Chapter 284: Fifty Shades of Ambition
Translator: Oneshotwonder Editor: Hitesh_
The PA system had published another sensational news. But, the news was both exciting and saddening. DREAM had announced that Lie Jian and Einherjar Wannabe would have a close-door duel.
DREAM had signed the confidentiality letters, so nothing about this match would be disclosed to the public.
In addition to the two legendary combatants, they had both invited a witness. The identities of the two witnesses seemed to be even more mysterious than the closed-door match.
Lie Jian had invited the young master from the sect of Divine Masters, Michaux Odin, as his witness, and Einherjar Wannabe had invited Patroclus.
When Patroclus had subdued the four Martian killers, people were wondering if Patroclus had sent out a challenge to Einherjar Wannabe. The two fighters' relationship had become even more perplexing after Einherjar Wannabe invited Patroclus as his witness.
It was well known that no one had ever been able to persuade Patroclus, but it seemed that Einherjar Wannabe had done the impossible, because Patroclus had accepted his request without any hesitation.
Wang Tong was not surprised that Patroclus had accepted the invitation. He was no longer worried about his identity, and thought that instead of worrying, he should stick to what he thought was the right thing to do.
Wang Tong's message to Patroclus was straightforward, "Come see me if you want to know who I am."
Wang Tong's ultimate goal was to force both Patroclus and Lie Jian to partake in the tournament. After spending a year in the crystal, Wang Tong seemed to have been affected by the recklessness of the preliterate king, and started to wonder why he often lived like a worrier instead of a warrior.
He had realized that he was no one's puppet, and not even fate could tell him what to do. So, he made up his mind to do things on his own terms and become truly himself.
Zhang Jin was shocked after hearing that Patroclus had agreed to become Einherjar Wannabe's witness. She already found it strange when Patroclus intervened the rampage of the four Martians, and right then, the development seemed to get even more puzzling.
"Pat, are you sure you would be able to get more information on him this time?" Zhang Jin was one of the very few people who knew the number of Patroclus's direct line.
On the display screen, Zhang Jin saw Patroclus was practicing ichibana—the art of flower bouquet. He treated every petal with care, and layered the flowers into a splendid display of beauty and color. Patroclus smiled and then said,"Jin, I am very sure this time."
"You mean " Zhang Jin's face became taut. The identity of Einherjar Wannabe was the biggest mystery of the PA system, and she knew that only Patroclus would have the ability to solve the riddle, because he would be able to see through Einherjar Wannabe's cover like Rilangalos could through that of the Blade Warrior.
Their fate was intertwined.
Patroclus had finished his ichibana creation, and he was smiling at it satisfyingly. Zhang Jin watched as Patroclus suddenly smashed the beautiful composition of flowers into broken fragments of colors in a fit of rage.
Zhang Jin wasn't surprised by Patroclus's outburst of anger. Patroclus gathered himself and grimaced, "When I first started to take an interest in him, I could feel a surge of power inside me. I have tried many ways to subdue the power, but it's only getting stronger."
"What did he say in his invitation?"
"He's very open. He said if I want to know who he is, I should attend as his witness. I can't refuse." Patroclus smiled helplessly, but his voice was filled with anticipation.
"There might be some difficulty in detecting his real identity in the virtual world, but I have confidence in your ability."
"Jin, I am very confused and lost. If his tactics could really control the elemental attributes of the GN force, then he has to be the heir of the Blade Warrior, but…"
"I know how you feel. You are afraid of being disappointed if he was too weak."
"The force inside me... I have been trying many ways to control it, but it's been gaining force ever since Einherjar Wannabe appeared. My tactics are also feeding it, making it even more difficult to manage. I think something in my blood has awakened and it is hungry."
Zhang Jin felt for Patroclus. He had been alone for too long, and suddenly he seemed to have sensed the promise of a worthy opponent and a real companion. His anticipation had made him doubt himself, and turned him into a bundle of nerves as he was afraid that it was only a false alarm.
But Zhang Jin knew from deep down that Patroclus had nothing to worry about; the chosen one had finally returned.
Patroclus was considered the reincarnation of the perfect warrior, Rilangalos, and same as Rilangalos, Patroclus needed to keep his thirst for power and blood in check, and rein in his inner daemon.
Einherjar Wannabe's power had somehow awoken the dark side of Patroclus's power, even though that Einherjar Wannabe's strength was still far behind that of Patroclus.
Sensing Zhang Jin's concern for him, Patroclus cracked a smile and said, "Don't you worry Jin. I am only going to confirm his power, and that's it. If he were indeed as weak as I thought, I would go on a vacation to make myself feel better."
"Let me know if you need a travel buddy." Zhang Jin said with care in her voice.
Patroclus nodded as he shifted his gaze to the pile of broken flowers and then he shook his head helplessly.
Lie Jian was ecstatic. He was pleasantly surprised that Wang Tong would be able to bring Patroclus with him, someone as quiet as a mute and as still as a rock.
The development was turning more interesting to Lie Jian by the second. Lie Jian had invited Michaux Odin to detect the inner workings of Einherjar Wannabe's soul energy, especially his ability to control the elemental effect of his GN force. Although it would be difficult to do so in a virtual reality setting, Lie Jian thought it would still worth a try.
What really made Lie Jiang's day was that he had heard Li Shiming had been trying to become a witness as well, but was refused by DREAM. The thought of Li Shiming being left out of such a significant match filled Lie Jian with satisfaction.
No one that had done wrong to House of Lie had been able to rest well until they were dead, and Lie Jian was confident that this time was no different.
"Michaux, I need you to help me this time. Can you try to use your ability to probe Einherjar Wannabe's tactics? They have made it sound like he is invincible, and it would be a good opportunity to see exactly how he had done it." Lie Jian smiled and asked Michaux politely. There was nothing to hide from the young master, since his only desire was to reach the divine path. Therefore, he would not take an interest in the worldly matters.
Michaux nodded and then said, "I always admired Patroclus."
"Nah, he should have admired you, young master."
"I could tell that Patroclus has some information that we don't have."
"That's not the point. We are only interested to know how his ice elemental GN force would able to counter my fire attack, that is if he weren't defeated by me first."
There were many kinds of ambitions, and Michaux's was to seek the Divine Path through cultivation. The divine masters believed in the divine path, and they considered the Blade Warrior a proof of its existence. They believed that Li Feng had merged his soul with the universe and achieved the ultimate state of existence after his physical body had perished. Although the first divine master had failed to enter the divine path, he was very close, so close that he had left a road map for his followers. However, to embark on that journey meant one had to forsake worldly possessions and desires.
The public was rattled up by not being able to watch the fight. They protested to the DREAM, but nothing would be able to change Lie Jian's mind in keeping the content of the match a secret.
Even though the public wouldn’t be able to watch the fight, they still hoped that they would learn about the outcome.
They knew that it was impossible to hear any comments about the match from Patroclus and Michaux, so they all counted on Lie Jian's loud mouth to reveal a thing or two about the match.
Meanwhile, in Ayrlarng, the fleet combat simulation room was packed with students who were watching a routine exercise between Capth and Ayrlarng. Capth had walked the talk and started training with their A class counterparts as soon as they have arrived.
The Capth's primary goal was to study Karl and Wang Tong's strategies to prepare for the upcoming tournament.
The exercise right then was just a probe to get a better understanding of Ayrlarng's overall strength in fleet combat. Wang Tong slipped up a few times and let Flash gain the upper hand. Wang Tong's minor mistakes should not have been a problem while fighting against a common opponent, but Flash was not an ordinary opponent. Instead, he was one of the best at fleet combat. Therefore, once Flash detected Wang Tong's mistake, Wang Tong's defense crumbled in an instant.
Wang Tong was pleased by Flash's ability to detect his weakness, and was convinced that his defeat would eventually make him strong enough to face the mighty Kaedeians.
After the practice, the group of students gathered around and shared their insights on the match.
"Wang Tong, your skill has gotten worse. Time is ticking, and you better try harder."