The Guardian and Emperor Sora sat in the palace garden.
Sora smiled: "Ah, I truly miss the days of our youth. It has been nearly twenty years since we last met."
The Guardian: "Who among us doesn't miss them? But there is no room for rest now."
Sora sighed deeply: "Yes, you are right."
Sora remained silent for moments, then: "There hasn't been a recent historical era where the heads of states gathered and hostilities between us ceased as they have now."
The Guardian fell silent for a moment, a look of discomfort appearing in his eyes: "The rulers of this planet cannot truly conflict. We might sow enmity between armies and peoples to filter out the fools, but we ourselves cannot clash. You certainly know what will happen soon."
Silence fell for a while, and a kind of sadness appeared on the Emperor's face: "Can't we stop the leaders on Planet Earth from climbing the Tower for now?"
The Guardian: "If we try to discuss it again… it will end with the Sect Leader and the Drago-Archduke killing most of them. Neither of them will tolerate the selfish desires of the current generation of Earth's leaders. Although the previous generation was aware of the truth and did not try to rush… but it's fine; even the elder generation of warriors on our planet doesn't have much time left. We must prepare the new generation soon."
He continued: "Also… Earth has only seen the Tower for thirty-four years. They haven't experienced it for… you know how many eras."
Sora sighed deeply: "Yes, there is no need to talk about this matter. At least let's enjoy the current peace. Also… why did the Dragon-King liquidate the 'Retreaters'? They could have been a real help to us."
The Guardian looked at the sky for a moment: "It wasn't possible to leave them. Greed… it is truly evil. And even if it wasn't greed, the intersection of time cycles and their knowledge of many things would have put the people in a state of true panic. Perhaps their presence would have been useful militarily, but sacrificing them was better."
The Emperor sighed: "I am tired of formalities, ruling, and all these matters. I am thinking of stepping down from my position."
The Guardian laughed softly: "All of us want to do that. But we cannot guarantee that whoever comes after us will truly be good. That is an impossible dream for us."
Sora fell silent for a moment, then: "That young man with the crimson eyes, is he…?"
The Guardian interrupted him: "Yes, he is. You will understand soon."
Meanwhile, in the hall.
A long silence prevailed among the attendees, until Bai Rion broke it with a telepathic message to Jin: "The Emperor might be a good person, but these people are not. Only a few are good. Be careful."
Araki, the Minister of Military Affairs, spoke to Jin, his features showing gravity: "Elder, do you not realize that not mentioning your full identity before the Emperor is a lack of respect? Whether in our country or anywhere else—the Akran Empire, for example."
Jin smiled calmly: "Yes, I know."
The Minister: "Then why didn't you mention your name? The Emperor is kind-hearted and forgave you, but there are other countries that won't, and no one will defend you. Everyone knows there are red lines in etiquette with rulers."
Jin was silent for a long long time before answering, yet the smile remained on his face: "I already know that. But… I am just Jin."
Silence fell for moments. The Minister lowered his gaze to the floor, then leaned back: "Forgive me for my question."
The heads of families and the rest of the ministers were looking at the young man.
The head of the Oshiro family spoke: "I didn't expect to see the leader of the Blood Sword—the oldest squad in the Sect—led by a young man in his twenties."
Jin: "The world is truly strange; you can expect anything."
The head of the Hirano family: "News of clashes between the Sect and the Murim Alliance has increased recently."
Kang Ru: "They are small clashes; there has been no real battle yet."
The Minister of Finance: "Weren't there clashes with Mount Hua and Wudang? I believe they were directly with the Guardian of the Border," he said, focusing on Jin.
Bai Rion said: "They don't even deserve to be called battles."
They looked at him in surprise, and Jin spoke coldly: "I alone am enough."
The council felt a kind of provocation from his sentence. A bit of suspicion reflected on the Finance Minister's face as he thought: "At first he says 'just Jin,' and now 'I alone am enough.' Does he think this is a game or what?"
He said: "It seems your metal is strong, Elder. Boldness is elegant in your words."
Jin smiled slightly: "Thank you for your praise. But there is no boldness in my words. I am only saying what is enough to say."
One of the family heads interrupted: "The degree of refining the metal is important, but no matter how much iron is refined, it cannot be compared to an energy alloy, for example."
All the attendees fell silent. The Sect Council looked on in amazement, while the Tinghai Council was intensely focused on this specific point. And Jin… was looking at the ground with a cold, expressionless face.
The boy spoke: "Even if the metal is weak, its wielder can compensate for it. Perhaps he might even fight with his bare hands if the metal breaks."
One of those seated interrupted: "But our talk is about the sword, not the swordsman."
Silence fell for moments as Jin looked at them. He thought: "So… the Finance Minister participates in a military council, and the family heads talk about metal and forget the blacksmith and the sword? This is…"
One of the Sect elders spoke: "It seems the situation in the country is stable currently."
One of the attendees replied: "Yes, it has improved. Those managing the positions are worthy of them."
Araki was looking from the corner of his eye, annoyance clear on his face, while the man in front of the throne looked on with a strange coldness.
Meanwhile, the old historian was reviewing what he had written in his book. He looked closely at Jin and thought: "This appearance… and these people. They are acting as they usually do here as well," he said in his mind, turning back the pages of the book.
One of the elders: "If someone not worthy is in power, the matter becomes completely unsatisfactory."
Hirano replied: "We have seen that happen a lot, but currently, everything has become possible."
A minister continued: "The worst thing is for someone of status to be a blind killer or incompetent."
Jin interrupted them: "Everyone has the right to live if there is a chance to fix mistakes. As for the innocent, it is not permissible to kill them. This is clear to those with influence. In the end, a person chooses their own path."
Another minister intervened: "It is said that honor comes first as well; then the scale of killing can change."
The minister hadn't finished his words before Jin completed: "A knight's honor is defined by his loyalty, but honor itself is constant. Otherwise, Ned Stark wouldn't have been a symbol of honor. And this is one of the opinions on this matter."
Yuan looked on, thinking: "How could they know a character from Earth, you idiot?"
One of the elders spoke: "Sometimes in war, life, and even cooking, the essence of the performer might suffice for everything except experience." This was a blunt cut of the conversation from the elder's side.
Oshiro: "Slogans are beautiful, Elder, but reality is different."
Jin intervened: "A person is the one who imposes slogans as truth; otherwise, nothing would have meaning."
Araki's eyes widened slightly as he looked at him after these words. While the old historian smiled a light smile, Araki thought: "This young man… his confidence, his words, his thoughts. They are… the same behavior as someone born on the borders, someone born in the North. But as far as I know, he came from Earth. How?"
Yuan whispered to Bai Rion beside him: "He's starting to wake up now."
The dialogue moved away from this matter for a while, then returned to strange discussions. Jin interacted with most topics—politics, principles, economy. His opinions were deviant from everyone else, and certainly, this pleased no one. And now…
Someone spoke: "Clans, families, nobles—the commoners always look at them with hatred. They use corruption and the like as an excuse, forgetting the basic reason."
Bai Rion said in a firm tone: "And is there a difference between them at the time of fighting?"
The Sect side did not interact; they were unusually quiet throughout the meeting.
Hirano spoke: "And are the talents of a noble and a bastard equal?"
The voices in the hall vanished. Bai Rion looked with a truly sharp gaze. The Sect side leaned their eyes toward him with focus.
Eyes turned covertly to the young man. And Jin… his eyes were wide open, looking with a terrifyingly sharp gaze. No killing intent came out, yet the weight of the look was enough.
Oshiro: "Nothing is equal. Thoughts, manners, dealings—nothing is equal. Can we compare one who was raised amidst wealth and sophistication with someone who has no origin?"
Bai Rion spoke: "What do you mean by this, gentlemen?"
They replied: "Isn't the speech clear, Grand Elder?"
Then… the atmosphere changed. A sharp tone captured the focus. Jin was placing his hands on the arms of the chair, sitting upright with troubling facial expressions. He spoke in a low tone, contrary to its sharpness: "Manners, origins, positions. You talk about talents, wealth, and families. You define a person by his lineage and gang up on whoever doesn't impose himself."
"A handful of children with deficient minds, decorating themselves with beards."
His voice rose, and anger appeared in his words: "Wealth? If I wanted it, I would place the budgets of countries under my feet. Thought? If I wanted, I would manipulate whoever I wish. Is this what matters to you, you madmen?"
The old historian smiled, placed his pen before Jin's name on the page, and began completing the name.
Oshiro stood up firmly: "Do you dare, you lowlife, to continue your speech?"
Jin's aura exploded to the maximum—a dark aura mixed with blood. A phantom of a distorted dragon manifested in the eyes of the onlookers. The boy's eyes turned the color of darkness, and he slowly raised his right hand.
"And do you dare, you cheap people, to talk about my origin?"
The darkness began to densify in his right hand. The pressure of the aura increased. The chairs cracked. The curtains, furnishings, and everything light flew. All the glass shattered.
All the attendees became tense and were paralyzed in their places. One thing went through everyone's mind: He is the strongest person in the hall!
The young man continued: "Blame yourselves for everyone who will die in this place."
He said it, moving his left hand to place it over the right and standing up very slowly from the chair.
The atmosphere became suffocating, and a sense of fear of the energy gathering in his hand prevailed among everyone!
He was about to stand… and suddenly…
"Sit in your place."
The attendees were stunned beyond stunned!
The young man was shocked. He felt a coldness on his neck. He felt as if water were running down it!
He moved his left eye slowly backward… and trembled as he looked!
A sword touched his neck, and blood was coming down from it.
The man who had stood before the throne—in a second, no one saw him, no one felt him—was standing behind the young man!
In that same second, Jin analyzed the situation. The result… no use. No gap. He couldn't be measured. He wouldn't match him in speed. A losing bet.
The man continued in a terrifying tone amidst the amazement and fear of all the attendees: "Words are returned with words. If you cannot, then blame only yourself."
The sword remained suspended at the boy's neck as he sat. He was trembling entirely, and shock controlled his face.
His mouth quivered and his teeth chattered. Sadness emanated from his face. In a second, the man stepped forward before the ministers of Tinghai, extending his sword: "You have committed a crime against the Emperor and stained his name with your childish actions. If this doesn't end now, execution will be your fate from me."
All the attendees sat in shock, their thoughts clashing. Despite their knowledge of this person, they didn't expect him to be this heavy. And the lightning bolt became two: two men in the place who could annihilate the attendees on their own!