A Stolen Vessel  

THUD!

Raphael's hooves hit the golden platform of the Golden Prism Citadel with a resounding thud, and his massive form stumbled, barely catching himself before crashing into a jade pillar. He swayed precariously, his breath reeked of sunshine wine and regret.

"You drank yourself into a STUPOR! How embarrassing, Big Brother!" Lu Jade's reprimands had his emerald scales pulsating, for wasn't he supposed to be a powerful Calamity, a fearsome Golden Bull Thork?

He was assisting Thienika in carrying the bull as his form shifted to that of a massive emerald snake, but it was necessary.

"Oh, hush Little Lu…." Raphael grumbled. Those potent liquors Qi Hawk's had so generously shared with them, and which he'd eagerly devoured, now had him seeing double.

Thienika observed this scene with a shake of her head. She'd seen stronger creatures succumb to the allure of intoxicating beverages.

"It's better to nip this in the bud. Lu Jade, take him to his chambers. He needs rest. His cells are troubled."

"Yes, Grandma."

But just as Lu Jade nudged Raphael's massive, stumbling form toward the entrance with a sigh of resignation, a radiant orange slash of energy came crashing downwards.

It aimed straight for Raphael's back.

"CAREFUL!"

Thienika reacted instantly.

"Royal Guard!"

She thrust her staff forward!

BOOM!

A translucent shield, unseen by regular eyes but radiant to those with potent essences, materialized around them.

And the attack was effortlessly deflected.

"Huh?" QI Fenwei landed with a grace befitting a warrior. "Well well well…"

She sheathed Archon as she walked towards them. "Your reaction time is impressive, old lady. I'll give you that, but it won't save your fragile little roots when facing the true monsters that'll be at the Great Divine Tribulation, those Emperor Calamities and their spawns of terror, they're coming!"

Her eyes then settled on Raphael's form and that farting ass of his made her grimaced. "This bull! He's PATHETIC! He can't even defend himself? Surely there has to be a mistake?"

"He's drunk, that's why," Lu Jade hissed back, but his explanation only fueled her frustration.

"I know a way to sober him up."

"What do you plan on…?"

But Lu Jade never got to finish his sentence. Qi Fenwei, without another word, grabbed Raphael by his tail and began dragging his massive, drunken form towards the glistening, golden doors leading to the Citadel's training grounds.

...

A few minutes later…

BOOM! CRACKLE!

"HRAAA! What the…?!"

Raphael's shriek resounded through the vast training ground as his golden hide tingled with a sudden jolt of pain that shattered his drunken reverie and had him seeing stars he so loved dancing in black sky above.

Qi Fenwei had unleashed a potent black lightning bolt!

"You… you BITCH!"

Raphael was furious, but that fury also cleared his head as he glared at his attacker who stood before him.

"We were having fun! A few drinks! And YOU DARE interrupt?!" He stomped his hooves angrily, but his action was more of a tantrum, for he felt unsteady still.

Qi Fenwei ignored his insults. Her gaze had sharpened and an icy fury descended upon everyone present; even Lu Jade's scales trembled in their coils.

She spoke with a menacing attitude, "You are all TOO WEAK! To think I'm stuck with a bunch of pathetic, weaklings. A Calamity 1st Layer who can barely control her power. An arrogant little Saint Ruler snake with a penchant for crying. And this BULL, whose main strength lies in consuming excessive amounts of alcohol! This is MY fate? This is what I was destined for?!"

Her fury had the very air in that space submitting to her dominance. "I cannot defy MY FATHER. Thus, I am STUCK with your pathetic team. MY ONLY solution is to whip you lot into shape BEFORE those trumpets announce the Great Divine Tribulation, because if this is how we arrive, my name, MY lineage will be a joke for those vultures who'll watch us get eliminated!"

She'd spent the past couple of days training with her team, and they'd made progress. It was a squad she'd picked after the gruesome mission back in the Crimson Blood Gorge a few years ago. They were a potent mix of Calamities with varying skills, each handpicked to compliment her strengths, and in a few months, they would've been ready to face anyone!

"But now…"

She shook her head and turned to face Raphael, her blade, 'Lullaby' was unsheathed. It glowed with a potent blue light.

"I've already assessed the other two. They'll provide… MINIMAL assistance, but YOU… You are a variable. SHOW me, bull, if you are worthy to stand by MY side, for I, QI FENWEI, HATE useless things."

Her words. He'd heard them countless times from those he served in his former life. It angered him!

"HRRAAAA!"

He charged. It was a reckless assault.

But she…

Qi Fenwei simply… sidestepped! She was fast!

WHOOSH! SLASH!

In a heartbeat, she'd slashed at his ankle!

Raphael stumbled. He went crashing down. He rolled once, twice, then landed face-first onto the training ground's floor.

"You… pathetic creature. Is this all you've got?" She stared at him with a terrifying disappointment. "Get up and attack! Or do you simply enjoy being flat on your face, inhaling those dreadful ass fumes?!"

"I'm still… a little… drunk." He tried to explain, but his words only fueled her ire.

"Excuses. Excuses! Such weakness!" Qi Fenwei thrust her blade towards his exposed, smelly backside with a shriek of indignation and an intense desire to punish. She'd seen this arrogance, this reliance on brute strength from many of the participants, but to be forced to be on this bull's team for such a prestigious event.

She couldn't allow this dishonor to stand!

His backside…

It would be her new training target!

WHOOSH!

"Damn you!"

Raphael snorted and activated his Shadow Teleportation.

He vanished in a burst of black essence and then reappeared above Qi Fenwei with a bloodcurdling roar, "GOLD PRESS!"

BOOOOOM!

His golden hooves materialized above her. It pressed down with unimaginable force! The air around them groaned as potent gravitational energy had those nearby jade-encrusted lamps dimming in fear of being crushed!

"She's… she's done for." Lu Jade could only say.

This was a potent technique, and anyone who dared to challenge it… they'd be paste.

But QI Fenwei simply…smirked.

Then with a casual flick of her wrist…

SLASH!

The golden hooves shattered! They dissipated like mist!

"Outdated! Is THIS all you have to offer?! Hmm, such a pity… I had hoped for more." QI Fenwei shook her head. Her eyes radiated boredom and a growing disappointment.

"Wow…" Lu Jade was awestruck, he glanced towards Thienika, "She… She just…"

Thienika remained impassive. But within her heart. "That girl… her speed… her swordsmanship skills! And that aura… I haven't witnessed such refined mastery since I faced those Dragon Warriors in Fol Ash!"

"Outdated…?" Raphael growled. "Then… TRY this! HEAVENLY SKY HAMMER – HYUNDA BLIZZARD!"

BOOM!

From behind his form, he summoned that magnificent hammer. And as he gripped it tightly with his right hand, he unleashed its power!

A blue whirlwind shot forth. It became a cyclone of electrifying fury.

"Impressive, he can control a stolen weapon with ease…?" Thienika thought.

Qi Fenwei's eyes narrowed as she drew a perfect circle with 'Lullaby'.

"Whisper!"

The air shimmered. And with a hum, the circle expanded into a translucent white disc.

Within the disc, a blinding flash!

WHOOSH! WHOOSH! WHOOSH!

Hundreds of sword duplicates came flying out! They were smaller, slender, but moved with that same elegance and terrifying precision as Qi Fenwei's.

They clashed with the Hyunda Blizzard!

Sparks flew. Energies collided. The training grounds shook with the force of their encounter. But it was a one-sided battle!

Raphael's attack, powerful as it was, paled in comparison. It was being overwhelmed, shattered!

And before he could even understand why those stolen moves were failing…

SLASH!

A final strike shattered his confidence completely. She unleashed a blinding bolt of black lightning from her sword tip that sent that 'Heavenly Sky Hammer' flying back from his grasp with an echoing, metallic clang! It landed behind him.

"That hammer…" Qi Fenwei glared at him. "A stolen weapon! That technique you used, It was also stolen from that pathetic Golden Crane! Are you nothing but a fraud! An imposter?!"

"You pathetic, talentless BULL! Do you have NO originality?!" She sheathed her blade and stood before him with a disappointed sigh.

"Damn you!"

Her words were cutting!

They stung deeper than any blade. Raphael trembled.

He looked at his hooves, his wings, at his massive golden form that radiated power he hadn't truly earned, not in those ways that made him unique.

It was true.

He was nothing but a vessel of stolen power.

This realization shattered his arrogance. He remembered a time long ago.

He stood in a clearing. It was near a babbling brook, and his body wasn't a monstrous bull, but rather a young, human teen. In his grasp, he held a wooden sword, and before him stood Butler Long.

"Focus, Raphael! Swordsmanship isn't simply about wielding a fancy blade. It's about understanding its sharp nature, finding those paths that make your technique, yours alone."

He smiled gently and added, "A sword is nothing but an extension of your will. But first, you must master its grasp."