Infinite Dendrogram: Volume 14 Read online

  As a result, tian Jaguarmen could only ever aspire to be a hybrid between a mediocre vanguard and a mediocre tamer.

  The one exception was the jaguarman grouping’s Superior Job, King of Beasts, which had a version of Beastheart Possession that gave a 100% bonus. Still, that didn’t mean much when Pure-Dragons were the strongest monsters they could use. Because most well-developed Superior Jobs surpassed the Pure-Dragons’ stats, King of Beasts was considered to be low-tier.

  Even though it was a battle-focused Superior Job, no one believed it could ever be the strongest choice.

  That all changed after Masters began growing in number.

  One of the Masters researching builds once came a realization and made the following proposal: “Wouldn’t Jaguarman’s skill have crazy good synergy with Guardian type Embryos?”

  The importance of this realization was not to be underestimated. After all, being Embryos, Guardians took no Minion Capacity no matter how strong they were, and it wasn’t uncommon for high-rank Guardians to surpass Pure-Dragons in power.

  Unlike a tian, a Master with a Guardian Embryo wouldn’t have to worry about wasting job slots just to make Jaguarman work, and they wouldn’t need to go through any trouble to get powerful monsters. This meant that they could fill their slots with battle-focused jobs and use the jaguarman grouping for a pure stat boost. Even if they used their Jaguarman job as their main, they would still have access to utility battle skills and item-based active skills.

  Once people realized that this would almost certainly create the strongest frontline fighter, the argument about strongest build was, for the time being, considered settled.

  The Guardian-Jaguarman Theory spread as soon as it was presented on discussion boards.

  Many Masters with battle-focused Guardians chose to go with this build. They left their mark on every country’s arena, displaying the build’s power and making it even more popular.

  The reason for its quick adoption was that it was extremely powerful and you only needed two things for it — jaguarman grouping jobs and a Guardian Embryo.

  During this time, if anyone appeared on forums or discussion boards saying something like, “I’m about to start. What’s a good way to be really powerful?” they would be met with, “Hope and pray that your Embryo’s a Guardian.”

  Of course, there was an Embryo for each Master, and all of them were unique. Each individual Embryo synergized best with different jobs.

  However, this was one of the easiest ways to become strong.

  But even among those who adhered to the Guardian-Jaguarman Theory, some were working to improve their build even further. They wanted to follow this theory to its logical conclusion — to take the concept to the next level by finding the conditions to unlock King of Beasts and taking the job.

  Unfortunately, the conditions were lost even to the tribes that traditionally used the jaguarman grouping jobs, so the Masters searching for them were faced with quite a challenge. Still, they pressed on, hoping to find the ultimate expression of this theory and claim the throne of “Physical Apex” as their own.

  However, after nearly three Infinite Dendrogram years after Guardian-Jaguarman Theory had been uncovered, the Masters still using it were few and far between.

  Of course, it was powerful enough to still see some use, but those who passionately searched for the best possible builds had cast it aside.

  There were several reasons for this.

  First was the increase in Superiors, who had powers so absurd that they made their Embryos look tame.

  Second was the increase in the amount of Superior Jobs. The lack of level caps let those who had them grow stronger essentially without limit, so those who truly desired overwhelming power decided to search for SJs to take, even if they were unrelated to the jaguarman grouping.

  Both were valid reasons, but they were not enough to truly kill Guardian-Jaguarman Theory.

  The third reason was almost a combination of the other two, which made it the most compelling reason to quit this build.

  A Guardian Superior Embryo fully specced into stats, and King of Beasts — the jaguarman grouping Superior Job necessary to complete the theory. The ultimate goal of the idea — the throne of the “Apex.”

  That throne was already occupied.

  Queen of Beasts, Leviathan and King of Beasts, Behemot — a Superior Embryo that was utterly devoted to stats, and a Superior Job that transferred all those stats to the user.

  The throne of the King of Beasts had already been taken by the most suitable individual.

  Thus, anyone seeking it had given up. They knew they couldn’t surpass her as long as they walked the same path.

  The “Apex” they were all heading towards had already been claimed, and the king would never relinquish it.

  Some rerolled their build and began searching for other paths to power, while others lost all passion for the game and just quit altogether. Those who were serious about becoming stronger had long since left the theory behind, leaving only those who were satisfied with being relatively strong.

  This was the ultimate end of the Guardian-Jaguarman Theory.

  ◆◆◆

  Altar-Dryfe border, assembly hall

  “Hmm hmm hmm...” Thanks to a skill that linked Behemot to Leviathan, Behemot could sense that her Embryo was having a great time.

  Through this connection, she knew that Leviathan was truly enjoying her battle with Shu.

  I also wanted to fight the bear... I mean, Shu, she thought. Thanks to information given to Dryfe by Zeta — information collected by Sechs himself — Behemot knew Shu’s skills, including his ultimate. Therefore, she knew that Shu was the only Master Behemot and Leviathan could fight with all their strength.

  Leviathan was fighting him by herself now, and the joy reaching her made it clear that the information was reliable.

  ...Levia and I became a little too strong. That thought was correct — even Mythical UBMs couldn’t last long against them; humans didn’t even stand a chance.

  She could hold back, sure, but she found that extremely boring.

  Her high AGI made the time she experienced far too drawn out, and her STR gave her limbs more power than she ever needed. People shattered if she as much as slowly caressed them, but she found it boring to move like that.

  Regardless if they went all-out or not, there just weren’t any enemies around that they could really have fun with.

  Since Behemot became a Superior, she could count the beings that put up a fight on one hand.

  When I think about that, Shu is a real rarity. She was convinced that he might’ve been the first Master she’d met who could withstand her full power.

  It’s not just battles, either... just talking and hanging out with him is kind of fun. Games and fights weren’t worthwhile if they weren’t between people who were on the same level.

  Thus, to Behemot, Shu was in the truly precious category of “worthy opponent.”

  ...He reminds me of dad a bit, though. That makes me feel sad at times. Behemot caught herself feeling a little down for a moment, but she quickly walked back that thought.

  Also, I wouldn’t expect any less of him... He went straight for our weakness.

  Thanks to Beastheart Possession level EX, Behemot received the immense bonus of 100% of Leviathan’s stats.

  However, that also meant that Leviathan wasn’t as strong as Behemot herself.

  If Leviathan fell before her Master did, Behemot’s stats would drop to normal levels.

  Did he separate us because he didn’t want us to have each other’s backs, or because he has an idea what our ult might be? Regardless, Behemot couldn’t join Leviathan’s and Shu’s battle yet. If the Altarian Masters were left to their own devices, they would go after Claudiah, like Tsukuyo had said they would.

  Still, if Leviathan fell, beating Shu would be far more difficult.

  To protect Claudiah, Behemot had to defeat all the Masters currently present before Shu defe
ated Leviathan, then go meet up with her Embryo.

  ...That’s troubling, but...

  “...fun.” Her ultimate target here was Shu, but she thought that the battle she currently faced might be kind of enjoyable, too.

  She particularly liked what Tsukuyo Fuso was doing. The High Priestess had lowered Behemot’s AGI to a sixth of its total value.

  This is really good. She’d initially intended to target Fuso last, and this debuff was just another reason to do it.

  After all, thanks to being slowed down, there were now Masters that could actually keep up with her even if she moved at full speed: Eishiro, Marie, and one other.

  Buffed by the Lunar Society members before they got the death penalty, the three could keep up with Behemot as long as Tsukuyo’s debuff was active.

  Though, it looks like the shadows from Tsukikage’s ult aren’t as fast as he is. I guess their speed doesn’t scale with his AGI. That’s some new info.

  Still, if he used them to surround her — like he was doing now — the shadows could at least support the others’ attacks.

  Behemot looked around. Nine were left. She subtracted the three tian officials.

  Among those left were Tsukuyo, Eishiro, Marie, and Barbaroy — four famed rankers and PKs.

  Besides them, there’s Rook Holmes, who beat Franklin’s favorite... and Shu’s little brother, Ray Starling... I know most of what they can do.

  Behemot now had a full grasp of who she was facing and quickly began to analyze the situation.

  There are three ways they can beat me. First, they could go for an instakill by targeting and destroying my vitals and leaving the injury-based debuff to finish me off. They probably already know my buffed total HP. I’m not wearing any status-hiding gear now, since showing it off makes for good intimidation. Anyway, if they know how high it is, I don’t think they’ll try to slowly chip away at it.

  That was a DPS check the Altarians would easily fail.

  Thus, they would probably target her neck, brain, or heart to destroy it and kill her via injury-based debuffs.

  If their second duelist, Kashimiya, was here, they would’ve gone for my neck. I’d probably have to use different gear. The people who’re actually here will probably aim to destroy some part of me using Ray’s counterattack or the piercing and powerful laser... Shining Despair. Besides that, Adler could use Arc-en-Ciel to shoot me in the vitals. She’s capable of using the Art of Vanishing to disappear and surprise me with a point-blank shot. I’ll have to keep an eye out for her. If she vanishes, I’ll prioritize moving around over attacking.

  Behemot recalled everything she knew about the Altarian Masters and thoroughly considered how she would handle this battle.

  Those are the only attacks I really have to watch out for. In terms of pure damage, there’s also Burn’s spam attack after using Emancipated Giant — Atlas, but knowing my defense, it wouldn’t do much. Same as always. The only crits I need to avoid are the kind that use fixed damage, energy or magic damage, and anything that ignores defense. I considered that The Lunar Society might use the fixed damage item spam tactic they used on Gloria, but that’s impossible now that I’ve thinned out their numbers.

  Behemot was deep in thought, considering her opponents’ pasts and achievements.

  The second thing to be wary of is the High Priestess using Faint Light to divide my HP and then casting her ultimate final skill to take me out in one hit. Looking at her current level and the HP I’d have after the division, she’d blow away about half of my entire body. If that took out a vital point, I’d die right then and there. Though I doubt she’d be quick to use a skill that costs all her levels. After all, unlike with Gloria, she wouldn’t gain much from beating me.

  She knew them and was wary of what they could do, but that was exactly why she thought this particular scenario was unlikely.

  Also, if she tried that, I’d just kill her first. That skill has a cast time, so there’ll surely be a chance for me to strike. Even if Tsukikage protected her in his shadows so she could chant there, her speed debuff would disappear. I would just kill Tsukikage, then kill Fuso when the shadows spat her out after. That would be the end of that. It would cost me my backup plan, but it’s a sacrifice I’m willing to make.

  She also thought of countermeasures for every scenario.

  Behemot already knew the powerful aces up their sleeves, as well as their weaknesses.

  The third thing to watch out for are debuffs. There’s Holmes’ Charm, Adler’s Arc-en-Ciel specced in debuffs, and Tsukikage’s fatal King of Assassins skill. Though, I’ve got MVP rewards that counter debuffs.

  The rings on her limbs were Sufferward Bands, Bourdrim.

  Its passive skill, Sufferward Prison, gave her resistance to poison-type, mental-type, curse-type, and limit-type debuffs, and the effect scaled with her END.

  With Beastheart Possession active, her END was so high that it was hard to imagine her resistance ever being overcome.

  ...Though, there’s the goblin that Ray can summon. The compressed debuff she used to beat the second Gigaknight in Quartierlatin might be able to break through my resistance. Same with Fuso. I never heard of her using compressed debuffs while Faint Light is active, but she might be able to do it. I’ll have to be really careful if she compresses the night.

  Despite being deep in thought, Behemot was alert. She wasn’t about to be overconfident.

  That’s all I need to watch out for. Those are the only things that truly defeat me here, so I better do my best to avoid them.

  “What is it?” Tsukuyo suddenly spoke up. “You’re just standing in place and giving us a mocking glare. Are you really that confident you’re going to win?”

  Mocking glare? Confident? I’m pretty sure the time we experience is pretty different, but I guess I was lost in thought long enough for them to notice. They totally misread me, though.

  Indeed. Behemot had merely analyzed the battle and identified any factors that could cause her defeat.

  Shu, who was fighting Leviathan; the Altarians here, ready to face Behemot; the rankers that could potentially come to their aid... She had memorized everything she could about all of them.

  During her stay in Gideon, she had properly investigated the Altarian rankers and what they were famous for.

  You gotta know the meta... You gotta know how to counter your enemy. She gathered all the info she could find and thought of ways to deal with any situation. She was thorough when it came to this, and there was a solid reason for it.

  I’m the King of Beasts, after all. I don’t mean to brag, but I’m the strongest player in the three western countries... and that makes me the Master whose abilities are better known than anybody else’s.

  Behemot knew that the information about her MVP rewards and skills was more or less common knowledge.

  The only exception was the accessory hanging over her neck.

  Compatibility was an important part of battle. Some would say compatibility didn’t matter if you were overpowered enough, but if the same could be said about your opponent, then that argument fell apart.

  If my opponent knows me, I also have to gather info about them. Behemot knew that if she didn’t do this, she would eventually be defeated.

  Thus, this was the obvious course of action to her.

  Despite being the strongest, she would fight weaklings with due care — and then some.

  The phrase “Lions give their all when hunting rabbits” might come to mind for some, but that misrepresented the scale. This was more akin to a dragon analyzing an ant before challenging it to an all-out battle.

  I don’t wanna get the death penalty and be separated from Infinite Dendrogram for a whole day. Claudiah’s clever, but reckless... and she’s my friend. I have to do everything I can to protect her and what’s important in my world.

  Behemot looked up at the sky to see jade and silver lights drawing arcs between the clouds.

  It seemed to her that Claudiah was having fun as
well.

  ...Yeah. If Claudiah’s enjoying herself, then I’ll go and have a good time, too.

  The unknown variables had been removed. She’d thoroughly considered all the ways she could lose.

  This was how she began a battle that she intended to win.

  Still, there were a few unknown factors.

  Behemot only had the information that she had gathered. If anyone here had grown since she’d learned about them, there could be some unknown element at play that could potentially cause her defeat.

  She knew and understood that well.

  That was why she would enjoy herself... but never let her guard down.

  She would enjoy this battle as a battle, this game as a game, and this world as a world while using their power to win against those standing in her way.

  I will use my power to open up, create, and protect my world — the world I like.

  She was King of Beasts, Behemot.

  She was one of the “Apices” — The Physical Apex.

  She was the imperium’s strongest and its ultimate guardian.

  And she was the first fang of the imperator.

  “Ganking time. Rawr.”

  With that declaration to her enemies, she launched into battle.

  ◆

  King of Beasts, Behemot was the embodiment of the Guardian-Jaguarman Theory, as well as its ultimate conclusion.

  Her stats surpassed Leviathan’s, she employed her battle skills with supreme refinement, and she wielded countless MVP rewards from the UBMs that she’d crushed beneath her.

  One thing was certain in this situation: Ray and his friends were about to face an enemy of unprecedented strength.

  Chapter Eleven: The Black Mirror

  Altar-Dryfe border, assembly hall

  The instant Behemot made her move, three Altarian Masters — Eishiro, Marie, and Rook — also flew into action.

  Just in terms of pure status, the strongest Altarian here was actually Rook.