[Nightmare]

"What if you do have to challenge someone?" Atlas asked.

Helix gave him a mysterious smile.

"Cultivators speak a language, and there's one concept that solves fights without touching someone."

Atlas gave him an amused grin.

"Killing intent." He chuckled.

"That's right." Helix confirmed with a slight smile.

"So are you going to create an illusion of that?" He asked.

It was their third day of traveling, and Atlas made a blood pact with Helix so he could explain [Nightmare].

He didn't feel it was necessary, but it was a requirement to discuss it. His partners entered a blood pact so they could speak to Tyrene and Tilo about it.

They were bound by the same rules and couldn't disclose information unless Atlas joined.

"That's right. I already have." Helix chuckled.

"It's pretty bru~tal." Charlotte commented with a wicked grin.

"Hoh? How are you gonna pull it off?" Atlas asked.

—

Ronka's heart started beating uncontrollably.

His throat was dry, he was sweating uncontrollably, and his world was tinted light red.

He was hallucinating. Ronka's body was multiplying itself like a broken solitaire game.

The atmosphere was dry and hot, like a hot summer day.

While it wouldn't be insufferable normally, his mind couldn't think straight.

The same experience happened to Lamath, even though he couldn't see Helix.

"Kneel!" Helix ordered while stomping on the ground.

Ronka fell to a knee, grabbing his head.

His eyes were blinded with sand, and he roared in pain.

His cronies stared down Helix with nervous expressions, wondering if they should act.

They were staring at the scene with disbelief and horror.

Ronka was hated, but he was the strongest aside from their teacher, who also fell on a knee.

If they were down, they didn't have a chance.

However, they did have numbers on their side.

Helix put his hand on the hilt of his sword.

His friends, in a panic, shot out their hands, put their hands on their swords, or started running.

Helix lifted his left hand like a god.

BOOOOOOOOM!

A massive dust cloud entered the area.

"Gahhhhhhhhhhh!"

The atmosphere was filled with groaning.

The super-otakus were shocked when the dust settled.

Five power-weebs were glued to the dirt with strained expressions.

Helix's hand was now on the earth.

"Keep still!" Helix yelled.

When the five weebs looked at Helix, they began hallucinating with [killing intent].

"Little predator, and sick enabler. I'm going to release my killing intent." Helix growled.

"If either of you move, I'll slit both of your throats."

Helix released them from his killing intent.

In light novels, killing intent doesn't last more than a minute.

The effect is supposed to be crippling, and people cower in fear.

"Hah. Go to hell!" Ronka yelled with madness swirling in his eyes.

"Lava Trap—Gahhhhhhhhhhhh! FUCK! FUCK ME!"

Ronka screamed in pain.

Thick white fog filled the area, making it difficult to see what was happening.

"What an amatuer. You want to show up and make the rules, but you can't keep your Nightmare going when your brain blanks out?" Helix scoffed.

"Pathetic."

"Shut up! Gahhhhhh!" Ronka roared.

"Fuck you! Fuck You! FUCK YOU!"

Helix saw the burns on Peter's leg.

While using [Killing Intent], he kicked the ground to create a distraction and threw [Frozen Lake] and [Suffocate] circles.

The Frozen Lake circle created an ice pond that exploded in steam next to Ronka's face.

Normally Nightmares discharge immediately after use.

However, he threw a [Suffocate] and [Dissipate] circle as a precaution.

After the steam explosion, Dissipate scattered the remaining effects of the spell.

Dissipate allowed a magic wielder to scatter spirit particles as they were released.

It's primarily used to remove barriers, as the physical effect of spells is permanent.

For example, if a fire spell lights a tree on fire, [Dissipate] won't remove the fire.

Therefore, it's used to scatter spells as they're being launched.

[Suffocate] removed the oxygen and put out the physical fire.

Tilo used the combination to cut off Exodus Flame and extinguish the fire.

Helix's defense spells in his trap weren't necessary, and the conditional triggers made them usable.

So if someone tried to hit him with an area of effect spell, it would shatter before it reached him.

—

"Do you know the annoyance you feel when the noise is a fraction of a second off from the video you're watching?" Helix chuckled.

"... Yeah? So?" Atlas asked.

"Imagine that happening to your body." Helix said with an evil grin, "Only you can't breathe because the [Heat] elemental spell is drying out your saliva."

"And your world turns slightly sepia, and the sky is tinted red, your opponent's voice gets suuuuuper loud and demonic, and your head feels like it might explode." Charlotte added ecstatically.

"That's... delightfully brutal. But... Helix. You're keeping your Nightmare a secret at all costs." Atlas commented in bewilderment, "Why would you create something unrealistic?"

Helix and his partners burst into laughter.

"What's unrealistic? Myriad is a cultivator's world, Atlas. Killing intent is common sense. Get it together." Helix chuckled.

"I see... And if people gang up on you?" Atlas pried.

"It's not like we three are standing around. We train together to make Helix look invincible." Marie giggled.

"For example, Helix and Charlotte have a cue where he raises his hand in the direction of an opponent." She explained.

"Charlotte identifies that opponent and activates [Domain] and—"

"BOOOOOOOM!" Charlotte reenacted while separating her hands dramatically.

"That way, Hellie looks like a god. You should see him practice our acting [Domain] combo.

He's super hot."

Atlas looked back at Helix in astonishment.

"I'm not gonna lie… it's really fun." Helix chuckled.

"But even if that isn't the case, I'm not weak. I set traps and prepare to fight. And if you can pressure a certain cat into giving you information on your opponents ahead of time...."

Atlas looked at Helix with a wicked grin. "You can look like an omniscient God."

—

Ronka gripped his face in agony and hatred.

His beautiful, artificial face had third-degree burns that were already blistering.

"FUCK YOU!" He screamed.

Helix finished unsheathing his sword and walked over to Ronka.

For the first time in everyone's life, they understood true helplessness.

Helix felt the same helplessness when Walter approached Emelia without fearing consequences.

Helix wanted Ronka to truly feel that.

After hearing what he said about Millie and Sarah, Ronka would be lucky if Helix spared his life.

Helix grabbed the man by the collar with his left hand.

When Ronka tried to struggle, he struck his face with his right fist.

It was packed with the hilt of his sword, so it left the man dazed.

"Ronka. Listen closely to me." Helix ordered with a cold, commanding voice.

The man wobbled with his bloodied nose and burnt face.

There was true terror in his eyes.

"Some of the people behind me tried killing me three times." Helix said with a cold voice.

"But even if they tried killing me directly, I'd save their lives from you."

The power-weebs listened to Helix's voice with confusion and wonder.

All of the super-otakus were shaking, nervous, or excited, depending upon their past relationship with Helix.

However, all watched with awe and respect in their hearts.

"You are evil and disgusting." Helix seethed.

"You'd use your power to kill, ****, and extort others? What a joke.

Here, the cultivator rules are designed to ensure that people like you don't exist."

Helix put his sword to the man's neck.

"Please don't do it!" Lamath cried.

"This was my fault! I'll accept the punishment!"

Helix turned to the man.

"Shut up!" He barked.

A new wave of [Killing Intent] hit him and shut him up.

Ronka started wailing in pain after the daze and endorphins from the punch wore off.

"Hmmm. I can't make a demonstration of you while you're struggling." Helix frowned.

Within a split second, he punched Ronka on the bottom of the jaw and knocked him out.

Then he lowered him to the ground slowly and kept kneeling.

"Listen up!" Helix roared.

"Alzeria enacted the cultivator laws to prevent scum like Ronka from developing."

All of the Earthian Knights listened in surprise.

"People here were slowly developing into this sick freak and tried killing each other!" Helix explained with a bold voice.

"So the strong people—the women I walked in with—made the rules to protect the weak!"

He panned the faces of everyone present.

Lamath, who was only hit with Killing Intent for a few seconds, was already conscious and listening.

Everyone listened in confusion.

"I was one of those people! I had to fake my death and move 1000 miles away, so people stopped trying to kill me!"

Helix panned his gaze to as many people as possible.

The super-otakus were shaking or wallowing in their shame.

"That's right! The disgusting laws this man wanted to exploit for legal **** and murder were designed to prevent those actions.

Everyone is just too sick and inhumane to be respectable people without brutal force." Helix scoffed.

He sent a murderous glare to any weeb that looked discontented.

People started shaking.

"This is Myriad. It's not a videogame, it's not a cultivator world, and it's not a place where it's okay to be evil.

It's a world just like Earth. You're all a pack of wild beasts if you've ever treated it otherwise!" Helix yelled passionately.

"It's okay to kill humans en masse…. Hah. You're a mob of school shooters!"

Helix scoffed, and a wave of shame washed over everyone.

"Who here remembers why you came here!?" He roared with anger.

Lamath and the weebs started shaking.

"Hmmm? No one!? You're here to help save real human lives!" Helix barked.

"Yet you're using this time to murder and abuse others?"

He scoffed in disdain.

"Are the Myriadians not humans to you?

Do I need to kill your fucking teacher before your eyes to make you feel pain and loss from a human here!?"

Lamath shook with terror.

Macron watched the scene with conflicted emotions ripping his mind to shreds.

Helix let out a laugh so caustic it could eat through steel.

"Hah. It doesn't matter because you're under my laws as of this moment!" He yelled.

The weebs and otakus started shaking in terror.

"My laws are pretty simple. If you harm another person, I'll cut your Nightmare off your body." Helix declared in a terrifying tone.

He put his blade to Ronka's throat and cut slices into the invisible patch covered by their tattoo.

Helix quickly left plenty of gashes in it.

Then he stood up and stared at the man's body with disdain in his eyes.

"This murdering rapist is going into confinement until Thyme's embassy negotiates for him.

His Nightmare won't work, but he'll have it professionally removed too." Helix announced to Lamath.

"If you have a problem with it, I'll cut his hands and dick off so that he's unable to hurt anyone else.

Do you have a problem with confinement?"

Lamath shook his head in a haze.

"Wise choice." Helix declared with cold eyes.

The teacher started shaking in response.

He knew that he didn't stand a chance against the young man before him.

"Macron, please have your team get Peter to a hospital." Helix requested.

"Also, please have someone take this man to a Nightmare suppression chamber.

His wounds are skin level, but you can have someone assess his health.

I'd appreciate it if you stayed here in the arena."

Macron nodded in a daze.

"Titus. Get Peter to a hospital."

Titus nodded and quickly started organizing the effort.

"Yuan, please lead Ronka to a chamber after checking his wounds."

"Yes sir."

The group worked together to get the two parties out of the area.

Helix faced the weebs after the tasks were in motion.

"Listen up! Let me go over the rules again!" Helix yelled with a commanding voice.

"If you harm, threaten, or even plot to hurt another person, your days as a so-called cultivator are over!"

Helix circled to face the super-otakus.

"There are twenty-three people here that I appreciate." He said with a calm voice.

The Knights looked at him in confusion.

He gave them a slight smile.

Helix circled so he could see all eighty-three Earthian Knights present.

"For the other sixty Earthians in this arena…."

Helix paused for dramatic effect and circled, showing everyone a slight smile.

—

[A/N: Was this satisfying? Was waiting for Helix to work hard and develop into an op character worth it?]