boss twice your level in a group.”

“Do you know what he might want in exchange for helping some of our promising youth get the boon?” I ask, choosing to focus on the smaller revelation as my subconscious is still trying to comprehend Ajax being an Ascended being.

“Hard to know what Ajax might want.” Xavier shows his palms in surrender at the question. “He has access to a lot of things just by going to the dungeon to get them. One thing however I am sure he will want is repeated access to dungeons for his family.” 

With that we return back to the arena stands. We get some odd looks, others clearly notice us slipping away and they are wondering why but I am confident that not a single one of them is even close to guessing the correct reason.

This is too much information all at once. I need to calm down and then think over everything I found out in the last hour to process it properly. I instead choose to focus on Ajax’s brother and Leandra who are standing opposite one another in the arena.