Maximilian raced across the rooftops. Night had fallen a while ago, and he had made some important progress. He had already dealt with two of the lesser puppets. They were stronger than the outer region but not overly so. They even provided much more spiritual energy. He would level up if he devoted himself to fighting. Despite that, he had decided to avoid fighting them for now. Not because he didn't want to, but because he was hunting. Now that he had a good gauge of the lesser puppets, he wanted to face off against the stronger ones. Only he couldn't find it. He had been out for two hours already and hadn't seen one. He was desperate enough that he let his killing intent and aura billow out. He was still worried about any innocent people getting caught in it, but he saw no other options. At this stage in the trial, the weaker participants should have left already. At least he hoped so. He was just about to head south to search when he heard the sounds of battle. He was torn between his goal and his desire to stop people from dying. His choice was made when a deep male voice cried out in pain. Maximilian leaped from the roof and into the air. When he arrived at the battlefield, he paused. A group of three faced off against a strong puppet. One look was enough to tell him that this was the puppet he was looking for.

  It was stronger than he expected. Gauging the power of these puppets was closer to an art than a science, but if he had to place it, he would put it around level 25. His gaze settled on the trio, and he realized his initial assumption was wrong. There were two corpses smashed into a wall. One of whom was a woman and an archer, if the broken bow was any indication. A small part of him wanted to stay out of the battle. The leader of the group was not only from Earth but was his chief rival. Justinian faced the puppet in a sort of one-on-one. The man's spear danced as he faced his enemy. The other two played a sort of support role. Whenever the puppet pressed Justinian too much, one of the other two would step in. Those attacks were enough to disrupt the thing's rhythm, but it wasn't enough. Their efforts were a slow dance that would end in death. Unless something changed. Maximilian waited until Justinian dodged an open palm strike. The dodge was desperate and put him in a position for a follow-up attack. This time, the other two warriors were too slow. Maximilian unleashed a lance of electricity. The bluish-white bolt slammed into the puppet like the judgment of an angry god. His arrival caused the other three warriors to hesitate. Not that Maximilian cared. The other two were too weak to make a difference. Justinian would help, but he would take too much of the energy. Maximilian followed his first attack with a blade of wind. He intended to remove the puppet's right arm. Instead, the arm glowed with spiritual energy. The wind cut a gash into the joint, but it didn't matter. The puppet leaped toward him. Maximilian released the air beneath him and fell to the ground.

  He narrowly avoided the puppet's attack. Right before he hit the ground, he unleashed a blast of air to stop his descent. His danger sense warned him just in time to dodge the next strike. He expanded botDaoao fields to cover the two of them as he activated Static Bolt. The skill caught it across the face and delayed its follow-up. Maximilian was just about to launch his own counter when someone else moved. Justinian's spear glowed with spiritual energy as he stabbed the puppet in the back. The spear only penetrated an inch or so before it was stopped. In the next moment, another of his companions acted. A man who wielded a hammer that looked positively medieval swung. Right before the club made contact, it doubled in size. The puppet had enough time to launch a palm strike before it connected. Maximilian's eyes widened when the hammer endured the hit. Unfortunately, the man wasn't anywhere near as lucky. The force traveled along the weapon and into his shoulder. He couldn't be sure, but it looked like the arm was broken. Regardless, he doubted the warrior would be any use in the remainder of the battle. Neither Justinian nor the second warrior relented. Without discussing it, the new trio had shifted roles. Maximilian faced the puppet in open combat while the other two provided support. Only Maximilian was more than strong enough to hold his own. Within a few moments, the battle was over. The puppet had been pierced, cut, and electrocuted several times over.

  As soon as he got the kill confirmation, he made his way over to the large man. He knelt next to him and surveyed his injury. Fortunately for him, the arm was still intact. He had faith in his healing abilities, but he doubted he could restore a lost limb. The man pulled out his token as if to break, only for Maximilian to stop him. "Stay still." He commanded as he placed his palm against the arm. He pressed the lesser dao of rain into him. His attempt was clumsy at first. He had never tried to heal someone else like this. He released his Dao field to further support the process.

  "Thank you for that." Justinian's voice almost started Maximilian. He glanced up as the 2nd place holder spoke. "We hadn't expected to face off against that thing. By the time we realized d were under attack, there was no escape."

  "I had wondered where this thing was. " Maximilian replied. "It was stronger than I expected, but it wasn't too bad. I imagine your companions gained a level? Maybe more." When he realized what he had said and the situation they were in, he shook his head and apologized. "Sorry, sorry, been traveling on my own for a bit. Social skills are a bit rough. I am sorry for your losses."It's alright. We all knew what we were involved in when we decided to stick around. The name's Cletus." The big man replied in a thick southern drawl. "Would you mind explaining what you are doing to my arm? I am not complaining about it. It feels mighty fine by comparisonIt'sts similar to one of those healing pills."

  "Oh, right. It's the Lesser Dao of Rain. I attuned the dao more toward healing. It's not quite as good as the better healing pills, but in situations like this, it's a lifesaver."

  "You can heal people? Without a skill?" Justinian asked as he knelt next to them. "Is that something you can teach others?"

  Maximilian shook his head. "Not really. I got the Dao of rain by meditating on it for a while. I then focused on the purifying, nurturing, and restorative aspects of the rain. I wasn't sure it would work at the time, but it did. Understanding and battle seem to be the best way to advance a Dao. Though I assume that the same is true for healing. Greater wounds should help me progress faster." Their conversation shifted to what they had encountered during the trial. It took almost two hours for him to finish with Cletus. During which he learned a lot. Justinian had not only traveled to the inner wall, but he had also fought the king from the other world. Unfortunately, the gate to the inner region was sealed, and Justinian had no idea how to open it. His current theory was that it was on a timer, but their guesses were just that. The story of the king was much more interesting. Like Justinian, he used a spear, though the King's was longer. He was also an awakened Talisman. Maximilian was a bit stunned to hear that Justinian was completely outclassed in their fight. He knew that people from the other world were strong but it was still a shock. He wasn't sure how much stronger than Justinian he was right now, but he didn't think he could outclass the other warrior. It firmly doused his desire to find and challenge the warrior now. He wanted to gain at least a level or two before he did.

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  "I am not sure what you are planning now," Justinian asked a lull in the conversation. "If you are interested, we should travel together. Cletus and Kennith are going to leave when the sun comes up. As much as they would like to continue, they aren't strong enough. I also don't want to leave the kingdom undefended. I also assume that you plan on going after the king."

  Maximilian glanced at the other warriors and nodded. They were still in good spirits, but he knew they weren't able to keep up. He had considered telling them to leave, but he wasn't sure if that would be going too far. "I don't mind. If we can, we should find Alejandro. He is the fourth-place holder on the leaderboard. I would add the fifth place holder, but that guy is crazy. He tried to kill me after I faced the second prince. He's an older black man with leathery skin. Despite how he looks, don't trust him. I am not sure he can be reasoned with, but he thinks he is helping people by killing them."

  "Should we kill him? I would prefer it if someone like that didn't return to Earth. Even if he is one of the strongest we've got. I am not convinced peace isn't possible with the aliens, but if one of ours starts murdering people..."

  Maximilian sighed and nodded. He had a similar thought, though he doubted Silas would have an easy chance going after the harpies or the lizardfolk. They hunted in groups for the most part. He assumed they had civilizations, though, and the last thing they needed was a world war because of a crazy man."

  "True. I imagine you don't know where he is? If we aren't able to get rid of him here, then I will search for him on Earth. Assuming you do the same."

  Maximilian nodded. He wasn't thrilled about hunting humans, or rather people, but he knew it had to be done. He also wanted to make sure he was the one who did it. The person passing the sentence...and all that. "Deal." They discussed a few more details after that, including the beginnings of a trade agreement. It was a far cry from proper diplomacy, but when you considered the situation, it was good enough. After two hours, Justinian nodded. He and his team stood up and walked a short distance away. Maximilian could have listened in if he wanted to, but he didn't. His instincts didn't warn him of any danger, so he let them have their privacy. He formed a series of steps and walked into the air. He took a moment to survey the ruins. He wished he could see any sign of Silas, the imperials, or anyone else, but it was too much territory. He also assumed the others weren't willing to become targets by running from roof to roof. He scanned the area until he felt Justinian leap onto the closest roof. He turned toward the man and nodded.

  "We had set up a base of operations not too far from here." He began. "We could head back there if you want to rest. We could split our time—"

  Maximilian held up a hand and then shook his head. "No need. If you want the time, feel free. I will explore the area, but I am good. I want to get some more combat training or find something valuable. I've done enough sitting around."

  Justinian nodded, and the pair took off. Maximilian decided to take the time to practice and formed another set of stairs. He formed them in time with Justinian's steps. A process that took almost thirty minutes for him to right. "Is that something you can do with all your dao?" Justinian asked.

  Maximilian tentatively nodded. "Electricity and wind for sure. The water-based one is a bit iffy. I don't really get why. I want to say it's because water isn't solid, but neither are the other two. My best guess is that it's mental. My personal belief shapes it somehow, but that might be bullshit."

  "What are the stages? If you don't mind my asking?"

  Maximilian shook his head. "Early, Middle High. If we assume they follow the same rules as the skills, then the next stage is peak. I have a question. When did you learn to fight with a spear?"

  Justinian spun it in his hand for a moment and shrugged. "I was a historian before all this. I've read a few things and seen a few documentaries. Fortunately, the spear is a relatively simple weapon. You point the pointy end at the enemy. Focus on thrusting attacks. You can use the shaft for defense if need be. Honestly, I am more interested in how you manipulate your dao like that. Is it related to your class?"

  Maximilian hesitated for a moment. He knew that telling his chief competition anything could weaken his position, but he didn't care. He knew humanity needed to work together, and helping Justinian would help that process. As good a reason as that was, it was secondary to him. He didn't like the idea of beating Justinian solely due to a lack of information. He wanted to be better, not just advantaged. "Short answer is yeah. Assuming classes all work the same, you should get a skill that teaches you. I am not sure if yours would teach you about the Dao or your weapon."

  "I see. Is your offer to let people come to your mountain still on the table? I could use new training locations. The monsters near us have topped out around level 11 or so. I can still get decent energy, but I'd like the boost."

  Maximilian waved his hand. "Yeah. I would offer you a different situation, but I am not sure it's safe. I was told about a potential region, but it's stronger than I am." He decided to tease the secret realm for two reasons. The first was that Justinian was strong. If there was anyone who could fight alongside him in that place, it was him, Alejandro, and Yao Wei. He hadn't spoken to Yao Wei about it, and he wasn't sure if Alejandro was interested. The man was mercurial. The second was perceived debt. If he could make Justinian feel indebted to him, then he might return the favor. Even if that didn't work. Humanity having a second defender was worth it. "Do you have plans for later? I mean, after Earth gets too small? Do you want to explore the great beyond?"

  Justinian hesitated and nearly fell off his air platform. Maximilian stopped a moment later. He stared at the other man for several moments. He didn't want to rush an answer as it wasn't something he felt he could influence. Or rather that he should influence. It was a choice that he had to make on his own. "I haven't decided yet. That seems like a whole world away right now. I am not sure if you are aware, but the monsters are likely stronger in the regions away from civilization. There are millions, if not billions, of people unaccounted for. I think we have a growing monster hoard. One that will assault everyone at the same time."

  Maximilian was a bit disappointed by the answer, but not overly so. Justinian wasn't wrong in his thought process either. The monsters were the biggest danger, assuming that harpies or the lizardfolk didn't turn out to be war mongers. Nubia hadn't had to deal with a beast tide since it was just him, but it was likely that would change. "Fair enough. I am not sure where you are in relation to us, but if you need help, reach out. Even if I am not available, there should be some people willing to fight. More and more people are waking up to the reality. Waking up to what it takes to survive. Either way, we will do what we can. If the worst happens, you are welcome to join Nubia. We always need more powerful warriors." Maximilian smiled and then gestured for them to get moving. He doubted Justinian would agree. At least not without more pushing, but it was good to get the process started early. If he could conquer the world without killing people, he would.

  "I will keep that in mind. I am not leaving my new home, but I would be happy to send some civilians your way. All of that's for tomorrow. For today, I think we should discuss combat tactics. From what I've seen, you don't fight with other people very often, do you?"

  Maximilian chuckled and shook his head. "No. I've worked with other people before, but they weren't really fighting with me. I was doing the work while they trained."

  "Right, well, I am sure you've played a video game, right? I am not sure I am more durable than you, but I am probably better at close-quarters combat. I will draw the attention while you unleash ranged fire. Is there a limit to the number of attacks you can do?