There were some participants who were unable to hold up under the immense pressure and damage generated by the Great Storm. As for those who were exceedingly agile or sturdy, Izroth took good advantage of their caution and exploited any weak point they revealed in their defenses.
Whenever anyone tried to retaliate, they were stricken by the Great Storm. However, if they failed to concentrate on the Great Storm, then they were mercilessly cut down by Izroth's perfectly timed attacks. For the participants caught within this loophole of a seemingly endless cycle of death, it was a nightmare!
Woosh!
Izroth swept his Sword of The Storm across the neck of one of the participants. There was not much time remaining until the Great Storm skill he used was over, therefore, he wanted to eliminate as many individuals as possible before it ended.
'There are still other participants in the region who have yet to make their move. I can't afford to use the First State: Heavenly Descent or Flickering Steps here, otherwise, I'll be at an immediate disadvantage if I were to run into one of Zushuatri's students or someone like Roudin.'
Unlike the participants who were not in the top ten, Izroth's minimap constantly revealed the location of every individual within the region. Therefore, he noticed that there were a few people hidden away and observing the fight from the distance. Most likely, these people were waiting for the perfect moment to strike as they tried to learn as much as possible before making their move.
It was these types of individuals who were the most dangerous and troublesome to deal with. Fortunately, Izroth already had an idea when it came to how he would take care of them and potentially force them out of hiding.
The Great Storm finally ended and the original 20-25 participants that initially surrounded Izroth had dropped down to five. However, the five that remained were not in good shape. They were still confused as to where that storm suddenly came from and how Izroth was able to calmly attack them without any regard for it. It was strange, to say the least.
'I've finally moved up to 3rd place. At this rate, I may be able to claim 1st place by the end of the final relocation. Though it would be useful if I had some way of knowing just how far away I was from that goal.'
"Wait, that sword…!" One of the participants named Mantilz noticed that the sword in Izroth's hand had a similar energy to the blade of wind that struck him. But, to influence the surrounding elements to such a degree… Could he possibly have a legendary main upper eight Wind Domain?!
"Brothers, it's possible this person has a Wind Domain. I'm sure I don't have to tell you what that means." Mantilz said in a grave tone. The other four participants were all shocked by Mantilz's words. They were fighting against someone with a Domain? Not just any Domain, but a Wind Domain? If that was the case, then they were practically courting death! Even if he appeared weak, with the power of a main upper eight Domain, it would not be difficult to fight people above his own power range. It would also explain how he was able to reach 4th place in the selection despite his seeming lack of strength.
"Main upper eight Domain! Just my luck!" One of the participants said as regret started to creep its way in. He believed that he could have easily survived and made it into the top 25, but now that he was facing someone with a Wind Domain it seemed hopeless. At this point, he could only regret.
"Brother Izroth, my Mintz family is one of the top five families in the Pzenium kingdom and has an esteemed reputation for always keeping our promises. As long as you let me live and forgive my foolish actions, I am willing to gift you whatever it is you want as long as it's within my family's means to obtain." Mantilz said as he tried to strike a bargain with Izroth. He spoke in a respectful tone and chose his words carefully as he did not wish to further agitate Izroth.
He then continued to spin a web of compliments, "Brother Izroth is so young and yet blessed with an unrivaled talent that surpasses even that of the third young master from the Dragon Palace. I'm sure we can-"
"Interesting! I'd like to hear more about this topic!" A booming voice descended from the sky. Just from the voice allow, there was an atmospheric pressure created that was similar to that of a level two gravity pocket. If his voice alone was capable of causing so much pressure, just how powerful was this individual?
When Mantilz heard those words and looked up towards the sky, his face immediately turned pale as all the blood drained from his face. What he saw was a blazing sun, however, it was not an actual sun in the sky, but rather, the third young master of the Dragon Palace, Kayn!
'No doubt about it. That guy is the Captain of the first team. The true dragon, Kayn.'
Izroth, of course, had no remorse for Mantilz nor did he care about his family's standing. Since he had chosen to attack him first, then he could only live and die with the consequences. If it were the other way around and Izroth had asked for mercy, would Mantilz truly be willing to give it to him? But, now that Kayn was here he had something more important to worry about than a mere Mantilz.
At the moment, Izroth had no solid clues when it came to discovering the location of the Path of Dragons. While it was no guarantee that Kayn would know of it, he believed that it was well worth a shot considering that he was a true dragon. But, it would all depend on just what kind of person Kayn was. After all, from the books that Izroth had read containing legends about true dragons within the Amaharpe palace library, it always mentioned how true dragons were not fond of other creatures in the Mortal Realm.
As everyone felt the increase in pressure and were already wounded, it felt as if the weight of the world was on their shoulders as they experienced the heavy atmosphere. The sole person who appeared unaffected by it was Izroth.
Kayn descended from the sky and landed in between Izroth and the other participants. The moment he arrived, the participants who had been watching Izroth closely had all vanished without a trace. None of them were willing to get caught up in the disaster that had just befallen Izroth and the others.
"You were saying something really interesting right now. Continue, I want to hear the rest of it." Kayn said with a grin on his face and his arms folded as his gaze as locked onto Mantilz.
Mantilz, however, was frozen in fear. He tried to speak, but he was unable to do so with Kayn's gaze set on him. He felt as if he were looking directly into the eyes of a starving beast that wanted to devour the world! It was an unspeakable level of pressure. So this was the third young master of the Dragon Palace!
Kayn swept his gaze across all the other participants that were nearby and he could see that every last one of them was trembling in fear. He could not help but be disappointed when it came to their response. He had not even threatened to attack them and yet they were already cowering in fear. How could any of them be worthy of a spot on the second team? It would be a disgrace to their Mortal Realm!
Kayn then turned to face towards Izroth who stood there with a carefree expression on his face. Kayn was not surprised that Izroth was able to remain calm before him. After all, even with his current level of strength, he dared to face Roudin without backing down and even emerged victorious despite the interference of a certain someone.
"Exceptional… But…" Kayn thought to himself as he suddenly increased the surrounding pressure.
Crrrrrck!
The ground within the surrounding thirty meters caved in and formed a crater from the sheer pressure being released. This was even more powerful than a level three gravity pocket! Although Izroth had never experienced one before, he believed that this would be the equivalent of a level four gravity pocket!
Mantilz, as well as the other four participants immediately collapsed and prostrated under the pressure. As for Izroth, it would be a lie to say that he was completely unaffected. However, he released his Essence and used Soul Pressure. This helped to cut the stress and allowed him to retaliate against Kayn.
When Kayn sensed the use of Source, he increased the pressure even more. Now, it was the equivalent of a level five gravity pocket! This meant that Izroth was currently standing under more than fifty times the normal effects of gravity! Not only that, but it seemed to be directly affecting his Source. This made the pressure around Roudin seem like child's play in comparison.
Izroth felt his Essence rapidly depleting to keep up with the rise in pressure. As for the other participants, they were actually rendered unconscious by the effects! However, despite all of this, Izroth maintained a calm and carefree expression on his face.
"Ahahahaha! Fascinating, truly fascinating!" Kayn stated as he cleared the pressure on Izroth. This caused Izroth to immediately released his Soul Pressure as he did not want to step into the Soul Weakness state. If that had continued on a bit longer, then he would have had to use everything at his disposal to fight back. However, he did not believe that Kayn held any hostile intentions towards him. Not to mention, his personality seemed different than that of the true dragons he read about in the Amaharpe Palace library.
"Can you feel the difference now?" Kayn asked.
At first, Izroth was confused by Kayn's words. However, he suddenly felt as if a refreshing energy had washed over his body. All the Essence he had just lost and that was dispersed throughout the atmosphere was being quickly recollected and pulled back towards Izroth. At the same time, his Essence pool seemed to condense and become purer. Not only that, but the first seal on the Seal of Ten Chakrams he received from the Wiseman of Everpeak Kryxelsia had been unsealed!
After the first seal was released, Izroth's mana soared to 1,170 points which was double the amount of mana that he previously had. He was still unsure exactly how to unseal the seals on the Seal of Ten Chakrams since Kryxelsia said it was up to him to study and discover the method best for him. So, who would have thought that he would be so lucky as to have one seal lifted during this selection?
'Nothing about my Essence or its skills have changed, but it still somehow feels more powerful. As for the first seal on the Seal of Ten Chakrams… I did not expect to have it released so soon. However…'
Although Izroth had no complaints about the benefits he just received, he could not help but wonder just what Kayn gained out of all of this? Why did he help him when they did not even know one another? From the kindness of his heart? Izroth did not believe that Kayn, a true dragon with high standing, was that kind of person.
"You have some interesting stuff there. I won't bother asking about it, but I thought I'd help you out a bit since you'll be needing it soon." Kayn said.
Needing it soon? Was he referring to whatever was taking place after the second selection? No, that should not be it. If that was the case, he could have easily waited until the selection was over before making his move.
"There's someone who wants to exchange a few pointers with you. I'm sure you'd be interested in meeting them as well." Kayn stated with a grin on his face.
