The startled silence lasted only a few seconds before Fate broke it.
"Jesus, everyone on this planet is such a drama queen. Just sign the fucking contract so we can all move on with our lives, yeah?"
The confident smirk from before resurfaced on Lord Bosina's face. "And who exactly are you to tell me to sign away my people, worm? Do you think your title of 'Destroyer' holds sway here? I can crush you like a bug."
"I hear that all the time, Bosina. So, either all of you self-centered bastards are liars, or you just overestimate yourselves. After dozens of you assholes said the same thing to me, here I am, still standing. Wanna give me another notch in my belt?"
The two stared each other down, the tension in the air palpable. The room seemed to grow a few degrees hotter, stifling those within even more. Lord Bosina slowly stood, eyes never leaving Fate. He gestured to the tent flap, and the two strode outside, both as relaxed as if it were a stroll in the park.
The other attendees rushed out, Queen Dinan sending silent prayers to the Ancestor that Fate wouldn't do something rasher than get into an argument with the most powerful man on the planet.
They rushed out of the tent, finding Lord Bosina and Fate standing twenty paces from each other, continuing their indifferent staring contest.
"If one of your representatives bests me in battle, 'Queen' Dinan, perhaps I'll take this contract seriously. But if the best your sorry country has to offer is your arrogant little 'Savior,' then I see no reason to force my people to toil under yours after the millennia of suffering you've thrust upon us."
Queen Dinan schooled her expression, hiding her fear and anxiety underneath a mask of regal superiority. "The terms of the contract are more than open to negotiations, Lord Bosina. The draft your servant read was merely an idea. But if you insist on proving to the world that your people are nothing but bloodthirsty, heartless monsters, then be my guest."
"We are what you made us, Dinan," Lord Bosina uttered sinisterly. "But that isn't the point of this. The point is, even in this meeting you've called us like loyal dogs to discuss 'peace' with us, and you continue to insinuate that we are beneath you. That we are not worthy or capable of ruling ourselves.
"This isn't just a matter of pride, Queen. It's a matter of principle. So, I'm going to kill your Savior," he said, pointing at Fate, his face blank, "then I'm going to kill every one of your precious Embodiments until only us Emotionals are left. Your people will experience the same hatred, fear, and anger we have had for centuries. Unless… your Savior proves that Venlanz can back up its words with power."
Fate unsheathed his sword with a steady hand, gripping the blue hilt and jiggling the scabbard a little so he could pull the weapon out all the way. A gorgeous black blade was revealed, one that seemed to somehow both sparkle with light and swallow it, depending on the angle one looked at it.
'It really is better to just toss it,' he thought. With the blade out, he held it in front of him with both hands, crouching slightly with one foot in front of the other in a straight line.
Lord Bosina chuckled condescendingly. "You actually think you have a chance. How adorable. Fine, then. If a pup barely in his fifties wants to fight one who has been around for thousands of years such as I, who am I to deny his foolishness? But before we begin, I'll show you what you got yourself into. Hedra had just Leveled into an Incarnation, whereas I…"
Lord Bosina stopped holding back. Fate was mistaken before; Lord Bosina WAS restraining his aura in the tent. The strength that cascaded out from the man now like a waterfall was enough to knock two-thirds of the witnesses present unconscious, their limp bodies dropping to the ground with foam at their mouths.
Queen Dinan, a mere Exemplar, was doing remarkably well, however. She fell to her knees, but her eyes blazed with determination even as she fought to keep them open. She would see this through to the end.
Meanwhile, Lord Bosina's aura continued to surge, rising in strength rapidly until even Fate's instincts warned him not to underestimate this man. After what felt like minutes, but was in reality only a few seconds, Lord Bosina's aura stopped, displaying the prowess of an Incarnation only a few steps from becoming Realized.
"Did you think I've been stagnant while my people have warred with yours?" Lord Bosina boasted, his smirk turning to a frown of rage. "Hedra was unused to controlling the power of an Incarnation, being the new one that she was. I, on the other hand, have dedicated every waking moment of the past ten thousand years to my Manifestation. Unfortunately, I couldn't reach that final step before arriving here, or else I would never entertain the ridiculous notion of peace."
He spread his arms, his rage-filled gaze boring into Fate, who was currently struggling to keep his face blank. "Come then. I'll let you take the first swing. Make it count." He gestured with his hands toward his exposed chest. To the side of the dispute, Queen Dinan thumped to the ground, her will finally losing out to Lord Bosina's aura.
Fate wasn't one to look a gift horse in the mouth. He strode forward, stopping a foot away from Bosina. He looked the man dead in the eye and swung his Miao Dao straight for the crimson-clad man's neck.
His blade stopped a fraction of an inch away from his opponent's skin, every hair on his body standing on end. A bead of sweat dripped down his brow, his pupils dilating as they stared into the cold abyss of Lord Bosina's own.
"Really?" Bosina asked, raising an eyebrow. A hint of mirth passed through his gaze before being swallowed once more by apathy. "I'm not going to give you the same chance twice."
"…" Fate fought against his own body, struggling to move his sword as he was engulfed in an all-encompassing, overwhelming fear.
"No? Alright. My turn, then." Bosina knocked Fate's Manifestation-coated sword to the side with the chainmail on the back of his hand, using the other to grab Fate's throat and lift him up.