Despite the loss of ten days of training time, Nil felt ready when he entered the arena’s backroom. The seemingly endless structure was a city in itself. The walls curved, forming a large ring, and felt like the inside of a Coliseum-like structure, except Nil had no access to the central area. He weaved past the stone structures, occasionally scanning for the ceiling that seemed forever beyond the light.
The Fountain of Pyrene had returned his body to its exact state just before the explosion, but fortunately, it didn’t rob him of all the ranks he gained. Apparently, regression was a possibility with the one-hundred-credit treatment that he received. The fountain recorded an individual’s physical and mental status every time they visited the Nexus. It used the last recording as a template when bringing someone back from near death.
As Nil hunted for a vendor to buy permitted supplies, he theorized that Susan and the ludus’s healers had done a good enough job so that his body didn’t require a complete reset. He was thankful to them because the final ranks would most likely make all the difference—or so he hoped.
Except for the day before the match, Nil had almost no downtime. Every waking hour went into training. Selia and Shawn’s final matches were before his, and they didn’t have much time for socialising either.
Watcher agreed to daily sessions, no questions asked. Given his name, Nil was sure the man already knew everything that had happened, even though it wasn’t broadcast by Apocalypse Arena. Another ten sessions only cost him his final voucher. Nil didn’t know their value, but the information and techniques learned felt invaluable.
“You have wise friends,” Watcher had said when Nil told him about the duality Andrew suggested. “The philosophy behind the Source is not too different from that of Qi. The latter is a derivation of the first, after all. One can learn Qi techniques, which might be good enough, but they also need to bond with it at an intimate level. The best cultivators figure out what Qi means to them and mold it to match the essence of their being.
“Your current use of the Source matches the destructive side, but now you need to figure out the rest. I know it feels daunting, but you’re halfway there. Now, it's just a matter of figuring out what protecting means to you. It’s not as complicated as you’re making it. I’m sure you’ll find your way there sooner or later.”
“That doesn’t help me a lot with my upcoming fight.” Nil sighed.
“Between your overall strength and gauntlet, you’re far more powerful than you think. No corrupted soul weapon can stand up to gauntlets that wield the Source. Just focus and train. There is no telling when an epiphany will find you.”
Unfortunately, nothing found Nil during the build-up to his final Death Gauntlet match. After his morning sessions with Watcher, he spent his afternoons with Isabella. Zora and Cara Sue helped. Meanwhile, Shawn and Selia dedicated all of their training time to practicing with Noah. Shawn hadn’t mastered his new techniques yet but learned to somewhat coat his sword in barrier energy. Meanwhile, Andrew designed a new weapon for Selia, and she prioritized mastering it over her ability.
Their training proved effective.
Shieldmaster Shawn’s first opponent canceled their match. The man also disappeared off the face of the earth. CIT got on the case and struggled to find out whether the Symbiote got them or they had fled the country. He ended up facing an Arcane Warrior with a giant axe and the power to cause fiery explosions. The man proved no match for Shawn even after taking out the Cursed One.
The corrupted soul weapon bit into the barriers and released explosions through them, but Shawn always had additional layers. While the man’s weapon was trapped, Shawn slipped his sword through the gaps and whittled down his foe. In the end, the axe-wielder lost in terms of martial skill and creative use of powers.
Selia ended up facing the last person on her list. It was another rogue who manipulated shadows. Anyone else would’ve fallen for his assassin-like fighting style. Unfortunately for the man, Selia’s growing list of spells focused on detection, sensing, and scrying spells. Phase shifting through surfaces robbed the ability user of their senses, after all.
The fight turned into a game of cat and mouse until Selia beat her opponent at his own game. She snuck around the assassin and emerged from a wall the man had just shadow-walked out of. Then the chrome dagger she carried extended, turning into a spear, and skewered him through the neck.
Now, it was Nil’s turn. He hoped the time with Isabella and Watcher would pay off. He convinced himself that the ten lost days would’ve made little difference. He wasn’t going to pull something powerful and game-changing out of thin air magically. Since his most important attributes and abilities had recently gained ranks, Nil also doubted ten days would’ve helped him get any closer to the next boost.
In fact, he was starting to believe that it was the growth ignored by the Schema interface that mattered the most. It wasn’t just the cultivation and Qi techniques that made a difference. Brutal Battery’s accompanying abilities and the Source Gauntlet’s powers were skill-based. The numbers added power or more fuel but didn’t passively improve his mastery over them. Only practice, repetition, and creativity helped in the department. Isabella claimed that the application of one’s power seed made the most significant difference between a good and bad Summoned. The fact was doubly relevant for all with active abilities.
The story has been illicitly taken; should you find it on Amazon, report the infringement.
Following luminous signs carved into the stone walls helped Nil track down the vendor he wanted. He hadn’t used them before since, unlike normal matches, Death Gauntlet and the Gauntlet of Ten severely limited what products one could carry into the arena. Nil could only take rations, lights, and concoctions that temporarily improved one’s resistance to alien environments. Once Nil progressed to Gauntlets of higher realms, he would gain access to more.
As Nil invested in a concoction designed to help people survive the Arctic-Tundra-like environments, he thought about the final day before his match. After his morning session with Watcher, Nil had breakfast with his friends and family. Then, much like everyone else who had been in Misdirection on the evening of the incident, he met with detectives from the Metropolitan police.
It was a courtesy. The meeting was held in the conference room of the Arena Teleportation Building. Nil wasn’t obligated to attend, but the Nexus believed it was a goodwill gesture. It started off as a simple discussion of what happened and how Nil found the bomb.
Then, he got the sense that the investigators were trying to lead him to a confession. It seemed they wanted him to admit to knowing the bomb would be there or lead the investigation to someone who did. The government had no clue of who was behind the attempted bombing and was now scrambling to pin it on someone. It didn’t seem to matter to them that Nil had almost died saving everyone.
In fact, a narrative where he did it for fame and glory would most probably make their lives easier. It wouldn’t surprise Nil if they had pressure from above to come to such a conclusion. They were sure that an individual of significance and power was involved in the plot after all.
Nil was polite but short with them.
It was a favor to the Nexus. Nothing more. He didn’t trust the investigators and had no plans of cooperating beyond what was necessary. Nil was outside their jurisdiction as long as he stayed in the Forge. It technically counted as being in the Nexus and being the interdimensional organization’s employee also gave him certain protections.
Afterward, Nil spent the afternoon watching Shawn and Selia’s matches. Then, they celebrated their victories together. He spent a final night with his girlfriend and headed into the arena soon after finishing breakfast. The moment of truth had come. It was time to face the disgusting individual who went around qualifiers, taunting the young and hopeful and bringing Cursed Energy into the world for his twisted agenda.
“Nil Roy!” A familiar, friendly voice called just as he finished at the vendor. It was charming and also carried more power and authority than anyone Nil had met besides the Immortal Song Yi. “I was hoping to find you.”
“Mr Wilson.” Nil nodded. He expected the man to be mad after the statement released through Bunty contradicted Adrian ‘Wildshape’ Wilson’s claims. “It’s nice to see you again. Is there anything I can help you with?”
“No, son.” Adrian smiled, displaying the same warm friendliness Nil had encountered at the qualifiers. “I’m just here to see you.” Several vendors smiled, waved, or bowed to Adrian as he passed on his way to Nil. “It was a relief to hear you made it. Losing a talent like you would be a major blow to the world. I can’t believe Pietro would stoop so low.”
“Given his track record and his behavior after my qualifiers, I’m not surprised at all,” Nil said, doing his best not to apply starstruck or rude. It was confusing to admire and simultaneously dislike someone so much. He didn’t mind Adrian until he started his political and pro-Summoned, anti-civilian spiel. “First, he challenges me to a match and then tries to break me before it.”
“It's not beyond Pietro. No. But that doesn’t stop it from being surprising. I’m glad he failed, and I hope he does so again.” Adrian sighed, sweeping his long golden locks back. Reaching Gold Realm had only enhanced the man’s already good looks. Nil didn’t quite feel threatened but more awestruck. He wondered whether there was an ability at play. “You did well exposing that Symbiotech nonsense. I can’t help but wonder whether that has anything to do with the attempt on your life.”
The revelation surprised Nil. It wasn’t that Adrian knew about the Symbiotech business and Pietro’s connection to it. Nil believed anyone with two brain cells could deduce as much. The fact that Adrian was willing to acknowledge it in public caught him off guard. He chose to push the matter and dig to see how much Adrian knew.
“Well, with everyone with a corrupted soul weapon dropping like flies, I somewhat understand why he tried to kill me and my people,” Nil said. “He’s scared. It's all mind games with him, I think. Pietro wants to save face, get revenge, and win.” Nil changed his mind about mentioning their knowledge of how Shina was involved. It felt vital to keep some information to himself. “The attempt on our lives didn’t seem well thought out either.”
Adrian shook his head, sighing. “These fools don’t understand that power is earned, not formulated in a library. The skilled, talented, and worthy are chosen for power sets and soul weapons.”
“Exactly!” Nil exclaimed. “Those kids don’t deserve what happened to them.”
“I agree. Those children didn’t earn their power. The Nexus didn’t just choose them or these civilians. They don’t understand the natural order or that we’re not just chosen to fight the Scourge and Void but also lead our worlds. We—” Adrian caught himself. He smiled, scanning his surroundings before handing Nil a vial. Energy Instinct told him that the concoction he had purchased and the gift’s contents were the same. Except Adrian had given him something purer and of much better quality. “I’m guessing we had the same thought process. Next time, use the vendor by teleportation gate sixteen. His product is better and not adulterated.”
“Thank you,” Nil replied, pocketing both. “I’ve heard about you a fair bit from—”
“I hope Shawn hasn’t been speaking ill about me.” Adrian chuckled. “I’m still not happy about how my employees treated him. He’s a good lad. Great fighter.”
“That he is. And he always speaks highly of you, Mr Wilson. I can see why.”
Adrian nodded. “I’ll be rooting for you, Nil. Go kick some ass.” The man shook hands with Nil. “Also, get a good publicist or PR agent. You need a good title. It's great for branding. Nothing Knight Nil.” He grinned. “Little Fist Nil. Anything is better than just Nil. It's vital if you want to be famous. Give me a call if you need help finding someone. I’ll hook you up. Just take out that disgusting God of Death Gauntlet first.”