Supreme Magus

2707 Historic Event (Part 1)

"I knew this would happen, silly songbird!" Leegaain popped out of thin air in front of Lith's family, shielding the spectators personally but standing right in front of Kamila, just to be safe.

Thanks to the Phoenixes, the conflagration would have just sent her and the others belly up. Maybe suffering a few scratches from the impact with the coarse sand. Yet the mere aura of the Guardian of the Empire was enough to neutralize what remained of the shockwave.

Once the dust settled, the Blood Plains had to be renamed the Crystal Plains. The heat released by the blades' collision had vitrified the sand, turning it into a meters-thick glass that spread as far as the eye could see.

Salaark was the only one standing, a still-bleeding deep wound was open on her neck and chest while she pointed her blade at Tezka's brain. Her blade and armor were damaged, but they healed as fast as her body, returning to their peak condition in an instant.

The Suneater was shredded into pieces, the head the only part of him that was unscathed and solely because the Guardian had willed it so.

His equipment was shattered in a silvery mist of metal and crystals but thanks to the Davross' natural regenerative properties, they reformed faster than his body even though Tezka was still fueled by the Suneater spell.

At that sight, Zinya and the kids ditched the group and ran with all the speed they could muster.

"It's over, old fox." Salaark lowered her blade, sighing deeply. "You won. It's my defeat."

"Are you drunk, high, or both?" Tezka snarled as black tendrils collected the bits of his body and put them back together. "You've clearly won by a landslide. Even if my strike went through your guard, you would have survived.

"If you didn't stop your blade, instead, my life would be over. I'm still weak compared to you."

"Weak?" She put away her blade and armor, offering the Fylgja her hand to help him stand up. "You pushed me way harder than when I was a fledgling Guardian. You managed to hold your ground against me, the Lord of War, in my own turf despite you lacking both Spirit Magic and body casting.

"Considering the many advantages I had, this is your victory and-"

"Uncle Tezka!" Filia and Frey screamed, hugging him and bursting into tears as soon as they reached him.

"Gods, are you alright? Do you need food?" Zinya knelt near the still-sitting Suneater who was still in the process of regenerating his tails.

She patted his arms, chest, and snout, looking for any form of damage he might not be able to heal.

"And this is also what makes you the true victor." Salaark sighed harder. "You are the only one who had someone cheer for him the whole time. Even in defeat, people cared for you, not for me."

She waved at her children and guests who were dazed from the fight. They stared at the contenders with a mix of awe and fear. Not one of them had thought for a second that the Overlord could lose.

It was proof of their trust but also a sign of a lack of care. No one had worried about her wounds, simply assuming they wouldn't bother her.

"I call bullshot!" Tezka said right after reassuring everyone he was alright and letting Zinya and the kids help him to stand up.

The Vastor household also had its family-friendly lingo and the Suneater was a professional at using it even under stress.

"This is your victory and a well-deserved one at that. I lost because you are a better fighter and mage, end of the story. All excuses in Mogar can't change this fact just like they won't alter the ending of our fight if we ever become mortal enemies.

"Only an idiot can believe to be entitled to a fair fight. There are only fights you can walk away from and those you can't. Everything else is just a footnote on history books. Thanks for the lesson."

Tezka gave the Overlord a deep bow.

"I might have lost, but this fight truly took the rust off my old bones and made me realize where I'm still lacking. If we meet again, I promise that I'll be even stronger."

"You better." Salaark scoffed yet returned the bow with the same depth in respect. "Because I'll be much stronger so if you slack off, you'll bore me."

"I'm sorry you lost, Uncle." Frey said. "You deserved to win."

"Yeah." Filia nodded. "You were amazing! You are almost as smart and strong as Dad."

"Thanks, kids." The Suneater chuckled, proud of what he and the Master had done with the children.

They were no longer the scaredy cats living in fear of the shadow of their late biological father, Fallmug. Filia and Frey were now proud and loving, no matter who they had to face.

"Don't be sorry for me. I still got the opportunity to show you my best side. Besides, I'll let you on a secret. I've always learned more from my failures than my successes. Because if you succeed, you are right but you also make no progress.

"When you fail, instead, you have the opportunity to look inside yourself and understand what you are missing and what you are wrong about. If you do find the answer and the strength to improve, that one failure will bring you countless victories.

"That's why I don't care about this squabble. Every fight from which I can walk away without any loss is a victory in my book. Yet beware, if you let defeat become a poison in your heart, if you let results become more important than progress, you'll end up as miserable as your Dad was when you met him for the first time."

The children nodded, giving Tezka a bow and offering him food from their dimensional amulets. He chuckled, returned the bow, and gobbled the food. He had no need for it since the Suneater spell provided him with energy that he could convert into matter and nutrients, but he appreciated the gesture.

He was about to ask Salaark to bring them home when a panting voice stopped him.

"Please, master Tezka, wait." Friya arrived much later despite being a deep violet-cored Awakened due to the pitiful state of her body.

The breakthrough had left her sore and exhausted. If not for Surtr's care, she would have fainted already.

"Master?" The Suneater burst into a belly laugh. "You are Faluel's apprentice. Why are you calling me master? Do you have a death wish or what? Hydras are jealous of their secrets."

"You are right, yet you've taught me so much today that I need to express you my gratitude." Friya fell onto her knees and bowed her head. "Thank you so much. If not for you, I don't know if or when I'd have attained the violet core.

"If not for your words, I would have kept scratching at the surface of Dimensional Magic without ever truly understanding its potential. Your fight lasted seconds, but it taught me more than decades of research.

"If there's anything I can do to repay your kindness, you only need to ask."