Following Feilian Beringal's declaration, the dormant bloodlust within the gathered Overlord Class entities—who had previously struck their banners—was violently reignited.
They watched with bated breath. Once the Beringals' duel concluded, they intended to descend upon the victor, one after another, in a tacit understanding. In this arena, the strategy of attrition—a relentless gauntlet—was not viewed as cowardice, but as a necessity of survival.
"My King, the Thundering Mephis requests permission to engage."
Before the Crownless could even respond, his premier vanguard, the Thundering Mephis, could no longer restrain its impulse.
How dare they provoke its King? Did these subordinates believe the hierarchy was dead?
"Stand down. That ape's Berserk stacks have hit maximum capacity. Your probability of victory against it in this state is statistically negligible."
The Crownless shook his head, rejecting the Mephis's proposal.
Beyond mere victory, what was required now was total domination—a display of force so overwhelming, so destructive, that it would shatter their morale instantly. That was the optimal solution.
He could clearly see the restless ambition in the eyes of the surrounding Overlords.
Even if the Thundering Mephis possessed a winning probability, the Crownless would not sanction the sortie. Such a path would only drag the battlefield into an infinite stalemate.
Though the Thundering Mephis appeared unconvinced, since the order came from the Crownless himself… it dared not utter another word of complaint.
Just as the Crownless prepared to step into the fray to engage the beast personally, the Inferno Rider intercepted him, grasping his arm.
"Why unsheathe a blade meant for dragons to slay a mere chicken? Big Brother, allow your Third Brother to handle this trifle!"
Upon hearing the Inferno Rider's declaration, the Crownless's eyes gleamed. This was, undeniably, the superior tactical solution.
"With Third Brother taking the field, I shall await your triumphant return."
The Crownless clapped the Inferno Rider heavily on the shoulder, a gesture cementing his absolute trust in the rider's combat power.
"Hahahaha! It is merely a deranged ape. Big Brother, wait but a moment… witness as I dismantle it instantly."
It had to be said—the Inferno Rider, facing the Feilian Beringal, was fully unleashing the haughty arrogance inherent to its Tacet Discord nature.
Of course, with its current power level, it had every right to be this arrogant.
Before their blood-oath, when it was still at the peak of the 'Raging Wave' Level… facing a monkey with fully stacked buffs would indeed have been a grueling raid boss encounter.
But now? It had ascended to the 'Tsunami' Level. And when a Tsunami meets a Raging Wave… the outcome is literal. They were no longer entities of the same dimension.
"ROAR—! Insolence! You are but a lingering obsession from the Port City of Guixu!"
"Who gave you the audacity to underestimate me?"
"Thousand-Mountain Primal Roar!"
Accompanying the Feilian Beringal's furious bellow, phantoms of towering peaks manifested above its head.
However, the mountains were merely the delivery system. The true threat lay within—hordes of green-gray, pneumatic wind-simians pouring forth from the spectral peaks.
Every small ape was a manifestation of its ability—gigantified, fearless, and possessing devastating attack power, inheriting the Beringal's own Berserk bloodline.
Furthermore, upon death, these minions would detonate like Aero-attribute bombs.
It was no exaggeration to say that the mechanics of this fight were far more troublesome than facing the Beringal directly.
"Hmph. Domain Expansion: Purgatory…"
The Inferno Rider observed the scene with a dismissive snort. With a casual wave of his hand, a field of scorching hellfire materialized.
Much like the Crownless's Annihilation Domain earlier, this flame was pure tyranny.
It not only suffocated the gale summoned by the Beringal but also zoned out the explosive minions, preventing them from closing the distance.
They were forced to helplessly hurl Aero energy spheres from afar.
"One move. If you can tank my next Ultimate, I shall voluntarily concede defeat."
The Inferno Rider possessed tactical intellect; he understood the narrative the Crownless wished to spin.
Therefore, he needed to embody absolute Hubris!
Having spoken, the Inferno Rider pointed a finger to the heavens…
Snap!
At the sound of the finger snap, a sphere of cataclysmic fire manifested in the firmament.
Like a descending apocalypse, it crashed down with unstoppable momentum upon the Feilian Beringal, its phantom mountains, and the horde of simians.
BOOM—CRASH—RUMBLE!
A deafening explosion tore through the air. The residual shockwave forced the spectating Overlord phantoms to deploy defensive barriers just to remain standing.
As the smoke slowly dissipated from the Beringal's position… its form was finally revealed.
Eyes rolled back white, consciousness severed, dark green ichor flowing from its frame. Though not instantly deleted… it had been reduced to a Critical HP state.
"NOW! Is there anyone else who wishes to challenge my Big Brother? Step forward!"
Ignoring the comatose ape, the Inferno Rider summoned his lance.
After delivering this domineering challenge, he twirled the weapon with a flourish… and drove it into the earth before him with a thunderous impact.
"…..You have also reached the Tsunami Level?"
"Forget it! We pay homage to our King."
Once the gathered Overlords confirmed the Inferno Rider's DPS output, their hidden agendas evaporated instantly.
A wheel battle? What gauntlet? The Crownless hadn't even started grinding yet, and a Tsunami-Level Inferno Rider just popped out of the gacha.
They were confident, and they yearned for battle… but they weren't bugged AI!
Wasn't the half-dead monkey over there a clear enough tutorial on what happens next?
"Good, good, good! No need for such a ceremony; we shall dispense with human hypocrisies."
"As long as we coordinate our efforts, I believe this world will have a place for us—perhaps we shall even paint a stroke of heavy ink upon its history."
As the Crownless spoke with evident delight, it was clear that the majority of his grand strategy had been successfully executed.
.....
Meanwhile, Rover had returned to Jinzhou, marking the second day since the event. He withheld nothing, relaying his observations and theories to Magistrate Jinhsi and Changli.
Standing beside them was the Magistrate's Royal Guard, Sanhua.
"You are suggesting… that the Crownless intends to achieve the Grand Unification of a Tacet Discord?"
"Has it gone mad, or have I? Such a feat is unprecedented even in human history!"
Upon hearing the Rover's report, Jinhsi and Sanhua exchanged looks of sheer incredulity, asking for confirmation.
"Clearly, while Tacet Discords have gained sentience and independent consciousness…"
"In terms of sheer complexity, they still lag far behind humanity."
"However… that Crownless is truly fascinating. Who's to say? Perhaps, against all RNG, he might actually pull off this roll."
Though the Rover's words carried a hint of playfulness, he made no effort to hide his bullish outlook on the Crownless's endeavor.
—