"The challenge stands."
A titan of a man stepped forward with his arms crossed and a massive club slung to his back.
"Oh?" My eyes narrowed.
Scarlet qi rose in waves violently clashing with that mans own qi.
A fight erupted in mid-air as the push and pull of ours powers caused the sand along the ground to rise in a pitched storm.
"All of you stay back. I will fight alone." He raised a hand, grabbing the giant tree-like club on his back.
It's smaller than the branch from the Mother's Blessing that the fairies from the gulf used.
The strength is far stronger, the power more concentrated.
I made my move.
Sabers danced, blazing a path through the pitched storm with scarlet qi roaring violently through the powerful winds.
Similarily, a massive shadow twirled beyond the haze of the storm and in an instant, my entire body was awry with a horrifying sensation.
Dropping to the ground it felt like a powerful storm had just passed by overhead and Dratan's voice rang in my ear angrily, "That old fucking snake! He really gave his power to a human?!"
What?!
He has a special beast qi as well...?
Woah there!
I rolled away and the massive log landed square where I was laying turning it into a three inch pit.
I slapped the ground shooting away.
The storm had all but scattered revealing what was within.
I stood opposite this titan who bore some form of beast qi like mine and boasted of great speed.
He was all but unharmed, a scratched on the back of his hand from when I rolled away and counter-attacked with my sabers, unfortunately, I couldn't cut off his hand as I had intended to.
I need more practice, also, the nice clothing Shion gave me is now all dusty.
Christ.
"You are strong," The titan said with an excited grin, his breathing rapidly increasing, "I like strong people."
Ahhh... why does everyone I meet have to be so damned weird!
Can there not be one normal fighter?! Anywhere?!
Ah...
"Responsibility will make the weak strong beyond compare, snake." Dratan appeared from the soul heart looking viciouly towards the log of a club in the titan's hand, "Not that you would know anything of it."
"Is that a grumpy dog speaking? The same grumpy little dog that got taken out by some spears? Ha! Responsibility it says, when its whole pack was wiped out in front of it, really responsible, terribly strong, right?" Suddenly, around the tree-like club a... snake? No, that's not a snake?
A Wyrm?
Is that a fucking Wyrm?
Are you kidding me right now?
How the hell is that a fucking snake?!
"Damned snake bastard. You were also brought to the brink of death that year under my claw! How does the new look of you'r den feel, by the way? I never got the chance to finish redecorating after all." Dratan strode forward in his small form, gradually increasing in size.
The Wyrm did the same, at first the size of a small tree snake, it had grown to two meters in height.
The two were an inch away from each other, starring hard at one another.
The Wyrm cursed, "You dirty dog, how did you survive to become a spirit?"
"Shit luck," Dratan looked over its shoulder at the titan, "You?"
"Rotten luck," It replied exhaustedly, "It's been tough, let me help you."
Dratan bared his teeth, "No no, I'll help you since your so tired."
Immediately, a storm of scarlet qi and dragon qi soared through the area rising like two terrifying spires of energy.
One was fast and strong, explosive to the core like a shadow with a gleaming knife whilst the other was powerful and domineering exactly like a dragon overlooking the world, proud and arrogant.
The titan looked at the two interestedly and brought up his club raising it at me, "Let's fight."
"Agreed." I raised my sabers.
He made the first move swinging the giant trunk in a horizontal strike.
Winds struck up and the world seemed to focus in on the single point at the end of my sabers.
They danced through the air, a cross-slash met the terrifying club.
A horrific sound like metal scraping against metal rang out forcing those weaker peoples to back away as their ears and eyes had begun to bleed.
In the center point, it was a maelstrom of qi flying in every direction.
A long trail was burned into the ground as I skidded away from where I'd been standing.
The titan stumbled back from the recoil of the strike, he'd not been expecting to be matched in a contest of strength.
The mantel around my shoulders fell away and my sabers were set ablaze as I made my move.
The titan raised his club.
---
"Woah..." Along the walls, Shion stood beside the two girls, Alumira and Serli who were watching the two battles occurring below with rapt attention.
Between Dratan and the Wyrm as well as Agashi and the Titan.
"Knowing how to differentiate between benefit and stupidity, knowing how to give ground yet never backing down. It's important to learn this, and that is that sometimes giving ground isn't backing down, it's laying the foundation for a stronger attack." Shion said seriously atop the walls with Alumira and Serli on either side of her.
"Strong!" Anept was having a small stroke as he watched the fight, his little knight's heart jumping out of his chest at every clash, imagining himself to be on those front lines fighting like that too.
Those around him, his 'Knight Corps', were also entrapped by the battle, closely paying attention their eyes shaking with excitement.
Hardvar spoke, "He's come a long way. In right around a year, he's come from a Low-level Neophyte with little strength and only the ability to back himself up, to a Half-Step Adept with sufficient strength to go against real Adepts. Even the Yijiki Clan's scions would be hard-pressed to re-create such a result."
"I'm proud but also feel a little useless," Alias said lightly, "It's difficult knowing we're being left behind."
"We aren't," Nefamiti replied with a shrug, "We're simply advancing in different directions. Become the best you can be as you are, you and I, him and us, none of us will tread the same path, our only connection being the ground we walk on and the bonds we hold."
"I guess so.." Alias quietly watched the ensuing battle, his grip tightening around the dagger stowed away in his sleeve, but he knew not to interfere.
Countless eyes were watching the battle, both soldiers are civilians had climbed the walls to watch the fight, many of which were cheering for Agashi's victory.
Their faith in him was air tight.
"Champion! Champion! Champion! Cha..."
"Scarlet Demon! Scarlet Demon! Scarlet Demon!"
"Savior! Savior! Savior!"
Chants came from all camps of the city.
Despite their differences, they all rallied behind his back.
Refugee's, Durlivan's original inhabitants, the ex-marked, former bandits everyone who lived in Durlivan had come from a hard past.
And all of them pinned their hopes on his shoulders.
And he always delivered.
////
Ah... their chanting... I can hear it.
His breathing was rough, shallow even. The fighting had drawn on and on, his own power lay in his explosive strength and ability to overwhelm quickly, drawn out battles of endurance were not his strong point.
Damn.
The titan stood across from him, his eyes bloodshot and breathing hard, clearly, he was going berserk.
He wants to win badly and it's making him angry, creating openings that I don't have the strength to wait for.
I need to end this quickly.
My sabers rose, scarlet qi flaring like a flickering light in the dark.
The fighting beside us had stopped as Dratan and the Wyrm both turned to watch the end of our long fight with expectant eyes.
Ahhh... the cheering...
I can't lose here.
Impossible.
It's not just our side cheering, but theirs is too.
Yelling for the victory of their champion, the other chiefs are standing proud with their shoulders back and arms crossed, serious looks in their eyes.
I met the titan's eyes.
...is that so?
Neither of us is willing to lose, not even a little.
I smiled coldly and received a beastly smile in return.
This will be the final exchange.