Hector screamed himself silly.

  He had rushed here the moment he got wind of this duel for a woman’s hand. As he was training in this region, it didn’t take him long to get over here. Taking a mountain summit as his viewing spot, he called some people who he thought might be interested in watching a battle of immense proportions such as his cousin and family members. No one was free since they had their royal duties unlike him.

  Old man Wilson was likely drunk in some alleyway.

  Scarlet’s friend, Athena was nowhere to be found and he didn’t have her contact.

  Hector realised how he didn’t know if Ebony had any other friends besides war buddies or people he helped. He knew there were a bunch of knights and imperial mages who admired Ebony during a period where the man with a dead expression taught them his movement skills and mana manipulation.

  In fact, Hector was aware of one particular knight who made a small name for himself after he got a rather good hang of the movement ability. It was too useful at crossing distances and moving about terrain like a battlefield without getting hindered. This knight’s story was unbelievable. Rumours were that he met a smart monster that beat the movement technique into him when he woke up half dead in a forest while on an imperial mission.

  As for Hector, he knew the truth of the matter and that this monster kappa really existed and even helped Ebony.

  However, none of these people were close to Ebony.

  Hector went wide-eyed when Ebony seemingly killed Scarlet in one blow, turning her into a red flash.

  “Ah?” He looked on at the weird flames, the mystical spell of turning oneself into an element itself was unheard of.

  It didn’t take another second before he screamed yet again. Their blows were being carried out at an intense pace but he could see everything with just 4 elements augmenting his sight and his senses.

  The very mountain he was on was in danger and he barely hopped onto another before Ebony’s ice seal on the blood halo exploded only for another to form and seal the halo again.

  Taking the situation in strides, Hector cheered out loud when Ebony drew blood against Scarlet for the first time. However, he quickly ducked when the blood drawn was just a trap into a secondary explosion that filled the sky with fire.

  Sure, Ebony and Scarlet were unharmed by the hot flames but he was scorched and the mountains were even worse. If it wasn’t for the fact that Ebony’s overbearing mana filled the entire space and counteracting against the flames and heat, there might be molten earth flooding the range.

  ‘Unharmed is a bit of a stretch with that missing arm…I know battle maniacs but these two are crazy.’ Hector knew that the exploding flames were just side effects, the main force of the blast was contained within a far smaller radius.

  “WOAH! They copied me!” Hector saw the 3 slashes crossed over each other or perhaps it was 6. It looked like a flower blossom that tore Ebony’s torso up. It was stacked blows, very similar to his mega panch that had long evolved but he still called it the same. Ebony’s punches and kicks looked as if multiple afterimages had physical force behind them but it still felt like they copied him.

  “Can you shut up already!?” His spine tingled but and his mind was blown. Fear took over his body when he felt the person’s presence behind him.

  He was too late to do anything before his head was knocked by something hard.

  Falling to the ground, he managed to roll and got into a combat stance. Minus his shaking limbs.

  ‘What the ell? Who the?’ Hector had travelled and trained a lot over the past decade. He knew that the Elven Matriarch was a bona-fide Emperor or Empress in her case. He also knew that their continent held quite a few known areas with Emperor-ranked monsters.

  Vermin Paradise held a few but they never bothered leaving and was deep underground.

  The ‘forbidden’ lands such as Hoarfrost Glades and Fragadal Sea had more than a couple.

  Lacuna Expanse the World Dungeon contained many. Hector even met 2 with Oplot around.

  In fact, the very mountain range they were at contained a famous Emperor-ranked monster that was sealed by the previous head of the Lord family together with the current Elven Matriarch in the past.

  But no creature had given him such immense fear.

  Not to mention hitting his head and letting him live.

  When he turned back to see a masked person, he was enlightened.

  Another Xeng.

  “Wh-how did I offend you, miss?”

  “I’m getting scolded because you keep shouting while they are watching! Now come with me!” The Xeng woman stomped her feet.

  She doesn’t seem that old. Hector received classes on the Xeng, like many nobles. He took a second to recall the mask and matched it with a name. Shi Ling.

  They didn’t have many people. Shi Ling was the person who walked the lands of Elva before Kong Jing and Scarlet. The Imperial Nobles didn’t know much more about their culture but they knew that every generation, or every few generations in recent times. There would be one or two of them roaming about.

  Why Elcra?

  Just because they had some history here? Perhaps. But Hector wasn’t one to care.

  He was more worried because he was carried by his collar and he didn’t dare resist. Before long, he screamed again when they were flying higher than he’d ever jumped.

  Unlike his cousin and his dear combat-crazy friends, he couldn’t fly! He could jump really high for sure, but flying through pure mana manipulation wasn’t supposed to be that easy. He was not an outlier in this sense.

  ‘The skies are scary! Aren’t there more Emperors in the skies than lands?! Ahh!! I’m going to die today.’ Hector miserably looked as he got closer and closer to the sun…

  Why are there more suns..and moons for that matter?

  By the time he fell on the floor, his entire existence shrunk. He vomited when surrounded by creatures with auras that far surpassed Shi Ling’s and she already scared him silly.

  The overflowing essences wherever he was lying were suffocating him. His body, mind and soul. None of it was spared. He felt like his soul was about to crumble inside out.

  Until a hand was placed on his shoulder and every bit of pressure was lifted.

  “Boy. Ah, Lord family bloodline. I see you support their marriage. Come watch with us, but keep your mouth shut and let us focus.”

  “Th-thank you.” Hector knew he was in deep trouble but was saved by this person. When he wiped his mouth, he picked himself off the floor and turned around.

  Shocked to the bones, he seemed to be looking at a familiar face. Unmasked.

  ‘Isn’t-isn’t this Ebony’s mother? These can’t be his ice models right, I only saw that once or twice.’ He looked around and found himself in a weird room. Chairs were surrounding a lightscreen in front, dozens…almost a hundred masked people were sitting here and watching the lightscreen.

  He saw Ebony and Scarlet immediately. These people were all watching in comfort while he was having front row seats but this screen was able to capture the battle from numerous angles. Safely.

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  Hector’s knees went weak when he saw a few of Ebony’s mothers sitting side by side. Something told him those masked ladies around these women had the same faces.

  On the other side of the room, there were people he didn’t recognise but he recognised one mask. Scarlet’s grandmother. This woman overstayed in Elcra and helped them on some occasions despite her age.

  There were a bunch of others masked and unmasked, all intently watching the bridal battle being carried out.

  “Sit here.” Shi Ling patted the seat beside hers.

  Hector didn’t dare to disobey or ask questions. If their aura could put him to the floor, he was already happy he was offered a seat. That’s when he realised, ‘no one’s leaking any overflowing essence. I’m on the ground due to…their presence alone.’

  Although it felt like a lifetime had passed, barely a few seconds had passed because the battle between the two awkwardly unsocial lovers hadn’t progressed much since his eyes left them.

  His ears perked up and listened to the commentary happening. Not many people talked. Only the person who put her hands on his shoulder and another woman across the room from where he was sitting.

  By the looks of it, all the people here were sitting in groups of their family members because all those unmasked had similar faces. None were as identical to each other as the women who were sitting near him or those directly across the room.

  “How are you planning to fix that descendant of yours? Her blood is thinned but it’s salvageable. That husband from the sub-Bloodseeker Nosferan race isn’t as shabby as I recall. Her mind and magic are horrendous but at least her sword skill is way better than anything you Nings ever produced. I have a Mythic Heartroot Lotus, it’ll reform her heart and make natural potential traits related to her heart raising cheaper.”

  ‘What is a mythic heartroot lotus? Does it exist in myths? Trait…cheaper?’ Hector was confused. He had never heard of the Bloodseeker Nosferan race, were they referring to Scarlet’s father who wasn’t a Xeng?

  They were also sadly talking down on one of the greatest feats of magic that an Imperial mage could do. However, Scarlet’s magic indeed looked underwhelming compared to Ebony’s spatial control of mana.

  “Ha, why don’t you talk about your nephew? Never seen you Shis produce someone with such a pathetically fragile and weak body. Well, his Will is okay for a grandmaster. We never produced a Domain mage as a grandmaster before. His Domain is flimsy but I suppose he’s already ahead of any curve. Mythic Willshard Willow Crystal. No…how about a Mythic Willshard Ember Crystal, it should be suitable to condense his Will and give a better quality to his flames. Those cold flames are…nostalgic but he’s not using it well.”

  This unmasked lady was also utterly beautiful and had a gentle expression that resembled his great-great-grandmother the Life Queen. Unlike most people in the room, her side of the room mostly had black hair. Hector wondered if they were a family with darkness or shadow magic users.

  Hector didn’t know what kind of perception they were using. As he was covered in Ebony’s Domain earlier, he knew how tough it was to conjure any elements outside his body. Fortunately, Hector was mainly an enhancement or augmentation mage so it didn’t hinder his ability to run away or protect himself.

  Weak body?

  The man below was facing fully augmented Scarlet’s swords with his bare body and barely received wounds except for those active skills and even then, he only started getting hurt after Scarlet ramped up her power.

  “Nonsense, of course, he’s ahead. Flimsy my soft butt, none of our descendants can produce a domain that comprehensive at that age or level. Deal.”

  “None of mine were born on Earth. Looks like it's not a bad trade-off to lose strength for more esoteric traits. Neither can use a Mythic material without dying.”

  “I don’t know about your descendant but look at him, he’s not dying from a creepy rock.”

  “Have you become blind with age? My girl’s unharmed and your boy burning his very frame, losing organs and limbs. Unlike your stingy clan, my girl Xing went to the Blood Realm and got her granddaughter a whole tub of Her blood.” They were talking over the climax of the battle right now so Hector’s focus slipped a bit away from their conversation.

  Hector was very clear at what he was looking at, Ebony was facing mana poisoning. This happened when the body couldn’t handle the mana it was augmented by. Hector has been faced with this problem ever since he was unclassed. Now, as a Grandmaster with 12 elements at his beck and call he was even more troubled. 7 concurrently was enough to start killing his body and he already had Fortifications against mana poisoning.

  He envied Ebony since he found out the cold-faced man said he never felt a problem in his body no matter how compressed the mana he used to augment himself was. But it looks like this friend of his has gotten to the point where his magic exceeded his body.

  He was watching the screen too and noticed poor silence all of a sudden. The woman who patted his shoulder and was arguing with the beautiful unmasked lady broke the silence and changed her language to their own, “Your descendant, how does she have a whiff of divinity…you Nings knew long ago didn’t you?”

  It felt like a field of flowers bloomed when all the beautiful ladies near this exceedingly beautiful woman smiled together. Pride.

  They might have assumed he didn’t know their language but as a Royal, it was part of his education to learn modern elvish, dwarvish and a few common languages of the beastmen. Most of these languages had phased out, not even these races with the exception of Elves used them since the Empire was internally peaceful.

  As for the Xeng, he wasn’t fluent in their language and couldn’t speak it but he understood what they were saying. He might have mistranslated some words or misunderstood some undertones.

  All Hector saw was Scarlet breaking off Ebony’s sword handle. How did these people come to the conclusion of…divinity?

  Did he mistranslate or mishear them?

  “Now she’s a good match with a man of Shi. Anyway, Her blood? It will have to be diluted with a few planet’s worth of oceans you crazy woman. Hmph, I’d admit that is a praisable feat from the two Nings and Kong boy.” The woman ignored the smiles and swapped languages again. He wondered if they spoke in Gia just for him.

  “Hahaha, I thank you on his behalf.” An unmasked man softly laughed. He was sitting a few seats behind the Ning clan as far as Hector was reading the room.

  While there was a hint of laughter in his voice, his face was…unseen. Hector was sure he was peeking at this person’s face but no face reflected in his eyes. It was like he was looking at two mirrors facing each other. Endlessly seeking for something to see, but nothing surfaced. The more he looked, the more he realised he wasn’t looking at anyone. This person seemed disconnected from this room.

  It was freaky!

  Also, these two women were talking so fast he wasn’t quite catching everything they were saying. It didn’t help that they were speaking in Gia, a language newer to him than most.

  “Why…why are they so intent on winning?” Hector couldn’t believe his eyes. Now that he had almost a minute to calm his mind, the question was raised again as his focus was pushed back to the duel.

  He thought he understood them, the Xengs as battle lovers. But to burn one’s very life away for a battle against someone they want to protect seems…stupid. To hurt each other that intently, that intensely was something he couldn’t wrap his mind around. And he loved combat…apparently not.

  “We can’t help it. That’s how much he wants her, and he needs to prove it to her family.” His seat partner muttered in reply.

  Gulping, Hector was not afraid to be the social butterfly that he was. “Proof…prove that he is worthy? That he is strong enough to protect her?”

  “You can say that. And also to birth a stronger, more perfect generation. No better way than a battle.”

  “Is that what you’re all looking for? In a partner?” Surely they like more than just strength in a husband or wife…

  “Hmm, I can’t speak for everyone but I would like it if my future partner is strong. That leaves me less worried they would die while I didn’t. well…I’m told we don’t really get that chance. None of my family members wedded to a stronger partner.”

  ‘I see, so the fear of losing close ones. I hear the Xengs are close-knit, seems like its true. And they are fragile in a sense.’ Hector kept those thoughts to himself but he was stared at by more gazes than he’d like. Instantly, he became worried that they were capable of reading minds.

  “How about you, what are you looking for in a woman?”

  “Good company I suppose. Someone I see myself spending every day with without getting bored. Someone supportive.” Hector replied with the first things that came to mind

  “You…I remember your culture is polygamous, well that is a no-go zone for us. Absolutely ridiculous.”

  “Hey hey, not all of us! Besides, nowadays they are mutually respecting couples and they have each other’s approval.”

  “I don’t understand. Did you hear what Miss Ning said earlier?”

  “Scarlet? What are you referring to?”

  “About her making Uncle hers. Besides pride, it is also because we are naturally possessive people. We like it when our partners are the same.”

  “I was pretty sure possessiveness over your being is disrespectful to your pride as a woman no? In Tidal, possessive men are undesirable amongst women because that just makes them feel like objects.”

  “Why? Isn’t that a good manly trait? I’m sure Auntie…young Auntie over there is swooning inside by how much Uncle is showing his desire to make her his.”

  “Is-is that so?” Hector felt a disconnect. Not just from a personality or individual differences, this lady Shi Ling was thinking very differently from the women he knew. Then again, he already knew they had different mindsets.

  “He won.” Hector saw Ebony blowing the earth and mountains with a ridiculously large spell and he kept it going till resistance died down.

  “Congratulations to the Shi and Ning clan.” Many people behind Hector stood up and gave their congratulations at the same time.

  Actually, they said way more flowery words in their language that Hector didn’t know how to translate. There were some about harmony, some about growing old, and others about perfect match or union that was blessed by The First.

  Hector knew his own Empire’s history, this ‘First’ was a topic or person to be thread carefully so he kept silent. Now that he thought about it…wouldn’t he be able to see who the previous leaders of Xienor were right here and now? Most of them were presumably alive and were sculpted in the Empire’s Sovereign Temple of Heroes. Hector would recognise the masks once he saw them since he saw them every time he was forced to go to the Sovereign Temple.

  These women were once the strongest individuals in Elcra.