272 Constructs

"This… This is treason! You cannot threaten the King!"

Unable to come to terms with the harsh reality that he was being faced with, the Black Raven King could only sputter words like these.

In front of him, Litwick laughed as he saw the King act like so.

"No. This is duty. This is the reason why all those who serve the Black Raven swear an oath to the Kingdom rather than to the King. Don't tell me you forgot this very crucial thing, my King."

The last words were said with such a tone of disdain that the fury in the Black Raven King's face erupted to another level.

He was someone who loved the feeling that came when he crushed the bones of his enemies under him. Now, being looked down upon as a coward, he just couldn't take it anymore.

Screw the old man.

Screw the Kingdom.

Screw this throne which had made his bottom hurt on so many days.

He was done with them all. All he wanted to do was fight.

And fight he would in the stadium.

It was almost as if all the frustrations that had been bottling up inside him for so long erupted at this moment.

As Tenebrol took this decision that would change the face of the continent, his face that had been agitated so far relaxed into one of anticipation.

He had no idea about the battle prowess of the one he was going to face, but the very fact that he was supported by that traitor meant that he was definitely fully aware of just how powerful Tenebrol was.

This made him look forward to this fight that would decide his fate.

At this moment, he actually found himself wishing that the old man would stay occupied with whatever it was that was keeping him for so long.

"I remember. Let's go. Just like you said, I will prove my worth in the ring, or die trying."

For the first time since coming to the throne room, a genuine smile came on Litwick's face on finally seeing the King who had ruled him for so long man up.

"As you say, my King. Follow me. Everything has been prepared."

Nodding, Tenebrol walked out of the throne room.

Yet, at the last moment when he was about to leave down the corridor with Litwick, he couldn't help but glance back at this room which he had occupied for so long.

It was associated with so many memories, but now, as he rifled through them, he realized that none of them had given him as much happiness as when he won a spar against Eganev fair and square.

He finally understood that that one decision that he had made with the greed for power that haunted almost all men had truly ruined his life.

True, it had indeed felt good to be in command of so many people and be revered and respected by millions.

True, he had enjoyed plotting against enemies and even crushing them on a few occasions when he had the chance.

Yet, if he were given the choice again, maybe he would have chosen to walk the path of a Fighter to whatever destination would take him.

At least, that way, he would have had more control of this life which had been spent so far following the old man's orders for the most part.

If he was going to go out, he would definitely not make it easy for whoever it was that was challenging him.

Sighing one last time, he turned away and marched towards Litwick who was waiting patiently.

Both men didn't know whether they would return to this place with the Kingdom having the same ruler, but both men knew that it didn't matter at this moment.

All that mattered was the fight, which Tenebrol prepared himself for by imagining crushing another skull beneath his feet just like the many he had done in his life so far.

…

Feeling a chill as if someone was thinking about him, Faxul looked around but shrugged seeing that he was alone in the room.

He was back in the stadium, and he was preparing himself for the fight that would come.

As he did so, everything that had led up to this moment flashed through his mind.

Fleeing from his home country. Growing up being haunted by memories of those he couldn't see or hear from anymore. Trying to bury these memories but failing miserably for years. Training without end until his caretakers felt fear that he would die simply from refusing to give up the urge to grow stronger as fast as possible.

If this part of his life looked like it was colored black with sadness throughout, the next was as if sunlight was breaking through the darkness of the night to result in a glorious day.

Finding a friend and family who supported him and understood him. Helping him ascend the throne and gaining the power to do whatever he wanted in the Kingdom. Interacting with people and beginning the process of breaking out of his cocoon to understand his true zeal to help those who in need. Choosing the path of the quickest growth in power because of trusting the true blood inside him. Meeting a Raven for the first time and feeling an intrinsic connection with it, almost as if it were connected with his very soul. Going back to his Kingdom and discovering the love his father had always shown to the people. Finding the protector Raven and understanding its pain. Seeing his people die without being able to do anything because he knew it was necessary. And standing up to fight.

These memories made him close his fists tightly as he shook with rage and desire to win.

To win and obtain revenge.

To win and change the destiny of these people.

To win and rewrite his own fate.

At this moment, as a knock sounded on the door, Faxul walked towards it with more vigor than he had ever had in his life.

Elanev, who was on the other side of the door, couldn't help but take a step back seeing the intensity in the eyes of Faxul.

"The King is on his way. It's time," he said after a few moments, making Faxul stride out and look towards the open door that led to the stadium.

With a nod at Elanev, he started walking towards the fight that would change everything.

....

Meanwhile, in the ancestral grounds of the Black Raven Kingdom.

For the past 20 minutes, the old man had been busy in lifting all the numerous formations he had placed to protect this treasure which he valued so much. It was what was keeping him alive, so he had not wanted to take any risk of losing it to someone who might find its location.

Of course, this over caution had come back to bite him now as he needed so much time to remove all of those formations right now.

From time to time, he turned around but went back to his work because his opponent had actually erected a wall of earth to stop him from seeing whatever it was he was preparing.

Only because he was confident in the formation, he continued without being afraid knowing that there almost was no way an Exalted Human could attack with the force of an Exalted Warrior. It was an entire realm!

Indeed, he had actually lied before hoping that his opponent would fall for his ploy and prepare an attack of a lower level. This trinket formation, when deployed fully, actually needed an Exalted Warrior to attack it if one hoped to break through.

Meanwhile, Daneel had his back turned to the Natural Energised Training Chamber as he focused on the constructs that were being formed in front of him.

One was made mostly of metal. It was in the shape of a large 10-foot cubic box attached to a cylinder, with the top of the box open to show an inner mechanism.

In the mechanism, there was an empty spot which seemed to be designed to hold something. Behind this empty spot was some kind of hammer that seemed to be designed to swing and hit the object placed in the empty spot forward after the barrier of metal that was stopping it was released.

The other construct was much more peculiar. It was in the form of a small metal cylinder the size of a man's arm, with one end having a sharp tip. Only half of it had formed, and Daneel walked forward at this moment and bent in front of it.

The construct was segmented into two parts. Placing his palm in the segment with the pointed end, he made the Tenebrous flame enter it before controlling it to not scorch away the metal he had so painstakingly formed.

"Shape", he said, deploying the second trick he had made with the system: the ability to compress and shape the flame however he wanted.

Seeing it form the shape of its segment, Daneel nodded to himself before reaching for his pocket and taking out multiple items.

These were explosion trinkets which wouldn't have had any effect in the fight before.

Placing them in the segment behind the fire, he checked whether everything was all right before getting up.

Continuing the formation of the construct, he smiled to himself, looking forward to giving this old man a gift from Earth.