He knows those boots! His master finally came down. Will breathes a little easier, everything will be ok.

  As though that thought called forth his master’s actions, the weight holding Will down suddenly vanishes. The two judges holding him down spring backwards and square off with Amos.

  Right as he is about to get up, he feels his master grab him by the back of his jacket and haul him to his feet.

  “You fool! What were you thinking?!”

  His master’s face was a thundercloud, with anger the likes of which Will has never seen, let alone directed at him.

  “M..master.” Will swallows despite his suddenly dry throat and firms his voice. It came with immense effort. “He was going to kill her! He rigged this whole thing so he could face her in the ring! I think he even paid off the refs so they wouldn’t intervene! I know it seems like a lot but I know it’s true! I wasn’t about to put her life on the line on the chance that I was wrong. Beat me, kill me if you wish, but I stand by my decision!”

  “Of course he did!”

  Will froze. What?

  “You didn’t think we didn’t have eyes on you the entire time you were in the market? That we didn’t see him use his family’s influence and money to get him to fight Alea today? That we didn’t see him threaten and blackmail those two refs to let a fatal hit land?”

  Will’s mind was reeling. He had been right!

  “Then why are you mad at me? What’s the issue? I saved her life! I was right in what I did!”

  Amos looks at him with a look of anger then disappointment.

  “Will.” His voice lowered, his tone strained. “Do you think so little of your masters that you didn’t think we had this covered? Did you think us so weak that even if the refs allowed a fatal hit that we wouldn’t stop it?”

  Will’s mind froze. He could barely think.

  For his entire life he couldn’t trust adults. His mother abandoned him. His father ignored him. His teachers did nothing when they saw him getting relentlessly bullied. No adult had ever been there for him. None that he could trust or rely on for anything.

  Why didn’t he trust his master with this? Because adults in his old world have showed him he could only rely on himself. Somewhere along the way only relying on himself had become second nature, an automatic reaction, just the way it was.

  But his master..he’s been there for him hasn’t he? Through every struggle of his training, every single one of his questions, frustrations and achievements. Sure he hasn’t been in this world long, but his master has been there for him more than any other adult in his entire life combined. He’s never once showed he couldn’t be trusted; never once showed even the slightest sign that he was going to abandon him. Never once showed that he wasn’t strong enough to deal with any problem.

  When Will realized his mistake his mind froze up even more as his stomach dropped in a horrified realization of how much he messed up. He should have trusted him.

  “Master…I’m sorry. I..didn’t think. I should of..” Tears started to form in the corner of his wide eyes.

  What have I done?

  Amos sighs. “It’s ok son.”

  Amos sets Will back down and stares out into the distance, past the arena, as if focusing on something specific. He has an intense look on his face.

  Before Will can ask what he’s looking at Will feels a presence fall over the arena. Immediately he’s forced down to a knee from the immense pressure.

  Will looks around frantically to try and find the source. As he does he notices that the entire arena seems to be affected to some degree as well, but not as strongly as those actually on the arena floor. Everyone on and around the fighting rings, besides Amos, are forced down to at least a knee. Even the refs are straining and seem unable to move.

  Finally Will notices movement in the direction Amos was staring and his eyes lock onto a figure. Amos is no longer looking into the distance, his eyes now locked onto the figure walking causally towards them as well.

  An aura of power seems to be pouring off the man; the air around him seeming to bend. Whether he was doing it intentionally or it’s just a byproduct of being powerful Will isn’t sure, but either way he’s terrified.

  The man seems to be an inch or so shorter than Amos. He has wavey brown hair that is combed backwards in a stylish way. He’s wearing a black jacket not to dissimilar to Will’s own. He has on a green vest and black undershirt beneath it. This man is clearly powerful, but he’s the first cultivator he has seen so far whose body doesn’t look like his old world’s body builders or CrossFit junkie.

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  Every cultivator he has seen so far has either been powerfully built, or shredded with whipcord taut muscles. Some even both.

  Will has cursed to himself at the unfairness of genetics many times in his old world, and even a few times in the new one. But he figured a natural result of cultivation is an extremely strong and resilient body.

  This man is pudgy. He has a slightly round face and a beer belly. He’s not massively fat; especially not by American standards. But he’s not bulging with muscle either.

  Will can practically feel the arrogance coming off of him.

  Will frowns as he walks towards them. He looks like he’s casually strolling, taking his time, but each step he takes seems to take him much farther than a normal one.

  Halfway to them he finally speaks. “Amos! My old friend. It’s been to long. And no wonder why! You’ve been keeping such treasures to yourself! You’ve been holding out on me my friend.”

  “Belial. I wasn’t aware a tournament for children was something that interests you.”

  Belial stopped walking about thirty feet away from them. “Oh I’m always keeping my eye out for fresh young talent to help grow and nurture. You know me Amos, a paragon of generosity and tutorship.” Belial looks Amos up and down, appraising him. “You’ve grown strong old friend. The Emperor Realm suits you! Almost as much as it does me.” He starts laughing boisterously at his own joke. “Unfortunately you never were able to keep up with me though.”

  He’s stronger than Amos?

  Will’s mind reels. This is the first time Will has ever heard his master’s level of cultivation confirmed. In the back of Will’s mind he wishes he had more context so he could better understand, but he is so filled with terror at the sheer pressure from the man in the vest’s power that he can barely think of anything else except his desire to run away. He has a hard time wrapping his mind around him being stronger than Amos, but he can feel how dangerous he is. He feels like it should be impossible. No one’s stronger than Amos.

  …At least, that’s how Will has been starting to feel. All he knows is that the terror inside him is the strongest he’s ever felt.

  “A fire user in the Spirit Realm with exceptional elemental skill and control, and whose fire is already orange? That alone would wound me deeply that you had hidden such a prize from your friends. But a lightning user?!” Belial gestures with his hands in mock exasperation. “And if that weren’t enough, it’s a young lightning user who has already achieved gold level lightning!” His eyes raise to the sky, as a father would in mock outrage at his unruly toddler being adorably defiant.

  “Amos my friend, I simply cannot let this pass unanswered. But do not worry. I will take them off your hands and we can part as the closest of friends once more.”

  Will starts shaking. He thought he felt fear back on his old world? It is nothing compared to now. He does not want to go with this man. But Will isn’t a child anymore. He will not cry and hate the world for his powerlessness. He will fight. He doesn’t care if he crumbles away, body, soul and all in an attempt to blast a hole through this man that makes his muscles turn to jelly. He won’t go quietly. He’ll die fighting.

  A cruel smile plays across Belial’s lips and the pressure on Will feels like it triples. He slams to the ground, forced flat to his stomach, his lungs struggling to even fill with air.

  “It’s always fun to break the ones who think they have a spine to them.” A smile filled with a level of cruelty Will has never known is on Belial’s face, and Will realizes that, although he’s proud of his will to fight, a will that didn’t used to be there, he’s hopelessly outmatched here.

  This man is pinning him effortlessly to the ground with just his aura. Will’s getting his first real lesson on the sheer differences in power as you ascend in Realms of cultivation.

  Suddenly the pressure disappears and Will is able to breath and move again.

  Alea groans next to him and opens her eyes.

  “Alea! Are you ok?”

  She responds weekly at first, but her voice slowly becomes more firm. “That scum bag. I almost had him.” She laughs to herself. Suddenly she grunts in pain and holds her side. “Ugh this burnin hurts.” She tries to get up and Will helps her. Normally he’d have her stay down incase something serious was broken, punctured or torn and moving would make it worse. But they might need to move soon so having her up is for the best.

  Will has an arm around her middle and moves her arm over his shoulders. She looks over at man they’re facing. “I guess I missed a few things.”

  “Don’t move.” Amos says. He doesn’t look at them, his gaze still fixed on Belial, but he starts to give them instructions. “I’m not going to be able to protect you if you’re moving around. I need you two to stay calm and stay still.”

  Alea stiffens as she realizes how much trouble they’re in.

  “Yes sir.” They both say.

  Belial frowns. “Now Amos. I don’t want to hurt you. And I certainly don’t want to hurt these two diamonds in the rough. Please don’t make this harder than it has to be.” He puts on a fake pout as he says it. Exaggerating the movement.

  Will feels himself struggle to breathe again. Only this time it’s no one’s aura. At least, he doesn’t think so. This time it’s the sheer pressure of two men so far above him in power it’s like comparing the sun to a spark.

  The tension grows as the two Emperors stare each other down. One with a mocking smile on his face, the other with an intense gaze.

  Will’s breathing starts to quicken and he can feel Alea stiffen agains him. The pressure is getting to them both. There is no heat, no obvious aura, just two titans preparing to face one another. He might not have ever seen a battle of this scale before, but something inside him, something instinctual tells him that he will be wiped off the face of this planet with the bare edge of a passing attack.

  Will can’t take it. He feels like he’s about to crack. Belial’s smile grows. “Looks like your apprentice can’t-“

  Taleya appears out of no where. Above and behind Belial, sword raised, long blonde hair in a tight braid that’s flying wide, grinning, black eyes locked onto her target.

  Will can see her taught muscles strain and flow as she sweeps her sword down towards Belial’s exposed neck with immense power.

  At the same time Amos blurs forward and all Will can do is pray.