Ultimate Level 1

Chapter 313

“Remember, the arena will not come into vision until thirty seconds before the fight starts. It will be exactly thirty seconds later that the bells will ring and you may move. Attempting to leave the spot you are standing on will result in pain you do not want to experience. Any last questions?”

Max shook his head at Quilazmore as he waited for the crystal disc he was standing on to move him to the arena floor.

“Well, nothing about what you just said. I do have one about the fight before me. How powerful were those two?”

The servant shrugged.

“Until I see you fight, I am not certain I can give you a true measurement of power. Just know they are not weak nor strong. Many are stronger and some are weaker. There are different pools of power, and as you move through one, you advance. Right now you are listed as the weakest pool, so either you will win or you will die.”

This elf must be a lot of fun. I know I have an attitude, but he has enough for both of us.

Max couldn’t help but grin and nodded.

“Well, perhaps I can bet on myself?”

“With what? Last I checked there was no system of currency that you possessed, and Igarra did not mention you had anything. You could wager your necklace as I can sense power in it.”

“I’ll pass. Do I gain anything from winning?”

“There are prizes and our form of currency, yes. You gain a percentage of the wagers placed. Each rank has a higher percentage and also gains greater rewards. To win is to get stronger.”

“And to lose is to die,” Max chimed in.

“Exactly.”

Quilazmore put his finger to his temple and gave a quick nod.

“Be ready. They are going to move you now, and please try to not throw up on the arena floor. While it doesn’t damage it, most find that as a sign of weakness.”

Before he could say anything, Max was bathed in light, and his Sonar went off, telling him that he had moved and was standing on uneven terrain that was mostly flat.

Around him, however, was a white tube of light, preventing him from actually seeing the arena floor.

Feels a bit like cheating, but I’ll take it.

Be ready. Do not hesitate. We shall find out what we are facing, and will need to react quickly. I would wager they know more about us than we do about them.

Words filled his head, and Max grimaced at the volume of it.

“Our newest fighter, Ifrit, straight from Quan Ma and the last ring, attempts to do the impossible! Perhaps he shall rain down fire and destroy his opponent, or perhaps once again Khatwaili will leave its opponent a pile of lifeless mush!”

This time the roars and applause of the participants were able to be heard, still somewhat silenced but the variation of noise and pitch left no doubt there was a variety of species watching.

The tube of light vanished, and Max saw that the floor of the arena was a hodgepodge of cracked earth plates, rising up a few feet and occasionally dropping. It was flat for the most part, but lots of potential tripping areas were present on the gray stone surface.

A quarter of a mile away, just as with the last fight, was his opponent, and Max froze upon seeing it.

What in the gods is that?

That… is a brain… inside a mechanical robot…

I mean, yeah… I can see that, but why is the brain in its stomach? And why is that thing at least fifteen feet tall?

Even from the distance it was easy to see that his opponent was in a large robotic suit, but even the brain itself in its midsection was bigger than what must be usual.

What head did that come out of?

Focus… look at the robot.

Max nodded, seeing the metallic robot looked dangerous. Gone was the big and bulky type of automaton from the dwarf dungeon. Instead this was sleek, with no extra bulk. Two long blades came from each hand, and there were tubes on the arms as well as a pack of some kind on its back.

I’ll try to use fire, see if I can burn the brain or perhaps cold even.

Whatever you do, be ready. Five seconds.

Bob was right, and the moment he knew time was up, the bells rang, and the robot raced toward him.

As it did a presence assaulted his mind, and Max almost bent over, feeling the barrage of something in his head.

It was like Fowl had a giant warhammer and was smashing over and over against his temples.

Fight it! Be ready, it’s halfway here!

The pain! I’m trying!

[ Formidable Mind ]

The pain vanished, and his mind became clear.

As soon as it happened, the robot’s charge turned into a skidding halt, stone sent in a spray as its metal legs and feet slid against the uneven surface.

Max didn’t wait, his Fire Nova started its wind up, and he began casting a fireball, knowing how much time he had until both were going to go off.

Go!

Rocks flew from the pressure his boots created when Max took off running, charging Khatwaili.

As he got closer, he noticed there were a pair of eyes in the brain as well as lots of tentacles operating levers.

The robot began to move backward, both arms and the five-foot blades preparing for a defensive position as Max covered the distance in a moment.

His staff came across, and one of the blades parried as the other swiped at him.

Dodging under it, Max grinned, his Fire Nova about to go off, and his fireball which followed him grew larger.

A second before his spell cast, openings around the robot’s leg opened up, and dozens of tiny darts began to stream from them, aimed at Max.

Cursing to himself, Max summoned an airwall, watching the first five get stopped, while the next one shattered it.

Waves began to roll out from his body, and the robot leaped up into the air, soaring at least twenty yards above, evading the flames, while metallic darts were still coming at Max.

Max summoned a stone wall and used his Stone Mastery to harden it, drawing from the very stone beneath his feet, watching as it held firm, growing thicker and causing the darts to bounce off.

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His fireball raced toward the airborne robot, his mind calculating where it would land, and as it moved to intercept the big brain robot, a sudden gust of air came from behind, sending the robot back into the air and made his fireball miss completely.

Channeling lightning, Max waited, watching to see where the thing was going to come down as it moved to the right, putting distance between them.

Khatwaili pointed its left arm at Max, and one of the tubes glowed, then an object streaked across the sky at him.

Dancing behind the wall, Max’s Sonar told him that the object was also moving, not coming right at him, but instead flying around the wall and toward him.

Another one came from Khatwaili’s right arm and tube.

Sprinting away, Max felt the pair of objects giving chase, always turning to stay after him.

They were gaining on him, and only about ten seconds remained as he covered the distance of the arena at the edge of the barrier where stone just stopped.

Here goes nothing…

Bob didn’t respond, but he knew it was the right decision, having seen how fast the objects tracked him. They turned but not quickly, and he didn’t want to waste his lightning spell he was channeling inside him.

With five yards before the two objects were about to impact against him and the power of the invisible wall behind him, Max hoped his timing was right.

[ Demonic Teleportation ]

The explosion that came from their impact raced toward him, and Max summoned an ice wall, flames washing over it as he located Khatwaili again.

This thing is smart. I’m not certain how long it can stay airborne.

Racing toward the robotic monstrosity, Max began summoning rock shards from the ground, creating multiple dozens of sharp blades, and had them following him as he ran back toward the brain that hovered about seventy yards in the air.

“Foolish human! I shall—”

The voice of Khatwaili was so high pitched that it made Cordellia’s seem normal.

Ignoring the taunt, Max jumped up into the air, his stone blades serving as stepping spots as he climbed higher into the air, watching as the pair of eyes on the brain went wide, and it reacted.

Instead of dodging, it came at him, blades ready, the object on its back providing speed as they aimed for one another.

A dozen stone blades raced ahead, coming from different sides to pin the robot in as it charged.

Both arms moved with surprising speed, destroying the rocks, and the ones that made it past them bounced off an invisible shield before the brain, who almost looked like it was smiling.

Max didn’t care. He had done what he needed to, and he unleashed the lightning that had been growing inside him.

A bolt three feet wide surged out from him, gone in a moment, and streaked toward Khatwaili.

It raised both arms, trying to block the attack, but when the spell connected, the robot reacted by spasming wildly, the object on its back sputtering.

Gone was the protective stance as Max drove off one of his remaining stone blades. Thrusting the pointed tip of his staff at the unprotected midsection where the brain was, smoke starting to rise from its pink flesh.

A squelching sound came as whatever barrier had stopped the stones wasn’t there, and the tender body of Khatwaili found itself impaled on a staff that began to radiate with fire.

“AHHHHH!”

Its cries came as both of them began to fall toward the ground, twisting in the air from the impact.

Still Max didn’t care as he focused the fire of his spell through the staff, watching as it burned the brain, seeing it shaking and those tentacles no longer grabbing on to any of the levers next to its body.

A loud crash came as the robot struck the ground first, twisting and causing Max to be thrown some, his weapon being yanked free.

Without giving Khatwaili a chance to react, Max summoned more stones, which grew like manacles, each one binding the robot's legs and arms to the ground and becoming heavier and larger with each passing second.

Max’s Fire Nova started again, and he ran back to the body, jumped on it, and plunged the staff over and over into the brain.

Cries and gurgles came from the pink blob, as liquid he assumed was blood of some kind ran free.

“I… can’t… be…”

The first wave of flames from his Fire Nova seared shut whatever mouth or hole made noise for Khatwaili. After that it unleashed a horrid high-pitched scream.

Suddenly it stopped, and Max felt a wave of cold that burned within his soul and mind.

[ Bonus Stats Consumed ]

[ 35 Intelligence Consumed ]

[ 35 Wisdom Consumed ]

[ Consume has successfully Consumed a skill ]

[ Skill does not match being’s entity type ]

[ Power stored for future use ]

[ Consume has successfully Consumed a skill ]

[ Skill does not match being’s body type ]

[ Consume is adjusting skill ]

[ Consume has Consumed a Higher Rank Skill ]

[ Formidable Mind - Rare has been upgraded to Formidable Mind- Epic ]

[ Consume has successfully Consumed a skill ]

[ Skill does not match being’s body type ]

[ Power stored for future use ]

[ Consume has successfully Consumed a skill ]

[ Skill does not match being’s entity type ]

[ Consume is adjusting skill ]

[ Skill does not match being’s system designation ]

[ Skill is being dele— ]

[ Consume has overwritten deletion ]

[ Would you like to learn [ Robotics ]? ]

[ Yes / No ]

[ Consume has successfully Consumed a skill ]

[ Skill does not match being’s entity type ]

[ Consume is adjusting skill ]

[ Would you like to learn [ Omnilingualism ]? ]

[ Yes / No ]

Cheers came as Max leaned against his staff for some stability, still stuck in the pink blob.

MOVE NOW!

Unsure if it was him or Bob, Max’s body turned and ran, covering the distance of the arena to the far side as the robot he had been standing on started to shake.

Stone, ice, and an air wall all gathered before him at the far edge of the barrier, and he began forming more barriers with the stone he summoned.

A flash of light came, and heat raced across the arena, blowing everything away.

The pain of his skin starting to melt was the first thing he noticed.

[ Regeneration ]

Even with the barriers, his body was assaulted by something that wanted to melt his flesh, a mushroom of fire rising inside the dome.

As his body fought to stay alive, a tube of light surrounded him.

Relief came as he felt himself back in his box, sensing the presence of the tiny dark elf.

“Don’t worry, we’ll take care of the radiation,” Quilazmore said.

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