Atop the cliff, Jarius gazed up at the lofty emissary of the Eagle King's Court, sensing that familiar aura stirring the winds and clouds. Yet, the oppressive weight he once felt was gone.
No wonder—for he, too, was now a Transcendent of the Second Tier.
And this emissary? Merely a Master-tier Transcendent.
Back in the Vast Sea Forest, Jarius had inquired about the strength and professions of the Court's messengers.
The emissaries of the Eagle King's Court typically held the profession of Courier.
They hailed from a single eagle clan.
For nearby destinations, they dispatched First-tier Transcendent Couriers.
But for distant places like the Gaoman Mountain, they sent those with the advanced profession: Envoys of the Wind!
The Courier profession, since its inception, had never produced a warrior beyond the Third Tier, the Windstrider!
Achieving that rank was no easy feat. The Courier clan currently boasted only one Windstrider, often requisitioned by the Thunder Titan Giants to ferry messages between the Titans and other races.
The defining trait of the Courier profession? Unmatched speed!
Jarius's thoughts flashed by as he eyed the emissary hovering in midair. For the first time, he stood tall, his posture unyielding.
He laughed heartily.
"Does the emissary realize that if you conscript every able-bodied member of my tribe, how will the rest of my people survive?"
The eagle emissary frowned.
"Every eagle must serve the King's Court without question! This is the iron law, unbroken since ancient times!"
"The tribesfolk are as lowly as wild grass—let them live if they can, or perish if they cannot! You, a noble Transcendent, why debase yourself among these wretched commoners?"
At those words, Jarius could no longer restrain the killing intent surging within him!
"If the Court truly treated us as its people, we would gladly die for it! But the Court sees us as ants—why should we lay down our lives for it?"
The emissary's face twisted with rage.
"Insolence! A mere eagle who's stumbled into Transcendence dares to slander the Court, spewing reckless words and defying its decrees? Today, I shall execute you!"
With that, he raised his stone spear, his gray-black wings summoning a tempest. A fierce gust of wind enveloped him, and he shot toward Jarius like a bolt of lightning!
He had no doubt he could crush Jarius.
"My family's Transcendent legacy has been refined across generations—how could a backwater upstart compare?"
Below, on the cliff.
The eaglefolk of the Gaoman Mountain trembled under the crushing aura of the storm descending from the sky.
But on Jarius's face? No trace of fear—only blazing battlelust.
He stepped forward, gripping his bronze longsword. Violent purple lightning surged through the blade as he roared toward the emissary.
"Eleven years ago, my father died in the Court's conscription! One year ago, my tribe nearly perished in the Vast Sea Forest! Emissary, I've long dreamed of killing you!"
The emissary's reckless charge suited Jarius perfectly.
An Envoy of the Wind, with the Courier's speed, was nearly impossible to catch. Only when they attacked could he strike them down!
In an instant, the two clashed.
The forces of wind and thunder collided with a deafening roar, as if the heavens themselves sang a dirge.
Blood sprayed through the air, and two gray-black wings were severed in a flash.
At the moment of contact, sword met spear, wind tangled with thunder.
And in that split second, Jarius's wings erupted behind him like a storm of lightning pythons. The raw power of thunder guided several bronze longswords to slice through the emissary's wings, cleaving them clean off!
Without his wings, the emissary's strength was halved, his once-blinding speed gone forever!
Shock and fury warred within the emissary.
But Jarius's resolve was iron. He pressed his advantage, battering the emissary until blood streamed from countless wounds.
Unable to flee, unable to fight!
Facing death in this savage land, the emissary's resolve crumbled. He dropped to his knees before Jarius and pleaded.
"I yield! Spare my life, my lord! I have vast stores of Transcendent treasures to trade for my survival!"
But Jarius's expression was colder than frost.
"No need. The blood debt of the Gaoman Mountain begins with you."
Without hesitation, he swung his blade down, severing the kneeling emissary's head!