Valeria cared less for the Villainous monologues of Darian; rather she was busy analyzing the information which she had received from Darian's villainous monologue.
'That shimmering mist….growing stronger with every battle.....battle with Han the Hacker...…I get it now. '
The thought formed in her head and stuck there, not swayed and not shaken by any form of doubt...
'Darian is an influence, and one whose power is still growing at that.'
Above authorities were the Beings called Powers. Unlike Authorities who only just mark out an area or thing on which their will alone could command and remain absolute by sheer force of will, Powers were one step ahead. By the force of their scathing will, they had taking control of what was called a concept. It was by this concept that they made the absoluteness and scathing force of their will noticeable to even a glancing observer. Ironically, the difference between Authorities and powers ironically could be understood when they were compared to dogs. Authorities were like dogs whose ferociousness and sheer power had enough potency to scare strangers away, making them to put down the thought of straying into their domain. But these Dogs had no natural weapons; no claws and no teeth, only their ferocious nature and muscle. If anyone who was not scared of their barks strays into their territory, they could only hope to wrestle that person out with everything that they had. Powers, in contrast were like giving those dogs teeth with which they could use to express their intent, biting anyone who dared to trespass their domain to death if they willed so.
Influences were one step ahead of them all. Apart from having an extra- ordinary will with which they marked out a territory for themselves, Influences had another attribute ; the tendency to expand, to continue claiming more territories for themselves with their <
Above influences were Mega Influences but even Valeria herself had no idea on how their power worked.
...when she accepted that statement as a fact, a plausible theory formed gradually in her mind.
She had many observations that supported her theory. First were the facts that Darian exposed from his villainous monologue.
'Him being able to defeat all his family members, even though he barely did so, was a clear proof of his status as a Being. His Process must have been in his very battle with Han the Hacker...'
"One hundred and ten seconds left." Darian called out.
She looked at Darian, then at the army behind him....
'His << Influence>> ability is not limited to making him invulnerable alone. Those soldiers do not look like men who could defeat the caliber of armies they are said to have defeated.'
"One hundred seconds left."
'... each victory makes him stronger? Wait! The news of the outcome of battles is not something that can stay hidden.'
"Ninety seconds left!"
She looked at Darian again, then at the army behind him. The sounds of murmurs, shuffling feet and discontent given expression filled the air behind her as the morale of the Army behind her which she represented reached an all-time low. Behind Darian, the opposing army was itching for battle. The golden glow shimmered almost imperceptibly, not just around Darian this time, but on all his hosts.
'….and that golden glow seems to work with the level of morale of both armies. Since the part of his ability that makes him stronger is always on him, then that golden glow should be a manifestation of another part of his ability that should probably empower him and his army over the enemy's army relative to the level and direction of battlefield morale.'
"Eighty seconds left" Darian called out once moue from across the battlefield.
'So , he must have proven or established himself as a Being on that 'Day of proving'. His many duels must have given him the image of a person lusting after conflict in the 'eyes' of reality. His battle with Han the Hacker is most likely to be his Process. Reality must have interpreted is desire to survive
just to fight more as the direction he wants his << Influence >> ability to take. Then it must have interpreted his most probably subconscious, scathing hate for the way he was being toyed at by Han the Hacker and how easily His opponent's weapon found purchase on his flesh as him willing his body ,no, his person to be a no go zone for piecing, slashing or hacking weapons. Then it must have interpreted his hatred for being weak as him wanting absolute, tyrannical strength. And since the process or reality itself would not grant strength, or anything for that matter without justification, then it must have taken the audience watching into account as part of the process and granted him a third ability that scaled his prowess with how many people heard of the truth of his might, at least on a surface level, how many people fell to the dread of his prowess, how far his fame spread and especially how much his opponents dreaded him. And since an army was seen as the extension or the weapon of the person in command, then any army he commands would benefit from these boons. That should explain why despite not looking like it, these soldiers could accomplish what they did. Wait! Dreaded his might....'
" Darian is not subjugating territories with war. No, he is subjugating territories with the dread of his power. His <
" Ten seconds left."
A smirk found it's way to her face. Valeria had found her answer to the question of how to defeat Darian.