The ship landed in the dusty atmosphere of the nexus planet, known as point 1. Nexus point planets were hardly named, their uses served as the main purpose, and as such, they were designated points depending on what universes they occupied. The planet itself, despite its dusty atmosphere, had an entirely lush surface filled with mountain ranges and hills and thick jungles infested with all kinds of monsters. All these served as the preliminary defenses for the mythical aether shard that lay deep inside the planet, its location unknown but to only two people currently on the planet, the specific overseer whose job was to protect the planet alone rather than a galaxy and was known to be a general, however, his presence was merely being felt and not seen.

The other person who knew was the ruler who acted as royalty on the planet, known as the jungle king, a man who resided only in the jungles of the planet along with his family of masters and experts, his name lost to time except to the rulers who were alive then. His stay on the planet was reported to be as a sentencing by the collective council of the archailect, however, no one was stupid enough to ask that question. As the ship opened its doors, Ajax stepped out squinting in the bright red sunlight that shone across the world giving it a slightly bloody look, Killian followed with Moyo calmly stepping out, his katana at his side. In front of them were two people who neatly held their expert rank perception a few meters in their front. Moyo looked around in wonder at what he was seeing, and the perceptions he was feeling as well.

The lowest he had felt since arriving on the planet was advocate, nothing lower, and those were a few, the rest were experts, which again drove the fact down into him that expert was the baseline for being recognized in the archailect. He kept his astonishment to himself as master Killian snapped at him to walk over, he stood in front of two red-skinned men who wore black-skinned uniforms and had a stoic look on their faces, their stat tables were unreadable to him, informing him they were either peak stage experts or possibly even masters. They bowed to Killian and Ajax and ignored Moyo like a pest,

“Greetings masters of house thousand blades, we are the security in charge of this dock and humble servants of the jungle king. May we know the reason for your arrival?” one of them asked like a robot,

“We require passage to planet Agabod, for a week,” Killian said,

“The planet is now designated a danger zone and prone to attacks by monsters infected slightly by blights. Do you take full responsibility for whatever adverse effects that occur while on the planet and to be subject to interrogation and subsequent eradication by the overseer of this planet?” the second man asked as Moyo took a step back,

He thought they were going to the tournament or something?, glancing at his master Ajax who kept on looking everywhere except at him. Something had occurred the day before, his master handing over his training to master Killian without so much as explaining why to him, but Moyo was fine with it, he still got trained by a master and would get better. Killian kept on answering the questions of the men. He noticed Ajax walking towards the edge of the circular platform they had landed upon, it was at the edge of a mountain and below them was a sea of people in what looked like a market,

“Master?” he called out to Ajax,

Ajax glanced back at him,

“Stay with Killian, I have someone I intend on seeing” Ajax replied and casually stepped off the edge, falling through a spatial rip that opened up behind him,

Moyo sighed, typical Ajax if he guessed, turning back to see Killian signing a few papers and the guards handing him a transmitter that opened up to show a hobo-looking man surrounded by vines and monsters that slept beside him, Moyo was mostly taken back by the vivid green eyes that shone through the transmitter. The man smiled at Killian who bowed low, the guards followed suit, and Moyo needing no one to tell him what to do followed also,

“Killian, the stellar blade of Altair, how nice to see you,” the man said softly,

“Ruler, lord jungle king, this mere master greets the vaunted beast of nexus point 1” Killian replied,

The man chuckled as Moyo froze, the man in the transmitter was a ruler, he was tempted to take a peek at the man but common sense won, it could be a breach of etiquette and Moyo wasn’t about to start making enemies with a ruler atop the list. The ruler spoke,

“a bit formal are we?, never mind, what is this I hear about you wanting to take a trip to Agabod?, what use will a planet filled with expert-ranked infected monsters do to a scion such as you?” the jungle king asked,

Killian dragged Moyo closer, his head still bowed,

“This here, is Moyosore titan blade, expert on the path of the crushing blade and a nomination by house thousand blades for the upcoming swordsmanship tournament, we require passage to the planet for training” Killian replied,

The ruler gave a non-committed grunt,

“Look at me child” the man rumbled as Moyo shot up straight like a rod, staring deep into the eyes of the ruler but showing steel, he had a feeling cowardice would anger him,

“So, you’re the one who’s been causing a ruckus in the new galaxy?, you don’t look like much, but then again we all saw you put down advocates of those useless sects like a proper expert should, so I’d give you the benefit of a doubt” the ruler said,

Moyo bowed again, keeping mute but startled that a lot of eyes were indeed watching his planet,

“This lowly expert is grateful to the ruler for this opportunity,” he said,

“Bah, don’t patronize me, I’m not one of those rulers who wants accolades, what I want is a show of strength,” the ruler said,

Moyo felt Killian stiffen beside him,

“Lord,” Killian said, distress evident in his voice,

Moyo also felt his body become cold, was the ruler expecting him to fight against him?, granted the ruler could shroud his core down to expert but still, it would be a bloodbath. The ruler laughed,

“Oh, relax Killian, I wouldn’t debase myself by fighting with an infant, I have a descendant of mine, a newly minted expert who’s been itching to test his path against diverse paths, I figured this titan blade would be a good one to go against him,” the ruler said,

Killian visibly relaxed a bit, glancing at Moyo, worry in his eyes,

“Apologies jungle king, but you must take into account that Moyo has hardly left his word, his fighting skills are…well, they leave much to ask for” Killian protested,

Moyos’ fist tightened together as he pursed his lips, ever since he left his planet, he had been told how poor his fighting skills were, he had even lost a legendary skill and had trained his body since then as best as he could, and still master Killian had no faith in him. The ruler smiled a bit,

“You say that, but I saw what he could do, besides, the expert seems spoiling for a fight,” the ruler said glancing at Moyo,

Killian glanced at him and sighed,

“Apologies lord jungle king, but I hope this would in no way affect our permission to head to Agabod?” Killian asked,

“Well, if your expert can give a good showing, no issues there,” the ruler said shrugging,

“How long?” Moyo asked abruptly as both powerhouses glanced at him,

He hastily bowed,

“What?” the jungle king said,

“Apologies lord jungle king, but how long will the duel last?” he asked,

“against my descendant?, well, hopefully, a few minutes at best,” the ruler said, visibly interested,

“10 minutes, if I last that much, would that be an excellent showing?” Moyo said,

The transmission became quiet for a few seconds before the ruler roared out in laughter, Moyo glanced at master Killian whose eyes had gone dead cold and Moyo could feel the rage emitting from his body, his jaw rigid,

“Interesting!, 10 minutes it is!, if you last that long, I promise you a reward, although I must warn you, the last person to fight my descendant won by 9 minutes, a weird kid that one, headed to Agabod too, my descendant is in a bad mood, good luck, I’ll send Ajad to come oversee the fight,” the ruler said as the transmission cut off,

Killian whirled to Moyo so fast a gust of wind blew, his eyes flashing silver as the guards took a step back,

“Have you any idea what you just put yourself in?” Killian asked,

“a duel” Moyo replied,

“Not just any duel, you think the ruler would send just any runt?, no, that child or expert is probably his direct bloodline, he's sending Ajad, a master on the path or the flying terror, meaning this expert is to be protected, or to hold him or her back, do you understand?” Killian growled as he took a step forward, Moyo crashing to his knees as his heart constricted at the pressure on him,

Groaning, he croaked,

“You don’t trust me”

He felt the pressure vanish to see Killian with an astonished look on his face,

“trust?, are you daft?, what does trust have to do in the face of power?” he said,

Moyo was about to talk when a master-ranked aura suffused the whole platform and a man appeared out of nowhere, one minute he wasn’t, and the next he stood beside Killian who had already turned to him. The man had black skin with avian eyes, sparse hair on his head that looked oddly like feathers, and wearing some sort of animal leather armor,

“Killian,” the man said nodding,

‘Ajad” Killian replied,

“I believe that is the expert titan blade?” he said glancing at Moyo who bowed again,

“Indeed, where are we to have this duel?” Killian asked,

“Right this way” Ajad replied as he crouched and took to the air,

Killian glanced back at Moyo, talking stiffly,

“Follow,” he said as he flew through the air too,

Moyo quietly followed, he was aware that Killian was pissed at him, but he had gotten enough of the undermining attitude. They had not been there when he had fought his way up to expert, he wanted to let loose, to show them what he had learnt against a fellow expert, when the ranks were equal and he wasn’t going up against masters or those way over him. No matter the result of today’s fight, he would come out better, as he always did, and no matter what punishment master Killian gave to him, he would prove his worth against the expert to the best of his ability. They arrived at a mountain deep in the forests that had its top cleanly sliced away, giving it a smooth flat surface, and on it sat a green-skinned man, probably early twenties from what Moyo could see, probably the same age range or slightly older than him, his stat table read:

Name: Axut

Class: Warrior

Path: - toxin claw

Body: grounded ape

Race: iturian

Level: 151(Expert)

The man stood up as he opened his eyes and saw them land, the master walking towards the man who bowed at the waist,

“greetings esteemed master, I am Axut toxin claw, of clan forest claw,” the expert named Axut said in greeting to Killian who nodded,

Axut turned to Moyo, nodding towards him as he spoke,

“greetings expert titan blade, I thank you for agreeing to this duel”

Moyo nodded back, keeping quiet, the master Ajad glancing between the two of them,

“Alright, for this duel the rules are simple, no maiming or deep injuries, definitely not to the death, and surrendering calls off the battle, take your positions at the far corners of the ring,” Ajad said with a bored voice,

Killian turned to Moyo and in a soft voice that Moyo was sure Ajad heard due to his eyebrow going up he spoke,

“Start with your realm”

Moyo didn’t give any inclination that he heard, walking to the edge of the mountain, opposite of Axut who faced him, Ajad from the sideline where he stood with Killian called out,

“ascenders, prepare,” he said,

Moyo produced dominion as Ajad smiled, now interested, Moyo noticed Axut stood still with a green haze in the shape of a claw over both of his hands,

“begin” Ajad called out,

Moyo blasted out his realm as it clashed with a realm so potent his realm shook for a second, and in that fraction of a second, Axut had arrived in front of him, his expert eyes matching Axuts speed. Moyo brought up dominion as it crashed on the claws of Axut, sparking while driving the almost feral expert back a step, with another swing he brought his katana swinging down, aware that his realm still struggled against the realm of Axut that had an almost feral feel to it, like a wild beast of the jungle stalking its pray.

Moyo saw Axut dodge his swing almost effortlessly to claw at his skin, the claw on his hand bounced harmlessly off his skin, shocking Axut but the green hazy claw passed through his skin sending a lance of pain through Moyo who merely grunted and took the opportunity to lay a blow deep into Axut’s guts who blasted backward, rolling through the air before landing on his hands and feet. Moyo wobbled as whatever that green toxin was fought against his body from the inside, wincing at the pain that somehow passed through his body, he blasted forward too.

Avoiding staying in defense, Moyo activated his step of the titan, appearing behind Axut whose wide eyes revealed he hadn’t been expecting such speed, his almost feline reflexes saving him from getting a slash to the back, Axut retaliating with a hazy green tail that came out of nowhere to lash at Moyo who used dominion to block the offending appendage before jumping backward, only to meet Axut right in his face with a crazy feline smile on his face, hand cocked back with his green claw gleaming, Moyo reacted in a flash,

“hold” he ordered with his voice of the titan, Axut freezing in the air for a second before he growled and Moyo felt his authority shake under the push of the expert, but it was the authority of a titan infused with that of a slain Dragonoid, it held the iturian for a few more seconds as Moyo brought dominion swinging towards the arm that held the toxin claw. The authority broke in the last second, Axut catching dominion on his claw as the katana rang like a bell and the expert flipping through the air to land a good distance away. Axut stood straight,

“Impressive titan blade, perhaps we can get serious” Axut said,

“I agree” Moyo replied,

For the first time in a long while, Moyo got ready to go all out, his mantle blazing up as his eyes glowed purple and inscriptions appeared on his body, gripping dominion tight and gathering all his authority and willpower to suffuse his body. he took one step forward and took a swordsman’s pose, the ground beneath him rumbling as the entire presence of a titan manifested, he could see the two masters watching with rapt attention, Ajad focusing entirely on Moyo,

“Impressive, my turn,” Axut said before crouching,

And over his body came a green haze in the form of a monster, green round eyes gleaming with his face morphing to what looked oddly like a werewolf, Axut spoke with a growling voice,

“Form 2, predators’ rage,” he said and blasted forward,

“Dance of Ijakadi,” Moyo said as he activated his skill and blitzed forward too,

The two experts met in a clash of claws and steel, the air filled with intent that sliced and tore at the surroundings while not reaching the masters who watched with rapt attention. All and around the mountain top the two clashed in a flurry of attacks, one minute the overwhelming might of a predator would reign supreme as Moyo was pushed backward, his body leaking green ooze that hampered his movements, and the next minute the indomitable will and pressure of the titan in the form of a mountain would fill the air, crushing the might of the predator as Axut would be on the back foot, pushing back against dominion and doing his best to avoid the bite of the hungry blade.

The battle became one of attrition, Moyo somehow surviving what he was sure was a very formidable toxin, judging by the look on the face of Axut, few had done so. This only drove the expert to greater heights in trying to bring Moyo down, his body covered in cuts and slashes from the claws of Axut who got more feral by the minute. Moyo realizing that he was dealing with more animal than human activated his step of the titan to appear a far distance away only to see Axut in his front, cursing as he dodged another claw, rolled, and shot backward, creating distance as he raised his katana and brought it down to swing with the force of his willpower, only to meet Axut inside his guard, unable to block the claw. Moyo tried activating his voice of the titan but the claw that passed through his shoulders cut him off, the toxin flowing directly into his bloodstream as he grunted, using his leg to push Axut back and swinging his katana.

The attack tore a bloody gash in the shoulder of Axut who yelped and rolled backward in pain, Moyo wobbled on his feet, his katana propping him up,

Wrath of the titan(R)160!

His skill was growing at a stupendous rate, but it felt like his body was on fire through the way it ached so bad, but he wasn’t about to fall here, not now. Axut stood with an almost feral look in his eyes, with a roar he spoke,

“Form 3, predators hunt”

Moyo saw the master Ajad raise his eyebrows in astonishment,

“2 minutes remaining” he announced,

Axut came with his realm blasting out like a roaring wild beast, Moyo just stood, his eyes closed and calming himself, he would be like the ruler Amat of the dark sands, assess then strike in one brutal move, he was Latasha of the bright rage, allowing the attacks of his enemies serve as a platform for him to leverage his attacks,

Don’t resist, bend to your will,

Don’t react, act with purpose,

Even as Axut loomed over him, his body bigger, the green haze over him now red like an apex predator come to life, Moyo neither shook nor stumbled. Dominion in his hands he deftly walked with speed and precision into the swinging claw of Axut, using his katana to block the arm and deliver a palm strike to the ribs of Axut that sent him yowling in pain and blasting backward. He heard the intake of breath from who he perceived was master Ajad, but he couldn’t focus on that, he had a battle to win.

His willpower and authority still at full might, Moyo stepped with his skill and appeared close to Axut and the two began to exchange blows, sword once again on claws, Moyo calling out commands with his authority to try destabilizing Axut which worked but were broken so quickly they didn’t last seconds, Axut, in turn, called out his also, “bite” “claw” “stab” were a few of the commands he called and while they penetrated the draconic titan body a bit, the authority of Axut wasn’t strong enough to counter his and in the end, it fell to pure physical strength, a form Moyo excelled at.

Soon Moyo was left a bloody mess that healed at an astonishing rate, every tear, every rip on his skin healed at a fast rate while Axut looked like he had gone through the meat grill. At that sight, it looked like Moyo was winning, but the truth was he was close to passing out, not due to physical stress but a mental one. His realm hadn’t held up under the weight of Axut who somehow was able to suppress his, leaving his body healthy but his mind frayed, but Axut too had become almost feral to the point of snarling as he raised his clawed hand up, green energy gathering on it, rage in his eyes,

“die” he snarled, bringing the hand down,

Master Ajad suddenly appeared there, holding the hand of Axut with a voice that drove chills into the heart of Moyo,

“you forget your place Axut” Ajad said as the expert froze and passed out, his body bleeding in so many places as dominion hummed in satisfaction, having absorbed enough endurance and authority from Axut,

Greed of the titan(L)105!

Notice: greed of the titan as absorbed feral toxin!, you now have a 50% immunity against the feral toxin!

Well, at least he got something out of it Moyo thought as he fell to his knees, glancing at the corner where Killian stood to see Ajax standing there, looking at him with a slight smile on his face before passing out.