A few years later,
"Grampa Jiro! Hurry up, we're moving to the city today!"
"I'm coming I'm coming, what's the rush, the city's not going anywhere."
A young boy with a head full of jet black hair, that looks like it's being perpetually swept by the wind, ran down the stairs.
"But I've been dreaming of this day for almost 5 years! And it'll be my 10th birthday soon! Which means I can enroll into the Battle Academy."
Grandpa Jiro shook his head, "You youngsters and your obsession with becoming famous and well known through battling *sigh* back in your father's day it was about becoming a knight, and before that people just got strong enough to survive."
Hearing Jiro mention his dad made Kaito a little sombre,
"Wait 1 minute Gramps, I'm going to say goodbye to Dad!"
Jiro nodded. He took out a pipe and stuffed some leaves inside to smoke when…
In the backyard,
A small stone, with etched inscriptions, read,
Kaito stood before the stone, Jiro had never kept his father's demise a secret, from him.
"Dad, are you doing well?"
…
"I'm almost 10 years old now can you believe it?"
…
"Grampa said you brought me over on the coldest winter this mountain had ever experienced, and that your life Fire was already smothered when you reached."
…
"You walked from the capital to his house carrying me in your arms."
…
Kaito cupped his fist and bowed before the tombstone, "I promise you I will fulfil the one regret you still have left,"
His face steeled as he didn't try to hold his tears back, "I will bring Mom's tombstone here!"
…
The scene was heartwrenching and beautifully poetic, and yet at that moment,
Before Kaito could react,
*BOOM*
An energy sphere exploded where he had been standing!
"Are you insane?" a female voice shouted, "He's just a kid!"
"The reports indicate that a legendary level cultivator was here and he killed over 40 Mastery level cultivators and 1 Awakened with a single attack!" a man with blue hair replied.
"This is a pre-emptive- watch out!" the man ducked, just as a claw swiped in where had been standing.
The man with blue hair jumped back, "See, there is someone here who has reached the legendary level!"
No verbal reply sounded out but a firm fist hit the man in blue square across the chin!
"Tian Yu!" a feminine voice belonging to a woman in her 20s with pink hair and an official-looking uniform.
"Sir! We are not here to battle, we just want to verify the claims that 10 years ago, over 40 Mastery level cultivators led by an Awakened mysteriously died at the hands of a rouge Legendary."
"Hmph," Jiro snorted, "I don't care! You tried to hurt my grandson now pay with your lives!"
Jiro roared, his body was still that of an old man's but his aura was unmistakable.
The pink-haired woman covered her ears, the roar was guttural and deafening, "Sir! We're sorry, but the report had no indication of whether the legendary was hostile or not, my brother acted rashly, but the attack had no-"
"Alright, gramps you wanna go let's go!" Tian Yu shot back at Mach speeds and charged straight at Jiro.
"Tian Yu don't-"
Dragon's Furious Strike
Tian Yu's hands morphed into a dragon's claw and he aimed it directly at Jiro's heart.
"Pathetic." Jiro merely sidestepped the attack and gripped Tian Yu's wrist with his right hand, "Let me show you how to really use the Dragon's Furious Strike."
Jiro's left hand transformed into a Dragon's claw, but it looked more defined and real than the one Tain Yu used.
With a simple swinging motion, Jiro strikes Tian Yu on the back, tearing through his enchanted uniform, and drawing a massive gash on his back!
!!!
"The League's enforcer uniforms are enchanted, they provide the defensive equivalent to the amount of Qi being poured in, there's no way for me to break through Tian Yu's defensive in one hit, let alone draw blood!? He must be above a mid-75 legendary! Maybe even…a peak legendary or worse a pseudo-mythical!"
Suddenly, the pink-haired girl shouted, "I apologise for my brother, Tian Yu's, rudeness! Your grandson is completely fine, that energy sphere was just a concussion blast it did no damage to him!
Jiro threw Tian Yu to the floor, "Hmph, kid, do you think I can't tell the difference between an attack with lethal intent and a concussion blast? This is just to punish you for having the audacity to attack my grandson!"
The pink-haired girl bowed and nodded profusely, "I'm so so sorry, Tian Yu had been jumpy ever since he lost against General Xin Yi."
"Mei!" Tian Yu exclaimed, from within the dirt hole he had been thrown into, his face drawing red in embarrassment, as he stumbled up from the floor.
"Shut up you! Can't you tell that this guy is not normal? He's gotta be at least above a mid-legendary, maybe even a peak or pseudo-mythical!"
Tian Yu said under his breath, "I didn't lose! I merely failed to win."
Mei Xin hurriedly filled in the missing info, "I'm sorry sir! He's sulky because she's supposed to be just a mortal and yet, went toe-to-toe against Tian Yu's full strength and didn't look even remotely challenged."
General Xin Yi was known as the strongest woman under heaven, her might was said to eclipse even some legendaries, despite posing pseudo-legendary cultivation
Legendary beings treated their status as a birthright, and anyone not born to a legendary bloodline, like dragons, phoenixes and griffins was never going to reach past level 69.
However, with everything, there are exceptions and General Xin Yi shows the most potential of surpassing mortality in the last few centuries.
She has also attained somewhat of a reputation…her title as the Frugal General is…well known to say the least.
When asked why she chose that title she merely responded, "Frugality is the way of my life! I have few worries in my life, and the 3 things I'm lacking most in life are alcohol, manners and" her face turned serious, "Enemies!"
Especially the enemies and manners part, she is known to eviscerate the **** of many guys who lose to her.
Jiro raised his eyebrows as he drew a cursory glance at Tian Yu's groin, Tian Yu felt Jiro's gaze.
"It's not like that!" he covered his nether regions, "We merely exchanged a couple of blows and a winner couldn't be declared so we ended it there."
"Anyway don't change the subject!" Tian Yu quickly snapped back to their reason for visiting Jiro, "You have violated Article 1 of the Legendary pact, no interfering with mortals!"
Jiro didn't pay any heed to Tian Yu's lecture on the consequences of his action, he held up his hand and just uttered:
"Silence." a wave of fire condensed into a hand and slammed down on Tian Yu, bringing him straight to the floor!
"Arrrr!" Tian Yu struggled against the Flaming Palm strike and used all his might to lift himself, but the Palm kept applying more and more pressure as he resisted.
"Sir," Mei Xin jumped back and gripped the rapier around her waist in a warning fashion, "We've already explained the situation and if you refuse to cooperate we will have no choice even if we have to give our lives we won't stand down!"
Just then,
"Stand down!" a voice shouted from across space, and a projection of a celestial figure took shape.
His cloak was covered from head to toe in stars, galaxies and swirling novas, and he had a pale white beard reaching down to his stomach.
"Hmph," Jiro waved his hand and the flaming palm vanished, but Tian Yu didn't jump to his feet, instead he planted his face on the ground, as did Mei Xin,
"We greet the Cosmic Emperor, Lord Kong Zhu!"
Kong Zhu waved his hand and indicated to the brother and sister to be at ease, but they remained planted on the floor.
"Old friend, let's not trouble the kids, invite me in."
Jiro turned and shrugged, he picked up the unconscious Kaito and pated Ryuji's tombstone,
"Do as you please o mighty one."
Kong Zhu sighed, "Don't be like that…"
The 2 figures headed into his Jiro's cabin, whilst Tian Yu and Mei Xin waited outside.
"What do you think they're discussing in there?"
"Shh!" Mei Xin rebuked, "The Cosmic Emperor is one of the highest in our echelon, and he is being respectful in front of this senior! Do you know how much trouble we could be in!!!"
Tian Yu swallowed deeply and zipped it.
~
Inside Jiro's house,
"Old friend, I know you aren't pleased about the non-interference policy, but you must abide by it." Kong Zhu seemed to know every nook and cranny of Jiro's house as he went straight for the cabinet that contained the best tea Jiro owned.
With a wave of his hand, hot water poured out from a portal, and the tea was instantly boiled to the perfect temperature.
"I've been pushing the paperwork for this case down the pipeline for the past 10 years, but those two are so eager to prove themselves that they've been taking on as many unsolved cases as they could."
Jiro tsked, "I knew you had to have been behind the coverup, I wondered why no enforcer came for years, but I simply assumed you swept in under the rug."
"I did."
"Yeah not cleanly!"
"Point taken." Kong Zhu sipped his tea, "So here's the deal. For breaking the treaty between legendaries to stay out of mortal affairs-"
Jiro waved his hand dismissively, "Cut to the chase I need to enrol my grandson into the battle academy, what level of mission do I have to do for the League."
Kong Zhu took another sip of tea, "S"
"Ok S isn't so bad."
"S…S…"
"SS!? That can take anywhere over 5 years!"
"...+"
Jiro's calm face flushed red in anger, "Fu-"
Jiro cut himself, afraid his grandson might overhear, and be influenced by him.
~
In a laboratory somewhere in the world,
Giant vats filled with lifeforms, of various stages, can be seen, gestating, all linking to a singular fossilized skeletal remain.
"The limits of one's path are already determined from birth, from today till the end, none will be born greater than I!"
The being in the centre's eyes snapped open and with a furious roar, shattered everything in sight!
The researchers on duty were caught off guard!
They tried to fight back,
Tried.
"Shit! What the hell?? This wasn't supposed to happen?"
"Screw that hit him with everything you got!"
Ice Blast
Frost Lance
Flaming Strike
The resulting mix of Ice and Fire, erruptedupon contact, causing a billow of smoke to block everything in sight….everything except those glowing blue eyes.
"I am," the being reached out its hand, making a gripping motion,
"Arghhhhh!" the researchers screamed in pain,
"I am the coming, I am, the storm, I am..."
And with a clench, the screams turned silent, and the walls turned red, Raiden was bathed in the blood of his foes, and his head sharply turned to look at you!
~
"ARGH!" a young boy, aged 10, jumped from the covers of his bed, the dream he had just witnessed felt real, disturbingly real!
"Are you okay?" an elderly voice came into the room.
"Where…are we?" Kaito was still reeling from his dream, as he familiarized himself with the surroundings.
"We're in an inn in the capital." Jiro calmly responded, "You passed as soon as it was time to go, and so I carried you here."
"Yea…I guess I remember passing out after saying goodbye to Dad…" there were blank spots in his memory, but it didn't seem implausible.
"Kaito, the bus is coming in 30 minutes. You're going to miss breakfast if you don't get a move on!"
"Ah!" Kaito tumbled out of bed clumsily, still groggy from his sleep, "Coming!"
10 minutes later ~
"About time," Jiro was sitting at a simple wooden table, with a plain table cover.
"Gramps, why don't I ever see you cultivate?" Kaito had often asked this question before, often playfully, but Jiro could sense for once that something was plaguing his grandson's mind.
So he gave a thoughtful response for once, "Because there would be no point my boy…I have long reached the limits of what cultivation can achieve, I won't grow any stronger from cultivating."
"I see…" Kaito stared contemplatively at his eggs on toast, not making a move.
"Well, this is unusual?" Jiro thought to himself, "It's not like Kaito to be this quiet, heck it's not like him to just stare at food either!"
Suddenly, Kaito asked Jiro, "Grampa, do you believe that the limits of one's path are already determined at birth?"
Jiro scratched his frosty white beard,
"Hmm? I've never known Kaito to be thinking about that school of thought, I've never even heard him utter such sentiments. Could it be a coincidence? Maybe he's just nervous about school." Jiro thought to himself.
Kaito seemed less spunky and more dejected than his usual cheerful demeanour.
"Kaito." Jiro reached his hand and cupped the boy's face, squishing the baby fat still left over despite his rigorous training, "Everyone has limitations…"
"I see." Kaito's face became dejected, "So, I will never be the strongest?"
Jiro looked deeply and affectionately into his grandson's eyes, "Kaito my dear sweet boy, you are looking at it completely wrong!"
!!!
"Everyone indeed has limitations, but no one knows where they lie until they give up the will to fight, it is only then do limits become known."
The fire beating in Kaito began to burn just a little brighter, those words ringing in his ears.
From outside the house, a deep honk signalled the arrival of the school bus,
"Go, pave the road to your future Kaito, and never be held back by the present, always hold your head high, I'll see you at the end of the year."
Kaito, pulled his grandpa in for a hug, letting out small tears, "I won't forget your lessons, Grandpa!"
Their hug was brief in time, yet it felt like an eternity, and the reluctance to let go was felt on both sides.
"It's time to go on your own adventure Kaito, grandpa has business to attend to as well." Finally, Jiro was the one who pulled away from the hug, the feeling of separation almost made him cry.
Almost.
"I have to be strong for him, he has so much potential in him, I want him to soar across the skies, but I also want to protect him from danger…his destiny is too grand."
Kaito wiped away the tears that flowed down his face and put on a cheery smile, "Bye grandpa take care!"
And with a final wave, Kaito ran out the door and onto the school bus, turning back one last time to see Jiro standing at the door waving him goodbye, his eyes watery.
Kaito waved one last time as the bus pulled away to his next adventure,
Battle Academy!