Gawain Azel had been born with his path in life already decided for him. As the nephew of the King, he was expected to serve the Crown with undying loyalty. His high intelligence and determination had been observed from a young age and as such, he’d been brought to Raiah at the age of five to continue his education.

On the very day he arrived in Raiah, he was sent to the Armsmaster, who tried to have him pick up a sword. And even though, over the next few months, the young child was able to learn some rudimentary forms, it was the day that the Armsmaster found the child trying to pick up a large greataxe that his training really took off.

It took the child less than a year to learn the First Form of the Axe, and then another year after that to learn the Second. By the time Gawain was ready to form his Connection, he’d already mastered the first Six Forms of the Axe.

During that decade, he’d also been taught hundreds of other subjects, many of them Cultivation based, in the hope that he would become just as powerful a Cultivator as he was a warrior.

For the truth was, even as much as he was a hard working, determined, and focused person, his cousin was the exact opposite, at least until the age of thirteen. While he would spend hours and hours working on his Forms and his early breathing Techniques, she would spend that same time running around the castle, finding new ways to escape from it.

That was, at least, until her visit to Novan. After that, everything changed as the shaky hopes of the Azel family solidified. For as much as Gawain was a prodigy with the axe, Alyssia was as much a prodigy of Cultivation.

She soaked up knowledge like a sponge and different Techniques and forms that would take weeks for Gawain to master, she would do so in hours. And then the time that Gawain would spend on his weapon, she would spend researching different paths of power, not knowing that just like Gawain, her path had also been formed at her birth.

And yet, even with the differences and disparities between them, Gawain and Alyssia were truly inseparable. What the Azel family had tried to create with the two, it had worked as Gawain was her most steadfast supporter and her most trusted advisor. He was the one present at every one of her advancements and he stood by her even if no one else did.

The family was even more pleasantly surprised when, after Gawain formed his first Meridian, he shot off like a rocket. By the age of sixteen, he was already well into the Channels Stage and that’s when tragedy struck.

During a large border skirmish in the East, both of Gawain’s parents had been killed. Unlike Gawain, their Cultivation talent had been mediocre by the bounds of the Azel family, and they had only been at early Core Stage at their death. And though Gawain hadn’t known them as well as he could’ve due to his station for a decade, it still hurt him.

It took him another year and many more chances to prove himself before he was allowed to travel to the Eastern Border for six months. He was placed under the Border Commander, a Cultivator at Rank 1 of the Core Stage, where then he fought the desert bandits there with a vengeance.

There were a combination of slavers and different hostile tribes that regularly skirmished with the troops at the Revanian border.

With Gawain’s arrival, things took a turn. Because of his large stature, the heavy armor, the axe that could split a man in two, the rage on his face every time he fought, he was given the name, the Gory Lion.

***

None of this ran through Gawain’s mind as he stood towards the middle of the Arena. Nor did he think for a second that he wasn’t ready for this fight. He knew that he had the best equipment possible and the best mindset.

He wore the full set of heavy Artifact armor that had been gifted to him after his foray into the Eastern deserts. It was an old piece from the Azel family line, yet no one had worn it in years due to its weight and size. However, for Gawain’s six and a half foot tall, mountain like body, it was perfectly sized.

The only modifications made to it were the change of color, from bone white to gold, and the etching of a roaring lion right in the middle of the breastplate, to symbolize the name of its wearer.

More importantly, it could turn aside a blow from anyone under the Spirit Realm, and even of those he’d fought with or sparred with so far, only his cousin had been able to even scratch the armor, which of course, had been fixed by the Royal Forgers.

However, that still wasn’t the best of the Artifacts he owned. He’d also been given the axe he held in his right hand, a great waraxe that was also golden colored. It had been created by the Royal Forgers years ago, in the fires of a Flame Spirit and using the energy of a Spiritking Realm beast. The metal, known as Silversteel, had been found in the northern mountains generations ago and was the strongest metal in the Kingdom, mined and sold by the Sarai family of course.

The large weapon in his hands had been made golden, yet still had streaks of silver crossing its half moon blade and spike on the other end, as the color that its name symbolized was impossible to fully get rid of.

And even now, after years of use, he still didn’t know its full capabilities.

So then, even with all this preparation, why did he still feel a blast of fear every time he glanced at the young man in all black standing across from him?

Then, the word “Begin” rang out across the Arena, and pushing away his fear, Gawain leapt forward without an ounce of hesitation, Technique already forming on the blade of his waraxe.

***

Mordekai watched the large man rush forward with his axe raised, a red aura surrounding its head. Time seemed to slightly slow down for him, though the truth was he was just slightly faster and stronger due to having grasped the energy in his Core before the battle had even began.

He’d known that this fight wouldn’t be easy, not only because the mountain facing him was Rank 3 in the Core Stage, but also because Gawain, just like all the other high nobles, had grown up with some of the best tutors, abilities, and training in the Kingdom.

Kai could tell that the armor and weapon of his opponent was also top tier, most likely Artifact level.

And so, from the beginning, Kai planned to take this fight seriously, yet even then, it seemed he’d underestimated the other man. Gawain was far closer to the Spirit Realm than he’d initially thought.

He heard the whisper “Roar of a Lion” and then the axe was there, ready to split Kai into two. A red halo surrounded the blade and Kai could feel the high power of the Technique that Gawain had spoken into existence.

And of all the things that Kai hadn’t expected of his opponent, his blinding speed was most definitely the most surprising thing of all. In the end, because of that initial rush by his opponent, Kai was unable to dodge and was only able to do one thing.

His sword raised, he called on his understanding of his weapon, covering his blade in a layer of Sword Earth.

Just as the waraxe came thundering down, Kai’s blade cut through the layers of red energy that covered its head, the halo having taken the general form of a roaring lion.

And then blade met blade and a pulse of energy raced out, blowing the sand of the arena into the air, the attack and its defense having set the Arena floor around them in chaos.

Crown Princess Alyssia Azel gripped the handles on her seat with a tense look, understanding that her cousin’s first attack was usually his most devastating, with even her having trouble dodging Roar of the Lion. She most definitely refused to block it straight out, knowing just how strong her cousin really was.

Rather than horror, Lower Lord Rian had more of a calculating look on his face, as if he’d already seen the true outcome of the fight. He had no idea what his new friend’s potential was, but a gut feeling told him that this fight was most definitely not as lopsided as he’d originally thought it would be.

Executive Yannick, from his perch high above the Arena, looked on with a look of slight disbelief, as he could see through the chaotic sands blowing around the two opponents.

Sword Earth, he thought to himself. Prodigy.

For he’d seen many young Cultivators over the years and he’d never seen one with a Sword Earth understanding at such a young age. He’d actually thought that the Heir to the House of Landon would actually be the one to test that record, yet it seemed that someone else, someone unknown had beaten him there.

The sands began to clear and the arena grew deadly silent as the result of the attack appeared before them. Once the sands fully cleared, there was a second more of silence, and then the crowds began to roar in earnest.

For the result of that attack was unexpected in almost everyone’s minds there. They’d already written off the figure dressed in black as the large armored man’s axe had come thundering down with a powerful Technique.

They were met with something else however.

Kai still had his sword raised, somehow blocking that monster of an axe, yet the power behind that Technique had still forced him to one knee, and where he kneeled, a small crater had formed around his body. Parts of his cloak had been cut and its hood had been fully ripped away, letting his dark hair wave in the breeze as his eyes looked up at those of his opponent.

Gawain had a wild look in his own eyes, his surprise at the fact that Kai had fully blocked his attack evident from the way in which he was frozen in his position. Yes, it seemed that he was in the stronger position at the moment but two factors made it possible that he actually wasn’t.

First of all, Gawain, when normally using this Technique, used about 20 percent of the energy in his Core. Even that was usually more than enough to kill multiple Cultivators at the same Rank as him.

Yet because of his random doubts before the beginning of the match, he’d used almost 30 percent of his energy for the attack instead, and even then, his opponent hadn’t dodged, but instead blocked his waraxe with a damn sword.

And second of all, he was one of few people in the Arena at the moment that could see the white film covering the blade of his opponent.

“Sword. Earth.” Gawain croaked out, claws of horror crawling across his skin. “Monster.”

Both of them looked at each other another moment, not making a sound, before Kai suddenly disengaged and leapt back. And Gawain, still frozen, let him without moving.

That was close, Kai thought to himself. Too close.

Gawain stood there for a few seconds and then seemed to come to himself. He looked right at Kai and nodded once.

A sign of respect then, Kai thought. But what…

And then Gawain began to spin his axe, first in front of him and then to the side and behind, parallel to his body the entire time. As he did so, sand started to blow around him and Kai could feel a Technique gathering, one even more powerful than the first one he’d used.

As Gawain’s axe spun faster and faster, more and more sand started to blow around him until Kai could barely see him. Kai could also feel energy pulsing from him in a steady rhythm.

It seemed to be a Technique that built up in power the longer he spun the axe and so Kai decided to break it instead of waiting for it, because he’d learned that his opponent’s Techniques were too quick to dodge and almost too powerful to block.

Calling on his understanding of the Sword Earth again, he rushed forward and swung at the cloud that surrounded his opponent.

His weapon only made it halfway through before it bounced off of something. Instead of stopping he attacked again from a different place, but was met by the same result.

He attacked five more times from all around his opponent and each time, his sword was deflected by something within the sand cloud.

Feeling the futility of his attacks but not willing to do anything more just yet, Kai stepped back to survey his opponent.

***

Alyssia Azel’s face and expressions throughout the fight had changed more times than the amount of people populating the Arena. She’d already written off her cousin’s opponent from the initial attack, as the man had taken an extremely unorthodox approach to the Gory Lion’s powerful Technique. However, she, along with everyone else at the Arena, had been left speechless as somehow, the black figure had fully blocked Roar of the Lion.

But it was when Gawain had started to spin his axe and pick up a cloud of sand surrounding him that she finally sat back in both horror and interest.

Because she’d assumed that Mordekai Eritos had either used a Defensive Technique, or a Defensive Artifact to block her cousin’s Technique, most likely the latter. However, Defensive Techniques could be subverted, as her cousin very well knew, and Artifacts like that could most of time only be used once, a recharge usually required before reuse.

However, it seemed that her cousin had seen something that she hadn’t been able to deduce, as instead of using his other Techniques to whittle down his opponent’s defense and win, Gawain had decided to use his most powerful Technique and his most secret trump card.

Alyssia herself had only seen the Technique once, a couple months ago when her cousin had perfected it. She’d seen its raw power and even now, was unsure if she could defend it without her First Spirit. So then, her question was, what had Gawain seen down there that had convinced him to use his most powerful Technique this early in the fight? What secrets was the black figure fighting him hiding, and more importantly why didn’t he look like he had an ounce of fear with the Technique facing him?

***

Executive Yannick was watching from his perch above the Arena, having been joined by the red robed Elder next to him.

“Sir,” the Advanced Elder said after having surveyed the battle for a few seconds. “It’s one of the most powerful Techniques I’ve ever seen that doesn’t use a Spirit. This Gawain Azel will most definitely be one of the top three in the Tournament.”

Executive Yannick sighed before saying, “I agree with the first part, Elder Kenshi, but you see, I’m not so sure about the second part.”

“What do you mean sir?” Elder Kenshi asked. “I assume that Gawain’s opponent must’ve used some type of Defensive Artifact to block his first attack, but I doubt he has anything to defend against this powerhouse.”

“You assume wrong then, good Elder. Mordekai Eritos used neither a Defensive Artifact, nor a Technique to defend that initial strike, but instead, used his Sword Earth understanding.”

The Advanced Elder’s face first jumped in surprise and then took on a look of horror as he comprehended what the Executive was telling him.

“That… that, that’s astonishing sir, but even then, I doubt that will be enough to break this Technique.”

“I agree, Elder Kenshi,” the Executive said, thoughtful. “But I just have a feeling that there is even more to this Mordekai Eritos than even we now expect.”

***

The cloud surrounding Gawain had grown larger and larger and formed itself into the shape of a roaring lion. The sands that made up the body of the lion shifted and spun, almost tornado like, the winds almost sounding like the roar of a lion.

Other than his Sword Earth, which Kai believed that no one had noticed so far, he had two other secrets that could help him win. And though Kai could feel his Core stretching as he fought in the Arena, every second of the fight drawing in another sliver of chaotic Chi, he knew that his other secret would be much more helpful here, one he hadn’t utilized against a human in a very long time.

Suddenly, the Technique formed lion stopped its roaring sound and leapt up. As it jumped high into the air, its mouth opened and Kai could see the silver and gold glint of an axe within its depths. If this Technique struck him head on, Kai knew that he might not even survive, let alone win this round.

Just as it reached the apex of its leap, the pulses of energy originating from the center of the sand formed lion stopped and in that second, all sound was muted. And then, Kai heard a whisper on the wind.

Pride of a Lion

And just before it came crashing down, just before Kai was knocked out of the tournament or maybe even straight out killed by the powerful Technique, he called on his rage. And oh, there was so, so much of it.

Rage at the slavers for destroying the only place he ever had and ever would call home, rage at the Landon noble for killing the only man Kai had ever thought of as a parent, rage at their leader, Devar for taking the only woman he’d ever loved from him, rage at the gods for letting an injustice like this occur without recompense, and finally, rage at himself for not having been powerful enough to protect them.

“But mark my words,” he murmured. “I will be strong enough to avenge them.”

And with the clouds of sand putting the Arena floor in chaos so the crowds could barely see what was occurring, no one saw the silver lightning start crackling over his knuckles, or the entirety of his eyes, including the whites, turn into that same color.

Kai’s Aura was still unrefined, primal in its movement, chaotic in the same way the energy powering it was. However, even though all his Aura of Rage wanted to do was blast out across the Arena and announce its presence, Kai was able to reign it in with force from his will.

And instead, he forced the chaos of its power into a smaller circle, one only surrounding him.

And although he trusted the strength of his own Aura and knew that no Technique under the Spirit Realm could stand up to his Rage, when Pride of the Lion finally struck, he flinched… and then stood up straighter as his Aura cut right through the lion’s jaws.

The axe, the true power of the Technique that had a red halo surrounding it, came hurtling down. And Kai, stepping two paces to the right, reached out, and just grabbed it by the handle with his left hand, his right still holding onto his sword.

He’d ripped through the halo, and the Technique, not defending it like he’d defended Roar of the Lion but just overpowering it by the sheer force of his Aura of Rage. And before the sands that made up the lion came down, before anyone could see anything that was occurring, Kai quickly pushed down his rage, letting his Aura dissipate.

He’d gotten lucky, as because of the chaos of his opponent’s Technique, he’d been able to use his Aura without anyone seeing. Well, almost anyone.

Executive Yannick from his location above the Arena with Elder Kenshi, was slack jawed with both horror and awe from what he’d just seen.

After taking a few seconds to collect himself, he said, “Send him to my room after his victory, Elder Kenshi.”

Confused, the red robed Elder just agreed and the Executive disappeared from his spot.

And then, the sands cleared and he stood astonished once again from what he saw.

Kai stood there, sword in his right hand, and Gawain’s waraxe in his right, untouched by the Technique. Roar of the Lion had torn up his cloak and given him some scratches even though he’d fully defended it, but somehow this overpowering Technique had done absolutely nothing to him.

Instead, he now somehow held his opponent’s weapon in his hand and looked perfectly healthy.

Gawain, on the other hand, was across from him on both knees, panting heavily. His own armor looked clean as always, but he himself was depleted of Heavenly Energy and looked just about to collapse.

Before the crowds could start to cheer, before Kai even moved, the large man’s words rang out across the Arena.

“I surrender.”