Shui vs. Rune

After the spar, Shui spoke with Lilia and Kate about his cultivation. When Bartos had revealed he knew about it beforehand, the two of them shot him a sharp gaze, easily shaving off half of his lifepoints.

"Hmph, I'm very disappointed in the two of you. How could you keep this from me?"

While Lilia scolded them, Kate merely stared at Shui. There was no difference between their age or cultivation, yet he was so much stronger than she was. While she couldn't fight back against the three men, he easily took care of them. She was even able to get away from that strong pressure because of him. The more she remembered the events of the day, the more she thought that though Shui was the one who protected her, she couldn't do the same.

Shui noticed that Kate was feeling down ever since they returned to the mansion, but he wasn't sure what was wrong. When night fell and he sat beside her as she lied on the bed, he gently laid his hand on top of her hair. He raised his other hand and looked at it as he opened and closed it. Though this was his first fight against a human, yet he had managed to land such precise hits without hesitation. He knew very well this was odd, however it felt so natural to him, this power to kill. He didn't regret any of it and was even glad that he was able to perform well, but he still felt hollow inside. There was too much to lose if he was soft on his enemies, but lacking any guilt made him wonder if he was really okay. Was this what he should feel like, or was he some sort of monster in a child's body?

Nonetheless, he wouldn't hesitate if something like this happened again. In fact, he swore to do even better next time. Though he had managed to save her life, that was only because Kate was lucky. If it wasn't for the chestplate from Bartos, she probably would have died, and that thought scared him even more than his lack of guilt. Even the sight of blood coming from the men's bodies didn't bother him that much, yet the mere thought of the same thing happening to her made it hard for him to sleep.

"I'm sorry. I'll definitely protect you better next time."

'Just like you strive to protect me.'

As Shui's hand rested on her head, Kate held back her tears. His affection and worry only increased her feelings of inferiority and they also bred fear. Fear that she was never qualified to protect him.

The next day, the clan was brimming with anxiety. Very few had any faith in Shui, but he was still the best option so their victory rested on his shoulders. Shui also did not expect them to place their faith in him, he wasn't stepping up for that purpose. This decision was for the sole purpose of getting back at whoever ordered Kate to be assassinated.

When they reached the stadium, they were once again the last to arrive and Kalos went to greet them.

"Ahh, you're here. Tell me Nalos, how does it feel to finally have someone in your clan make it to the final."

"Not bad. I suppose I'll feel better when we win."

Kalos found Nalos' calm rather odd since he had already noticed Kate's condition. He knew Nalos wasn't the type to bluff so hard in this situation, so he wondered what plan he had up his sleeves.

"Is that so. By the way, what's wrong with the lass there, is she alright?"

The Heaven clan was already upset about what happened to Kate, so Kalos mentioning it so casually made them pin him as the prime suspect, even if they had no proof. Shui was the same, but his suspicion was based on the information he gathered from Kalos' tone and body language. Shui was sure that Kalos was behind the planning of Kate's incident and so he confirmed his next step.

Nalos, barely holding back the rage he felt towards Kalos, responded by saying, "Yes, there was a bit of an incident so we'll have to put in a substitute."

"Oh, and who would that be?"

When Kalos looked at the Heaven clan, he wondered who the substitute could be. The only other ten and under substitutes they had should have only been at the third level of the Mortal Realm but Nalos' attitude made him suspicious. When a child with a bandaged face stepped closer to Nalos, he zeroed in on him and tried to see his cultivation. However, the weird boy's aura was so suppressed that he could only vaguely tell that he was in the middle Mortal Realm.

By this time, Shui's control over his aura was so great that he could suppress it to the level where even an early Earth Realm cultivator would only be able to tell that he cultivated. But instead of completely wearing sheep's clothing, he decided to show a bit of his wolf fur. When he talked to Nalos about it, he agreed since he knew the importance of catching your enemy off-guard.

"This is Shui, he'll be the substitute."

Nalos introduced him but didn't mention that he was his grandson, and besides Lilia no one was particularly concerned about this. As the Patriarch he knew his role, but as a person his feelings weren't so simple.

"Well, that's good and all but, are you sure?"

"What do you mean?" Nalos gazed at Kalos with deepening suspicion.

"Well this final is supposed to be a fierce battle, I don't think there would be much of a point if the winner was obvious from the start."

"Hmph, what makes you think the winner is obvious? Don't you know that you can't tell the victor until the dust settles?"

"Well, I suppose, but that's merely in fiction. However, I understand that you want to try your hand at winning so how about this?"

Before continuing, Kalos called for a boy with brown hair and a stern face from the Clite clan. The unfamiliar boy was at the fourth level so Shui believed that he was probably going to be the one to test him.

"Why don't we have him fight Sur of the Ron clan first? If he wins, we'll give him a break and then have the finals."

It would be one thing if he tested him with someone from his clan, but sending out Sur was obviously an attempt to humilate them. It would be fine if Shui won, but if he lost then that would damage their reputation while elevating the Ron clan's status.

"Kalos, are you being serious here?"

"Of course, shouldn't you be glad? I'm giving your boy a chance to show off his strength."

Kalos' argument blatantly pushed them into a corner. If the Heaven clan was still at their peak it would be easy to refuse this suggestion, but that was not the case. Additionally, despite how much he hated this humilation, Nalos would rather Shui win against Sur and then lose to Rune than him only lose to Rune. At least the former option allowed them to save some face, but there was also the possibility of him losing to Sur which would be the worst option.

As he noticed the hesitation from Nalos, Shui internally sighed.

'This little faith, huh?'

"Patriarch, please allow me to prove myself."

While he struggled to make a decision, Shui offered a push. Nalos wasn't certain, but he chose to agree to Kalos' suggestion.

"Fine. Don't disgrace the clan."

"Yes Patriarch."

Within a short time the stage was prepared for their fight. Shui casually faced off against Sur who was full of confidence. Before the match, Kalos told Sur not to give Shui any chances and to be careful, so he knew he shouldn't underestimate his opponent. However, how many could be truly cautious of a child with a bandaged face? Sur believed that as long as he used his full force against him, Shui would be no match for him and that he would be rewarded for this accomplishment.

As he looked at the smirk on Sur's face, Shui also had on a wry grin. Sur was a mere stepping stone to him so he didn't feel upset because of his disdain. His goal was to finish off Sur with minimum strength while showing as little of his abilities as possible. Though he was still upset and would have liked a sandbag, there was a more suitable person for that role.

"Begin!"

Sur ran off first. He charged at Shui like a bull with a fist ready and aimed at his face. Although the Heaven clan knew that Shui had some skill, there was still a bit of anxiety in their hearts since they didn't trust him. They still couldn't understand how a tender boy like him could be strong. Even Lilia was like this. As she watched him onstage she felt more worried than during Kate's matches.

'Please don't get hurt.'

As Sur got closer, Shui watched him indifferently for he had already simulated how he would defeat him. Right after he came in range and extended his fist, Shui plunged closer to his chest and used an upper block against his punch before launching a right jab to his nose. Once he was disoriented, Shui grabbed his collar and spun him before flipping him to the ground. And just like that, the match was over.