Xing's POV:
"A war?"
"That's what she said! I was wondering if you knew anything about it? Even back then, I was just barely able to fend off the enemies with what little manpower I had, but since then the quality and number of soldiers that I command have decreased significantly."
"Uhm, yeah, sorry about that!" I said feeling guilty.
Back when we first took shelter here on the 2nd martial continent Takeru had dropped everything to help us out. Then when a neighboring nation backed by one of the nine dragon clans had tried to pressure Takeru into handing us over, he had stubbornly refused. Even when his former emperor ordered him to hand us over, he still would not relent. By committing treason, he made enemies with both the neighboring country and his own, eventually forced into bending the knee to the Dark Empire to survive. He had betrayed his country, risked his own life, lost countless good men, and by the end of it all, he came home to find his wife deceased from childbirth, all because of our friendship. I could never have asked for a better friend than him, for even in a mad world where my own blood can't be trusted, I know without a doubt that I can trust this man with my life.
"Hm? Oh, no, it's not because of …! Well, you see-!"
"You don't have to sugar coat it! You are only short on manpower because you protected me and my family back then! You've gone through so much for my sake, and I can't ever repay you for everything you lost for me and my family. Seriously, thank you! Both me and my clan owe you our lives, so whatever you need of us, just ask and we will do it!" I said, fully prepared to go to hell and back if he said the word.
*Chuckle*
"Uh, did I say something funny?" I asked, as Takeru suddenly laughed at my words of determination.
"It's nothing. The look on your face just made me recall the good old days when we traveled the continent together!"
"The good old days? You're making us sound like old men, hehe! Then again, those days do feel like a lifetime ago!" I said, as I began reminiscing on those days.
Back when I first came of age, my clan had sent me on a journey to this continent as a rite of passage. Before then, I had spent all my time studying and training within the safety of the Yang clan, but there are things that cannot be taught with books and tutors, so I was sent to the 2nd martial continent to gain some life experience. I was to make the journey with hardly any support from the clan. All by myself in a foreign land with only a ring full of teals and lesser magic stones to get me started, I was left to make it on my own, but on my first day, I was scammed out of half my money and nearly arrested after I tried to take back my money through force. While running from the law my map got destroyed in a tussle with a magic beast and I spent the next month lost in a chaos plane. I eventually ended up in the next country over where I started looking for a guide, and whatever I didn't lose to scammers and thieves, or gave away to beggars on the street, I used to buy Takeru, thinking that a slave wouldn't be able to rob me so easily. Flat broke, and a slave guide that would occasionally go berserk, that was how our adventure started. We had a few brushes with death here and there, but never have I ever felt as free as I did back then.
*Sigh*
"Thinking about it, makes me wish we could go back to those days!" I said, feeling nostalgic about those bygone days.
"Speak for yourself!" Takeru retorted.
"Huh?"
"It was always such a pain pulling you out of whatever mess you got yourself into!"
"It wasn't that bad."
"…! You can't be serious?"
"What?"
"Tell me, how many times did you go out to buy something and come back flat broke?"
"That was only in the beginning! I didn't know how to tell if something seemed fishy, nor about the standard price for things on this continent. Everything here is so much cheaper than I was used to, so I couldn't tell when something was overpriced."
"Then there were the times you would wonder into magic beast nests!"
"That was still pretty early on, and I was unfamiliar with how magic beasts mark their territory, so I didn't notice the warning signs!"
"YOU SET UP CAMP ON TOP OF A LEGENDARY BLACK TORTUS!"
"I DIDN'T KNOW IT WAS A TORTUS WHEN I DID!"
"IT WAS THE SIZE OF A MOUNTAIN! HOW THE HELL DID YOU MISS IT?"
"IT WAS HIDING IN ITS SHELL AND PARTIALLY BURRIED IN THE GROUND! I JUST THOUGHT IT WAS A STRANGE-LOOKING HILL!"
"SO, WHY DIDN'T YOU GET OFF WHEN IT STARTED MOVING?! IT TOOK ME DAYS TO TRACK IT AND YOU DOWN!"
"IT ONLY MOVED AROUND DURING THE NIGHT, WHEN I WAS ASLEEP!"
"And it still took you how long to notice you had moved from where you were before?"
"…! No comment!"
"Then there were the times you got arrested for something or another!"
"Hey, I was in the right for most of those, and the rest were misunderstandings!"
"And how many times did those 'misunderstandings' land you on death's row?"
"Not that ma-!"
"14 times!"
"Hey, that's not-!"
"I'm counting the 3 times you were caught again after escaping."
"Well, you got into some trouble too! We lost way more money paying for the damages of your rampages than what I lost to scammers!"
"I couldn't help it! It was a side effect of my physique!"
"Which reminds me, who was it that said, 'I have to know' when a shifty-looking guy said he knew something about your condition and got kidnapped to the middle of nowhere and nearly sacrificed to an evil god?"
"…! *sigh* Me, but to be fair, had that not happened, I would have never learned how to deal with my condition!"
"Had I not kept an emergency medicinal pill on hand you would have died on that alter! Honestly, you could be so selfish sometimes!"
"Say the guy who started a war over a slave!"
"And who was that rude slave who ranted at me for saving his life again I wonder?"
"…!"
"…!"
*Chuckling*
After recalling all the crazy things we did in our youth, we couldn't help but let out a laugh.
"Ah, it's good to have you back to your old self Xing!"
"Yeah, yeah! So, who are we going to war against? If they have both you and my daughter on edge, then they aren't small fry."
"Well, …! Don't freak out, but they are-! Hm!"
*BOOM*
And just then the building we were in exploded. Takeru, noticing the attack last second, moved to shield me from the blast with his body. Overall, with my draconic bloodline and aura mastery, I could probably compete with an indigo stage cultivator, but if I am caught off guard while my aura is inactive, my body's endurance is comparable to that of a red core nascent soul while in human form, and the attack that just erased my newly enlarged mansion would have definitely killed me had Takeru not stepped in to block it.
Takeru was almost completely unharmed. One of the perks earth cultivators have over others is that their physical bodies tend to become sturdier than others, not to mention his special physique adds to that trait.
Looking around us, we seemed to be surrounded by smoke and the few remaining embers burning away at what little remains of my home. Fortunately, thanks to my draconic bloodline, I am neither affected by the normally toxic smoke of the fire, and my eyes can vaguely see through the smokescreen covering us if I squint my eyes. There seemed to be three people up in the sky who were probably responsible for this. However, before I had the time to think any further Takeru moved.
"HIKARI!!!" He screamed.
It only then occurred to me that my friend's only daughter had been in the building when it exploded. Looking over to where Takeru had bolted, I saw a ball of charred dirt crumbling away to reveal the green-haired child, safe and sound. I then used my radiance aura to close the distance as I patted my friend on the shoulder.
"Phew! That's a relief!" I said to the father hugging his child in relief.
*Swoosh*
Just then, there was a sudden gust of wind that blew away the smoke. Looking up in the direction of the people in the air, my eyes went wide as I saw who it was.
"How unpleasant! To think the fool of the Yang still draws breath."
"Hmph! We should have just killed that trash instead of poisoning him from the shadows! Isn't that right daughter of mine!"
"Grandfather? Is this really ne-!"
"Quiet child! Do not question my judgement!"
In the sky above us, I saw the sage of the arcane, flanked by two cyan-eyed women with silver-hair. The older one looked like an aged version of my wife, while the other was wearing a porcelain mask. Realizing what they were trying to do, I was growing irritated by just looking at them.
'Glad to see you have learned your lesson!' My beloved ghost wife spoke to me.
"Of course! Even without the different eyes, the girl's shaking like a leaf! That nervous wreck of a girl could never be our overly confident Nox!"
"Be a good girl, Nox, and show some pity on this trash!" The elderly twin of my dear Chrystalla said to the fake Nox, before handing her a sound amplifying artifact.
"mmm! Well, I, … *sigh* MY NAME IS LUNARIA NOX, AND I WAS THE ONE WHO POISONED YOU STU-!"
*Bang**Bang*
*Sizzle**Crack*
"Tsk!"
Aggravated at this slander, I interrupted her by sending two radiance lasers aimed at her masked face. Unfortunately, there was a magic barrier in the way that deflected my attacks, but it still made the girl flinch. My attacks did seem to do some damage to the barrier, so if I do an all-out attack, I'll likely be able to break through. The only issue, however, is the man standing between the two women. Even if I can match a peak stage nascent soul, I would be no match for him. Even if I tapped into that same level of power back when I saw Nox get her hand injured by my brother, I would still come up short by a bit. Chrystalla's twin could also prove a problem if I let my guard down, seeing as she is at least a 4th tier magician from what I've been told. Then again, they are mages, so if I can force a close quarter fight, I might be able to do something. Given how large the explosion was, it won't be long until reinforcements arrive, so I only need to hold them off until then.
"Hey, Takeru! I'll hold em off! You ta-!"
Just as I was about to tell Takeru to get out of here with his daughter while I distracted them, he grabbed me by the shoulder and walked past me. Catching a glimpse of the look on his face, my words caught in my throat.
"Hey, Xing! Take care of Hikari for a bit would you!"
"Hm? And who might you be? We have no business with-!"
*Shatter**Bang*
In an instant, the barrier was shattered and the sage of the arcane was gone, and in his place stood Ito Takeru, his right arm stretched out like he had just thrown a punch.
*cough**Cough*
"Uncle Xing! Where did Daddy go?" Little Hikari spoke, as she had been unable to tell where her father had disappeared to.
"Hm? Oh, your daddy is making the bad guys who blew up uncle's house go away! Now let's go watch from a safe distance while your daddy take's care of those bullies."
There are many ways to bridge a gap in power. Back when I was a cultivator, my draconic bloodline and aura made me almost as strong as my mother, an earth immortal, despite being an indigo stage nascent soul. For Takeru though, ha can surpass even the me of the past with his physique. Possessing one of the nine extreme physiques means possessing the greatest affinity a physical lifeform can have for an element, and in his current state and cultivation, his power over the earth element nearly rivals a heavenly immortal's.
"Wow! Cool! Uncle can transform like Gwanpa!" Hikari exclaimed as she witnessed my dragon form.
Amongst the dragonnewts, there are those of us with the ability to take on the form of dragons. It's not an easy technique to master, which is why most dragonnewts tend to spend their whole lives without this ability. Within the current clan, the only ones who know how to do this are me and my father. Even before the fall of the clan, there were only two or three more who could do this. This form comes with some advantages, as it is both stronger and more durable than my human form, while allowing me to fly through the sky without a core. The exact method we use to fly is a little similar but somewhat different from the telekinesis cultivators use. Rather than lifting ourselves off the ground, it feels more like we are swimming through the air.
I took to the skies with Hikari riding on my back. I was planning to take her to the main house where my parents are, but…
"WEEE! *Giggle* This is so awesome! Huh? Hey, uncle? What's that?"
Looking over at where the main building should be, I got a sinking feeling in my gut, as I saw a pillar of pure darkness shooting into the sky. That feeling got worse as I saw a blinding light appear in the direction of the sparring grounds where my sister and adopted grandson should be.
"The entire estate is under attack! Hm!"
*Swoosh*
*High-pitched scream*
*Pop*
I suddenly noticed the space around us was beginning to shake and I hurried to move out of the way of the attack that soon followed. Though it missed my torso, I lost one of my hind claws from the sudden spatial slash of the armored dwarf who just teleported on to this scene.
"Little Hikari, are you okay?" I asked, wondering if my sudden shift in movement had scared the poor girl.
"That was fun! Again, again!" She spoke in excitement.
It would seem my worries were unfounded as she seemed to enjoy the sudden acceleration. The mud-creature had tied itself around here while latching on to my back, fastening Hikari in place so she wouldn't fall off, so I won't have to worry too much about my movement.
"Surrender yourself quietly dragon's descendant or I will be made to use force!" Spoke the sage of runes, as he pointed his mythical battleaxe towards me.
"Hmph! You getting cold feet after your sneak attack failed!"
"I am simply offering a way to avoid any more bloodshed! Personally, I only hold a grudge against an individual of your clan rather than the whole clan itself, but unfortunately, some of our allies have requested we capture you as well. If you come quietly this raid will end for today, but should you resist, then I cannot guarantee the child on your back will not be harmed!"
This is bad. Just one sage is bad enough, but if I had to guess based on the dwarf before me and the two giant energy constructs of light and dark in the distance, the whole trio is likely here. Takeru might be strong, but even if he can put up a good fight, he cannot defeat the sage of the arcane on his own. If my mother came to his aid, or if my siblings and father gathered all the guards of the estate, we could overwhelm him with numbers, but if the other two are here as well, then I doubt they will allow for that to happen.
In my current state, I wouldn't stand a chance against a sage, at best I would be able to run, but I am unsure if I'd be able to protect Hikari while doing so. Takeru asked me to protect his child, but is surrender the only way forwards?
'You're an idiot!'
"Hm?"
'This clan is our daughter's territory!'
'What are you getting at? Nox isn't here right now, thank god, or she likely would have been targeted as well!' I responded to my Chrystalla.
'My sweet idiot Xing! Our daughter is a very territorial and paranoid child!'
*Bang*
Just then, a ball of fire came shooting up from below, striking the defensive barrier of the dwarven sage in front of me.
'She would never leave her property unprotected.'
As my beloved's words echoed in my head, I glanced down on the ground below, and my eyes widened in shock, and I couldn't help but smile at what I saw.