Chapter 68: The Difference in Strength

Chapter 68: Chapter 68: The Difference in Strength

Neva disappeared from sight. Arin barely had the time to react as something struck his chest from behind, sending him flying upwards before slamming into the back of the wall. The air was expelled from his lungs with a grunt. Arin fell forward to his knee, coughing up blood as he stared at Neva who was already standing in the space where Arin had been a second ago. It was as if he had simply...teleported. Arin wiped the blood from his lip.

"So that’s the difference." Neva’s lips curled into a smile. "You defeated Zerf after deciphering his Domain. That was impressive." Neva stepped forward. "But Zerf and I were never on the same level." Arin’s Dungeon Sovereign almost immediately reacted to the words, the red-black aura surrounding his body tightening as it attempted to process the incoming information regarding Neva’s abilities. A flood of data soon filled Arin’s mind, causing his head to throb in pain. It was all information regarding the manipulation of the dungeon, authority control, suppression, severance and territory dominance.

There was so much more than that, but Arin couldn’t separate each different type of information. Neva’s Authority wasn’t something that was specialized in a single technique. It was a part of him as a Dungeon Master. Arin forced himself to focus. "Come on." Neva raised his hand.

The walls of the dungeon shifted at his command and Arin immediately reacted, leaping to the side as a wall of stone shot up from the ground where he had previously stood. Another wall shot up above him and Arin twisted in the air, landing on the side of a broken pillar.

Neva then appeared next to him. Arin blocked the incoming strike. The force of the attack nearly dislocated his arm and sent him flying backwards. As Arin struggled to regain his stance, Neva’s Authority surrounded the room. Arin’s body felt as if it had suddenly grown heavier and his muscles felt as if they had been replaced with metal several times their original weight. "Authority Suppression?" Neva nodded. "One of the many techniques I have learned as a Dungeon Master." Arin grit his teeth before forcing his body to move. Dungeon Sovereign activated as he analyzed the technique.

After a few seconds of processing, Arin was able to separate out the specific technique from the mass of information that was Neva’s Authority. He was able to create a reproduction of the technique. Arin exhaled sharply before pushing his Authority forward and began pushing against the force that was attempting to suppress him.

"Now I got it." Neva observed him. "You were quick to understand." Arin lunged forward, the reinforced strength of his Dungeon Authority powering his fist. Neva didn’t bother blocking the attack, but instead grabbed Arin’s wrist mid-swing.

Arin’s eyes widened as Neva twisted his arm, sending a sharp pain throughout his shoulder. Arin quickly launched a side kick at Neva’s torso, but the older man simply moved out of the way, retaliating with a punch to Arin’s ribs. Arin’s body crumpled as he felt the wind leave his lungs. Neva delivered another punch to his chest before Arin could recover, and then another. Arin tried to block the incoming attack, but his body was already predicting every move he was going to make. He couldn’t create any openings, couldn’t force Neva to retreat, and couldn’t determine a countermeasure to the older man’s attacks.

Arin was able to activate his Dungeon Sovereign just in time to read the pattern of attacks that Neva was using. He anticipated the next move and Arin was able to move first, his fist connecting with Neva’s shoulder. The force of the blow was enough to crack the stone ground beneath Neva’s feet. Neva looked at the broken ground, then back at Arin.

"Better."

Neva disappeared, and Arin’s Dungeon Sense immediately reacted, telling him where his opponent had gone. He turned, but it was too late. Neva landed a punch to his abdomen, sending Arin flying across the room and causing him to roll across the ground before coming to a stop next to Zerf’s fallen form. Arin’s breathing was beginning to become uneven. Arene spoke inside his mind.

[Your current Authority output is insufficient.]

Arin pushed himself up from the ground.

"I know."

[Dungeon Sovereign is functioning correctly, but the amount of Authority you possess is still too low to reproduce Neva’s techniques at their original level.]

Arin looked up at Neva.

"So, I take it that means I’m reading the answers to a test I don’t have the power to solve?"

[That is an accurate comparison.]

Arin chuckled weakly. "Fantastic." Neva began walking towards him. "You have understood your deficiency." Arin clenched his fists. "Doesn’t mean I’m going to stop."

Neva stopped, and the entire dungeon trembled. Arin and Neva both turned towards the source of the disturbance. It wasn’t the result of their battle, but something else was occurring. Arin’s Dungeon Sense immediately picked up on the fluctuation of mana. "What is that?" Neva’s expression changed, although the change was barely noticeable to Arin. The pressure around Neva increased and a dark red glow began to form beneath the stone floor.

Arin immediately recognized the pattern of glowing lines that were spreading throughout the room. "Those weren’t there before." Neva looked down at the growing lines. For several seconds, he said nothing.

"I see," he finally said. "So he has begun." Arin furrowed his brow. "Who?" Neva didn’t answer. The lines of mana grew brighter and something new was beginning to form somewhere far above the two combatants.

Arin’s body reacted instinctively as the Dungeon Sovereign attempted to process the new information.

The sheer amount of data caused Arin to stumble. "There is something controlling the flow of this energy." "Correct," Arene stated.

[The external energy is being routed through the dungeon and into Authority Ten.]

Arin narrowed his eyes. "The elf Hero?" Neva said nothing. His silence was enough of an answer. Arin raised his hand. "Dungeon Sovereign." The Unique Ability activated and Arin focused on the flow of energy that was feeding into Neva. A red-black thread appeared in his vision and Arin latched onto it, but the moment he attempted to pull, the thread pushed back, nearly throwing Arin off of his feet. Arin grit his teeth and forced his power forward.

"Come on, come on..."

Arin’s Dungeon Sovereign wasn’t powerful enough, but the fact that the energy was being routed into Neva should have made it easier to sever. However, the person that was supplying the energy to Neva had created some kind of failsafe within the thread, preventing Arin from cutting it. Arin could understand the flow of the thread, but he couldn’t break it. Neva appeared in front of Arin. The younger man looked up at him. Neva delivered a punch to Arin’s gut, and the younger man crossed his arms in defense. The force of the punch shattered his barrier and sent him flying into another wall.

Arin landed in a narrow corridor, blood trickling down his face as Neva appeared behind him. Arin struggled to stand as the pressure coming from Neva was different than it had been before. The amount of power was still the same, but the nature of it had changed entirely. Arene’s voice shook with urgency.

[His Authority output is increasing.]

Arin looked up at Neva. "You weren’t lying."

Neva stopped. "About what?" Arin slowly raised his head and looked at the energy that was flowing through the dungeon.

"Ten percent. Someone is making your ten percent stronger." Neva let out a quiet chuckle. "Very perceptive." Arin wiped the blood from his lip. "Whoever is doing this wants you to kill me." Neva’s expression was unreadable. "Perhaps. But motives can wait." The ground beneath Arin cracked and Neva’s Authority pressed down on him.

Arin’s bones screamed in protest as he was pressed against the ground.

He tried to move, but nothing responded to his command. The pressure was too great. Dungeon Sovereign activated. Arin was searching for a weakness, and there was one. He could see it. He could understand the pattern of suppression that Neva was using, and he could understand how it worked in relation to the dungeon. He could even understand how to break the suppression within a single section of it. But it wasn’t enough. Arin clenched his teeth.

"So this is what it means..." He forced one of his hands against the ground. "...to understand an ability without having the power to use it." Neva looked down at him.

"Exactly." Arin’s lips curled into a sudden smile. "But I still have a small advantage." Neva raised an eyebrow. "I can keep learning." The red-black aura surrounded Arin. The Dungeon Sovereign was already analyzing Neva’s Authority again. Neva’s expression tightened.

"Then learn."

The next attack came down and Arin barely dodged it. The explosion of the attack sent a plume of dust and rock into the air and when it settled, Arin was still alive. He forced himself out of the crater and his body shook. His Rage was already burning through his veins, fueled by the amount of pain he was in. The timer appeared.

[Dungeon Master Rage remaining duration: 05:21.]

Arin stared at it. Five minutes. On the other side of the room, Neva was unfazed, and the red energy that was feeding into him was growing stronger. Arin raised his fists for the second time. Neva looked him over.

"Come, young Dungeon Master."

His Authority spread out through the dungeon. "Let us see how long you can last before your body gives out." Arin took a step forward. He knew he was outmatched. But the battle wasn’t over yet.