Smiling, Sairaorg shot towards Rowan, radiating a golden aura as he did so. Rowan weaved under the blow as the immense pressure from it flew over his head. This man is very dangerous, Rowan thought as he brought his fist up in an uppercut to counter the right straight. Smiling, Sairaorg swayed his body backward to dodge the uppercut, lifting his foot into a front kick as he did so. Rowan violently blocked the kick with his left elbow, forcing his opponent's leg back onto the ground, which caused cracks in the earth.
Sairaorg laughed loudly in pure joy as the thought crossed his mind that he could finally properly trade blows with someone. As soon as his foot hit the ground, he twisted his body and threw a vicious overhand right toward Rowan. Rowan then stepped inside his reach and delivered a punishing left hook to Sairaorg's exposed ribs. Expecting to feel his fist sink into his opponent's body rather deeply, Rowan was surprised when instead his hand ached and his opponent barely moved an inch.
He felt danger from above him and jumped back just in time to avoid what looked like an enormous golden lion attempting to bite off his head. When he had taken some distance, he looked at his opponent again to see him with an irritated look on his face.
"Regulus!" Sairaorg yelled, the displeasure evident in his voice. Suddenly, a gigantic golden lion materialized behind Sairaorg, bowing its head like a child that had been chastised.
"The fuck is that thing?" Rowan couldn't help but exclaim.
Sairaorg ignored him, his focus totally on the lion. "I appreciate you wanting to protect me from danger, but it is dishonorable of you to interfere in this fight," he said sternly to the lion.
"But master, this man is dangerous, more dangerous than you realize. You need my help if you want to defeat him before he shows all of his cards."
Sairaorg smiled gently at the lion before he spoke. "Regulus, this is little more than a friendly exchange between two martial artists. There's no danger here. Rowan is my cousin."
The lion looked over at Rowan, who was still in combat stance, slightly bewildered, before looking back at his master with a slightly embarrassed look on his face. "Really?" the lion asked, his tone somewhat sheepish.
Sairaorg threw back his head and roared with laughter. "Of course, my friend," he responded. "You should train more and nap less."
When he finished laughing, he became serious once more. "And besides, look over there," he said, pointing to Nikolai, who sat calmly drinking his tea.
The lion looked over, and as he did so he locked eyes with Nikolai. He suddenly felt like he was the smallest thing in the universe—like he was profoundly insignificant, as if he had gazed into the eyes of something that could erase him with but a thought. Before he could even begin to fathom the depths of the deep fear that he suddenly felt, Nikolai's calm, soothing voice rang out and the pressure vanished.
"It is not noble to interrupt a one-on-one duel between two honorable warriors, young cub," Nikolai said calmly.
Regulus nodded his head subconsciously in agreement, to which Nikolai gave him a small smile full of warmth. "Come watch beside me, young cub. I promise your master will be safe so long as I'm here," he said.
Sairaorg watched, absolutely shocked, as the ever-rebellious lion, who listened to no one but him, walked over to and sat obediently next to Nikolai without a word.
"Carry on, gentlemen. It's customary to have entertainment with a meal, after all," Nikolai said, still calmly sipping his tea with a half-smile.
After Nikolai said that, Sairaorg pushed all his concerns and questions aside and faced Rowan with renewed determination. With a teacher like that, he thought, there's no way that Rowan is as simple as I first thought.
This time, as the two warriors stared at each other, the tone was completely different.
"Let's go for real this time, Rowan," Sairaorg said. "No tricks, no magic, pure martial arts."
Rowan thought for a moment, knowing that this would mean he couldn't use any of his active skills or techniques, and then agreed. This would be a great way for him to see how he stacked up against a pure martial artist with nothing but his newly created martial art. It was an opportunity he couldn't pass up.
"Agreed," Rowan said, fierce determination now evident in his demeanor.
The two warriors launched themselves at each other, and the fight began anew.