Chapter 103: Aejaz’ Kryptonite

22 numbers were assigned in the form of a talisman attached to each person's chest. The ten unknown disciples made up the lower ranks and they each took up numbers 1 through 10. As for the rest...

11: Charity

12: Gladius

13: Onno

14: Li Li

15: Esme

16: Lighter Duo

17: Aejaz

18: Appa

19: Dirk

20: Bellona

21: Enyo

22: Ares

For the most part, the list was self explanatory. Charity was primarily a healer and, although she was talented in hand to hand combat and had a degree of finesse with her strikes that no one else here possessed, she was still weaker than everyone else objectively. She was fine with her placement... Up until she saw Leo's smug grin off to the side and she very nearly disqualified herself to go beat the stupid cat up.

Gladius was next because his chariot was nigh unusable without aid. It was a powerful magic and, if it was measuring strength in regards to how much a person can contribute to a team, he would have been way higher. His one good trait that was universal was his spear expertise but, then again, everyone here was good with a weapon of some kind so what did it really matter in the grand scheme of things? it's not like Charity and Gladius were weak or anything, their placement was just so indicative of the quality of the participants that they wound up last.

Onno was next as his magic was potent, and he was cunning, but his cultivation realm and stage were low. He was currently at the fifth stage of mental accumulation which was tied for lowest of everyone present, Except Ares, with Li Li who'd gone up a stage recently. Bellona had been here, on this stage too, up until recently but she went up to sixth stage a short while back. Onno had a ways to go as a cultivator, even if he was an excellent businessman. He was still stronger than Charity and Gladius though and could quite easily give them the run around by utilising his smarts.

At number 14 was one of the Red Sun international team members, Li Li. Just because she was a member of the team it didn't mean she was the pinnacle of the outer court. She likely wouldn't have been on the team if Dirk hadn't lent a helping hand and she still had a lot to learn until she could compete with the bigger guns here. Again, not even remotely weak, just up against some real monsters.

Esme's talents mostly lay in her hit and run style and, while it was effective, in a head-on fight she wasn't special compared to anyone else here. She wasn't great at close combat so, although her magic was notably powerful, her disadvantages were clear as day.

The Lighter Duo were tricky to gauge... And yes, they shared a number. Individually, they wouldn't even be outside the bottom ten... These two had some major untapped potential and none of the elders were really sure where they truly belonged on this list. It was a tough choice, and they very well may deserve better, but until that became clearer through their actions; here they belonged.

17, Aejaz. One thing that everyone who's ever fought against Aejaz can agree on is that he's annoying. If he were to be a class in a video game, he would be a dodge tank. His speedy nature and his evasive talents were seriously top of the charts. He didn't have much offensive power but he was slowly figuring that out and becoming more and more dangerous by the minute. This was especially true when considering the invention of various mental arts that were a colossal pain to deal with and his ever improving invisibility. Paired with the Concealed Serpent and his silent chanting, although he might look like a dopey guy, he was lethal in his own way. As was customary to mention with this particular doofus, he was still waiting to unveil his special art. Although only Ares really knew it, if Aejaz' special art was known by the elders he would have been placed at rank 21 with no questions asked...

Appa didn't really fight anyone or anything much but it was respectable combat-wise to say the least. Even though the Lighter Duo hadn't yet formed properly during the sect's outer court test back when Ares joined, Appa still technically beat the deadly duo overwhelmingly. If it had still been stuck in mental accumulation, its position would have been significantly lower due to the way shades worked, but it had overcome the final hurdle and made it to sensory enhancement. This special event had been celebrated by Ares who gave Appa all the Snappas it wanted, including, but not limited to, candy apple, milkshake, pizza, and chocolate brownies with custard. The last one was a new addition as Ares had been regularly treating Appa to daily new experiences for a while now. Getting side-tracked about Snappas aside, Appa had the highest cultivation here and it came equipped with both regular arts and mental arts that packed a punch. Plus, and this was it's true hidden ace, it was too cute to attack. Seriously, if anyone here attacked Appa everyone else would probably form a temporary truce and beat the daylights out of them...

Dirk. Dirk without his heart was around Onno level. Dirk with his heart was an entirely different, and all too literal, beast. His blood was easy to mould and his ability to adapt was unparalleled. His magic was devastating to most of the people here as they all relied on blood, minus Appa, and he was a boon to anyone he teamed up with thanks to his supportive capabilities. He was a real dark horse that had been laying low up until now but his seat at the table with the big names was well and truly earned. To top it all off, he was good with his dirk too so a CQC fight against him was no walk in the park. The only things really holding him back were, A: his lack of mana and access to blood to refill said mana, and B: the people above him being so powerful they passively gatekept the 20s. It was unlikely Dirk would ever be able to break that wall but, really, who else could anyway? Other than a select few individuals roaming around the universe here and there, Enyo, Bellona, and Ares were top notch cultivators that commanded reverence and respect from pretty much all other cultivators. Not being able to beat them wasn't unusual in the slightest. The fact that Dirk was even somewhat in contention was actually kind of shocking. That being said, most cultivators were ambitious and hard working. Not all, but most. If he rested on his laurels for long enough, it wasn't improbable someone else would pull the rug out from underneath him. With all the countless genius-defining treasures that existed, all it would take for him to be knocked down a peg or two was for anyone else on the list to have a rare encounter and make the most of it. If he wanted to keep his position, he was going to have to work hard going forward.

Bellona and then Enyo. This was a tricky one but Sadie interjected herself during the decision making and gave the final ranking herself. It was also one neither of the sisters disagreed with. They'd grown up together and training together many times and yet Enyo had always been a step ahead. Not two or three, just one. But one was really all that mattered in the end. Yes, Bellona could summon a meteor... But Enyo could stop a meteor. Enyo's barriers acted as a great deterrent against Bellona's magic as it functioned somewhat like a bodyguard, taking the hit instead of the original target. It was hard for Bellona to ever directly apply her magic to Enyo and Enyo could withstand any storm Bellona indirectly conjured. Bellona was better in close combat, that was indisputable, but Enyo's shield made it hard for Bellona to ever convert that into a major advantage. Hitting hard meant very little against Enyo who could eat hard hits for breakfast. Enyo just outlasted Bellona's magic every single time, that was really what it came down to. Of course, comparatively, these two were absolute freaks of nature. It's not like your average cultivator in mental accumulation could summon and / or stop a meteor, that was well and truly outside the realm of anything even remotely 'normal'. If these two hadn't been born in what was occasionally referred to as a 'generation of geniuses', they would have been unrivalled superstars in the cultivation world. Pretty much all the major clans in Vraizon had their own 'genius' though, so although they weren't 'overshadowed', they were diminished slightly. If you took the ace of either the Umbra Wolves or the Starlights, Scar and Eagerton for example, they wouldn't be ranked any lower than the Legion sisters. It was a bit different for the Willow clan but that was an unfair comparison because fundamental pillars, and thus Mako by association, were in a league of their own...

Ares. The man, the myth, the legend; as Trew had once referred to him. The very definition of an unfair playing field. Manufactured by the pillar of destruction, almost like a super soldier with a Swiss army knife at his disposal. there was almost nothing he was incapable of doing thanks to all the innate advantages he held. No matter who you looked at on this list, Ares could do their specialty just as well as they could. Magic? Weapons? Technique? Speed? The only thing he was lacking was strength due to his nature as an adept but that would solve itself when he reached bloodline awakening, so what weaknesses did he even really have? None. Was it perhaps unfair to be so blessed from birth? Perhaps. That was just what it meant to be a champion of a fundamental pillar, though. it was never supposed to be fair. The six wielders of the fundamental pillar had their place at the top of the cultivation world cemented already. Really, the only competition they could ever realistically have was each other. Ares, whether he liked it or not, was destined to be a being that transcended regular cultivators... And by that petard was he about to be hoisted! There was an assumption that a fundamental pillar would beat a normal one... But could it beat two?... Or three?... Or twenty one?... Ares was about to find out because there were, currently, exactly that many people who wanted to take a chunk of his flesh to prove themselves. Was he nervous about it all? Honestly, no. Even when faced with a group of strong cultivators he just imagined washing them away with a golden tide like anyone else who stood before him. That was the luxury of being a fundamental champion, everyone else's determination meant nothing. Everyone else's talent meant nothing. Everyone else's hard work meant nothing. It wasn't just his talent or Ares' latent abilities that put him at the top, though, it was his mentality. If everyone here was asked who belonged at the top, Ares knew all twenty two people would point in his direction; himself included. So what if there were more of them than him? He would disintegrate their weapons, annihilate their misplaced hope, and return their bodies to nothingness; and he would do it as many times as it takes to remind them of why he was the cultivator's ideal. Although Ares wasn't going to waste his Astraeus summon here, there weren't any other cards he would refuse to play. Every explosion he could wreak havoc with, every weapon he could fend off the enemies before him with, and every treasure and tool he had available to him. Was there any chance of him winning? Maybe? That wasn't the point though. The point was to send a message that he was not to be trifled with. The amount of sacrifices that were going to have to be offered up to his alter of supremacy before he took a bow was not small. So, with a deep sigh, a steady gaze, and a calm disposition... He looked around and wordlessly asked everyone a simple question. 'Who's first?'

Amidst the tense atmosphere, Rud raised his hand high into the air. The second he brought it down was the second the all out war would start, so all eyes were on him.

…

…

"START!" Rud's straight palm sliced down through the air and his declaration of the start of the match was immediately followed by another voice that pierced through the silence.

"Voidwalk." Ares vanished while everyone else searched for him.

…

He wasn't out of the void yet but he had to return at some point.

…

There was a limit to Voidwalk and he would be pushed out soon enough.

…

He wasn't in the sky either...

…

…

…

Where is he? The same thought ran through everyone's heads as they looked around. As they did, however, a few of the more keen-eyed participants noticed there were already some outer court disciples that had died and been revived outside the field... How was he doing it? Invisibility wasn't something Ares could use… Unless he'd been hiding it? No, he wouldn't. He would have pranked someone with it by now if he could.

Again.

Another disciple was sent to join the spectators but no one had seen it happen.

"Hm?" Aejaz, having an affiliation for the darkness pillar, noticed something. "ONNO, LIGHT!"

Tsk

Stupid brother. Why did the dumbest one here figure it out? Ares kissed his teeth as he made the last stealthy move he would be able to this fight. His plan had gotten him decently far but it was a shame it hadn't gotten him further. It was pretty standard really, say one thing and do another. Ares resurfaced out from one of the outer court disciple's shadow and plunged the Nyxian Prowler into their heart as he covered their mouth and muffled their dying breaths.

He'd activated Voidwalk before using the Prowler to hide in people's shadows, taking them out and using Voidwalk to jump around to another shadow after. Aejaz must have seen lingering traces of darkness mana and put two and two together. He himself was a trickster con-man by nature and the 'look here while I do something over there' approach was practically his bread and butter, so it was no wonder he got the correct answer. It was inconvenient to Ares though as his game of cat and mouse was up. He could still use Voidwalk to put himself in one more person's shadow, however. He had the time left to do it. He was going to be exposed regardless but if he could at least get the drop on even one more person that would be beneficial. Abandoning the collapsing body, Ares entered the void and picked his next target before he snuck into their shadow. The Voidwalk ended and he was snugly behind the outer court disciple named Jackie. His target needed to be weak enough not to be able to cause too much of a fuss when he was revealed. He wanted a quick and clean kill and to retreat back a few steps afterwards to take in a broader picture of his surroundings.

Onno used light pillar magic to form a small ball of light that drifted into the air and shone bright, directly down on everyone, and banished all the shadows. Ares' hiding spot was uncovered and he immediately went to work slashing Jackie's throat. As expected, Enyo summoned a barrier to try and stop his attack, Bellona attempted to slow his movements directly with her magic, and Aejaz tried to steal the Prowler... That last one was technically a good idea but the chances his brother was actually doing it because he wanted to play with the enabler weren't low... Ares knew this would happen. The second Aejaz made the call, everything fell into place like dominos. Ares would be exposed and, logically, his next step would be to target the weakest person in the confusion and get a cheap kill. Enyo, Bellona, and Aejaz knew him too well and had predicted this which was why they were on the ball the moment Onno unleashed the light. Still, as was foretold, Ares' pillar was just unstoppable. He coated his weapon in disintegration which severed Bellona' magic, denied Aejaz, and tore through Enyo's barrier simultaneously. His Prowler, in the form of a standard knife, sunk into Jackie's throat... But something felt wrong. Ares instantly activated his Omniscience and kissed his teeth before spitting out a block rock from his mouth; one of his portable blackhole beads used for defence. The Jackie made of sludge glowed blue as the block rock detonated.

CRACCCCCCKLE

Onno's Doppelbänger shattered into tiny ice shards that were sucked up into the head sized blackhole which disappeared after its job was done. This interaction had been a draw. Ares was baited by Onno who had been one step ahead this whole time, but his hidden back up plan of an on-demand defence magic thwarted the ambush. Ares wished he'd been using Omniscience from the start as then this wouldn't have happened in the first place... He drifted backwards as his feet lightly pushed him in an 'S' shape. His retreat was rapid and difficult to follow so all the remaining ranks 1 through 10, that had been bunched up around the fake Jackie, couldn't launch a counterattack without stumbling over their own ineptitude. Gladius had been around too and he made an attempt to hit Ares with a simple thrust but was thwarted by the Stygian Zephyr that swung open and knocked his attack off kilter. After retreating as far back as he could, Ares was only next to one more person who was ranked number 5. He took out the Biome Eagle and just fired a single bullet. Wasting mana on an Adaptive Shot for a non-problem like this was overkill. The rank 5 blocked the bullet with their arms but the recoil left them open to Ares who slithered past their defences and uppercut their jaw. "Echo."

SPLAT

The outcome of that last particular fight was probably best not described in vivid detail... Fight? What fight? Where am I? Why am I at the Training Field? Ares was momentarily taken aback when he suddenly found himself at a loss as to why he was even here. During his confusion, an undetectable presence slowly creeped up behind him. Ares was none-the-wiser as his would-be killer inched closer and closer. Just as the fatal attack was to be launched, Ares did something completely unexpected. 

"Gamble."

Eh? Aejaz was now just as confused as Ares. He'd stolen his brother's memories so surely Ares should be trying to figure the situation out right now? Why did he just randomly use Gamble of all things?

Ares' flicked himself directly up and aimed his next strike at the floor. "Grand Annihilation."

EHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH?! Aejaz freaked out and immediately started dashing away to safety outside the blast radius.

BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMM

Did my magic not work? Did he block it with disintegration magic?… No, I felt it connect, so why? Aejaz was at a complete loss as to why his brother had reacted like that. It was a perfect defence against Aejaz given the situation, but why would he even bother doing it if he didn't understand the situation to begin with? Ares, logically, should have just assumed he was out for a walk or something. All of the other participants had agreed in unison to act natural after Ares had his memories stolen so how did Ares catch on this quickly? Aside from his brief startle after being hit with No-stalgia, he wasted no time in launching an offensive bombing to sniff out Aejaz' presence... Almost like he expected the attack?

Ares landed with a flip after being blasted into the air and searched around with Omniscience. His foolish brother hadn't mastered invisibility yet but he was damn good considering his amateur status, so unless Ares wanted to waste time Omniscience was the easy choice. he found Aejaz skulking about, with the Concealed Serpent in his hand, near the edges of the crater the Grand Annihilation had formed and gave him the middle finger. Aejaz dropped the invisibility and smiled wryly as he asked his brother how he'd pulled this off.

"I'm hesitant to even ask... How did you know?"

With a derisive snort directed at his silly sibling. "I didn't. Put it this way... Every single day since I learnt you could steal memories I've told myself the same thing over and over again; if I ever lose mine, immediately blow up the surroundings and show no restraint. This is my solution to your annoying magic so, unless you steal every memory I have of reminding myself to do that, every single day, of every single week, of every single month, of every single year, you're magic is pointless. What's the point of taking my memories of the last week if throughout this entire month I've been telling myself to launch indiscriminate attacks when I lose my memory? I still remember all of that, you know? Every day since I encouraged you to learn the art... Unless you can wipe out my memories until all the way back then, don't even bother wasting your mana on it."

Ack

Aejaz almost fainted dead on the spot. CHEAP BASTARD! What the hell is this level of dedication to one-upping your own brother?! I mean... It's smart... But now I feel naked... Like all of my secrets are out in the open! Aejaz had been thoroughly thwarted. Actually, everyone else competing, and even the elders around, all took note of Ares' strategy for dealing with this unruly punk. It was a neat trick that put the burden on Aejaz to do have to do something unreasonable for one of his major arts to even be successful. If Aejaz wanted to use No-stalgia on anyone present, he would now have to wipe their memories completely clean lest he miss even a single one in which they reminded themself about his magic. It was a hyper-specific, and incredibly niche method of countering his magic, and his alone, but it was probably worth it in the long run for situations like this. It was certainly awkward having to wake up every day and remind yourself of this thief's magic but, if doing so gave you an advantage then, as mentioned previously, cultivators worked hard. Three seconds out of a person's day to shut down an entire art from a dangerous assassin with high potential was worth doing. Naturally, Aejaz was downtrodden and miserable down to his soul about this... maybe he shouldn't have attacked his brother after all. If he hadn't, he wouldn't have been publicly outed in such a manner... This was, without a shadow of a doubt, Ares' roundabout way of punishing him for his transgressions... Aejaz almost wished he could use No-stalgia on himself to forget this embarrassment for the rest of his life!