Chapter 438: Points (1/2)
“Supremacy…” Zac mumbled with some helplessness.
At least there was no confusion about what needed to be done this time. It was a Battle Royale. It made Zac remember when he sat wounded and wrung out in the tunnels of his crystal mine, and the quest for the Fruit of Ascension suddenly popped up.
The system had told the inhabitants of the island to fight for supremacy back then as well, and what followed was a bloodbath. This time things were slightly fuzzy though. Was this really a last man standing scenario?
Thankfully it seemed like the system wasn’t done, and a few more lines appeared in front of him.
[Defeating each contestant rewards 1 point, in addition to all accumulated points of the vanquished.]
[Trail ends when 10 contestants remain, or when no combat has taken place for 3 minutes. Avoiding battle for more than 5 minutes counts as forfeiture of climb.]
[Ladder will display the top ten contestants.]
Zac quickly looked around and noticed a huge screen appearing in the sky. It was currently completely blank, but it was no doubt the scoreboard the System mentioned.
At least the System wasn’t so heartless that it would only let one person through. Ten spots being awarded wasn't too bad since he guessed there were roughly 200 platforms in the vast arena. That meant 5% of the people would pass. Those odds didn’t seem too bad considering they were on the last level of the 7th floor, whose guardian would no doubt have been extremely strong.
The question now was what level of power was required to be considered the top 5% in a group like this. He felt pretty confident in himself compared to almost any F-Grade cultivator, but he also knew that he knew nothing of how things worked with B-Grade and higher forces.
Neither did Ogras nor anyone else in the sector it seemed, as the strongest forces were all C-Grade. Perhaps the strongest people would know more, but the things beyond C-Grade might as well be myths for people like him.
Zac immediately tried to figure out a strategy to last as long as possible. Best case scenario he avoided battle altogether as the others fought it out. He would then swoop in and defeat a few warriors and snatch their accumulated points.
But he knew that was probably a pipe dream. He had no ability in stealth, and most of these people no probably had anti-stealth capabilities anyway. Besides, the system clearly disallowed such a tactic with its set of rules. Huddling in a corner might be seen as a sign of weakness as well, prompting him to get attacked.
Should he go the other way and blast his aura to the fullest, drowning his surroundings in his killing intent? No, something like that would probably backfire. They might consider him a raid boss and team up to take him out before turning on each other.
A thought suddenly struck him and he took out a couple of talismans and an Array Disk. He tried activating them one by one but he sighed in relief when none of them worked. Next he took out an amulet, a pretty weak defensive treasure he had snatched during the climb. The amulet immediately created a shimmering shield around him, though it was dimmer compared to the first time he tried it out.
It seemed that the System had enforced certain rules on the floor. Expendable treasures such as talismans, offensive items, and Array Disks had been completely disabled for the Battle Royale. However, real defensive treasures like his robes seemed to work, albeit in a reduced capacity.
Not being able to use any external items might be seen as a detriment, but for Zac that could only be considered a huge boon. He came from a newly integrated planet of a weak sector, and the things he could bring out would probably seem like a joke to most of these people.
Most scions of B-Grade clans would probably be able to beat him to death with their wallets alone, and even if the efficacy was lowered he would be in deep shit if someone took out a bunch of peak-grade arrays. He was pretty confident in the durability of his body, but even he wouldn't survive getting blasted by twenty [Void Balls].
This leveled the playing field somewhat at least and he took a few deep calming breaths as he looked around. All the platforms were full by this point, and the warriors inside essentially stood rooted to their spots as they waited for the timer to hit zero.
The array flashed faster and faster, and suddenly it was just gone, exposing himself and the other warriors. The whole area shuddered as hundreds of immense auras burst out, each one powerful enough to completely steamroll anyone on Earth.
Not even a second passed before blood was spilled, and Zac was already behind in the count before he had even jumped down from the platform. A few had taken the opportunity to launch quick strikes on their neighbors for early points, and the scoreboard had already filled up with ten names.
One warrior after another released their strongest skills and transformed, and everything from tempestuous storms of energy to awe-inspiring avatars started to take form across the arena.
However, one phenomenon reigned supreme, to the point that all battles ground to a halt. Zac was primed to meet any assault, but he couldn't stop looking at the spectacle on the other side of the arena as well.
It was as though a sun had appeared from nowhere as a colossal ball of primordial flames covered an area of hundreds of meters in each direction. Space itself seemed unable to withstand the heat as countless spatial tears were scorched open before they quickly mended again.
Zac had fought various flame-aspected warriors, but nothing he had seen had come close to the heat generated in that globe. The flames contained a boundless fury and scorching heat that threatened everyone in the arena, and Zac’s Danger Sense screamed at him to never cross the woman who sat on top of the sun.
There was no doubt in his mind that the ball contained at least a medium Dao Fragment, but the terrifying fluctuations made Zac believe that the reality was likely far scarier. Perhaps you’d even need Peak Fragment to reach those levels of power.