Chapter 95: Defying a God
The previous night,
Rufus Emberheart sat alone in his house.
There werent many moments when he could think freely. Around others, he had to show the face of a king. Only now, in his privacy, could he let his mind roam free.
And he needed that, because his Dao was struggling.
Settle down, he commanded it, furrowing his brows, but it was difficult. Supremacy was fleeting.
His Dao was already strained by coming to this planet. It whispered that a truly supreme person wouldnt need to lie or cheat. However, he knew that was the way of the world; the rules only applied to the weak, which he was not. It was power guiding him, not fear.
He could control that doubt.
But now, his vest had been stained by a monkey. Moreover, he had been unable to avenge that insult on the spot, even though he tried.
Argh! Rufus roared, releasing his frustration freely. He raised a paw and smashed one of the mundane instruments to pieces.
Additionally, the owner of that monkey had defeated him in a bidding war. That was the hardest to stomach. Rufus had miscalculated, played his cards wrong, and because of that, he had lost.
All those incidents combined into a heavy pressure in his soul. Cultivating the Dao of Supremacy was like walking on a swords edge. It gave the cultivator tremendous power, but its requirements were overwhelming. Every step had to be perfect, or you would tumble into the abyss. Missteps could not be tolerated. It was a Dao that would either take you to the heavens or nowhere at all.
Thankfully, he was still low in Grade; the Dao Tree of Supremacy would never stand for these insults. It would crumble like a tower of cards.
I need to regain my momentum, Rufus thought, narrowing his eyes. I must turn adversity into opportunity and triumph with the majesty of a king.
There was nothing he could do about his Daos protests to cheating, but as for the other two They both converged on one enemy.
Jack Rust.
Rufus Emberheart would never lower himself to antagonize a monkey. The real culprit was Jack Rust, who had also taken away his Rainbow Dao Pill and dared meet his blow without shattering.
There were many paths to regaining the upper hand, but only one of them was truly supreme.
I will break through to the E-Grade right now, proving I do not need the pill. I will make it in time. Then, I will destroy him in fair battle, I will slay his monkey before his face, and I will dominate his allies. In one fell swoop, my Dao will be justified.
He needed that resolve. If not, his Dao would be unstable, and his breakthrough to the E-Grade would not be perfect.
The pill was only an extra assurance. He was confident in succeeding regardless. His masterwho was also his grandfatheradvised against it, but to follow that advice was cowardice, and Rufus could no longer afford it.
For his path to be perfect, he had to follow it with all his heart.
As this resolve filled him, it resonated with his Dao. The crown in his soul invited him, as it had been doing for the last few months. This time, Rufus obliged. The world faded away until only the supreme crown and himself remained. He had unshakable confidence in himself.
He would reign supreme.
***
A minute passed. Jack waited, scanning the stands and arena entrances with confusion, but Rufus never appeared. He even suspected that the leonine was hidden under the sand to launch a sneak attack, but if so, he had had ample time to attack already.
So where was he?
The audience shared the same question. Everyone whispered at each other, filling the arena with noise. Edgar spoke to the people around him, then looked at Jack and shrugged.
Hey! the guy with strong lungs and a tendency to meddle shouted. How long does he have to arrive?
The head judge took a moment to respond. Even she seemed to be doubting her own words. For the final battle, the waiting time is one hour. If Rufus Emberheart fails to show up by then, he will automatically forfeit the fight
More whispers spread through the audience.
Surprisingly, even the ghosts and Vocrich seemed confused. The C-Grade lioness showed no reaction. Suddenly, the ghosts and Vocrich turned to look at her, all at once. Jack felt something brush against his soul so softly that he would have missed it if he wasnt battle-ready.
Is she scanning us? Is she scanning the town to look for Rufus?
He stared at the lioness, then remembered she was a literal goddess and looked away.
Suddenly, a voice rang in his mind, carrying the majesty and authority of a queen. Resign.
Jack flashed another look towards the lioness. He recognized her voice. Why was she speaking to him?
Rufus got delayed. He will come in a few minutes, but my time is too precious to waste here. You cannot win. Resign.
Jack was so shocked he couldnt think straight. She wanted him to resign the most important battle of his lifejust because she couldnt wait two minutes!?
There was no pressure in her words, but he could feel it looming right behind them. The threat wasnt even veiled; to disobey a C-Grades words, especially a hostile C-Grades, was blatant suicide.
Jack gritted his teeth. What was happening? This wasnt part of the plan, but when a god asked
He didnt want to resign. Could he survive making his position even worse? Offending the scions was one thing, but a C-Grade immortal was infinitely greater.
However, if he resigned now, the C-Grade master of his master wouldnt take him as a disciple. There really wasnt a choice.
He didnt know how to reply through his thoughts, nor did he dare look at the lioness, so he simply clenched his jaw and remained silent. Suddenly, he was more aware of the pressure. He was standing alone in the middle of a vast arena, bearing the honor of his planet and watched by everyone on Earth. Eight billion sets of eyes watched him simply stand there, including several immortals and a godlike being.
He had never been more aware of his breath, his blinking, or the way he stood.
Do you dare disobey my words? The voice rang in his mind again, and this time, it wasnt alone. A heavy pressure descended on him, covering him from head to toe, so strong it made him sweat. If the threat had been implicit before, it was now clear as day.
Jack gritted his teeth. He looked at her, and found the lioness leaning back with her eyes closed, as if nothing here was worth watching. She was hiding the fact that she spoke to him. Why?
He maintained his silence.
Something foreign infiltrated his mind and soul. His Dao Roots shivered and crumbled, squeezed into tiny dots on the verge of shattering like glass beads. Suddenly, he was in the presence of something greater than he could comprehend. A giant was staring at him, a mountain-sized beast. He lacked the means to comprehend the sensation or put it into words, but it was similar to the awe as you watched a gigantic tsunami crashing on your face, except lasting more an instant.
Or, more accurately, like being completely tied up and between the jaws of a hungry lion just before it devoured you.
Primal fear welled up from everywhere inside him. His soul screamed at him to surrender, and his Dao Roots couldnt make a peep in the presence of something so superior to them.
The world disappeared around Jack. His senses were cut off as if his mind didnt dare perceive anything in the face of this beast.
Resign, the voice exploded inside his mind, shaking him to the very core like hed swallowed an industrial-strength speaker.
But Jack retained control of his mind, and hidden behind his fear, his thoughts still worked. Why was the lioness threatening him? Why did she care so much? And, most importantly, why she was pretending that nothing was happening?
Jacks mind raced. Vocrich, a representative of the Hand of God, was right beside her. The Hand of God were the enforcers of the Star Pact, the galactic law, and interfering with the Integration Tournament went directly against that law. If she went to the trouble of hiding, then it meant that Vocrich could and would punish her if he knew.
Which meant she couldnt be too obvious. He was between the jaws of a lion, but it wouldnt dare chew.
He also considered speaking up to expose her, but only an idiot would pit his word against a C-Grades. She was bullying him, and all he could do was endure.
No, he replied weakly, speaking in his thoughts. He didnt even know if she could hear him. It was a wild gamble, but it was the only thing he could do. To save his people, he had to beat Rufus Emberheart. In any other case, most if not all of them would die, and Jack didnt mind dying with them. It would be his fault, anyway.
The Dao brimmed with rage in his mind. The lioness could end him with a thought, but she didnt. She considered her next move in silence, and Jack knew his prediction had been right.
She couldnt harm him. Her next words, still spoken in his mind, served as confirmation.
I will not lower myself to kill a mortal, but know that your insult will be repaid tenfold. Every second you disobey me, you will regret it enough for a lifetime.
Jack didnt care about her threat. The only thing he minded was, Why the hell does she care so much!?
Was it a matter of pride? Because shed given an order and he refused, she would go all the way to threatening him? Just to save a few minutes of her time? And where the hell was Rufus?
Something was fishy here.
Jacks eyes swiveled to meet his masters, who was looking straight at him.
I dont know either, Master Shols voice rang in Jacks mind. He shrugged; he didnt seem to have noticed the lionesss actions.
A third voice reached his mind, then. It was the Sage. He is not coming, Jack heard, and he had to try not to raise his brows. Why is everyone suddenly telepathic? he wondered. Is my mind so much fun?
The Sage continued, Rufus Emberheart made a mistake. He was cultivating before the match, and he accidentally reached the final insight he needed to break into the E-Grade. The process cannot be stopped, and if it is interrupted, it would harm his Dao so severely he might never recover. It will probably not finish within the hour.
Jack was filled with astonishment.
Wow, he thought.
Wow, indeed. Not even I expected that.
Wait. You can hear me?
We are conversing. Of course I can, as long as you will your thoughts to be transmitted.
Jacks astonishment transformed into elation. The lioness is trying to make me surrender. She knows Rufus is not coming. If I just persist, will I win the fight?
Who is speaking to you, mortal? The lionesss voice rang again. Jacks eyes widened, and he felt a need to swear, but he didnt even do it in his thoughts.
You cannot hide communication from a C-Grade. Everything you say to me, she hears too, the Sages voice rang again, sounding flustered, but she cannot hear my voice. She doesnt know who I am. Dont even look at me.
Jack kept his gaze on the ground. What was he even supposed to do? If he spoke to the Sage, the lioness could hear, too. At least he had the privacy of his own thoughts.
Resign, she commanded again. It doesnt matter if Rufus is coming or not. I can guarantee you that disobeying me here is far worse than losing the tournament.
Jack hesitated.
What is happening, disciple? Master Shols mental voice rang again. Why is Galicia Lonihor telling me nonsense?
I cant fucking reply! Jack thought to himself. And also, stop speaking to me all at once. Ugh! After speaking with the Sage, too, he could instinctively understand which thoughts he was sharing and which he wasnt. It was pretty easy, actually, though not something he consciously understood yet.
He did not reply to his master. That was response enough. On the stands, Master Shol narrowed his eyes but didnt communicate further.
Jack couldnt pay him much mind right now. What should he do? He doubted that the lionesss threat was empty. Should he really resign? But he couldnt! Should he speak up and tell Vocrich what was happening? And then what? She would refuse it, and if it was his words against hers, only one of them was a literal god.
Listen to me, Jack, the Sages voice came again. No matter what she says, you must not resign this fight. My master can protect you. Just persevere. And dont reveal what is happening. The Hand of God will not side with you without proof.
Can everyone stop using my head as a telephone pole? Jack lamentednot sharing the thought, of course. Nobody else contacted him for some time, everyone waiting to see what he would do.
What was he supposed to do?
Suddenly, Master Shol spoke again. I know what is going on, he said. I was contacted by your friend. That bitch sure has balls to interfere like that. If her cub accidentally broke through, thats his problem. Do not resign.
Why? Will you protect me? Jack wanted to respond, though he didnt dare.
The crowd was only getting louder as time passed, but Jack had no mind to pay to them. He took stock of his situation.
Rufus Emberheart was not coming. If he just waited an hour, he would win the tournament, and then Master Shols master would protect him. The Sages master, too, unless he was lying. Even if Jack faced the lionesss wrath, it would be fineright?
If he did resign, nothing would change, and he would still be doomed. Especially since Rufus Emberheart was now breaking through to the E-Grade. That was a tremendous leap in power. If Jack had a chance before, he would now be completely helpless. He would be slaughtered the moment Rufus finished his breakthrough.
It didnt sound like he had much choice. He was still between the lions jaws, but they didnt dare close on him. Let the lioness shout all she wanted. All he could do was wait.
Moreoverhe would win!
A few more minutes passed. Nobody was speaking to him now, and he had made his decision, so he was again open to perceiving all the attention on him. He was conscious of the lionesss intense pressure, of every eye on the planet glued on him, of the many lives he carried on his shoulders. Sweat dripped down his brows. Was he just supposed to stand in front of everyone for an hour without doing anything?
His Dao Roots couldnt help, suppressed as they were by the lioness, and only now did he understand how much they helped him withstand the insane social pressure. This really was quite a feeling. No wonder most of his opponents had seemed so nervous.
Five minutes finally passed. Jack felt like invisible hands were poking at his brain. Not only was everyone staring at him, but the lioness was still pressuring him from the inside, and the feeling had now escalated to severe discomfort. He would never resign for that, but it was difficult to bear. His body itched to move nervously, and without his Daos, only his strong will kept him from awkwardly shuffling around.
He was not having fun.
It reminded him of the time he fought Harambe, actually. Back then, the crowd of brorillas and gymonkeys had also pressured him in a similar way, though nowhere near in intensity. He focused on the memory to lessen the pressure. It was only a minor distraction, but as he thought about it, an idea flashed in his mind.
Back then, this pressure had given him some insight on the Dao of the Fist. He had broken through the pressure exactly like that, a fist. Could he do the same now?
Now that Jack thought about it, this pressure felt inviting. Something in his soul resonated with his desire to withstand it, something that wasnt part of his Dao yet, but that could be.
Wordlessly, Jack sat cross-legged and began to meditate.
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