Unholy Player
Chapter 131: Rank 4 Practitioner

Chapter 131: Rank 4 Practitioner

A small, seemingly ordinary human silhouette had arrived on a cloud of white mist—now, only moments later, she stood face-to-face with Colossith, nearly equal in size. She had transformed into a six-armed, black-furred titan, towering and primal.

Even for someone slowly adapting to the logic of this world, Adyr found himself re-evaluating the boundaries of what he considered possible.

"Lord Adyr."

The voice came from the garden.

Orven Draven approached with purposeful steps, flanked by knights in gleaming silver full-body armor. At his side walked another tall figure in polished silver-plated armor—Siris, his knight-captain. They halted with practiced discipline, and Orven greeted him with a respectful smile.

Adyr nodded, returning the gesture with a faint smile of his own.

"Who is that?" He asked, eyes fixed on the giant simian figure. He wasn’t even sure what to call it. Maybe a giant monkey?

Orven followed his gaze to the monstrous form in the distance. "She is Lady Liora Virell," he answered with quiet reverence. "The kingdom’s only Rank 4 practitioner."

"I see." Adyr acknowledged it with a slight tilt of his head, keeping his eyes locked on the scene ahead.

Colossith looked massive and dangerous, but so did the woman. Two titans now stood across from each other, and the air felt heavy, as if the world itself was bracing for impact.

Soon, three more figures entered Adyr’s vision.

Behind the ape-like Liora, one figure hovered on glowing butterfly wings. Another approached on the back of a flying creature that resembled a large, white duck—clearly a Spark.

Even from a distance, Adyr could tell they were Rank 3 practitioners. Their aura, posture, and positioning made it obvious. Support roles. Watching and waiting.

Further behind them, gliding through the sky atop a blue-scaled wyvern, was Malrik Azven. The Frost Wyvern’s wings beat slowly as it hovered in place. All of them had stopped just behind Liora, awaiting orders, ready to provide support.

While everyone else looked toward Adyr, subtly watching his reaction, he stood still.

He chose not to interfere. Not yet.

Getting involved in a fight like this wasn’t worth the risk. And if things turned dire, he was fully prepared to escape.

"I thought another Rank 4 practitioner would be assisting. But I don’t see him." Adyr broke the silence, his voice casual but observant.

At his words, a subtle shift passed through the gathered figures, tension flickering across their faces. Vesha, in particular, showed a distinct frown.

The missing Rank 4 was a Nether Path practitioner—rumored to have accepted Vesha’s offer of support, in exchange for her own submission... or more accurately, her servitude.

No one questioned how Adyr knew. There was no need. Gossip like that traveled fast in the capital, and someone like him having access to such information wasn’t exactly surprising.

"We don’t know," Orven said, exhaling. Only the other practitioners would have a real answer.

But his absence said everything. He had made a promise—and didn’t show up. And for someone walking the Nether Path, that kind of betrayal wasn’t surprising.

By now, Colossith had drawn closer. The tremors in the ground had intensified, rattling windows and unsettling the earth beneath their feet.

Then the towering ape moved.

Lady Liora stepped forward, each footfall shaking the ground. Her bulk alone made every movement feel like a localized quake.

When she reached Colossith, she didn’t roar. Didn’t swing.

She simply walked up to the Spark and wrapped her six arms around its head and shoulders, restraining it, holding it in place.

The Spark’s legs continued to move, attempting to press forward, but it made no further progress. There was no attack. No flare of magic. Just pressure.

Adyr blinked.

This wasn’t the battle he’d expected. Liora hadn’t fought. She had simply stopped it.

"How does this usually play out?" Adyr asked, intrigued.

Orven looked toward Siris.

The knight-captain stepped forward, armor glinting in the sun. "Lord Adyr." She gave a crisp salute before continuing.

"According to reports from respected practitioners, Colossith’s hide is highly resistant to damage. Most attacks are either absorbed or reflected. That’s why only Lady Liora has the strength to physically restrain it and prevent it from reaching the city."

There was respect in her voice, but also sorrow. The other knights shared it, their faces solemn.

"She’s the reason our kingdom still stands." Siris paused, choosing her next words carefully.

"Colossith might appear passive, but the tremors its body emits are lethal—even to Lady Liora. After holding it back for as long as she can, she must retreat to recover. During that window, the other practitioners attempt to delay its advance. But..."

She didn’t finish. She didn’t have to.

Adyr understood.

Now it was clear why so many practitioners had died over the years.

Liora, as a Rank 4 Astra Path practitioner, had the strength to stop Colossith—but not the endurance. While she recovered, the others were forced to take her place.

But those same tremors that weakened her... They were fatal to anyone lower ranked.

Adyr now had another reason to stay out of this.

Yes, his [Resilience] stat was unusually high—possibly his natural defense was even greater than that of a Rank 2 Astra Path practitioner. But that didn’t change the fact that he was still underpowered.

If the Nether Path practitioner had shown up as promised, this might’ve played out differently, Adyr thought.

Nether Path was directly tied to the [Resilience] stat. A Rank 4 from that path would have had a durability far beyond what an Astra practitioner could hope to match, possibly even hundreds of times greater.

With enough endurance, such a person could have held Colossith alone, without rest, without retreat. And the lower-ranked practitioners wouldn’t have had to throw themselves into a fight they had no chance of surviving.

"How long does this standoff usually last?" Adyr asked, voicing the next question in his mind.

Siris was the one to answer again. "Colossith feeds on the feedback of the tremors it emits. Once it absorbs enough and completes its cycle, it retreats. That usually takes between one week and ten days."

Adyr narrowed his eyes. That was a long time. Ten days just to hold a creature in place—to stop it from advancing.

Then something clicked.

"It feeds on the reflected vibrations, huh," he muttered.

His face remained as blank and unreadable as ever, but there was a shift in his voice—just enough to suggest he had noticed something. And already, he was thinking. Calculating.

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