Rewinding ten minutes before they arrival of Peter and Ira to the ballroom. At the entrance of the Sage's Valley.
*
Stationed at the valley's entrance was a group of five guards. They were all dressed uniformly in the standard armor of a Sage's Valley guard. This armor was silver in color and resembled the traditional tang era armor worn by soldiers. One of these guards was named Ryan and he was currently regretting his choices.
Ryan was not having a good day, being a guard within Sage's Valley for the last five years. Ryan had yet to be involved in any major altercation. In fact, this was the reason he chose the job in the first place. After all the Sage's Valley hadn't received one attack within his lifetime.
Because of the valley's status, it was a generally accepted fact that no one would dare cause trouble for the sect inside of their territory. However today was different.
The day had started relatively uneventful, all the delegates that had arrived entered through the gate in an orderly fashion while complying with all the security checks that they were subject to.
Unfortunately for Ryan's peace of mind, that all changed when the delegates from the Blackiron kingdom arrived. Not only were they arrogant and unruly, but they even had altercations with two other delegations. Even going as far as having a straight brawl between the two groups.
A brawl which resulted in their removal from the valley's domain as well as the near death of a prince. To make matters worse Ryan was harshly reprimanded by his superiors for allowing the fight to escalate.
Ryan could only lament his fate. "It's not like they listened to me when I tried to stop them anyway."
It had been a couple hours since the fight transpired, but its fallout was still clear to see. The valley's entrance was a mess, the dutifully maintained flower beds were left as dried husks (due to Charles). And the trees that lined the pathway were folded over (also due to Charles).
"If I can't get that guy to pay for all the damages, I'll change my name to Loser" grumbled Ryan.
Suddenly an enormous pressure from the sky weighted down on Ryan's shoulders as well as the other guards in duty with him. This pressure threatened to force them to their knees.
Ryan and the other guards struggled with all their might. After all being forced to their knees by an outsider at their sect's doorstep was a major dishonor regardless of their affiliation.
Fighting as hard as he could, Ryan was finally able to lift his head and gain a view of who it was that was once again causing a scene on the valley's doorstep. What he saw left him terrified.
Standing in the air right above the valley's entrance was an imposing man decked out in royal garb that was reminiscent of 15th century western royal clothing.
He had medium length crimson hair with matching eyes, and a golden crown upon his head.
The expression on his face gave one a feeling of detachment. As if nothing in this world was worthy of his notice.
When looking at the man in the sky and comparing him with the description given to him by his superiors, Ryan was certain that this man was Ira Tyrannus.
"I'm screwed" muttered Ryan to himself as he fell to his knees.
*
When one gains the ability to fly, they tend to stop walking. Like many of the cultivators with the ability of flight, Ira Tyrannus fell right in line with this statement.
Ira enjoyed the feeling of being high above others. "It allowed him to see people as the ants they truly were." he would say.
Looking down at the kneeling guards Ira couldn't help but feel disdain for them.
"Ants are still ants regardless of their position" stated Ira, his ice-cold voice sending shivers down the spine of those who heard it.
"Whoosh!"
The air was filled with the sound of a person flying at high speed.
The person who appeared was a mature woman around 30 years of age. She had long blond hair held behind her back in a single braid. Her features were stern and one could tell that she valued order and discipline.
She was wearing a modified version of the guard's armor, instead of it being silver hers was in gold.
This woman was named Elizabeth Clypeus and she was the elder in charge of the valley's security (in the Acies continent there was no real gender bias because cultivation removed any gender-based strength disparity).
Right now, Elizabeth was feeling a sense of crisis. "How do I stop an ascendant if they want to cause trouble? This is going to be tough." she muttered under her breath.
When he saw that the newcomer was an elder of the valley, Ira let out a laugh.
"Ha, it seems a slightly bigger ant has come out to play"
"Lord Ira, it's my honor to welcome you to the Sage's Valley. Are you here to join the young misses Heaven's day celebration?" queried Elizabeth in a polite tone.
"Why else would I be here if not for that" grunted Ira as he proceeded to step past the sect's threshold.
Before he could continue on his way he was stopped by Elizabeth.
"I'm sorry sir but all who enter must be subject to a security check" said Elizabeth.
"You want to search my body?" questioned Ira.
"It's sect protocol sir" replied Elizabeth.
"What happens if I refuse" stated Ira.
"If you refuse the search then you won't be allowed to enter the sect" said Elizabeth in a matter of fact tone.
"You dare stop me!" shouted Ira with malice evident in his voice. As his aura started to seep out enacting a crushing pressure upon his surroundings.
At this point Elizabeth's back was soaked in cold sweat, but she refused to back down from her responsibilities.
"Lord Ira please pay attention to where you are this isn't your empire" said Elizabeth who was trying her hardest to keep her voice level.
Hearing this Ira's rage became even more violent, it seemed that he could unleash it at any time upon the unfortunate souls who were nearby. However, before he exploded, he was stopped by another new arrival.
"She's right you know; you shouldn't be making a scene in another's home. I thought you were better than that Ira"
This voice belonged to a giant of a man standing at ten feet tall and covered in muscle. He made everyone else look like children.
He was dressed in the simple worn out garments of a travel worn commoner, but that did nothing to mask his majestic aura. If Ira's disposition could be likened to that of a mad tyrant. then this man would be more reminiscent of a heroic king.
This man was Peter Invicta the Titan of The North.
When he saw Peter, Ira's expression for the first time changed from constant arrogance to a seriousness.
"Hmph, I should have known that you would show up here. You finally crawled out of your cave it seems" grunted Ira.
"Of course, I would show up, it's the least I could do" laughed Peter.
While this conversation seemed casual the tension was thick enough to be cut with a knife. This was a standoff between an unstoppable Force and an immovable Object.
Within the entirety of the known world only two other people had the right to intervene.