"Okay, now take a step back, please," Insomniac asked, letting Hera get into a far enough position so she wouldn't be risking herself.
The odds of something actually hitting her weren't that big, but Insomniac preferred to be safe rather than sorry. The last thing they needed was for one of them to get injured now when they were just trying to practice a bit.
He took a deep breath and got into his stance. Instead of being something proper, just holding the sword in front of him, he placed it over his shoulder with the blade out. The man breathed in once more before activating one of his most powerful skills. It was something attached to his legacy. A skill that instantly made him feel sleepy. As a matter of fact, it was one of the few skills he could use to its fullest when he wasn't tired.
The skill itself would sap his stamina and speed up his internal clock, making him feel as if he was much more tired than he should be. At the same time, this allowed him to gain some of the buffs that came from his legacy. One of the big benefits of this particular skill was that it made him tired as he started the swing. Which meant that by the end of the strike, he would also gain the benefits of the buffs attached to his sleepiness.
The man brought down the sword with all his strength. Adding a couple of more basic effects, something similar to Hera's [Grasshopper Slash] which was called simply [Diagonal Strike]. In addition to another skill, [Heart of Battle]. This third one was a skill that could work very much anytime Hera was fighting and really wished to do so.
Which very much was the case right now. Not that he had a thirst for battle, or that he thought this attack was some sort of competition with Hera. Just the fact that he wanted to show off a little bit was enough for this.
With all skills activated, he brought down his sword in a motion so quick that Hera didn't even see it happen. In one heartbeat he was staring at his sword in front of them, and the next, his hands were already down and the tip of his sword was already touching the ground. And that wasn't all.
There was already a large cut being formed in the terrain in front of them. It seemed like even the sound was only now catching up to what Insomniac had just done. Wind started to rush in the direction of his attack, as the mountain split in two. As the noise overwhelmed everything. Like a foghorn during a thunderstorm.
Clearly, there was no rubble or destruction around it. It was just a cut dividing the entire terrain into two. But in the distance, there was a blast. In the air above the mountains to see what was going on, Nimbus took some pictures using Hera's tablet before he dropped down, staring at the man by their side the entire time. He passed the tablet to the Empress.
After the cut that seemed to be made by a chef who was simply cutting some meat, was the actual destruction. Pretty much half of the terrain behind the mountain was completely gone. Leaving behind only a shadowy chasm that seemed to go on forever. Even the clouds above their heads shown to be bisected by his strike. Although maybe due to the distance, the attack only made a small cut.
Hera turned to Insomniac with wide eyes after seeing the images and quickly asked him to wait for a moment before jumping on Nimbus's back so they could fly up and she could take a look for herself. There wasn't anything, really, that was different from the picture The Sentinel had shown her. But she still couldn't really believe that a single person was capable of doing all that.
And apparently, that wasn't even all his power. In order to truly go all out, he would need to stay a few days without sleeping and use another skill that would cause him to fall asleep almost instantaneously. And those two things were not something he wanted to do right now.
While Hera was somewhat confused about how he was able to use a skill like that, he made it clear that there was no real danger for him. And he didn't really need people to be there to catch him. As if he used the skill that made him sleep, there was another that made him sleepwalk until he woke up again. And as long as he had a specific goal in mind, this sleepwalking skill would make his body work towards the goal. Meaning that he could, for instance, use the skill and command himself to go back to a safe location.
While the skill wasn't able to understand some of the nuances of day-to-day life, such as paying for a room or taking a train now or something like that, it was intelligent enough to at the very least let him walk to his own place and fall asleep there in the bed. Which was all he could ask for in a situation like that.
When Hera came back down, Insomniac asked to check the tablet just so he could see how well his attack worked. He analyzed the image for a moment before nodding with a smile.
"You know what? I wasn't expecting it to work so well."
"You weren't?"
"I mean, it's been a while since I've tried to hold myself back so much. While also trying my best. So yeah, I was pleasantly surprised with this."
"If this is you holding back, I'm scared for the people who you make angry."
The man chuckled. He glanced behind him, where the cave that housed the boss of this dungeon was located should be. Now there was a large hole in the mountain, forming almost a crescent moon that pierced the entire terrain. That had been the results of Hera's experiment.
She created a legendary war axe very similar to Livy's and swung using the hollow handle that George had just offered to her. The one that created a bigger explosion depending on the element of the weapon. And of course, using [Weapon Break] and the [Grasshopper Slash] combined with all that.
Sure, it was enough to empty out her [Empress Core] and her entire mana pool, but no one could argue with the results. Even if this place was lower level than the Empress herself, not many people could do the same thing.
Now that the dungeon quest was over, they left the dungeon with both gaining the rewards. Hera ended up getting just some materials and gold while Insomniac only got the gold as a reward. Apparently, the real prize would be something that the boss could drop, but it wasn't like they had the opportunity to go after it considering they pretty much obliterated everything in that mountain. And Insomniac really didn't need anything from this area. It was too low level for him anyway.
Once they left the dungeon, Joseph approached them. The butler waited for them with a smile and a half bow before saying the reason why he was there.
"Ms. Hera, Matriarch Valera would like to request some assistance."
"Again?" the Empress asked with an annoying tone.
Joseph nodded. "Yes. We understand that you may not be interested in helping us anymore, however, this is something that could benefit you as well."
Hera let out a sigh. "What is it? Why do you need my help?"
"Matriarch Valera is setting up an exhibition match. A fight between you and Frederick."
"How is that fair? The kid's not even level 10."
"Exactly, and yet he insisted that he would be able to defeat you as long as you didn't use your legacy. Or that only your legacy, only the chains of your legacy, make you stronger."
Hera glanced at Insomniac who had a confused expression, just like her. "What the hell are you teaching these kids?"
"It is clear that our education of the younger generation has been lacking. Which is why the Matriarch is hoping that you are able to assist us in rectifying that issue."
"So you're basically asking me to solve your problems, again? I have to say, this does feel a bit much. Especially since Matriarch Azure is not the one coming to make the request," Hera crossed her arms.
The butler nodded. "I understand. And I do agree that we are being rather rude to you as a guest. However, we are not doing so out of a lack of care. Matriarch Azure has started discussing with the other elders plans to solve those issues and is now attempting to convince some of them to allow you to perform this exhibition match. The hope is that once the Clan Azure is able to see the power of those in the alliance, it will help the younger generation to understand their place in the MAZE."
"How exactly is me beating up a kid who's not even level 10 going to help? People are just going to think that I'm a bully who likes fighting against people who were barely part of the MAZE."
"Matriarch Azure hopes that you can come up with an idea. However, if you don't come up with one, we do have some suggestions. In addition to your fight against Frederick, we were also hoping you could afford a couple of hours to be a guest teacher for our newest Explorer class. You just need to talk about your accomplishments and your experiences in the MAZE. We are not expecting you to do anything beyond that."
"So you're telling me that I can do whatever I want in this duel?" Hera frowned, still trying to understand what was being asked of her.
Joseph nodded. "Yes. We would appreciate if you could give yourself some sort of handicap to clarify the difference in strength, but if you wish to simply show your full power, we are sure it will be for the best. Also, in an effort of transparency, the Matriarch will also be using this as a way to punish Frederick."
"Wasn't he the one who wanted to fight me?"
Joseph nodded. "Indeed, he was, however, the clan has a rule about disagreements. If the elders make a decision and any of the parties affected by it go against the decision, they are around to request a duel in order to rescind their punishment. If they win, their punishment is changed to be lessened or removed. Alternatively, if they lose, their punishment is increased. Of course, in those cases, the elders pick their opponent, which makes it easier to punish the worst offenders more harshly."
The butler let out a sigh, breaking his neutral demeanor for a moment, "Because Frederick's father still has some influence on the clan Frederick himself tends to not be punished that often. Even when the situation demands it. But since he was the one who requested the duel, if he were to lose, the Matriarch is able to punish him as severely as she wishes to. Which, in this case, would amount to sending him back to Earth and impeding him to explore the MAZE completely. At least until his behavior changes and he is deemed someone who is capable of showing respect to others."
"I'm not sure I agree with that punishment," Hera said with a frown.
"May I inquire as to why?"
"He has been radicalized by the guild, or by someone else. It doesn't matter who, and you're sending him to live only with people who are more likely to have similar thoughts. He shouldn't be sent to Earth. He should be sent to work with the alliance. Forced to be in a place where he was the only human so he could understand that all species can be equal, everybody has their strengths and weaknesses. Everything is about individual merit, not about their species ."
Joseph nodded. "I agree with your assessment. And I will give your suggestion to the Matriarch. I am sure she will be open to it. But does that mean that you accept the duel?"
"Sure. But you said that I can do this my way, right?"
"That is correct."
Hera smiled. "Perfect then. I think I know exactly what I'm going to do."
Insomniac glanced at her, and a shiver ran down his spine. It was one of the very few moments when he ever saw someone with such a wicked smile. Whatever the Empress was planning to do was something that not just Frederick but the entirety of the clan Azure wouldn't forget so soon.