A Rival Appears

Aika gleefully led Tatsuya by the hand through the busy streets. As they did, everyone they passed by were quick to notice the presence of their princess and her friend and greeted them with curtsies and bows. Aika cheerfully greeted them back with a wave of her hand and a bright smile.

Tatsuya was a little surprised by how rather familiar everyone seemed to be with the princess. Everyone were respectful to her and acknowledged her status and authority as the princess, yet the way they exchanged acknowledgements were more intimate than Tatsuya had expected. He initially thought that maybe the people would shower her with praise and other forms of servility, treating her like a goddess and wearing a superficial façade so as not to dishonor the royal family and such. He admits that he was entirely wrong and realizes that he had been watching way too many fantasy shows (his only (apparently unreliable) source for understanding this kind of stuff).

He was also a little apprehensive at first by Aika’s disregard for hiding her identity while out in public. Although he now sees that it wasn’t a problem at all, he was initially pretty worried for her and was ready to be on high alert in case someone tries to come do her harm. He had also noticed the presence of Centurion guards hiding and observing the streets from various places throughout the shopping district. It was with this knowledge that he came to the conclusion that Aika, and possibly the entire royal family, was protected at all times from any kind of discernible threat when out in public, allowing them to appear in public without much worry.

“Ooh, Darling, look here!” said Aika, dragging Tatsuya along to a food stand.

“Welcome!” said the stand owner. He realized who Aika was and quickly bowed his head. “Princess Ashira, I am honored to be in your presence.”

“Hello there,” said Aika cheerfully.

“May I serve you?” asked the stand owner.

“Two cockatrice skewers please,” she told him. The stand owner nodded and handed her two skewers. Aika happily turned to Tatsuya and handed him one of them. “Here’s to celebrating your success!” she told him.

Tatsuya gratefully accepted the skewer and said, “Thanks.” He then took a bite…and immediately regretted it. By no means was he offended by the meat’s flavor nor by its level of doneness. In fact, it was perfectly cooked and seasoned. The only problem with the dish was its level of spice. Tatsuya’s tongue was engulfed by an unquenchable wildfire. His taste buds were in an inescapable Hell and the fumes from the spice were beginning to invade into his lungs. His throat burned like there was no tomorrow and caused him to choke. His face turned redder than coral and he quickly grasped his throat.

“Darling!” cried Aika.

“So…spicy…,” he groaned in pain.

Aika turned to the stand owner and said, “Do you have a bottle of blue ambrosia?”

The stand owner nodded and quickly brought out a bottle of a blue water-like substance. Aika took it and quickly made Tatsuya drink it. Immediately, like some kind of miracle, Tatsuya felt a cool flood entering his body and the flames disappearing into nothingness. In the blink of an eye, Tatsuya was back to normal and he could breathe again. Once he was saved from that horrible experience, Aika quickly took his skewer and threw it away. “What the hell was that?” asked Tatsuya.

“I forgot to ask for the outsider’s version,” she told him with an apologetic laugh. “You see, the Draco tribe’s culinary specialty is spicy foods. All of our dishes are spicy to some degree.”

“But last night’s dinner was barely spicy at all,” pointed out Tatsuya. “At least, the level of spiciness wasn’t as bad as this.”

“We know that people outside of our tribe are not typically agreeable to spiciness like us,” explained Aika. “This is why we have developed ways to accommodate their tastes. All of our shops and restaurants provide what we call ‘outsider versions’ of different dishes, which are not spiced at all but still retain the general flavor and enjoyment for our outside visitors. However, last night’s dinner was different than that. In the royal palace, the chefs are trained in many styles and techniques so that they can prepare different kinds of dishes to accommodate the needs and tastes of our guests.”

“That sounds like a lot of work,” commented Tatsuya.

“Food brings people together,” concluded Aika, “and togetherness is needed in order to preserve peace.”

‘That sounds exactly like something Shurai would say,’ thought Tatsuya to himself.

Aika turned back to the stand owner and requested another skewer (“outsider version”). The stand owner understood and handed her her order. “Here you go, Darling,” said Aika, handing over the skewer to Tatsuya.

After having that first horrible experience with the previous skewer, Tatsuya was hesitant about subjecting himself to more torture. With a very scary look in his eyes, he asked Aika the very first question that came to his head regarding the skewer in her hand: “Are you a sadist by any chance?”

Having heard those words come out of her Darling’s mouth, Aika’s body flinched. “No-no-no-no-no! Of course not!” she told him, waving her hands wildly to push her point. She pushed the skewer into his hand and said in a softer voice, “Trust me.”

Tatsuya stared at the skewer in his hand and looked back at her eyes. “Alright,” he said in a half-groan. He brought the skewer to his mouth and took a bite out of the meat. He braced himself for whatever torture will become of him, but what he had expected to occur didn’t occur at all. He could taste the meat’s bare-naked flavor, its savoriness tickling his taste buds and bringing a smile to his face. The meat was spiced, but the intensity was on a very tolerable level that Tatsuya could finish the skewer with no problem at all. “This is delicious!” he said with a giant grin.

“I’m glad,” said Aika with a beaming smile. Tatsuya took one look at the princess’ smile and had his breath taken away. His cheeks turned a little red and his knees were beginning to feel a little weak. Aika quickly grabbed Tatsuya by the hand and said, “Let’s go! There’s a lot of things I want to show you, Darling.”

The first place she led Tatsuya to was a school. It was a medium sized school with a very retro-looking design. The schoolhouse was red in color and made out of wood and light metal. It had a pointed roof with a bell tower and circular windows all around the second floor. It was the spitting image of a classic American schoolhouse from the 1930s. Tatsuya was a little taken aback by its archaic look, but at the same time he appreciated its simplistic beauty and natural charm. In the front yard, children were having fun and playing together during what looked like recess.

“This is the capital’s schoolhouse for primary education,” Aika told him. “Children are required by law to enroll in school for primary education, regardless of race or class. As such, primary schoolhouses are open to all children of all races and class, and the children are often mingled together.”

“Really?” commented Tatsuya in amazement. “So children of the lower class attend the same school and classes as those of the upper class?” he asked her.

“Yup,” said Aika with a nod. “Don’t you know? Discrimination from a young age can lead to societal and political instability. It is a form of indoctrination that we as a tribe try to avoid. After all, we are a tribe of warriors. Our social ranks and status do not matter to us. Like my father always says, rank and status are only important in two situations: for war, and for leadership. A general should only be a general in times of war and a king should only be a king in times of need.”

“That’s a pretty liberal way of looking at it,” noted Tatsuya with a nod of his head.

“After the children finish their primary education, they have two choices to choose from,” continued Aika. “The first choice, they can start an apprenticeship to prepare for their careers. The second choice, they can move on with secondary education. For secondary education, the lower class can only attend institutions in the kingdom. On the other hand, those of the upper class can choose to go to a secondary school in the kingdom, or attend the Royal Academy in Jaculus City.”

“The Royal Academy?” asked Tatsuya, intrigued.

“It’s the preeminent educational institute in the dragon realm,” she told him. “It was established by the thirteen tribes as an institution for royalty and nobility. All members of royalty are expected to enroll and graduate from the Royal Institution. The nobility and other members of the upper classes are also given the option to enroll once they finish primary education. While those of the nobility and upper classes must go through a very thorough application process, those of the royal family are automatically admitted. The Royal Institution was built with the purpose of cultivating the talents of the royal families and producing capable leaders.”

“So does that mean that you and the other princesses attended the academy together?” Tatsuya asked her.

Aika silently nodded her head. “Although I can’t tell you that I’ve previously and personally met them before at the academy, it is very likely that we’ve crossed paths before without noticing.”

“That make sense,” agreed Tatsuya.

The duo left the school and Aika led Tatsuya onwards to the capital’s religious section. Tatsuya was overwhelmed by the various temples and shrines that lined the streets on both sides. They all had pointed roofs and were made of stone. Each temple and shrine carried a different name and housed a different deity. Some were bigger than others and had more people entering for worship. He could see inside some of them through open windows and doors and was astonished at the giant metal statues standing tall in the buildings’ centers.

The streets were filled with people dressed in what could be deduced as religious clothing. Some of them wore plain red tunics over their bare chest and simple trousers and walked along barefooted. Some had on long red robes that stretched to their ankles, a sash tied around their waist, and walked in slippers made out of smoothed wood. Others were bare-chested and dressed in shorts and closed-toed cloth slippers. And these uniforms were worn by both men and women, with no distinction between them at all.

“Here in the Draco tribe, we have three different religious organizations,” began Aika. “Technically, they're not all that different from each other. We all worship the same gods anyway. The only distinction between the three different organizations lie in the deity that they place as their patron.” She turned to him with a smile and her hands clasped behind her back. “Darling, you know already which deities we Dracos worship the most, don’t you?”

“Besides Draco, you also worship Uncle Shin and his two friends,” answered Tatsuya.

“That’s right,” confirmed Aika with a happy nod. “Draco, our founder and the Celestial Dragon of fire, is our penultimate deity. He is the one that which we all worship and hold in the highest esteem. Next, is Ryujin, the king of the Celestial Dragons. We worship him as the highest of all Celestial Dragons and the Lord of the Universe. Next, we have the Three Lords: Senshi, Shori, and Yunqi. Being a warrior tribe, it makes sense that our three patron gods, besides our forefather and the Lord of the Universe, are deities associated with war and victory. This is where the three different organizations come in. The first organization, the ones you see dressed in tunics, are called the Blessed Ones, and they hold Yunqi as their patron and the highest of the Three Lords. The second one, those dressed in long robes, worship Shori as their patron and the highest of the Three Lords, and they call themselves Fili Victoria. Lastly, the people who are bare-chested and dressed in shorts, are the Krigsman, and they hold Senshi as their patron and the highest of the Three Lords.” She closed her eyes and smiled. “However, despite this distinction, they hold no ill will against each other and everyone is free to claim whoever they desire as their patron. Afterall, we all worship the same gods anyway.”

Tatsuya looked at the different religious groups going about their business and noticed how they amicably interacted with each other like the best of friends. ‘So these groups are more like subcultures of like-minded individuals. They’re kind of like the cliques back at school, but without any of the hostility.’

Aika walked down the street with Tatsuya following closely behind and she stopped in front of a large monastery. “This is the Temple of the Ancient Ones,” she told him.

“Ancient Ones?” Tatsuya had never heard that term before.

“Celestial Dragons are divided into two groups,” explained Aika. “The first of these are the Ancient Ones, who are the very first Celestial Dragons to have existed since time immemorial and are responsible for the development of the universe as we know it today. The second group are the Celestial Ones, or just Celestial Dragons, and they are the gods of today.”

“What happened to the Ancient Ones?” asked Tatsuya.

“No one knows,” Aika answered with a shrug. “Many say that they have transcended existence and are now one with the universe.”

“That sounds like something straight out of a priest's mouth,” commented Tatsuya.

They walked past the monastery and came to a small temple. Despite its dwarfish-size when compared to the others, it had walls painted in gold and crimson and a long line of visitors. A pair of religious workers, one a Fili Victoria and the other a Blessed One, greeted the visitors one by one at the door and allowed only an individual or a family inside at a time.

Aika took Tatsuya by the hand and they lined up too. The line moved at a constant rate and it didn’t take long before the duo was greeted by the religious workers at the door. They were gestured inside and entered the temple. The temple was a one room building and about the size of a large office. Inside, the walls were painted silver and gold and decorated with magnificent ink-brush paintings. In the center of the room was an altar for tributes and worship. Behind it was an opulent silver statue of a human-looking being with divine chiseled features. A long crimson sword was clasped in its right hand and held up with the tip pointing heavenward.

They approached the altar and got down on their knees. Tatsuya had never done anything like this before and was really out of his comfort zone, so he instead watched Aika and repeated everything that she did. First, they silently bowed their heads and kept them down for a few seconds. Next, they looked up at the statue and clasped their hands together in a show of reverence. Third, they raised their clasped hands up in one quick-movement three times. Fourth, their hands, still clasped, was placed close to their chest and they prayed. Lastly, with their hands still in the same position, they bowed their heads until it touched the ground. They then got up and exited the temple.

“What temple was that?” asked Tatsuya once they came out of the door.

“That’s the Temple of the Dragonborn,” she told him straightforwardly.

“Oh,” he replied with a nod. It took a second for him to fully process her words. When he did, he stopped in place and his eyes widened. “Temple of the Dragonborn?!” he exclaimed a little too loudly. With a shaky finger, he anxiously pointed back at the temple and said, “Do you mean that the statue we just bowed too was a statue of the Dragonborn?”

“Yup,” said Aika with a cheerful nod. “Although the statue is more of an artistic representation rather than an accurate depiction of the Dragonborn,” she added. “In fact, this temple is one of the oldest temples in the entire Pyroignis Empire. No one truly knows what the Dragonborn would look like, so they just depicted him however they thought was appropriate.”

“But that statue had refined features and a very powerful aura about it,” argued Tatsuya. “In no way do I look like that or possess that kind of aura!”

“I’m not so sure about that,” said Aika with a giggle.

‘Of course, the one person who actually looks at me that way,’ said Tatsuya in defeat.

Suddenly, out of nowhere, a blow was dealt to Tatsuya’s head from behind. He was knocked forward and stumbled on his feet. Luckily, the force wasn’t enough to knock him off his feet, so he was able to quickly regain his balance and turn around to confront his adversary. “What was that for?!” he yelled angrily at the attacker.

The attacker was cloaked in a black shroud that obscured their face from view. They didn’t answer back at all and stood there with their arms clenched and poised for combat. Tatsuya could sense a very intense aura coming from them. ‘Do they really want a fight?’ he asked himself in surprise. He quickly held up his hand in a ‘stop’ gesture and said, “I’m sorry, but I refuse your challenge.” He then turned around and began to leave.

The attacker appeared to have taken offense to his words and immediately lurched forward in a kick. Aika was quick to intercept and blocked the attacker from landing a hit on her Darling. The attacker took quick notice of the princess’ intervention and quickly shifted his weight and came back down on the ground. And then, in one quick fluid motion, he somersaulted into the air and landed right in front of Tatsuya, blocking him from continuing forward.

“Listen, I’m not looking for a fight,” said Tatsuya. But the attacker ignored his pleadings and proceeded to unleash an attack straight at Tatsuya’s abdomen: two forceful hand strikes with the fingers curved in a claw. The attack sent Tatsuya stumbling back a few steps. He clutched his stomach and leaned forward. That move that the attacker just did—Tatsuya recognized it. The attack was Technique 15: Double Dragon Claw—a powerful double palm strike with the fingers curved in a claw, aimed at the opponent’s abdomen. ‘He knows Dorajutsu?’ exclaimed Tatsuya in disbelief. The attacker had executed the technique perfectly and in one fluid motion, catching Tatsuya off-guard. However, Tatsuya could also sense that the attack didn’t carry a lot of power—at least not enough to deal real harm and lasting damage. Still, he could tell that the attacker was powerful and very skilled just from that one attack alone. And it was very possible that they were holding back with that last attack.

The attacker didn’t waste any time and proceeded to unleash a flurry of attacks at Tatsuya. Now armed with the knowledge of the attacker’s expertise in Dorajutsu, Tatsuya could read his opponent’s movements and counter them. The attacker attacked with Technique 24: Dragon’s Bite; Tatsuya responded with Technique 25: Stubborn Dragon Stance. The attacker switched to Technique 32: Spinning Dragon Tail-Whip; Tatsuya countered with Technique 42: Dragon Skimming Water—a low jump used to avoid high attacks and as a seamless transition to other techniques. Tatsuya now turned to the offensive and executed Technique 24: Dragon’s Bite. The attacker took quick notice of this transition and defended with Technique 33: Impenetrable Dragon Wings—a defensive move where the arms are crossed over the upper body and strengthened to become hard like steel.

This exchange continued for more than thirty moves and both combatants were in a deadlock. They drew the attention of onlookers and a crowd started to form around them. Aika pushed through the crowd and came up to the front. She was very angry at the attacker for drawing her Darling into this pointless fight. She raised her right hand and took aim. And then, with perfect precision and accuracy, she shot out a very thin stream of fire at the attacker. The fire came into contact with the attacker’s shroud and burned it cleanly to ashes without hurting the wearer at all. With the shroud now gone, everyone could witness the attacker’s real identity.

The entire crowd drew a sharp gasp, but none were louder than Aika’s. The attacker, with his identity now revealed, stopped his attacks and stood very still. Tatsuya also stopped his assault and observed the person now standing before him. He was a handsome young man with short black hair and a lock covering his right eye, burning and intense golden red eyes like the sun, and a cut on his left ear. He had fair skin like freshly fallen snow and around his neck was a silver necklace with a dragon tooth pendant.

“It’s you!” exclaimed Aika in surprise.

The young man wore a very intense gaze and stared right at Tatsuya with penetrating eyes. Tatsuya felt like he was staring right into his soul and shivered. “Is that all you got?” came the young man’s voice, cold like ice yet with powerful like an inferno.

“Why are you fighting me in the first place?” Tatsuya asked him reasonably.

“Dragonborn of the human realm,” called the young man, referring to Tatsuya, “show me what you’re made of.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?” asked Tatsuya, puzzled by the young man’s words. “Listen, I don’t even know who you are. Why are you determined to fight me anyway? What did I ever do to you?”

Just then, a loud voice penetrated through the crowd. “Oi!” cried the voice. Two more young men entered the circle and they gathered around the first young man. The crowd let out another dramatic gasp. “Why did you have to leave us like that? And were you starting a fight again?” came one of the two new young man. He was a very handsome young man with curly golden blonde hair, bright and twinkling blue eyes like stars, a small heart shaped beauty mark under his left eye, and beautiful pink full lips. He had a rather muscular but perfectly proportioned body with olive-skin.

‘Alexander the Great?’ thought Tatsuya to himself upon observing the second young man.

“Just throw this fight,” came the third young man. “It doesn’t matter anyway.” He was an average good-looking young man with curtained straight black hair, bold and piercing amber red eyes like smoldering coals, a small scar under his left eye, and a cleft chin. His body was thin and he had tan skin.

“Um—,” came Tatsuya.

The blonde-haired young man turned to Tatsuya and wore a beaming smile. “Ah, I’m so sorry for this. Please forgive my friend. I’m sure he didn’t mean any harm at all. But his behavior is nevertheless unreasonable. I hope you can find it in your heart to forgive him.”

“Sure thing,” responded Tatsuya slowly. “But, who the hell are you guys?” Once again, the crowd gasped. ‘Whoa, why did they gasp? Did I say something wrong? Should I know who these guys are?’ thought Tatsuya anxiously in response to the crowd’s reaction.

“Ah, we didn’t introduce ourselves, how rude of us,” said the blonde-haired man apologetically. “My name is Perseus Drakon. But you can call me Percy.” He then pointed to the long-haired young man and said, “That’s Miguel Martinez de la Drac. But you can call him Micky.” Tatsuya glanced at Micky and was met with a dangerous scowl. “Lastly,” said Percy, putting a hand on the first young man’s shoulder, “the guy who attacked you is Ao Longshen. Feel free to call him Shen.”

“Ah, I’m Owatatsumi Tatsuya,” introduced Tatsuya.

“We know,” said Percy with a cheerful nod.

Tatsuya couldn’t help but smile every time Percy spoke. He felt very comfortable around him and could sense that he projected a very strong friendly aura that enveloped a radius of at least one hundred kilometers. It was impossible for someone to approach him without a smile on their face and quickly surrendering their inhibitions and becoming enamored by his hospitable personality. Tatsuya felt like he had known this person all his life despite having only met him just now.

“Can I call you Tatsu-kun?” asked Percy kindly.

Tatsuya blushed at his words. He now felt like a high school girl being hit on by the school idol. ‘He’s just like a prince,’ he thought to himself in awe. “S-Sure,” he answered back with a little tremor in his voice, nodding his head clumsily.

“Come on, Shen, apologize,” said Percy.

Shen furrowed his brows into a frown and said, “After we finish the fight. Nothing has been decided yet.”

“Geez, we have more important matters at hand,” said Percy, shaking his head. He turned his head and noticed Aika standing next to Tatsuya. He quickly approached her and got down on one knee. “A pleasure to make your acquaintance, princess,” he said in a melodramatic voice. “I am sorry for causing trouble in your kingdom. May I treat your highness to dinner as an apology for our actions? I believe that a delicate flower such as yourself would prefer something light and savory, am I right?”

‘I feel like I’ve seen this scene before,’ commented Tatsuya.

Aika frowned at Percy and wrapped herself around Tatsuya’s arm. “My Darling is the only one for me!” she unabashedly declared.

Percy quickly glanced from Aika to Tatsuya and back again. He lowered his head and his lips extended into a heartwarming smile. He got up from the ground and said, “I see.” He then clasped his hands together and looked at them with a very cheerful expression as if they were old friends and happily announced, “Congratulations! Forgive me for my rudeness. It did not occur to me that you both were acquainted in that way. I am a fool. I dedicate myself to love but I was too blinded by my own vanity and greed to realize the sight of love before me. Oh, I have failed my mother today.” He then looked up to the heavens and cried out, “Forgive me for my insolence, Mother!”

‘H-He’s a rather interesting fellow,’ thought Tatsuya with an awkward smile.

Percy then turned back to the couple and asked in a suggestive voice, “So, have you two done it?”

Those words quickly turned Tatsuya’s face crimson and his ears burned with shame. “T-There’s a crowd!” he quickly yelped in embarrassment.

“And?” inquired Percy with a tilt of his head.

“I-Isn’t that kind of question too risqué to say in public?” said Tatsuya in a low voice. “I mean, I don’t know how they do it here, but I don’t feel comfortable talking about these things with a lot of people around.”

“It’s just a simple yes or no question,” prodded Percy with a disarming smile.

“B-B-But,” protested Tatsuya.

“I bet you enjoyed it too,” pressed Percy with a suggestive grin.

Suddenly, the image of his time at the love hotel with Aika began to flash in Tatsuya’s mind. His cheeks were flushed red and his body shook awkwardly in hot shame. “I didn’t do anything, okay?!” he suddenly exploded. “It wasn’t anybody’s fault! The atmosphere was just right, and Aika wasn’t thinking straight, and I was forced into a position that I couldn’t escape from at the time, and…and…and…and….”

“Whoa, whoa, whoa,” stopped Percy. “I was asking about your first kiss. What did you think I was asking about?”

“K-Kiss?” came Tatsuya. The misunderstanding made his face become an even brighter red.

Percy looked at Tatsuya’s burning expression and came to a funny realization. “Oh, you thought I was talking about that?” he said. He burst out laughing like a wild hyena. His laughter filled the air and he wiped a tear from the corner of his eye. “I…I can’t believe that that just happened,” he said in between laughs.

“We already did it,” Aika told him. “Darling and I already shared our first kiss. Of course, you know what that means, don’t you?”

Percy regained his composure and bowed before the princess. “Of course, princess,” he said in a very gentlemanly manner, “Your heart now belongs to another.” He winked at Tatsuya.

“Enough,” growled Shen. “Let’s finish what we started.” He reached into his pants pocket and drew out a charm. “Shengli chulai (Victory, Come Forth),” he whispered in Mandarin. Suddenly, the charm changed shape and grew in size. The transformation was accompanied by a bright silver light. Once it was complete, everyone saw a beautiful silver blade in his hand. It reached a length of 82 centimeters (about 32 inches) overall, with the blade reaching 72 centimeters (about 28 inches) in length. The hilt was a cool silver-blue color and had a diamond in the center that was divided into thirteen triangle fragments. The sword’s pommel had a dragon claw design and was of a greenish silver color. The dazzling silver blade itself had a blue dragon emblazoned on one side and the words “Yiji Bisheng” (Victory in One Strike) etched on the other.

The crowd grew weary around the blade and began to take many steps back in fear. It was clear that the blade exuded a very dangerous aura to everyone around it.

Out of habit and instinct, Tatsuya quickly brought out his own sword—Gram. Once he did, the entire crowd dispersed. The power of both swords were too overbearing for the dragon citizens and being too close to them spelled death. Tatsuya could only assume by the crowd’s sudden dispersal that the sword in Shen’s hand was also a dragon-slaying blade.

“Nice blade you have there,” said Tatsuya in an attempt to appear confident and impressive.

“This blade right here is Durandal, known throughout the dragon realm as the Silver Blade of Death,” said Shen.

“And this is Gram,” replied Tatsuya smartly, “Sorry, but I don’t know its name in the dragon realm.”

“The Golden Sword of God,” said Shen with a frown.

Aika, who had by now let go of Tatsuya and hid behind him, could feel the danger and dread coming from the blades in their hands. Those weapons were poison to all dragon kind, yet she couldn’t abandon her Darling just because of a divine fear. Despite her instincts to run and hide, she did all she can to calm herself and stay with Tatsuya for as long as her sanity allows her.

Without further words, both Tatsuya and Shen rushed into combat. They clashed swords and exchanged blows. However, it was clear that both their skills and strengths were equally matched: for each and every strike one did to the other, it was cleverly defended against and countered. But despite the equality in their strengths, they still engaged in battle without surrender.

“My, Tatsu-kun is really good,” praised Percy brightly.

“I guess,” agreed Micky.

‘Darling, don’t lose,’ prayed Aika.

As they continued to strike, block, counter, and repeat, the sound of marching footsteps and animal hooves beating on the ground coming from the distance caught their ears, yet they simply ignored it. Right now, they were both focused on the fight. Meanwhile, Aika and the other two guys turned their attention to the arriving retinue and realized that it was none other than the Draco royal family.

The men stopped right in front of Aika and the griffin-drawn carriage in the center came to a halt. Out stepped King Rexus and Prince Nobi. Percy and Micky got down on one knee and bowed before the king and prince. “King Rexus and Prince Nobara of the Draco Tribe, we are forever humbled to be graced by your presence. May the Draco Tribe, forever be prosperous and glorious till the end of all time,” they praised in unison.

Nobi turned his attention to the fight and asked, “How long have they been at it?”

“A little while now,” answered Percy.

King Rexus stepped up in front of them and said, in a loud and authoritative voice as befitting his status as the king of a warrior tribe, “Men! Stop this instant!”

Tatsuya and Shen heard the king’s order and immediately came to a halt. They were breathing hard and covered in sweat, a testament to their skills and their opponent’s. They tucked their weapons away and bowed their heads in apology.

“Now, what might’ve spurred this on?” the king asked them calmly.

Before Tatsuya could answer, Shen took the lead and answered the king’s question with complete honesty. “It is my fault,” he said. “I saw him while I was coming out of the Temple of the Dragonborn, and recognizing him as the Dragonborn of the human realm, I wanted to fight him and assess his skills with my own eyes. I did not expect to cause this much of a commotion. I also understand that my choice of time and place was not wise either. For this, I apologize.”

“Well, as long as nobody was hurt,” said the king with a nod of his head. He then turned to Percy and Micky and nodded his head again. “It looks like everyone is here.”

“Everyone?” asked Tatsuya, confused by the king’s statement.

“Come,” said King Rexus as he and Nobi got back up in the carriage. Aika, meanwhile, stayed behind with Tatsuya.

As the carriage and men turned around to walk back to the palace, Tatsuya and Aika and the other three guys followed behind them. ‘What did the king meant by everyone?’ wondered Tatsuya to himself. He took a look at the other three guys and wondered if the king meant them. ‘Who are they anyway?’