Reaper of the Martial World

Book 4: Chapter 17: Wager

Arrogance. Pure and unbridled arrogance.

No matter how apprehensive Dyon was about the effects of his actions, once he made a decision, it wasn’t in his nature to second guess it. If it happened to be a mistake, then he would learn from it and make a better move in the future. But, right now? Crushing Connery’s pride and saving the Viridi family could be done in one fell swoop, and Dyon was going to grasp the opportunity.

Connery immediately picked up on Dyon’s intentions. The Guild Headquarters not only had dominion over every guild in this universe, it also set rules and regulations. But, even more directly, didn’t Vidar just give the Viridi family over as a gift to the guild headquarters? Then wasn’t it a simple matter of heading the guild headquarters to gain ownership of their family?

When Dyon was still in the Elvin Kingdom, he had challenged both the formation and alchemy guild heads. Then, it had been a simple matter for him to win. But, more importantly, it opened him up to the idea of guild wars.

In the human world, in ancient times, there had been concepts such as challenging dojos for land, prestige and things of the like.

In the martial world, things were no different. Array Alchemy was a study of the universes laws, but as one might expect, that also came with it a myriad of interpretations, factions and diverging thoughts. As such, it had become customary for experts to pit their philosophies against one another. By putting their guilds on the line, this meant that over time, the more powerful philosophies would win out.

Weaker branches of array alchemy would give way to stronger ones as time passed and stronger guilds heads replaced them. It was a simple cycle of survival of the fittest.

However, the very thought that this was prevalent in array alchemy culture raised some questions… If it was truly survival of the fittest, then how had array alchemy split into two factions to begin with? Why was it that formation guilds and alchemy guilds were kept separate? In fact, even weapon’s guilds and beast taming guilds had once been one in the same – together under the array alchemy umbrella. But, over time, logic would dictate that the separation of disciplines made the guilds stronger… But, was that really the case?

When Dyon had fought against elder Cormyth, he had seen a solution to a problem Elder Cormyth couldn’t have dreamed of seeing through. In fact, the solution that Dyon came up with was for the equivalent of a half-step grandmaster, something Dyon was definitely not at the time. And yet, he had been able to do it – and the reason why was because he had a great understanding of both formations and alchemy.

In today’s times, to form the Queen Fairy Constitution Pill, it would have taken a saint level soul and a half-step to grandmaster level of alchemy. However, Dyon completed it with a lower essence gathering level soul – a soul in just the 5^th stage – and an array alchemy mastery of just the lower master level.

It would be clear to anyone that array alchemy was superior. So, the question remained… How then had array alchemy been ostracized? Dyon didn’t know the answer. But, that question loomed another over his head. If he forced Connery into this match, would it be safe to use his knowledge of array alchemy? Should he force himself to answer the question with just one discipline?

This was something Dyon had to very seriously consider.

After his talks with his grand teacher, Dyon now had a good understanding of why array alchemy was being forcefully overwritten, although he didn’t now how it had been done.

Those of the Chaos path, who sought total anarchy, wouldn’t prescribe to array alchemy. In fact, they would do their best to erase it from existence if they could.

But, the problem was that the old man’s will was too strong and array alchemy had become too important to daily life. It was medicine and innovation, and often times it provided solutions to problems other things just couldn’t fix. So, not only did everyone have access to an aurora, those talented enough had every incentive to use it. And, unless those of the Chaos path conquered every universe in existence, there would be no way to regulate its usage. As such, if in the end, one day their was birthed an array alchemist with enough talent to rewrite the universes themselves and solve the issue of heat death, then those of the Chaos path would only be able to watch as they lost…

That said, there was a solution to their plight. What if they made it so that no one could ever reach the peak of array alchemy? What if they tore the very essence of array alchemy apart such that no one ever grasped the full picture? Wouldn’t that then eliminate their worry?… Instead of policing everyone themselves, they could have people police themselves.

Unfortunately, this worked all too well. Array alchemy was so difficult to grasp as a whole, that it really did make it seem as though it was meant to be split into easier to digest portions. Eventually, even those with the talent to pursue array alchemy in its truest form were born into societies where they were encouraged to focus on one. And maybe most depressingly, many simply didn’t have the insight to notice that there were heights you would simply never reach unless you combined the two…

So, Dyon had a decision to make. Was this Connery Sapientia part of the conspiracy to actively separate alchemy and formations? Or not? As the head of the most lofty position related to array alchemy, if he wasn’t actively involved, then who would be?

Suddenly, Dyon’s thoughts were cut off by Connery, “I would love to, child. Unfortunately, to challenge the head of the guild headquarters, you must be the head of a noted guild yourself. After all, I can’t exactly accept frivolous challenges, now can I?”

Dyon nodded, “And are there any other requirements?”

“Well, the only other requirement is that you be of at least master level in one of the main guild branches. That being either formations, alchemy, weapons, etc.

There’s also the matter of price.” Connery Sapientia’s eyes flashed sinisterly. “Since you’re clearly challenging for the sake of people you deem to have lives worthy of saving, I’d say an equivalent price would be your own life. Don’t you think?”

Connery silently sneered to himself. He didn’t think that Dyon was already a guild head, but he knew that with Dyon’s soul strength, the matter of conquering a guild might not be too difficult at all. And as for becoming a master level expert, although in Connery’s experience, a person’s array or alchemy expertise lagged behind their actual soul strength, since he had sensed Dyon’s soul break into the saint stage, it was likely to Connery that Dyon was already a master level expert – as crazy as that sounded to him.

But, he immediately put down contingencies.

The first was a stalling tactic. Because of the guild conference they were holding, no guilds would be available for Dyon to challenge in the near future because all of their guild heads were here. Although Dyon could technically just call them out now, even Dyon wouldn’t know who was a head and who wasn’t, thus making challenging and holding people to challenges difficult.

With this added time, Connery would slowly torture and kill the Viridi family to display them on the day of their competition. Regardless of how talented Dyon was, he was still a child. And, Connery had already made note of how easily he lost control over his emotions. If Connery showed Dyon such a scene before their competition, then Dyon wouldn’t be able to properly focus.

The second plot was to make Dyon bet his life. Connery had no intention of killing Dyon, he was simply too powerful. But, if he took Dyon as a slave, then crippled his energy cultivation, then Dyon would never become strong enough to retaliate, all while being forced to use his soul talent for Connery’s bidding. After all, everyone knew that soul strength hardly translated to combat strength, right?… At least to Connery, that is.

However, Connery made multiple mistakes that Dyon immediately caught onto, causing him to smirk.

For one, Dyon was already the head of a guild. In fact, he was the head to two.

Secondly, Dyon’s soul talent and innate aurora were too overwhelming for his array alchemy to ever lag behind his soul strength. So, while Connery thought he was a mere master level expert, Dyon already understood enough to draw grandmaster level arrays right now. The only thing that had held him back was his soul power – something that was obviously no longer holding him back.

And lastly? Dyon had no intention of becoming a slave to anyone.

Noticing Dyon’s smirk, Connery was a bit off put. Just what was so funny? But, his thoughts were immediately cut off as Dyon’s ring flashed to reveal two new rings on his fingers… One denoting the Elvin Formation Guild… And the other? The Elvin Alchemy Guild.

The last thing Dyon took out was his master level badge. He had earned this the very same day he challenged their guilds. And now? It was coming in handy.

No one said a thing. Everyone’s eyes were focused on the items in Dyon’s hand.

With a last movement, Dyon waved his hand and created a concealment array. Then, he covertly flashed Eli out of his ring to stand beside him.

When Eli appeared, he was immediately confused an couldn’t understand the situation.

In the last two years, he had grown taller. Although he was lanky and clearly malnourished, he was barely a half centimeter shorter than Dyon. In fact, he had been taller than Dyon just a few hours ago if you thought about it.

His hair was still it normal sandy blond, and his light brown eyes matched that of his sister, Venus.

Seeing this boy appear, Oliver, who was off in the distance and had come with Pertinacis and his step mom, immediately felt an ache in his heart. He recognized who this boy was, and could see the pain his had gone through.

Although Eli now wore clean and loose linens, his skin was still much too pale for what anyone would think would still be human.

Noticing everyone’s eyes on him, Eli’s hand shot to his face, trying to cover a scar he knew had to be there. This scar had been his shame for the past two years and although he had ignored it previously because he had been worried about Dyon’s wellbeing, he couldn’t help but feel self-conscious about it now.

Connery’s brows creased at the appearance of this young man. It wasn’t that he cared who Eli was, it was more so that he had no idea where he came from.

If Eli had always been there, then this was a problem. Why? Because Connery, despite his expertise, had no idea. He had even awakened his aurora to 48%, there was no reason why he shouldn’t be able to see through Dyon’s concealment array, or so he believed.

And, even if Eli had teleported here, and Dyon had for some reason chosen to conceal the array for some reason or another, that didn’t change the fact Connery still couldn’t see through the concealment.

‘This boy…’ A serious expression grew on Connery’s features. If he had known that Dyon hadn’t done this to show off, but rather to hide the special nature of his ring, then maybe Connery would be spitting up blood now.

“Dyon?” Eli looked downward shyly after giving Ri a small smile. He had some impression of Ri after they ran toward Dyon together. He was happy in his heart that his big brother had found such a beauty as a wife again. “What’s going on?”

Dyon’s heart ached when he saw how self-conscious Eli was about his scar. Still, Dyon didn’t make a move to remove Eli’s hand from his face, instead, he released Ri’s hand and clasped both hands on Eli’s shoulders.

“I’ve been a bad friend.” Dyon said sadly. “Let me do something for you.”

Eli shook his head furiously, “This wasn’t your fault. Don’t think that way. You did the right thing… Those students shouldn’t have had to die without anyone know who was responsible.”

Dyon sighed. No matter what Eli said, he just didn’t feel right about it. If he had waited until he was powerful enough, then called the big sect’s out on their horrible deeds, wouldn’t the result have been better. In fact, didn’t he have the power to wipe the big sects out alone right now? He didn’t need his puppets or his demon generals. Those low level 6^th grade essence gathering experts were nothing but fodder to Dyon right now.

“This wouldn’t be the Elvin Kingdom declaring war on the Ragnor God Clan, now would it?” Vidar Ragnor immediately recognized Eli for his scar.

Ri snorted, “If you think your Ragnor Clan can match up to us, have at it.”

Vidar’s brow furrowed, “It seems like the Elvin Princess doesn’t know her history. Maybe I should enlighten you and your husband.”

Ri smiled, “There’s no need. It was your main clan that helped up. You’re nothing but the fodder they sent to this universe. Would you still like to take credit for that?”

Vidar and Elof’s lips twitched at Ri’s provocation. They had thought she was simply a side character, but who would have known that he tongue would be so sharp.

“We would, of course, never start a war over a single slave. If you’d like him, take him as a sign of good will. In fact, we’ve already done our due diligence in marking him for you. If you’d like, we can give him a second scarring too.” Vidar sneered, unwilling to lose this war of words.

“Scar?” Dyon said faintly. “You think such a weak family would be able to scar a brother of mine?”

Vidar’s brows furrowed, “What nonsense are you talking about? There’s nothing capable of removing those – “

Dyon’s hand moved, ignoring Vidar’s response to cover Eli’s hand that was still on his face. “You never need to worry about something like.” Dyon lightly gripped Eli’s hand, nodding his head and asking Eli to trust him.

Ri smiled. She had seen Eli in full view just hours before. How could she not be aware that Dyon had long since removed any ridiculous semblance of a scar. With a wave of her hand, a dense and circular piece of ice appeared as she circulated her ice will, “Take a look, Eli.”

After reluctantly allowing Dyon to remove his hand from his face, Eli shyly looked up only to find a scene he could hardly believe.

He rushed up, nearly losing his footing on the ruined rooftop, but still gripping the sides of the ice and ignoring the cold the threatened to freeze his fingers off.

Ri giggled, “Be careful. Watch your hands!”

When Vidar saw this scene, his face couldn’t help but twist in disgust. Although others might not know, he knew fully well how difficult it was to remove those scars.

Much like Ri had when she fought Jade, the Ragnor poured copious amounts of will into the slave brands. The more power that was used to damage something, the more power it took to heal it. And, that case was especially true when it came to purging a body part of wills. Something that Jade had learned to hard way.

Tears threatened to spill over from Eli’s eyes, “Thank you… Thank you Dyon.”

Dyon lightly smiled, “Don’t be ridiculous. Take this as only step one of my apology. There are many other things to come.”

Eli immediately composed himself, remembering that they had been in an odd situation before and suddenly realizing that a very tall and greying man was slowly losing his patience.

“Tell me Eli,” Dyon continued, ignoring the angered Connery Sapientia, “How many members of the Viridi family are there?”

“34… Not including me, 33.” Eli didn’t understand why Dyon had asked, but he answered truthfully anyway.

Turning his attention to Connery Sapientia, Dyon continued. “As you can see, your excuses and feigned attempts at buying time are useless.” Dyon didn’t hold back in his words at all, letting Connery know that he had seen through them.

“I am the leader of not one, but two guilds. I am already a master level practitioner. And since you want to make this a wager, let’s make it a wager then.”

Dyon smiled lightly as Connery was slowly losing control of his ability to keep his emotions in check.

“There are 33 Viridi family members. They’re still alive, regardless of the condition that they’re in.

Give me their slave plates right now, and I’ll agree to wager my freedom. In fact, I’ll even allow you to put a slave seal in me.”

Connery’s eyes flashed at this. If Dyon allowed a slave seal to be put in him, that was much different than it being forced. When there were two consenting parties to a seal, only death of one person would undo its effects. Dyon was essentially wagering the rest of his life.

“Why should I give you the plates first? What kind of ridiculous deal works that way?”

“It’s simple, really. My only real obligation is to provide you with a grandmaster level weapon. It was you who brought up wagering my life, that was completely out of bounds. So, since you want to be so shameless, I thought I’d give you a handicap. After all, maybe if I’m worried about losing my life to you, I’ll mess up and give you a chance to win.” Dyon smiled lightly.

Silence.

This level of arrogance was ridiculous. This was a fifteen-year-old boy challenging a grandmaster formation expert as though he himself were already leagues beyond him.

“In fact, I’ll give you an even greater handicap. You get to choose the events. In fact, choose three. If I lose even one, you win.”

Suddenly, Connery began laughing as he flicked the ring that held the Viridi family slave plates to Dyon.

“This should be a grand event.” Connery laughed, “We’ll do it as a close to the first day of the world tournament. That way, even my Little Madeleine can watch you become a slave for the rest of her days. Then you can watch as she marries off to someone worthy.”

Dyon didn’t say anything, instead choosing to leave under a chorus of laughter and sneers.

Whether it be Eboni and Ode, or the Niveus Matriarch, or the young geniuses of Earth and the other planets, there wasn’t a soul that believed Dyon hadn’t just agreed to sign his life away.

Only Eli, Ri and the demon generals clearly understood why Dyon had chosen this path. And maybe only they believed he could do it.