Similar to Legends and Myths, Epics had a level of authority regarding a certain element of the world due to their great understanding of it. However, unlike Legends, who had partial authority due to that understanding, and Myths, who had full authority, the level of authority that Epics had due to their understanding could be said as nothing substantial when compared to the former two.
If the level of authority the three had were interpreted in numbers, Myths would get the number 100, while Legends would have a number that spanned between 5 and 25, showing that there was a ton of improvement one could hope to achieve even after becoming a Legend. Nevertheless, even a Legend with the lowest number in that range could thrash any peak Rank 5, even multiple of them at once thanks to them still being partly supported by the world.
Now, one might wonder at this point: what number would represent the level of authority an Epic had over the element of the world they greatly understood? While pondering over this question, one would be inclined to think that it would be represented by the number 1 at the very least.
However, the scope of their authority Epics had weren't even anywhere near reaching that number.
Among the Epics, the worst among them would have their level of authority be represented by the number 0.01. On the other hand, the strongest among them would be represented by the number 0.5, exactly 10 times smaller than what even the weakest Legend could attain.
Then again, that representation wasn't without good reason.
After all, unlike Legends, who were undoubtedly at the peak of Rank 5, and Myths, who had broken through to the next rank…
Epics could appear as early as Rank 3. There was no need for them to even reach the peak of Rank 3 to become one, unlike becoming a Legend.
Of course, all three of them relied on immense amounts of comprehension regarding a certain element, may that element be a tangible concept or not. However, the level of comprehension they've attained would dictate what level of authority they had.
For Epics, the understanding they had regarding a certain element only allowed them to form an Intent, which was actually considered the starting point for anyone who wanted to become a Legend, and eventually a Myth. In fact, a great portion of people at the Rank 5 would be considered Epics due to them having already comprehended their own Intent, with some even comprehending two or more of them at once.
Then again, the only thing that was stopping them from becoming a Legend was their understanding of that Intent.
After one deepened their understanding of the Intent they had formed, as well as the certain element they had chosen, the Intent would evolve and undergo a qualitative transformation into what was called a Force. And if one were to go one step further and push their Force to its limits?
They would be able to ascend to Rank 6 and become a Myth as their Force…
Naturally transforms into a Concept.
'Even though I've already met with Riekan, who's a Legend, it's still surprising that I've already come across an Epic and a Legend even though I haven't reached the peak of Rank 1 yet.' Curious as to how the situation would now turn out once Braum had revealed himself as an Epic, Valyr remained silent as he awaited Lucas' response with an inward smile. 'Then again, I'll embark that path at some point as well.'
'I have to, anyway.'
'Valyr even has connections to an Epic?! Come on!' Being the one who took most of the brunt of the pressure from Braum and the others, Lucas felt the connection Braum with the world the best, prompting his expression to become unsightly as he swiftly came to a conclusion. Although he still wanted to detain Valyr in order to make sure no more slip-ups would happen in the future…
He had to give Valyr to the man or else he would undoubtedly die!
Gritting his teeth, Lucas looked at Braum with an apologetic smile before trying to speak amidst the pressure weighing down on him. "You… can have him…"
"Took you long enough."
Whoosh!
At the very instant Lucas had said those words to Braum, the latter swiftly retracted the aura he had been giving off all this time, with the four behind him following suit not long after. Though the current situation now appeared as if nothing had occurred in the first place, everyone there still remained silent, telling themselves they had just witnessed something special.
"Let's leave." Sending an order to the four that had accompanied him, Braum moved closer to Valyr and extended a hand to the latter, his demeanor more gentle than how he was while interacting with Lucas.
Nodding in response, Valyr followed the group of five as they made their way out of the coliseum, with Arcenne and Wells tagging along behind them as multiple questions they wanted to ask Valyr now lingered in their mind. By the time Valyr and the others had disappeared from the coliseum, the audience erupted into cheers once more, celebrating the victory Valyr had achieved against Leron before the whole incident.
Amidst the audience's cheers, Lucas took in a few deep breaths before waking up the unconscious guards that surrounded Valyr earlier one by one, with all of them briefly shuddering in fear as they wondered if Braum was still in front of him.
Quickly finding out that Braum was nowhere to be found, the guards looked at Lucas, who gave them the order that they were to leave the coliseum at this instant and return to their usual tasks.
Briefly glancing at the limbless and headless corpse that remained on the battleground throughout the entire incident, he let out a low sigh before turning around, making his way towards one of the gates as the guards followed behind him.
While making his way out, fury started to bubble up within him, recalling how useless he felt in front of an Epic like Braum. However, since the disparity in strength between the two of them simply could not be made up for within mere moments, he redirected this rage to another person instead, the man who knew far more than what he should know, as well as the one who brought in someone who humiliated him in front of thousands of people.
"This isn't over, Valyr," muttered Lucas.
"No matter how long it takes... I'll find a way to get back at you."
