586 Executive Arbitration! (2)
Following the roughly two weeks that Red Rage went into retreat, the Apostle took his time to finesse all of the skills he had acquired since his summoning. He had them evolve and tried to find ways to implement them into helpful combinations with other skills he had, which produced a series of results.
Additionally, he paid attention to something he neglected because his racial attributes far outshined it.
This was his class as the Tempered Skull Hegemon.
It focused on might as this was what Skullius had assumed that Red Rage needed the most to couple well with his unique abilities as the Pelvis Boar-Man.
Sadly, that class was no more.
It was replaced when Red Rage scaled up the levels to evolutions when he had left the safety of Fortune without Skullius’ consent. This had been his aim when he smuggled himself out.
Slugging down massive quantities of cumulative mana experience for himself and the newly hatched beasts that he had been tending to was something he realised would perfectly complement his exclusive training. Thus he had taken off.
After accumulating enough experience and with the help of the [Blessing of Serenity], Red Rage was exposed to more unique racial evolution options within the Pelvis series and since Skullius wasn’t there (frankly he wasn’t needed), the Apostle chose for himself what he saw fit as an option.
Without a guidance field, the options would be more like sensations with distinct yet vague differences but these were enough for Red Rage to pick his choice.
Thus, he deliberated and chose…
The Juvenile Pelvic Arbiter!
At this moment, as the skill [Greatest Executive Arbitration: Full Release] was cast, the very essence of what it meant to be Pelvic Arbiter and its ridiculous power were put on display.
Stylla, Setkh, Ed, Karrun and Seddrik were met with a bright space that pricked the eyes lightly.
It generally looked and felt like the setting had suddenly changed, their figures transported somewhere with a bright light but one with more perceptive capabilities would be able notice that they hadn’t gone anywhere at all!
Everyone was still in the same place… technically.
An area of roughly twelve meters within the darkness had suddenly changed, tweaked to form this light ridden space where the host stood before the ground.
He and his foe, that is.
‘What’s with this sudden setback? Where did this man even come from? Where did he take me?’
Seddrik was put on guard by the change in the appearance of the surroundings but what put him on edge all the more was his opponent whose apparel had changed.
Instead of the white armour and the lengthy cape he had worn just now, Red Rage had donned a fine cloak of Null Life Essence, its composition so dense and powerful that ordinary beings born outside of the Null could see it!
It fluttered as if blown by a fierce and dramatic wind but Red Rage’s figure, which was a mostly undefined, depicted to everyone as a silvery skeleton that blended into the bright surroundings gazing upon Seddrik with judging sockets, was barely noticeable.
If one didn’t focus, they’d think only the cloak was present.
“Welcome… to a different perspective,” Red Rage said with a saintly voice, his image fitting it.
“What is this?” Seddrik barked with a frown, his body boiling with Perfect Aura that blazed around his body, giving him the maximum boost to his overall ability that it could.
For someone like Seddrik at the peak of the Master Stage, a full 1000% in his abilities could easily be reached when he drew out all that he had, summoning all his Aura!
It was not quite the style of an Assassin but this enemy who had the power to kill him in a single hit if he didn’t bring out his fullest strength and could seemingly void all attacks…. For someone like this, he was willing to use brute force!
…!
The wild gush of power was phenomenal!
As it occurred, everything outside collapsed from the sheer force of the Aura in an explosive rumble, everything falling on something!
The underground was ignited and it exploded upwards, destroying everything within a one hundred of fifty meter radius!
It was an awe-inspiring display but…
It all happened outside… as in outside the small bright space created by Red Rage!
“What?!” Seddrik finally showed a different look other than his normal, in-control visage!
“Unfortunately, violence won’t do you much good here,” Red Rage informed, his almost ethereal figure moving around Seddrik who eyed him with shock. “This is a manifestation of justice that I’m able to create. It’s not actually a place but.. it’s simply my powers invoking a change in the perception of whoever is close to me. Your eyes have no choice but to see the world as I do and be restricted to the laws of justice…”
Seddrik grunted.
He clasped his hand and Perfect Aura forged nooses that rushed in to grip Red Rage, their build and knots thicker but…
They shattered upon reaching the Juvenile Pelvic Arbiter.
Red Rage was amused.
“Please be patient. I only have a limited time here. Fortunately for you, I lack the means to kill you when you’re going all out and truthfully, even as a vile murderer, you are tremendous powerful. However…”
The Apostle extended his hand towards Seddrik.
“…your crimes outweigh your might, giving justice what it requires to harm even a monster like you.”
…!
This line was chilling, as was what followed.
Seddrik found himself unravelling like paper, his skin turning translucent as beneath it, voices and faint images began to show!
The images were of the cruelty he involved himself in and these, along with the voices that were heard were things the Pelvic Arbiter could not ignore.
Screams of torture.
Wails of pain.
Throes of death.
Grunts of agony.
Every single deed to harm the innocent that Seddrik had ever done was shown, testified by his own flesh!
“What is this?! These are… What are you doing?!” Seddrik growled as he thought smacking his skin would change anything.
As Red Rage had said, he was incapable of killing Seddrik when he was using all his might to boost himself even with this ability which was yet to reach the heights it was meant to past his Juvenile state.
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In short, as long as anyone facing this skill saw the bright space around them, it meant their mind understood the idea of justice. The idea of paying for wrongdoings, particularly against the innocent.
As a result…
“The voices calling from you seek vengeance. They enable me to take one thing from you. Something I allowed even as I am weaker than you…”
This was the reason for Red Rage stretching out his hand.
Since he was weaker, he couldn’t take something from Seddrik that was too valuable.
Therefore…
“I will permanently claim… a third of your Aura, vile murderer!”
…!
What?!
Seddrik’s heart skipped a beat!
There was no way, right?!
He had never heard about something like this before?!
This was a lie, right?
A joke?!
Well…
His flaring Aura suddenly started to dwindle.
Its yellow hue dimmed as instantly, the quantity was cut down by a third!
His translucent skin that had voices and images spawning from it turned dark as he suddenly felt weaker!
‘My Aura…!’ Seddrik gaped inwardly.
At the same time, his vision returned to normal and the orange sun dipping behind the horizon rained its light on him and the onlookers who were looking towards him and Red Rage in confusion.
A large opening had been made above and around because of Seddrik’s outburst of Aura just seconds before, letting in the sun into the underground space.
It perfectly highlighted his shocked face as one word kept ringing in his head.
‘Permanently…’
His Aura… a third of it was gone… permanently?!
Did this mean what he thought it meant?
Seddrik’s thoughts which barely lasted two seconds led his Aura to weaken before it receded as his rage burned, his mind toppled by this absurd ability!
Could mode of his Aura be stolen?
Could his opponent use that ability again?
The figure of Red Rage returned to its epic and armoured form, his cape billowing proudly as he levitated a bit over the ground. The glow behind his visor brightened up as he grabbed his cape, a feeling of triumph having gripped his mind.
While everyone was reeling in the prospect of what had just happened, the card the Apostle had played right after [Greatest Executive Arbitration: Full Release]’s duration passed had already stationed itself in place.
‘I win…’
In this form, the Apostle could exercise only part of the [Executive Arbitration] powers, which is why he had abilities like nullifying damage incoming from enemies – there were restrictions for this – the ability to teleport to those who called for help given that they were in range and so on.
In his hand, a ball of yellow Aura could be seen floating over his palm. He then quickly passed it into the storage within his cape and faced his enemy who glared at him with blood red eyes.
He didn’t even realise.
“Justice is it? Fools like you are why I kill in the first place! To rid the world of this pretty facade!” Seddrik raged, his face turning vicious. “You think taking away a third of my added strength is enough to make me weak?!”
“Of course not, you fool,” Red Rage said as he pointed behind Seddrik.
…!
The man turned only to find that a peculiar creature with one of its tentacles digging into his neck was standing merely a meter from him after having seemingly shed its unique skin just now!
It was different from Killin Max.
It looked the same but its skin was red and its body was shorter and leaner, the tentacles that grew from it longer and doused with a purplish hue at their ends.
…!
“Poison?!” Seddrik exclaimed!
He suddenly realised that he had lost the ability to feel since a seconds ago and now…
How could he have no seen…?
Seddrik’s body grew weak but he still had strength in his limbs.
Only a bit of it.
He grunted.
“Profound. You are even more resilient than the last person to taste this poison,” Red Rage said mockingly.
As Seddrik’s Aura that had begun to feebly glow around him showed a drop in luminance, the caped Arbiter rushed in, his fist storming into the Assassin’s face with that one deadly punch…!