Chapter 265: Lies and Truth

The once potent psychic force that the Realm King released was easily pushed back with an entire city empowering him. In the battle to Overcomer, Seeker achieved it first and now had the advantage in the battle.

The moment the lightning energy gathered, the Realm King quickly realized that he would soon be overpowered and began to use his powers to make him fly backward.

His flight bought him more time as it took a few seconds before the defensive sheath was broken. But the Realm King was able to use it once more. His hair was already white, but when he used it, his skin had grown pale. Time stopped.

It was a critical moment, and his face aged all the more. He glanced at Seeker and began to think about what he could do to avoid the attack.

"It's useless, Master." Seeker's voice echoed out.

The Realm King's expression turned sour.

"Time has stopped. How can you talk to me?"

"Time hasn't stopped. Space has stopped. It's still shocking for me to see that you could do this. I'm honestly a bit hurt. You even hid this ability from me! Your precious disciple!"

The Realm King was silent, and he kept looking around to find a way to defeat Seeker.

There might have been a way for the Realm King to win. The Realm King was a genius on par with Lennox. He was the last of the Selectively Unlocked individuals who broke through the unlocking without undergoing great pressures but only did so in their study.

The Realm King searched and searched. But Seeker did not waste this opportunity.

"This is the first time that communicating through the fourth dimension is possible. You've altered space at such a strange way that it's being reflected on this plane as time and space stop. Was this why you trained me in Realm Somatotopy so much? Were you looking for a way to make me sense this dimension?" Seeker continued. Although Seeker's mouth couldn't move, he could send his thoughts immediately.

The Realm King lost his concentration when Seeker mentioned Realm Somatotopy. That was a terminology that he had made up.

"I'm guessing that right now you are looking for that right moment, that right instant of when you would send your attack to make me miss. But I should tell you that I still have one more Horn of the Dragon. The explosion of Desolation will protect me from any forceful touch that you can do with your telekinetic hands. Just give up, Master. Besides, you won't die anyway. I won't kill you. I'm only going to beat you and spare you to prove that I am your ally. I don't see any other way that you would ally yourself with me. Frankly, this is exhausting. I had to do this with Greydon Meng, too!" Seeker complained.

The Realm King explored every possibility in the few seconds that remained.

And then the seconds ended. Seeker's attack continued.

The Realm King activated one technique that he hadn't done in this battle. The telekinetic ability he had was all in pushing or repelling the forces. But now, he used a different kind of telekinetic force. It was the power of attraction.

A powerful pulling force occurred nearly a hundred meters away from where Realm King was. It was very specific and controlled that the pull had no acceleration but would immediately throw the Realm King a hundred meters in an instant.

But Seeker had already seen this and made preparations. Little did the Realm King know, he had fallen for another trap of Seeker.

Utilizing the Path of Harker, Seeker told the truth. His interactions with Harker had allowed him to realize what Truth was. And how it could be used.

Seeker told the truth. He had one Horn of the Dragon left. But in doing so, he was able to fool the Realm King once more. The Magician's play of Forcing once more surfaced.

Seeker knew that the Realm King had a skill that was slightly similar to Eagles. Sending a telekinetic attack that would rush down on his current location in the 4th dimension would temporarily create a folding space. And this would create a strong gravitational force that would cause nearby objects to be sucked in as if it was a black hole. In this case, the Realm King made one pull his body while he would use his powers to eject him in that direction. This was the Realm King's fastest way to move as there would be no friction and required very little acceleration.

Only, Seeker didn't deploy the last Horn but instead activated a pair of Balls of Thunder.

BOOM!

The Balls of Thunder exploded behind Seeker's suit and was released accurately like boosters. He had already positioned it behind him when he formed his Exoskeleton and prepared for this moment.

The Realm King's sudden retreat was met with Seeker's sudden charge. Seeker flew higher than the Realm King and delivered a slash with the sword.

The movement was too quick that evasion was no longer an option for the Realm King.

CLAP!

Just as the sword slashed down, the Realm King spat out one of the radiation capsules. It was very dim and had very little light. The energy was no longer one-tenth of the previous capsule that the Realm King used to create Nuclear Fission. The stoppage of time and the creation of the pulling force had consumed most of its energy. Adding the fact that the Realm King was wounded, his concentration and the harnessing of the energy was far less efficient.

BOOM!

A large explosion sent Seeker flying high. But then, the many chains of lightning somehow condensed and acted like a large net that prevented Seeker from flying any higher. The net of lightning stretched up until it couldn't anymore and then throw Seeker downwards with an even faster force.

The Realm King was lying on the ground from the blast and saw Seeker's counter.

The Realm King sighed and knew this was his defeat. But still, he gathered the remaining energy he could and created a shield.

Seeker sprang down and stabbed the lightning sword towards the Realm King.

Instead of a sword sheathe, he only fashioned a shield that covered the tip of the blade.

The body's lightning energy flashed and blasted everywhere, and Seeker's entire suit of armor was coated with the electricity.

Seeker could have ended it all but had to restrain the force of his attack.

FIZZ FIZZ FIZZ

The Realm King had extended his two arms to capture the stabbing edge of the sword.

The shield was able to stop Seeker's stab. A tremendous weight pressed on the Realm King. The energy that Seeker had was too powerful and wild that the Realm King could not do anything. And as he was pressed with his back on the ground, there was no more room to retreat.

"Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything." Seeker began to mutter as the two were caught in a stalemate.

Lioncourt's expression was deathly pale. He was visibly thinner than what he was, and wounds began to appear around his body.

"Isn't this amazing? Only by facing tribulations can we Overcome. It was you who taught me this. You told me that Heroes would learn to take the next step. They will always strive to survive because they are those who remain steadfast and firm under great stress. And when they face enough trials and allow their faith to be tested time and time again, they finally learn how to persevere. They develop the mindset of never giving up and never to lose hope for victory. That is what separates an Overcomer from a Hero."

Lioncourt knew that he lost. Seeker was only delaying the inevitable by talking with him.

"So… you're saying you're from the future, and I was your Master."

"Come on, Master. Isn't it clear? I am a young teen, after all. How would I have the ability to become an Overcomer with just that? I faced a lifetime's worth of trials but never really made it because I'm a bit slow. Either that or my Path was just something too strange that I need two lifetimes to activate it. You have got to tell me what you know about the Lost Primordial or, rather, the Progenitor." Seeker smirked.

"Then I guess you should stop attacking me. I am convinced-"

"Master, I know how suspicious you are. I think I understand why. This was probably why you were so adamant in taking Lynd and me as your disciples back then. You must have seen or known something. Something that not even Nogard or the other families knew about." Seeker explained.

The energy that Seeker summoned began to grow stronger and stronger. Bit by bit, inch by inch, the power was surging towards the Realm King.

"The Progenitor must have told you something about the Path's that others could do. So I'm curious. Did he tell you of a certain Path that would allow many other Paths to grow? Nogard said he is the Good Seed. If that's the case, am I one of them?" Seeker asked as the blade was halfway to the Realm King's chest.

The Realm King's expression changed.

"You met the Good Seed?"

"I did. He was quite old. But then he could not answer my own peculiar status. So I'll tell you why you lost, Master. The first Path that I received is from a little young lad who you may never have heard of, considering how you hate games. He is Lowengren. Oh, wait. He is quite popular among soldiers, so you must have heard of him. His Path and reason for his fame are his ability to entrap, lie, and deceive. I harnessed his powers and tested them on this battle. The fact that you fell for my many tricks despite your natural caution is because of that."

"Lying is now a power? That explains it. I normally shouldn't have fallen your tricks."

"Yes. Fooling or deceiving an Overcomer is difficult to achieve. Yet that man can do that on a natural basis. I estimate that I only used around forty percent of his power."

"I… hope never to meet that man."

"You and I both, Master. But you'll have to interact with him. The next Path is equally more powerful. It is General Harker's ability. He had bits of it when he was still in the Underworld. And he finally harnessed it to be weaponized. It was the reason you believed that I would use the Horn of the Dragon to emit desolation, when in fact, I used Richie's ba- I mean Thunder."

"That wasn't deception… That was… Truth?" The Realm King guessed.

"As expected of Master. Yes. Truth. I do have one more Horn. But you focused so much on that, that it made you forget the other truths."

"His ability is, to tell the truth?"

"He can gain people's trust. Isn't this the reason why you somehow lowered your guard? The truth that I have been giving you is backed with evidence. So even though I am about to stab you with this weapon, you are partly inclined to believe me." Seeker smiled. The sword was now just a few centimeters from Lioncourt's chest.

"You damned brat!" Lioncourt cursed.

"Anyway, Master, am I one of the Progenitors Seed? Did he tell you about a certain Path that will help other Paths grow? The mysteries surrounding me are very, very distracting in my cultivation. I need to know the Truth. What exactly am I?"

"The Progenitor only said that among all the seeds he planted, there was one that he pinned his hopes on. But the possibilities to create it were so impossible as it was imperfect. He said it was impossible but somehow believed that it would come true. This possibility was that all Paths, all his seeds would somehow bear fruit through this specific seed. Are you saying that it's you?"

"I'm not sure. But in my future, you were so adamant in taking Lynd as your disciple. Everyone believed that you were trying to get a powerful soldier and scoffed at you. The main army belonged to the Tyrant Empress after all… But you see, I think you were mistaken. I think there's more to what the Progenitor entrusted you. And if you are unwilling to tell me, it's alright. But I want you to know that whatever that is, it's probably me." Seeker smiled as the sword began to stab the Realm King.

The Realm King couldn't help but chuckle as he felt the electrical energy attacking him. His vision turned dark.

"I hope in this timeline, you'd agree with me. The future me kept telling you that these Paths are something, but you kept brushing them off. You could have taken Lowengren then, but you disregarded and doubted his ability. And now, you are slowly lowering your guard and attack output because you are trusting me. Trust, deception, charisma, and even jokes could be weaponized. I can't wait for Gardo's Path to bear fruit in me. Of course, I'll have to cut down on the One Piece references..." Seeker chuckled.

The power that the Realm King was releasing was slowly diminishing. The Realm King realized it was not with the lack of energy, but his own lack of resolve.

"This is why I hate trusting people." The Realm King muttered right before he fell unconscious.

In the clash between two Overcomers, he that tread the Ancient Path won over the Rumblings of the Seventh Trumpet.