Ch. 2371..2380
Chapter 2371 Upper Limit
First of all, Levi claimed that everyone was practicing the same technique.
The first point was already invalid.
They were all ranked high on the Divine Leaderboard, and yet someone who ranked over seven thousand only on the Provisional Leaderboard was telling them that he could spot the similarity?
Is he for real?
It was as if a kindergartener was trying to lecture a university professor.
Does the kindergartener think that he’s spotted something that escaped even the Ph.D.’s eyes? How dare he ridicule us for being too weak, and even say that we won’t be able to understand even if he tried explaining it to us?
Is this a joke?
Besides, they found the second point absolutely ridiculous as well.
What did he mean by all of us will be ultimately destroyed?
Over ninety percent of the population was practicing the new era technique, and they had never once heard anyone who met their demise because of it.
They thought he might have argued that the fighters just had not grasped the core techniques.
However, those ranking thirty and above on the Divine Leaderboard should have perfectly mastered the technique, right?
They could not help but wonder how Levi would make his case then.
Why aren’t we doomed then? Why are we still alive?
The points that Levi tried to make made no sense whatsoever.
It was all his biased presumption, and the rest found it hard to believe.
Even though they still respected Levi, they no doubt questioned the credibility of his claims.
Judging by the doubtful looks on their faces, Levi knew that his words of advice were futile.
He was perfectly aware that his words carried no weight, and that they would not understand him even if he tried explaining, especially on the point where the technique that they practiced would ultimately lead to their own destruction.
There was just simply no way to validate his claim.
Kirin and the others had not reached the level of mastery.
Levi then thought about something else. The top ten fighters on the Divine Leaderboard did not rely on the new era techniques whatsoever.
People like Dark Emperor, The Cardinal Hall General, and even those around the ranks with Donald.
They had not relied on the opportunities brought about by the new era, nor on the fast-track techniques to level up.
On the other hand, they worked on perfecting their old techniques.
Levi observed that those ranked eleven to twenty on the Divine Leaderboard did the same as well.
This was the perfect illustration that the fast-track technique had its limitation.
Fighters who relied on the technique would only advance up until rank twenty at best.
As for the reason Zoey could rank in the top ten by practicing the fast-track technique, Levi reckoned that it was because she was trained by none other than Dark Emperor herself back then.
To put it in another way, her achievement did not have a major correlation to the fast-track technique that she was practicing.
Then, another pang of realization hit Levi.
Does this mean that Kirin and the others have almost reached the level of mastery then?
The fast-track technique had its limitations, and they were about to hit their bottleneck.
After the indigenous forest tournament challenge, most of them had improved by leaps and bounds, especially Zoey.
However, Kirin and Azure Dragon did not improve by much.
It entailed that the upper limit of the fast-track technique was almost reached.
“Kirin, White Tiger, Floyd, you guys cannot keep practicing the technique. I’m afraid that something bad will happen soon! I’m not sure when others will reach the upper limit of the technique but you guys will reach it soon!”
Then, he turned to Asura and Minka. “Same goes to the two of you! Stop practicing it right away or you guys will suffer the repercussions!”
“This is really urgent. I can’t explain everything in detail right now, but if you guys believe what I say, please give up on the technique right now. I’m not trying to harm you guys and only trying to look out for your best interests!” Levi said sternly.
Minka sighed and said, “We know that you won’t harm us in any way. But you do not have anything to back your claims right now, and yet you ask us to give up on the technique we’ve been practicing? Don’t you think you’re a little on the nose? I’m afraid I have to ask for a more substantial claim.”
Asura let out a snicker. “Are you afraid that you might not be able to catch up to us? Is that why you’re painting such a horrifying picture to make us give up on practicing the technique?”
Chapter 2372 Cannot Sit Idly By
Azure Dragon said right away, “Asura, please. My boss is not someone who is so narrow-minded. He must have his reasons to say so. I choose to trust him this time. I’m going to give up practicing the fast-track technique!”
The others were taken aback when Azure Dragon said so.
Is Azure Dragon really going to give it up for good?
He chose to place trust in Levi in the end.
Though Levi was his boss, it was still a very difficult decision to make.
To give up on one’s technique was an arduous task.
When Azure Dragon stepped up to back Levi up, Phoenix and Kirin chose to do the same and was ready to denounce the technique they had been practicing once and for all.
However, Azure Dragon stopped them.
He signaled the others.
“You guys have to be honest and true to your hearts. Do not blindly follow Levi. Make your best judgment and prepare to accept the consequences.”
The others understood Azure Dragon’s intention right away.
They realized that Azure Dragon did not wholeheartedly believe in Levi as well.
In fact, all of them harbored the same thoughts.
They believed in Levi as a person, but could not seem to believe in his claims about the technique.
The reason was simple—he did not have anything substantial to back his claims.
However, seeing as their boss was almost pleading with them, Azure Dragon did not think it was appropriate to keep refuting Levi.
Hence, he stood out and sided with the man, choosing to believe in him and renounced practicing his technique.
However, he did not really wish to do so.
He only stepped up to relieve the tension hanging in the air.
Hence, he chose to sacrifice himself to save others.
He could live with renouncing practicing the technique, and even the prospect of becoming an ordinary man.
However, he did not wish to see the same for the others.
It was a brilliant move as he managed to save everyone the embarrassment.
Not only Levi’s pride was preserved, but the others were saved from being stuck in a difficult position as well.
Everyone cast admired looks at the man for his wise move.
He was indeed a true leader.
Even though he was not the strongest among the group, he undoubtedly possessed outstanding leadership.
Azure Dragon had always been entrusted to do the best for the group.
“Boss, it’s not that we don’t trust you. It’s just that you don’t have anything concrete to back up your claims. Now that Azure Dragon is on your side, we’d like to see for ourselves what are the consequences that would follow,” said Kirin and the others.
They wanted to continue practicing the fast-track technique, mostly to validate Levi’s claim that the technique’s mastery would lead to their own destruction.
Robed Slayer stepped up and said, “Mr. Garrison, you’ve mentored me in the past. I have to say that considering the fact that I’m already a veteran in comparison to others, I still find it hard to believe what you’ve just said.”
However, there were others who believed in Levi as well.
Mia and Wynona stepped forward right then.
“We choose to wholeheartedly believe in Levi. We hereby renounce practicing the technique!”
The two of them did not share the same sentiment as Azure Dragon and the rest.
They truly believed in Levi.
They had done so in the past and would continue to do so till the end of time.
Levi finally heaved a sigh of relief.
He could understand where Azure Dragon was coming from, but he was reluctant to see people whom he regarded as brothers head into the path of their own demise!
What if he could not take charge of the situation and save them later on?
It was something that he wished he would not have to witness.
He did not think he could bear to part with anyone present right then.
However, since they refused to listen to him, Levi knew he could not force them to follow his ways.
“All right then. I believe all of you are aware of the massive testing ground of Garrison Industry, right? You guys could enter the data of the various techniques you guys practice into the machine to analyze it. Then, all of you may see for yourselves if what said is true,” Levi suggested.
Since Maya Industries had already done the data analytics, Levi believed that Garrison Industry would be able to replicate the same results.
“Is that really feasible?” Azure Dragon asked.
“Yes, it’s perfectly feasible. Just gather the technique books and convert them into data points,” Levi replied.
“No way!”
Chapter 2373 A White Lie
A different voice rang.
Everyone present traced the origin of the voice.
It was Floyd.
“Hmm? Why not?” Levi asked.
“Boss, we have no qualms handing over our technique books to you. However, we are not comfortable with exposing our trump cards to others. Clearly, everything about our techniques will be made known to others. I have to say that I’m not confident with that, not even to Garrison Industry!” Floyd admitted.
“Yes, we’re not comfortable with handing over everything to others. There’s really no guarantee to the security of our data,” said the others as they voiced out their concerns.
After all, Garrison Industry was not only owned by a selected few like Azure Dragon.
It was only natural that they felt that the risk was too great to bear.
Azure Dragon then said, “What if we just gather a few technique books among us, and then a few more from others? That should already make up to more than a hundred techniques to be converted into data points. This will be a safer way, no?”
Levi nodded his head. “Yes, that should work. Though the sample size was smaller, it should show the same distribution.”
“Great, then we’ll go get ready. The rest of you may rest assured.”
Azure Dragon led Kirin and the others and left.
After they were out of Levi’s earshot, the rest of them questioned Azure Dragon, “Are you sure about gathering all our technique books for research purposes?”
“Do you really believe in what boss said?”
Azure Dragon merely smiled and said, “Of course not. It’s just something a relief measure. Otherwise, we’d be still at a stalemate with the others.”
“So, you sacrificed yourself to side with boss and agreed with the data analytics proposal only to appease him for the time being?”
The others were awestruck at his brilliance.
Azure Dragon continued to analyze the situation to them and said, “So, it’s set then. We’re not going for the data analytics route for sure.” He had reckoned that it would be a white elephant project anyway. If what Levi said was true, people ranking at the top of Divine Leaderboard would already have realized that something was not quite right.
They wouldn’t need Levi to point it out. After all, Azure Dragon knew that his boss’ powers were quite limited, and it would be impossible for him to have mastered all the techniques.
Otherwise, why would he rank only over three thousand on the Provisional Leaderboard?
In a worried tone, Phoenix asked, “Will boss get mad when he knew we didn’t walk our talk?”
“I’ve given up on everything now. I’m only going to concentrate on the basic technique that he’s going to teach me. I will take all the responsibility if he really blames us for not listening to him!” Azure Dragon said in a resigned manner.
“Azure Dragon, it’s been hard on you. You’ve sacrificed yourself to save all of us!”
Kirin and the others patted him on the shoulder.
“It’s all right. I know that I have the least talent among us all. So, it’s really a no-brainer that I should be the one to give up my technique. Keep on practicing guys. It’s going to be hard on you guys when you have one less person carrying the team,” Azure Dragon said with a smile.
“Yes, we will try our best to perfect our techniques. We’ll see if the boss’ claim about our technique’s self-destruction was true.”
Everyone was quite positive that Levi’s claim was groundless, and they were eager to prove him wrong.
Meanwhile, Levi was giving orders to Sacred Organization as Dark Emperor.
He instructed Sacred Organization which controlled more than a third of the world’s forces to renounce practicing their techniques.
However, there were simply too many parties involved.
It was not practical to ban the practice of the technique in one go.
Levi knew he could only go step by step in the matter, especially since he would be met with strong protests from the people.
People like Asura from the Erudian Alliance surely would be skeptical.
Besides, since he had already mentioned it to them, Levi knew that they would surely grow suspicious.
Hence, Levi had not given the instruction to Sacred Organization hastily as well.
Instead, he only asked Death Fiend to enforce the ban gradually.
He did not wish for people from Lab of Gods or others to know.
Hence, those who had received the instruction only renounced the technique quietly while they still openly claim that they were practicing.
As for the forces that formed the Erudian Alliance, Levi thought it was not yet the time to inform them.
“What are you getting at, exactly?”
Chapter 2374 Time Is Up
After everyone had left, Zoey started to question Levi.
“Everyone is only trying to help you by handing over their technique books to you. Why are you telling them that practicing the technique will ultimately lead to their own destruction? You’re hurting their pride!”
“Just take a look at how Azure Dragon has given up on everything just so he could protect your pride? Everyone is putting themselves in your shoes. Can’t you reciprocate their goodwill?”
Zoey gave Levi the death glare.
Levi argued, “It is because I care about them that I ask them to give up on the new era technique. Otherwise, they’re all going to die!”
“You’re sputtering nonsense! You have nothing substantial to back yourself up! You’re only using your former position to force them to listen to you. In case you haven’t realized, you’re no longer as strong as you used to be! Besides, so many fighters are practicing the fast-track technique. Don’t you think they would have already realized its shortcomings, if any, by now? Have you ever studied the technique to make such critical claims?”
Levi nodded. “I have studied all the techniques for one day and night, and I’ve mapped every single one of the techniques out to its finest stages. That is why I’m saying that the myriad of techniques actually shares the same origin.”
“You? You figured all that out?” Zoey was doubtful of Levi’s claims.
Even Kirin and Floyd who ranked among the top ten of the Divine Leaderboard had not claimed that they had mapped out the techniques to its finest stage.
How can someone who ranks only approximately six to seven thousand on the Provisional Leaderboard dare to make such claims?
Doesn’t he realize just how ridiculous he sounds right now?
Zoey found his words absurd, to say the least.
“So, other than Mia and Wynona, no one else trusts me? Are you guys doubtful of my words, or are you guys questioning my credibility?” Levi asked resignedly.
“We do not believe in you for a number of reasons. First, you don’t have anything substantial to back your claims, and then you’re not even strong enough!
“If you said that it was my master, Dark Emperor who claimed that she has mastered all the techniques and even mapped them all out to its finest stages, it would be much more convincing. However, with your current position and strength, nobody will ever take you seriously,” Zoey said as a matter factly.
It was because Levi was not strong enough that his words carried no weight.
“All right then.” Levi let out a sigh.
If he were to explain everything as Dark Emperor, then there was a fair chance that everyone would give up on the technique.
However, if it was all truly part of Lab of Gods’ grand scheme, then he would alert them and lead to a lot of trouble if he were to expose his identity as Dark Emperor.
“Do you have any plans in mind? Is that why you’ve made such a claim?” Zoey asked out of curiosity.
“What plan can I possibly have?”
Levi was not feeling peachy.
“I really hope you can practice hard. There are only eight days left.”
Zoey hoped that Levi would be more grounded.
However, Levi paid no heed to her and went out to get some fresh air.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
A few shadows flashed before his eyes right then.
“Levi Garrison, I’d like to see who can back you up this time!”
It was Levi’s enemy.
After the failed attempt of assassination at the indigenous forest, they tailed him all the way back to Erudia.
Actually, Levi knew that he was being tailed by a lot of people.
However, he could not care less about them.
They were mere cannon fodders to him.
However, this time a group of people showed up in front of him.
“Get lost! I’m in a bad mood right now. I’m going to kill everyone if you keep bothering me!” Levi said exasperatedly.
“We’re going to kill you!”
The group dashed forward.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
Levi was infuriated and blew out punches to the group of fighters that ambushed him.
They turned into mists of blood right away.
The interruption had not affected his intention to take a stroll.
Eight days passed in the blink of an eye.
Zoey and Levi’s promised three months was up.
Everyone was shocked when they tried to check Levi’s ranking.
Chapter 2375 Out Of The Provisional Leaderboard
They could not seem to find Levi’s name on the Provisional Leaderboard.
They went over the ranking multiple times, and yet Levi’s name was nowhere to be seen.
The same thought popped into their minds right then—Levi had dropped out of the Provisional Leaderboard.
In this time and era, slow progress equaled to regress.
One could be easily eliminated by intense competition.
While others were skyrocketing in their abilities day in and day out, slow progress would pale in comparison.
Every single man and woman could practice the fast-track technique to achieve great strides in the new time and era.
Hence, the Divine Leaderboard and Provisional Leaderboard refreshed with each passing second.
They were not actually surprised by the fact that Levi had dropped out of the Provisional Leaderboard.
After all, the man had been stubbornly clinging onto his outdated techniques.
Azure Dragon was one prime example as well.
He had chosen to sacrifice himself to save others.
As a result, he had been practicing the techniques taught by Levi in these eight days.
He had not achieved any kind of improvement in the past eight days.
Looking at the refreshed ranking of the Divine Leaderboard, the man had even dropped to rank 578 from rank 564!
It was apparent that he had regressed so much in just eight days.
Azure Dragon sighed after seeing his own ranking on the Divine Leaderboard.
“I think in time, I’m going to drop out of the Divine Leaderboard, and even the Provisional Leaderboard over time, just like the boss!” Kirin said candidly.
He noticed that Azure Dragon’s face sank, and realized that he had made a blunder.
Azure Dragon shook his head. “It’s fine. I knew that this would happen the moment I made the choice to give it all up. You guys just need to keep advancing.”
They started to check their respective rankings. Kirin and Floyd’s rankings did not differ by much.
As a matter of fact, they had not realized that their abilities had reached their peak.
It was going to be difficult for them to advance further.
Oblivious to the fact, they had been thinking that it was all quite normal.
“Zoey Lopez, rank 34 on the Divine Leaderboard!”
Everyone gasped upon seeing her ranking.
Her improvement was quite startling, given the fact that she was stripped of her powers only three months ago.
It was astonishing that she managed to rank 34 on the Divine Leaderboard in just three months’ time!
Besides, it seemed like she was still advancing at a very fast pace.
Kirin and the others were awestruck.
They knew it would be a futile attempt to go up against her.
This is simply terrifying!
If all went well, Zoey could even return to her former glory and rank top ten on the Divine Leaderboard.
However, the Divine Leaderboard right now was not the way it used to be.
The former Divine Leaderboard was a mere concept with no concrete rankings.
“I remember boss saying that we’ve reached our upper limit and that it would be difficult for us to advance further. But, just look at how Zoey is accelerating!”
“Yes, she’s practicing the fast-track technique as well…”
However, they were oblivious to the fact that Zoey had learned her basics from Dark Emperor.
The impact of the fast-track technique was not as pronounced on her as on everyone else.
“Don’t listen to that nonsense. There’s nothing substantial to his claim!” Zoey said.
“Zoey, you’re rank 34 this time while boss has dropped out of the Provisional Leaderboard. This time, I think you can really teach him a lesson. Even I’m feeling quite embarrassed for him!”
“Yes, I think he should feel quite defeated by this. Do you think he will try to avoid us after this?”
The others burst into a laugh.
“Let’s go look for him!” Zoey said as she was all prepared to meet up with him.
“Wait a minute! Look at this, guys!”
Someone let out a surprised shriek.
Chapter 2376 Levi Makes It Into The Divine Leaderboard
“What? What happened, Phoenix? What’s the holdup?”
Everyone stopped and turned around to see why Phoenix told everyone to look at the leaderboard, but all she did was point at the last name on the Divine Leaderboard.
“Look, boss is right up there!”
Everyone looked at the leaderboard, and sure enough, Levi was ranked one thousand on the Divine Leaderboard.
But the news came as too much of a shock, so everyone looked closer to see if it was just another person with the same name. But after double-checking it, they confirmed that it was the same Levi they knew and respected.
But some still didn’t believe it fully, so they clicked into the person’s details to see his past. When they saw his battle history, they knew it was Levi himself. The king of the past was already starting to make his comeback.
The reason Levi managed to make it on the Divine Leaderboard was explained as well. Apparently, eight days ago, he killed six of the top one hundred and fourteen of the top three hundred fighters of the Provisional Leaderboard… alone.
To top things off, out of the six he killed, three were ranked in the top three, which meant they could even make their way up to the top echelon of the Divine Leaderboard if they lived.
Since Levi took them all out alone, it was just fair that he was ranked a thousand on the Divine Leaderboard.
But the problem was, nobody knew about this event or when it took place, not even the alleged perpetrator—Levi himself.
He was backed into a corner, so he had to attack them and kill them all. However, he never would have thought someone would see him kill the fighters. Because of that, they reevaluated his power level and reassigned his ranking.
That battle was the reason he was ranked on the Divine Leaderboard. He wouldn’t have wanted it if he could help it, but he couldn’t do anything about it now that he was seen, not even if he had one-third of all the forces in the world under his control.
Not to mention he didn’t know about the whole affair himself.
“What the heck?”
Everyone was understandably dumbfounded when they saw the ranking. After all, they didn’t know about Levi’s true power, unlike a select few.
Is this really the same boss we know? Did he power-up that much in such a short time? Unbelievable!
“If my memory serves me right, it has only been ten days, hasn’t it? The boss is only around six to seven thousand on the Provisional Leaderboard ten days ago, but now he’s already on the Divine Leaderboard? Did he make his way up to seven thousand rankings in ten days? How did he even do that?” White Tiger asked a sharp question.
That was also what everyone had in mind.
“Yeah, how on earth did he do that?”
Everyone looked at one another, but none of them could come up with an answer.
But then, Floyd happily answered, “Oh, I get it! Remember what master did ten days ago? He took all our technique books and researched them the whole day. And then he told us we shouldn’t keep on practicing them.”
Once Floyd pointed that out, everyone realized what he was getting at, and they knew the ‘real’ reason Levi managed to make it on the Divine Leaderboard.
Azure Dragon said, “So in other words, boss researched our techniques the whole day just so he can start practicing them?”
“Yes. I think we’ve underestimated the boss. I bet all of us thought he couldn’t have fully researched our techniques that quickly because of how low he ranked, but we forgot one very important thing. Boss is a top-tier genius. His talent has always been a lot better than all of us, and we can’t even begin to compare even if we wanted to.
“He can absolutely master our techniques in a single day, and the proof is in the pudding. See, he’s already ranked in the Divine Leaderboard already. He can do it no doubt.”
Everyone had their own opinions, but they generally had the same conclusion as to why Levi managed to rank on the Divine Leaderboard.
“I don’t want to be that guy, but I told you so. If the boss went all-in with the new era’s technique, he’ll make it to the top in no time. Not to say I’m a prophet, but my prediction came true. The old king is making a comeback!” Kirin was visibly excited by the outcome.
Everyone gasped in shock, surprised by Levi’s sheer amount of talent. But even though they’ve wracked their brains, never would they imagine Levi’s talent was even more than they could ever imagine.
Everyone said he took ten days to achieve it, but in reality, he took less than two days to make it to the leaderboard. After all, he only took one day to master the new era’s technique. The realization of that fact solidified Levi’s name as one of the most talented fighters known to them.
Obviously, he was even more talented than Zoey herself.
“He finally understood what we were getting at! Oh my god, I’ve been waiting for this my whole life!”
Everyone was buzzing with excitement since this was what they always wanted. They had been waiting for Levi to make his eventual comeback, and after that long wait, they finally saw the light at the end of the tunnel.
“But I have a question. Why’d the boss say our technique would kill us in the end?”
Chapter 2377 I Lost The Bet
That question was raised by Phoenix. “I’m not sure about this, but is it possible that the boss actually mastered our techniques? No, not just the regular mastering. I mean more than that. He might have seen through all the techniques to their core. He might be telling the truth.”
Everyone fell into silence, pondering about Phoenix’s question. The room was quiet for a long time, as everyone was trying to find an answer to that. But no matter how they tried, they couldn’t figure the riddle out.
Zoey said, “I think that’s just an excuse. He doesn’t want us to know he’s been practicing your techniques. He probably knows that we won’t believe him no matter what he said. I mean, who would believe that the techniques would kill us if we train them until the end? He’s saying that to let us know he dislikes our technique and that he won’t practice them.
“Eventually, we’d end up thinking he has nothing to do with our techniques.”
Zoey’s explanation was reasonable, at least in everyone’s eyes. They now assumed that Levi was lying to them so they’d think he wasn’t practicing, but in fact, that was just what he was doing all this time.
“If you don’t believe me, we can take a look at his solitary training spot.”
Zoey led everyone to Levi’s solitary training spot—the underground facility. The moment they came in, what greeted them was a table full of everyone’s technique analysis. It was filled with a mountain of papers where Levi wrote all his analysis.
Everyone’s jaw dropped when they saw that.
So he’s been researching our techniques all this time? And his insight is incredible. He has such a talent. He has fully mastered all the techniques. Even more than we do.
Levi mapped out all the techniques to their furthest ends. If it wasn’t for his body holding him back, he could have become the strongest fighter by now. His name would be among the top three in the Divine Leaderboard instead of just one thousand.
“Oh, I get it. Remember what boss told us? That all techniques actually come from the same origin? I think what he’s trying to say was that he wants to merge all our techniques to create his own stuff.
“Look here, boss analyzed all our techniques and wrote out all their possibilities. It’s obvious he wants to merge them up to create something new,” Kirin explained.
Everyone there had tried to come up with a rough idea about Levi’s training, and the most popular theory was that he would merge everyone’s technique and create his own thing. But before he could analyze the techniques, the Lopezes and Blacks took them away.
“Oh, you have a point. That’s why he wants to merge our stuff and make his own thing so quickly. That way, we won’t even have any evidence saying that he used our technique even if we find out about it. I mean, it’s already his own thing, so of course, he’s not using our technique. Well, technically speaking.”
After they ‘analyzed’ Levi’s training method and came to an answer they gleaned from nothing but pure conjecture and ignorance, everyone felt delighted.
Ignorance is bliss, I’d say.
But back to the point. Levi managed to create his own technique and make it into the Divine Leaderboard. Of course, they’d be the happiest group of people in the whole wide world. They managed to get what they wanted all this time after all.
“Hey, guys. Wanna bet? I’ll expose him later, but I bet he’ll say he’s still practicing his basic technique.” Zoey smiled.
“I ain’t betting. That’s really obvious. We all know that’s exactly what he will say.”
Everyone laughed.
“So, Azure Dragon. Are you going to keep this up and play along with boss?” someone asked.
“You don’t have to, bro! Everyone knows the truth now. You’re finally free!”
Most of them thought there was no need for Azure Dragon to sacrifice his time and future to play along with Levi, but Azure shook his head. “No, I won’t break his bubble. I want him to train in peace. I don’t mind sacrificing my time. I have you guys protecting me, right? Besides, if all it takes for boss to make his comeback is my time, I’d gladly pay the price.”
Everyone was touched by Azure Dragon willingness to sacrifice. It was a good thing he was the leader and the brains of the group instead of the brawn, so nobody paid it any mind.
When everyone came out of the underground facility, they ran into Levi, who had just come back.
Levi wasn’t surprised to see everyone gathered around his place, since it was the deadline of his bet with Zoey. They wanted to see who made the bigger progress over the last three months, and Levi would gladly ‘lose.’ After all, no adult would go full force fighting children.
“Oh, guess the deadline’s here. You got me, Zoey, I lost,” he said.
Chapter 2378 I Have Been Waiting
“No, Levi. Actually, you won. Congratulations,” Zoey said.
Suffice to say, Levi did not see that coming. “I won?” He stared at Zoey in disbelief. What’s going on? ”But you’re one of the top one hundred fighters on the Divine Leaderboard. I’m just around seven thousand on the Provisional Leaderboard. I couldn’t have won,” Levi asked.
“No, master. You aren’t on the Provisional Leaderboard anymore,” Floyd reminded him.
Levi smiled bitterly, “See? I can’t even make it in the Provisional Leaderboard. I have totally lost.”
“But you made it into the Divine Leaderboard, master! I mean, dead last, but you still made it, so it counts!” Floyd gushed.
Contrary to Floyd’s excitement, Levi looked horrified. I made it into the Divine Leaderboards? What are those guys doing? Those idiots!
“Boss, why didn’t you tell us you killed so many top fighters of the Provisional Leaderboard? You’re super strong now!”
Kirin and the others laughed.
It was then Levi remembered that he killed a bunch of weaklings a few days ago. He didn’t think they were all that strong, but apparently, the world didn’t share his sentiments.
I got into the Divine Leaderboard because I killed those weaklings? That’s amusing.
“Master, you started practicing our techniques, didn’t you? Is that why you made such a big improvement? I bet it feels good, huh? This new era stuff is awesome, right? Made you one of the top fighters in the world now,” Floyd asked on purpose.
Levi shook his head. “No. All I’ve been practicing is my old technique. The same basic technique I’ve been using up until now. You know that.”
Everyone expected him to say that, so they laughed the moment Levi said the same thing they thought he would.
It was just as Zoey said, Levi wouldn’t admit that he practiced the new era’s technique, and Levi said the exact same thing Zoey said he would.
“What? But that should be impossible, boss. You can’t be a fighter ranked on the Divine Leaderboard just with your old technique.”
Nobody believed what he said, of course.
Levi sneered, “If Azure Dragon keeps this up, he can kill Divine Leaderboard’s number two with a single punch.”
Everyone started teasing Azure Dragon, “Is that so? Well, keep up the good work then. We’ll be looking forward to the day you kill Divine Leaderboard’s number two.”
Levi’s answer was exactly what they expected. They guessed what he’d say, and he wouldn’t admit to the truth, just as they said. Obviously, he’d only say he was still practicing the old basic technique.
“Honestly, if I had my way, I’d stop you guys from practicing the so-called new techniques and take a page out of Azure Dragon’s book. Practice the technique I gave you,” Levi advised them seriously.
“Yes, yes, of course. We will.”
Everyone was saying they would do what he asked them to, but they didn’t mean it.
You’re practicing our stuff, but now you want us to give up on it?
Everyone was trying to hold their laughter in. They didn’t want to laugh in case it hurt Levi’s pride. However, they ‘knew’ Levi was just lying. Yeah, right, boss. We know the truth. You can’t hide it from us anymore. We know the truth. It’s right there in front of us.
Levi noticed them holding back their laughter of course, but he thought it was because they didn’t believe that his technique was that powerful. He quickly unleashed a few attacks and shook the whole place.
“Take a look at that and tell me that’s your technique.”
Levi wanted to prove that he was right, but alas, he did not know that everyone had come up with a guess that would prevent them from getting cognitive dissonance.
Everyone shook their heads. “No, it’s not.”
Of course, it’s not. You merged all our techniques and created your own thing. Obviously, you won’t leave any traces of the original techniques. There’s no way in hell we can see through that.
Levi didn’t know what they were thinking, nor did he know they had analyzed his ‘lies.’ They now thought he was already practicing the new era’s technique, and they ‘knew’ he was only lying.
Zoey sent them away, “It’s fine. Keep up the good work. And you guys as well. Keep training if you don’t want Levi to surpass you.”
Levi didn’t say too much about it. He had more pressing matters to attend to, such as the excavated ancient sites and the source of the ancient civilizations.
It was also the place where Kirin and the others had a chance encounter and found their techniques. These places were the closest he could get to a clue. If he kept looking, he might just find the clues leading to Lab of Gods’ whereabouts, and even a map that would lead him right to them.
“So I guess Erudia will be my first stop on this Scooby Doo quest then.”
Levi left North Hampton and assumed his Dark Emperor persona. His first stop was the Erudian Alliance. Levi’s plan was to work with them and venture down an ancient site.
But halfway through, someone came in his way. “I’ve been waiting for you, Dark Emperor.”
Chapter 2379 The Strongest Rival
This guy was strong. Perhaps stronger than anyone Levi had seen. Simply put, he was the strongest rival Levi had ever met.
Among the fighters Levi had seen so far, none of them could be considered a worthy rival. Well, a few of them could be if he lowered his standards by a lot. The original Dark Emperor could be counted as one, and Forlevia’s masters were on his shortlist of worthy rivals as well.
They were already the top fighters in the whole wide world. Edmund and the divine generals didn’t even make the list. They were too weak for him.
Oh, and those guys at The Manifest Court. They’re powerful as well.
Levi had scanned them, but the energy waves they emitted were weak. It was little better than an ordinary human, but he knew those guys were more than meets the eye.
However, they still didn’t pose any threat to him.
The guy who showed up before him, however, were leagues about the fighters in The Manifest Court. His power was nothing to be sneezed at.
This guy was stronger than Dark Emperor and Forlevia’s masters, making him Divine Leaderboard’s bona fide number one, according to Levi. But Levi did not know this fighter who showed up before him.
He was a middle-aged gentleman in a green robe, and though Levi did not know him, the man looked familiar on closer inspection.
This guy looks similar to someone, but who is it? Hmm… Oh, right! Edmund! So this guy is the divine brigadier?
The boss of The Cardinal Hall. So we finally meet. But why did he come here? Just to see me? Wait, I’m Dark Emperor now, so is this guy the original’s nemesis? So that’s the guy who banned Dark Emperor from ever stepping into Erudia. The same guy she feared so much. The reason why she wanted to get those weapons.
The divine brigadier was powerful. Really powerful. If anyone else was in his presence, they’d quiver just by having a feel of his strength alone. Even the original Dark Emperor could only go against him with Terra Blade and Skyward Sword in hand.
This is the true top fighter of the nation. Edmund, you’re leagues under your old man.
“You should not have come,” the divine brigadier said.
But instead of saying anything, Levi replied with a single punch. He was not interested in the history between the divine brigadier and the original Dark Emperor. Now that the guy was getting in his way, all Levi had to do was clear the obstacle.
The divine brigadier was shocked, for he never expected Levi to make such a sudden attack. However, he quickly defended himself with his arms, and the air swirled around him, forming a visible shield to block Levi’s attack.
Crack!
However, the shield didn’t last long. The divine brigadier heard the sound of something cracking, then the shield broke into little pieces, and the punch broke through.
The divine brigadier was sent toppling backward, leaving deep footprints with every step he took, and it cracked the ground.
The divine brigadier could not believe what he had just seen.
Is this even the same Dark Emperor I know? One punch… One punch and I was sent toppling back. Impossible. How is this possible?
If it was in the past, Dark Emperor was a lot weaker than the divine brigadier. Thanks to that, Dark Emperor never had the courage to step into Erudia until today. Because of that, she committed all those crimes just so she could make her return without having to fear for her life.
Everything she did, she did to counter the divine brigadier. The divine brigadier thought she stood no chance unless she had Terra Blade and Skyward Sword in her possession, but now he couldn’t believe Dark Emperor defeated him with a single punch.
This is not possible! Wait, is that why there are more stories about Dark Emperor’s battles now?
Everyone was making Dark Emperor out to be some insanely powerful combat machine. The divine brigadier didn’t think too much about it, but after getting that punch, he had to believe it whether he liked it or not.
For some reason, Dark Emperor managed to power up to an insane level. One that even he had to face with caution.
“Very well then. I see you have improved a lot. Then, I shall face you with everything I have. Do not hold back, or you will die.”
The divine brigadier found his bearing and unleashed his true power. A moment ago, he was only human, but now he was like a sun that was shining down at Levi.
The air around him felt like the hottest blazes on earth, threatening to burn everyone and everything in its way. The divine brigadier looked like he had the power of the stars in his hands, and that alone was already terrifying enough.
The Solaris Energy emitted by the divine brigadier alone felt far more powerful than Skyward Sword’s. In other words, this man alone was more powerful than the top divine tool.
But even after the divine brigadier showed his power, Levi didn’t seem to feel the least bit frightened. Once again, he hurled a punch at the divine brigadier.
When their attacks clashed, everything around them was broken and reduced into atoms. The earth itself cracked, and the skies rumbled. The waves from that clash almost ripped the ozone layer in half, revealing the planet to the void.a