The excited smile is wiped off my stupid face once the three of them release their spiritual pressure, each one of them strong enough to make me piss my pants. Especially Dra’xx’s. When you get as strong as these guys, you must learn to unconsciously contain your spiritual pressure within your body. If you don’t, then everybody in the vicinity who isn’t a cultivator will either run, freeze up, or end up like me, shaking in fear while holding my short sword in both hands by the hilt. Despite my heavy steel armour, Reinforced with the highest quality energy in the Empire, I still doubt my capability to take a single hit from anyone here. Luckily for me, they won’t use energy in this bout, just their raw strength. But considering they’ve cultivated their bodies since they were children, their raw strength is still enough to punch a hole through me, armour and all. However, I still have a chance to win. Well, my definition of ‘winning’ is landing a hit or two so my standards may be a bit skewed.

Dra’xx’s eyes washs over each of us, his spiritual pressure managing to push Aia’s and Bia’xx’s own pressure back. It’s so suffocating that I can’t breathe. Waves of heat emanate from him, his Flame Energy so scorching that it shows even when he’s holding back his Aura. I’m being pushed back. I try and fight it off with my own feeble spirit, but it’s simply not enough.

“Not bad, you two, yers a’ve gotten stronger” Dra’xx praises them with a proud smile. We make eye contact and I somehow manage not to break it, the feeling of suffocation growing stronger with each second. “Yer doin’ well boy, very well. Much better than a’ thought you’d do. Can yer fight like this, yer reckon?”

Using every muscle in my mouth and throat to its fullest, I squeak out my answer.

“Course… I… can… old… man.”

“Alright then,” Dra’xx shifts his double-sided axes around in his hands and Cla’xx takes a couple steps back. “Begin! Come at me!”

Aia and Bia’xx dash towards his flanks in a blur, swinging their unsheathed weapons with unrivalled speed. Bia’xx’s ruthless strike and Aia’s swift stab are blocked by Dra’xx’s axes as if they had struck a brick wall. There’s no beating him in raw power. Seeing the opportunity, I rush in, putting as much strength in my legs as possible to resist his spiritual pressure. Swiping my sword through the thick invisible energy in the air, I try to aim for Dra’xx’s neck. Of course, my sword didn’t even come close before he sweeps his leg and trips me up, then kicks me in the chest with his steel boots, sending me flying back. A loud clash of steel grates at my ears as Aia lands on the ground next to me with a grunt. I sit up and see Bia’xx doing better than us two, consistently blocking Dra’xx’s hefty blows. But she’s still on the defensive, unable to strike back.

“Aia, let me borrow this for a second.”

I grab one of her short swords as Aia nods her head, confused. Standing up, I flip Aia’s blade so that I’m holding the sharp metal edge and throw it at Dra’xx’s chest with near-perfect accuracy. He dashes backwards in surprise as I run at him, throwing my other weapon at his face. Bia’xx comes at him with a heavy downwards strike, but he shields himself from both attacks using the flat side of his axes. Ducking before he could have gave me a concussion, I swing my fist over my head, praying to the heavens it actually lands somewhere on his body that isn’t covered with hard iron. I eventually find myself wishing the punch landed on the steel plates as it contacts something hard enough to send a resounding crack through my entire hand. Looking up for but a split-second, I notice my fist isn’t touching Dra’xx at all. Instead, it’s pressed against an invisible force around his body. What the fuck? He said no energy allowed!

“Damn cheat—”

Dra’xx’s shin slamming into my belly sends me tumbling back before I can finish my sentence, air and spit rushing out of my mouth in a pained groan.

“That was my Base Aura, boy. Couldn’t turn it off even if I wanted t'. If yer can’t break through it, that’s on you.”

Dra’xx fends off another flurry of blows from Bia’xx, each parry and strike enough to send small shockwaves through the ground and air. Even wielding only one axe he can keep up with her almost effortlessly. She steps forward with a heavy sweeping blow with her entire body behind it, but even that is pushed aside by Dra'xx's iron hilt. Bia'xx is knocked off balance and is sent flying backwards with a heavy punch to the gut.

“Well fuck, sorry Aia, that didn’t really work.”

I didn’t have a plan, but I at least landed a punch. Debatably. But I ended up losing both my weapon and Aia’s in the process, and probably broke my hand. Not worth it.

“It’s fine. I’ve still—”

One of Dra’xx’s axes whistles through the air and crashes into the seemingly fragile stone ground mere inches away from Aia. Looks like Dra’xx took a note from my book of stupidity, throwing his weapons around like an idiot. But at least he has two of them unlike that other idiot. Bia’xx seems to have been winded as she only now gets up, albeit slowly and shakily.

“Tch. Missed. Get off yer arses n’ fight! Or are yers done with the warmup?”

He was trying to hit her! What a psycho. However, the fact that he missed is testament to his one weakness. He’s old as fuck and far from his prime. Which means we’ll be able to use that to our advantage. Well, they’ll be able to, I can’t do shit here. I give up.

“Nope, I still haven’t beat you yet!” Aia stands up with her singular blade ready to strike at any moment. It seems like she was still holding back until now because her spiritual pressure spikes to the point where it almost matches Dra’xx’s, the combined heat of the two making my hair stick to my forehead with sweat. I’m just going to stay out of this one, thanks. Even if I wanted to continue fighting, I doubt I could supress the primal urge to run if I tried to stand up. In the face of powerful cultivators, I’m akin to an ant. I have no place in even a warmup round between them.

“Funny.” Dra’xx doesn’t take her seriously and neither do I. As powerful as she is, I can’t see her beating Dra’xx in a spar, though it’s not like I can tell either way. My spiritual senses are as dull as a rusty old knife.

The two of them clash faster than I can see, each movement nothing but a blur accompanied with a formidable shockwave. It only gets more incomprehensible as Bia’xx re-enters the fight with renewed gusto. The three of them dash around the courtyard all the while avoiding me as to not turn me into meat paste. I’m just a nuisance here so I pry my gaze away from the fight and meet eyes with Cla’xx, nodding my head to signal I want out. Seeing I’m a pussy and can’t move, Cla’xx casually strolls towards me and drags me by the arm to where he was standing at the edge of the courtyard. My arse hurts. You could’ve picked me up or something....

The spar, if I can even call it a spar at this point, ends as Aia and Bia’xx are knocked to the ground, bruised, and gasping for breath. Dra’xx stands triumphant, without injury or fatigue, and it comes to mind that despite his slight beer-belly, he’s physically superior to most of the Empire’s best warriors. And he was probably holding back. If he, no, if anyone here wanted to, they could destroy this entire city with a single blow, but there are still clear disparities in their strength with Dra’xx at the pinnacle. Considering he’s a part of my own personal Imperial Guard, I should feel all the safer with him around, but it has the opposite effect. The Imperial Guard lost my trust long ago. How am I supposed to guarantee my safety while surrounded powerhouses whose loyalty can change with a single order from the Emperor? I simply can’t, not with my feeble strength and this stupid seal.

I snap out of my daze at a jarring crack in the air. Only me and Cla’xx remain in the now empty courtyard.

“The fuck? Where’d they go?”

“They’re still here. Look closer.”

I squint and can only just see a myriad of blurs and orange Spiritual Energy zooming throughout not only the courtyard, but the sky too. Constant booms rung out in the sky and sometimes the ground as the three clashed. When someone is far stronger than you, you can’t sense their energy no matter what, so that’s probably why I don’t have any inkling of an idea what’s going on.

Faster than the eye can see, any one of them could kill me. Just the thought fills me with worry.

“Don’t think about it so much Jack,” Cla’xx’s eyes are focused on the invisible battle in front of him, but he still seemed to notice my concern. I’ve never spoken about it before, but it’s probably obvious that it’s sometimes on my mind. “We’re here to prevent your death, not cause it.”

“But what about when the Imperials decides otherwise? I trust that you all wouldn’t do such a thing of your own volition, but the Mantle of the Ruler doesn’t care about your will, only its wielder’s. It’s not you I don’t trust, but those revolting dogs.”

Cla’xx nods with understanding. The Southern Empire’s priceless relic, the Mantle of the Ruler, is probably one of the strongest weapons in the Heavenly Realm, not in just our little Empire. The reason is simple; it grants the wielders the power of absolute control.

“What do you need to feel safe?”

“Strength. Absolute power. It’s what every cultivator strives for, right? The strength to protect myself and those I care about, the sweet air of true freedom. That is all I want. See, there are few things you can't get with cunning and grit, but with power there, is nothing outside your grasp.”

My words are true, but only partly. I will only feel safe when those who wronged me are gone. To do harm so that I may avoid harm. That is why I so desperately desire power and fear those with it.

Cla’xx still hasn’t took his attention away from the raging bout but he starts to look downcast. The blurs disappear from the courtyard, probably going elsewhere to finish their spar. Clouds roll in from the east, blocking the sun and turning the city dim. Forgot this was Peya Vaan for a minute there, didn’t appreciate it as much as I should’ve.

“Say, are you willing to kill for that power?”

A question I've been asking myself for a while.

"As soon as you create your Dantian, that is what you resign yourself to," he says. "You resign yourself to do the dirty work no one else can do, win the wars that no one else can win, be killed in place of those we can't afford to lose, though I doubt that one applies to you. I simply pray that you are prepared."

It seems like he’s speaking from experience.

An inordinately large explosion of scorching fire came from beyond the clouds and blew them away, tearing them apart and letting the light of the sun reach us once more. How the hell did they end up in the sky?

As soon as I wonder why there’s no sound, an ear-shattering shockwave ripples through the air and vaporises the dust and birds in its path. Just before it reaches me Cla’xx steps in front of my and sapphire energy erupts from his body and wraps around me calmly, a transcendent warmth blocking the raging energy wave from scalding my skin. The Defensive Aura of a fully-fledged Imperial Guardsmen truly is impressive.

The reason I want to walk the Martial Path is because I need power to protect myself from the world, and others too. Maybe add a little vengeance to that too. But I can’t deny that the prospect of being able to blow the clouds from the sky with raw strength alone is also a part of my motivations.

Dra’xx drops from the ginormous hole in the clouds carrying Aia and Bia’xx on each of his shoulders. Looks like they’re conked out. Their armour is charred and steaming, and I’m pretty sure Aia’s ponytail is singed. Unlucky.

Cla’xx’s Aura dissipates and I’m suddenly exposed to the intense Flame Energy Essence floating in the air. This is why I hate Fire Cultivators, always making me sweaty as balls.

Welp, whatever. I’m going back to my room or something. Maybe have a drink or two. I thank Cla’xx for protecting me and check up on the two girls, who awaken exhausted of energy and overheated. Dra’xx’s breath is only slightly faster and shallower than it was before, with no visible injuries. He’s barely even sweating other than a thin layer on his forehead. Another testament to his strength. It wouldn’t surprise me if he revealed himself as the newest Heaven Realm cultivator of the Empire. Not one bit.

And they didn't even use any Martial Techniques. Man...

Aia and Bia’xx are fine after being Healed by Cla’xx, but still drained of stamina for the day. Cla’xx heals my broken hand and the bruised ribs I didn’t know I had. What part of this was training again? I swear whoever gave Dra’xx that idea is getting kicked in the nuts. Well, I got out very easy compared to those two because I gave up. I’m just sweaty more than anything.

I leave the courtyard feeling like I just wasted the better part of an hour, but realise it was only about 15 minutes, most of which were spent putting on useless armour. I look forward to relaxing for the day instead of planning out how to deal with the Rei Ui. I’ll think about that when I get to it. But then a familiar tepid current of energy vibrates throughout my body. Vraylya, huh? Looks like I can make some money back quicker than expected.