A great silence befell the palace. No one made a sound as they stared at Zephyr in disbelief. He had just disrespected the Master of Masters, Shaun Lee. It felt like a fever dream. No one had ever thought this day would come. Even Shaun himself had a look of surprise before it quickly turned into one of contempt. For the longest time, only the Ahi emperor himself could have contended with him. No one had ever disrespected him like this before. Yet today of all days, Zephyr Khan stood before him, among the eyes of many fighters, questioning his capability.

It was insulting. Humiliating even. If it was not for him personally hearing this challenge, he would have thought he heard wrong!

Shaun laughed with anger at Zephyr’s display of brazen foolishness. “Hahaha, what a foolish boy!” He proceeded to make the first move. One could see how infuriated he was to make the first move against a Strength of level nine.

Blades danced in the air. Loud booms and cracks sounded throughout the sky. Zephyr’s Focus flared within, channeling dreadful energy into Draken. “Seventh Slash!” Zephyr unleashed his ultimate swordskill. One that has gone unbeaten in its countless uses. The two finally clashed, coming to blows. Every fighter around could only watch wide-eyed, some even forgot to breathe, painting their faces red.

It was a match between the strongest fighter in the Ahi Dynasty, and a prodigy from a small, distant town! Both masters in their own right. However, the differences in power were as night and day. How could a Strength of level nine matchup against an Agile of level five!

Shaun barely waved his sleeve, yet Zephyr could feel the sudden rush of bladed energy coming his way. He parried with his sword, though it left his arm in a streak of pain and numbness. “Ha!” Shaun yelled, sending forth a palm against Zephyr; a palm that carried a wave of rolling energy. At this moment, the space around them contorted and twisted as if it reacted to this sudden burst of power. It was as though the air itself had solidified in place.

Experiencing this, Zephyr did not hesitate to dodge the attack. However, the speed of Shaun’s attack was too fast and too furious. It waved over like a comet, quickly landing on Zephyr’s body. A loud crack was heard, and Zephyr felt his insides rolling as his body was stricken with pain. He felt as though he was smashed by a mountain, this caused him to spit out mouthfuls of blood from his mouth.

The differences in their levels were too big. An Agile of a level five’s battle power was no match for a Strength of level nine. Zephyr could never defend against Shaun’s might. “You’re strong. It’s no wonder a common Agile of level four would have trouble with you!” Shaun said calmly, with looks of suspicion. Though, this look was also paired with killing intent.

After all, Zephyr had openly displayed his hatred towards his kingdom. He was a traitor. Shaun was left with no choice but to dispose of him. Otherwise, Zephyr would no doubt bring much more harm to the Ahi Dynasty. Shaun knew he had to dispose of Zephyr now, otherwise, the Academy would no doubt groom him into a powerful enemy, nay, a powerhouse in this world.

Although Zephyr was an Academy apprentice, Shaun felt that if he handled this correctly, even the Academy would allow him some leeway. Feeling Shaun’s killing intent, Zephyr smiled wryly. He supposed there was no way out of it now. “Hmph!” Zephyr huffed, clenching his fist tightly. He had no intention of giving up. “You’re just older, that’s it! That’s all you’ve got, old man!” Zephyr yelled. Shaun had made himself an enemy of Zephyr, therefore he would find no courtesy from the boy.

‘Is this kid really trying to get the whole of Ahi to hate him?’ Boxer thought. He knew that this was no trivial feud between Zephyr and the royals anymore. He could do nothing but watch. Shaun’s aura had left him paralyzed. This made everyone beg the question, how could a measly Strength of level nine such as Zephyr withstand Shaun’s encompassing mass of power? So much so that he could even come to blows with him?

Whatever the case, it was clear that Zephyr had greatly angered Shaun Lee.