Chapter 446: Arrival

The three of them continued to make their way to the capital, stopping at various towns and cities along the way. They ended up taking more time than planned, but none of them were complaining.

They enjoyed the sights, the food, and the company of each other. There wasn’t any rush, and the tournament wouldn’t start for another week or two.

On another note, Julius did think about the rift that Goldencrest rewarded him for making the top sixteen, but he also didn’t believe it was that necessary.

Doren had given him that grape, and that likely did more for him Emblem progression than anything else would have. Thus, Julius didn’t think of it as too much of a loss.

As they were flying over another large, empty plain, both Freya and Cain paused simultaneously. For the first time, he saw both of them ready themselves with a seriousness that concerned Julius.

He threw out his perception in every direction, but was unable to detect anything.

“Is something wrong?” He asked them.

Instead of responding, Freya flew in front of him, and he felt her surround him with multiple barriers. “Don’t make any rash actions,” she said calmly.

He was extremely curious at this point, but he listened to her. He understood that she was being deadly serious. He closed down his aura and made sure that nothing leaked outward. Her barrier likely did that for him, but he was being careful.

They stayed there for a bit longer, and suddenly, the two of them released the shroud they had over their auras. It wasn’t outwardly threatening, more of a warning if anything, but their aura was unmistakably powerful. He almost groaned from the sheer weight of their combined power.

Not even a second later, he felt a responding aura off in the distance. An aura that was comparably powerful and dangerous. However, he didn’t feel that much hostility; it was more questioning if anything else.

However, being pressured by three immensely strong auras didn’t do him any good. Even with Freya’s barrier, he felt like his lungs were being squeezed in someone’s fist. There was nothing he could really do, and for the first time, he truly understood the vast chasm that separated him from Tier 6s. There was no way he could fight against that.

The only thing he could think of doing was to bring his own aura out and power it with his Emblem. He let out a gasp as he was finally able to breathe again and felt a small bit of the pressure alleviate.

Then, as if nothing had happened in the first place, the aura vanished, and the two of them reshrouded their auras. The terrifyingly domineering kinetic energy he felt from Cain gradually went away and tucked back inside the man’s body.

“What was that?” Julius asked when he felt it was finally safe to speak.

“It would appear we flew into a powerful monster’s territory. Luckily, it was just checking us out rather than looking for a fight,” Freya explained to him with a casual shrug.

“How powerful?” He asked.

“At least Tier 6, and it felt old. So likely pretty powerful even for Tier 6,” she said to him.

He frowned. “Is that common?” He was pretty sure that Tier 6s weren’t something you could just find anywhere. Even during his travels, he had rarely come across a Tier 5, not to mention a Tier 6.

“What? Seeing a Tier 6?”

He nodded.

“It probably only came out because it sensed us entering its territory. If we were weaker, it likely would not have bothered us. Most people have likely traveled through here, but would never notice it unless they angered the creature for some reason,” Cain answered for his wife.

Julius pressed his lips together tightly. Now he couldn’t help but wonder just how many times he had passed through an area with a Tier 5, but they just hadn’t bothered to make their presence known because they believed he hadn’t been a threat.

He knew that, as powerful as his perception skill was, there were limitations to every skill. If a much more powerful monster wanted to hide from him, there wasn’t much he could do.

With all of that being said, he kind of wanted to see Cain and Freya fight for real. Julius had experienced Cain’s fist more times than he could count, thanks to the man’s training, but he had never seen the man actually fight.

He had heard so many scary things about Cain Steelborn, Lord of the Shattered Throne, but he hadn’t seen Cain in action. Or the reason why the man got that title. A small part of him was disappointed, silently cursing the monster who had gone off in the other direction for ruining his chance.

His reaction didn’t go unnoticed, though, and he saw Cain chuckle in amusement.

“What? You wanted to see a fight?” The big brute asked with a bright grin.

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Julius shrugged. “A little bit.”

Freya grabbed the back of his head and gave it a gentle shake. “Dummy,” she muttered quietly. “You do realize that you would have likely gotten injured if that happened, right?”

He paused for a brief moment. “Not dead?” He eventually asked, which got another laugh out of Cain and a glare from Freya to her husband.

She looked back at Julius while shaking her head. “No, probably not dead. I would be there after all.”

“I would have been fine with that,” he said, being genuinely honest. A minor injury or losing a limb would have been a small price to pay to experience a battle between Tier 6s.

She was going to say something to him, but stopped herself. She likely realized that he was being completely genuine about that. Instead, she sighed. “We really need to fix this thought process of yours,” she muttered.