The intense fight raged on, with Drogor's eyes gleaming with excitement. No Alpha Chosen had ever pushed him this far, and he relished the thrill of battle. However, he knew he couldn't prolong the fight.
His Spirit Energy and Stamina reserves were running dangerously low, while Jay showed no signs of fatigue. Drogor realized a battle of attrition was out of the question.
Determined to end the fight, Drogor prepared to use the ace up his sleeve. Even with the enhancements brought by his Bloodline Transformation, he couldn't match Jay's speed, and his most devastating attacks failed to connect. But the ability he was about to use was different—an inescapable soul attack.
Closing the gap between them as much as possible, Drogor activated his Bloodline's special ability,║Draconic Soul Tremor║.
A golden light erupted from his eyes and shot into Jay's, aiming to paralyze his opponent's soul, rendering him immobile and defenseless. Without hesitation, Drogor followed up with an all-out punch, intending to deliver the finishing blow.
But Drogor had underestimated Jay. Unbeknownst to him, Jay possessed a Grade-10 Soul-type Innate Talent, a rare and powerful ability that made him immune to the effects of the soul attack. As the golden light entered his eyes, Jay remained entirely unfazed, his focus unbroken.
Deciding it was time to end the battle, Jay unleashed his full strength without activating INVERSE mode. He channeled the Arcane Element in combination with his Pseudo-Speed Energy, achieving a destructive synergy that surpassed anything he'd ever used before. It was the same method he'd employed against the Plasma Predator.
With a burst of unimaginable speed, Jay closed in on Drogor and delivered a punch that shattered through his defenses, striking directly at his chest. The devastating energy from the combined forces spread through Drogor's body, detonating from within. His massive frame disintegrated into bloody fragments, scattered by the sheer force of the attack.
Moments later, the virtual remnants of Drogor's body faded away. The battle was over, and Jay had emerged victorious with one swift attack.
Before he could react, Jay, enveloped in a dazzling array of colors, had delivered a devastating punch. The attack had been so swift and overwhelming that Drogor barely registered it before his body was obliterated in an instant. Now, as his ethereal virtual form floated like a ghost, the realization hit him—he had lost. The Duel was over, and the outcome was final.
A series of notifications appeared in his vision, confirming the defeat:
﴾ You have been defeated in the Duel. As per the Virtual Duel Arena terms, the Primary Authority of Obelisk No.185 now belongs to your opponent. ﴿
You now retain only Secondary Authority over Obelisk No.185 and will receive just 25% of its resources.
Drogor paid little attention to the loss of authority. Instead, his focus shifted to the updated amount of resources he would now receive. What he saw left him momentarily stunned. Even with only 25% of the total resources, the amount was greater than what he had been earning before.
This revelation made it clear—Jay's team's Reward Factor Index from the 1st Tournament was four times higher than what Drogor's team had achieved. The disparity was enormous, and it put Jay's strength and achievements into an even greater perspective.
Drogor let out a long sigh, accepting his defeat. He wasn't overly disappointed, though. Deep down, he acknowledged that Jay had earned this victory through sheer power and skill. If anything, he felt satisfied with the fierce battle they had fought.
Drogor looked at Jay and said, "That must be one of your many other Innate Talent abilities. No wonder you're ranked first. I accept defeat." He extended his hand, rolling it into a fist as if requesting a fist bump.
Jay puzzled by how Drogor had deduced that he possessed multiple abilities. The duel hadn't revealed much about his arsenal of abilities, and the brief use of the Arcane Element shouldn't have been enough to reach such a conclusion—unless Drogor had prior knowledge.
Awkwardly, Jay glanced at Drogor's gesture, unsure how to respond. Sensing the confusion, Drogor coughed lightly and said, "Ahem… is this not how you shake hands on your planet?" �
Jay's puzzlement only deepened as he stared at his once-formidable opponent, now unusually friendly. His instinct was to question how Drogor knew about his abilities, but before he could speak, a notification window flashed before his eyes.
The same notification appeared in front of Drogor—and across the entire Trial World—interrupting their moment. Both of them instinctively focused on the notification window.
﴾# Trial World Announcement # ﴿
'Regaz,' the Alpha Chosen from the planet 'Gharek,' successfully underwent Tier-5 Evolution.
Congratulations to Regaz for becoming the first one among the representatives from 1,000,000 Life Planets selected for the Milky Way Galaxy's Trial Program!
If not for the suppression of his emotions in the state of Synchrony, Jay would have been shocked at the revelation. Reaching Tier-5 on Day-19 of the Trial was a feat so rare that even in the vast Universe, not many had ever achieved it.
MJ didn't hold back in emphasizing the significance of this accomplishment, repeatedly praising Regaz in his usual enthusiastic manner. The baby AI's constant admiration painted a clear picture of how exceptional this was.
Meanwhile, Drogor's reaction mirrored the astonishment felt by most, though his expression carried a hint of expectation. He muttered, "That freak! He went and really did it."
Jay glanced at Drogor and asked, "You know him?"
Drogor sighed, crossing his arms as if recalling a distant memory. "Not personally," he replied. "But I've heard about Regaz from a reliable source. Apparently, he has four Grade-9 Innate Talents—one in each category, except for the Unique one."
The revelation of Regaz possessing four Grade-9 Innate Talents didn't faze Jay. What truly caught his attention was Regaz's ability to reach Tier-5 despite having such a rare and powerful combination.
Jay understood the challenge better than most. As someone with multiple Innate Talents, he was acutely aware of the hurdles in meeting the Mastery Requirement for each evolution.
For Regaz to have reached Tier-5, it meant he had pushed all four of his Grade-9 Innate Talents to Stage-5 Mastery—an achievement that bordered on the impossible in just 19 days.
If not for Jay's own advantage—his mastery over Origin Energy acting as a substitute for the Mastery requirement—he would have faced the same grueling challenge.
With the number of Innate Talents in his possession now reaching into the hundreds, the task would have been utterly exhausting and likely insurmountable within the time constraints.
Regaz's accomplishment was nothing short of extraordinary, a feat that even Jay couldn't help but respect.
The words that followed from Drogor offered Jay insight into how Regaz had achieved such an extraordinary feat.
"Regaz's Elemental, Weapon, and Martial Innate Talents, being Grade-9, naturally have a high comprehension speed," Drogor explained.
"But his Variant Category Innate Talent is the real key. It exponentially increases his comprehension speed, making his Mastery Stage improvements otherworldly. He's simply a freak of nature. Maybe only he could challenge you now. But if he awakens a Bloodline, I doubt anyone could compete with him."
Jay had never encountered an Innate Talent that enhanced comprehension speed. The idea intrigued him, and his thoughts couldn't help but drift toward the possibility of obtaining such an ability for himself.
Still, that was a matter for another time. Jay's immediate curiosity was about something else—how Drogor had learned so much about Regaz and, more importantly, about his own abilities.
It seemed unlikely that someone from the 2nd Trial Continent—so far removed from his own—would have access to such information. Communication between continents was nearly impossible due to the vast distances and the isolation enforced by the Trial Program's mechanics.
Without hesitation, Jay asked directly, "How do you know about my abilities? Who's this reliable source of yours?"
His sharp gaze bore into Drogor, determined to uncover the truth.
Exclusive artwork for every free chapter is now available on my PATRE0N page! You can find the link in my Discord server.
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ALTER REALITY: Online
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