Three days after Thirteen left the third Island in the Valbarra Archipelago…
Percival panted for breath as he slowly propped himself up from the ground.
His hands and feet were covered with golden flames, making the onlookers look at him with amazed looks on their faces.
Standing in front of him was none other than his father, General Stark, who was having a spar with him.
Similar to Percival, General Stark’s hands and feet were also covered in golden flames, but they paled in comparison to the golden flames that were blazing in Percival’s hands and feet.
It was like comparing a bonfire to a forest fire, and just a glance was enough to tell everyone whose Martial Technique was stronger between the father and son.
The General wanted to see if what Dixon said was the truth, and seeing the evidence in front of his eyes removed all doubt he had earlier.
However, instead of happiness, the General felt disappointed.
Despite being blessed with a superior ability, and talent than him when he was Percival’s age, his son was still defeated by Zion in a one-on-one duel.
Although Percival technically won that duel, in his eyes, the one who lost the battle was the Tigerkin standing in front of him.
“Can you still fight?” General Stark asked.
“Yes, Father,” Percival replied. “I can still fight!”
General Stark nodded and took a fighting stance. Although he didn’t know how Zion was able to win against him, he had no intention of letting Percival have it easy.
The war was approaching and, according to Cleo’s most recent vision, Percival was fighting on the front lines of the battlefield.
Since that was the case, the only thing he could do was help train his son to the best of his ability, giving him a higher chance of survival before the war started.
An hour later, Percival was lying on the ground, not even able to lift his finger.
“That is all for today,” General Stark said before turning around. “We will continue our training tomorrow.”
“Thank you, Father,” Percival replied.
General Stark nodded and walked away. The onlookers also dispersed after seeing that the battle was over, leaving Percival behind.
“I still have a long way to go,” Percival muttered as he remained lying on the ground. “Father is really strong.”
He already knew that it was impossible for him to win against his father in their sparring match because of the difference in ranks.
However, every time he thought of this excuse, the image of the seven-year-old, who bested him in close combat would appear in his mind, making him grit his teeth in frustration.
“I bet you’re thinking that losing against your father is perfectly normal, right?”
Percival almost jumped up in fright because he heard Zion’s hateful voice right next to his ear.
However, when he realized that the voice was coming from the dumb-looking-bird Vassago, the Tigerkin roared and tried to smack it away.
However, the Pocopoco was a step ahead of him and walked a few steps backwards, away from his reach.
“This kind of thinking is the reason I defeated you in our duel,” Vassago, who was using Zion’s voice, said in a teasing tone. “You know, if your father and I fought, the one who would lose would not be me, but your father.”
“Shut up!” Percival shouted. “You’re just spouting nonsense!”
“Am I?” Vassago asked, tilting his head to the side. “Trust me. The one I intend to fight is even stronger than your father by several Ranks. This is the difference in our abilities. You have skill issues, My Guy.”
Thirteen had asked Vassago to pester Percival, and make sure to talk down to the Tigerkin, who had been reunited with his family.
What the Tigerkin needed right now was a worthy rival, and Thirteen had decided to take that role for the time being since Anwir was quite busy handling the affairs of the Sumatran Kingdom.
The seven-year-old wanted Percival to bounce back in his defeat, but that would not be enough to motivate the Tigerkin to do his best.
In order for that to happen, he needed a goal.
He needed someone to defeat, and what better target than someone who had defeated him in a duel, despite being way stronger than his opponent.
This was the mentality that Thirteen wanted to instill in Percival.
Despite the overwhelming odds of facing a stronger opponent, he must believe that there was a chance of winning.
That way, the Power of Fate would activate and allow him to create miracles, which was the power of bullsh*t that belonged to Heroes.
Thirteen hated this power the most because regardless of how disadvantaged they were, they always had a way to reverse their current situation and win in the end.
Percival was still at the beginning stages of becoming a Hero, so he was still unable to utilize this power.
What the seven-year-old wanted to do was to help him awaken this power early because what he needed right now was the Power of Bullsh*t.
“You know, you won’t get strong by training here with your father,” Vassago said using General Stark’s voice as his way of further teasing the Tigerkin. “Actually, that power you possess was something that Zion gave to you, you know?
“And you know what’s even more funny? Before you guys went back to the Sumatran Kingdom, he gave your brother Anwir the same power. Guess what, your brother will become much stronger than he is now.”
Vassago chuckled in a disdainful tone just like the Fourth-Rate Villain that he had become.
Thirteen’s villainous mannerisms had rubbed off on the Pocopoco, but Vassago didn’t mind. He actually liked using Thirteen’s voice to talk to his subordinates because he liked how varied their reactions were.
“I’ll say this again, Taiga, you will not unlock your potential if you train here with your family,” Vassago stated using Thirteen’s voice. “Only I am able to give you the power you want. Only by being with me will you stop making excuses.
“Also, if you decide to return, I will tell you the truth about this war, and the real enemy that you will be facing in the future. I have already left my message with Dixon, so if you have made up your mind. Just talk to him. Lastly, I think it will be best if you have a good talk with your sister, Cleo.
“Just like your mother, she can also have visions. Why don’t you ask her what kind of visions she had been seeing as of late? Maybe that will help you make your decision.”
After saying those words, Vassago flew away and headed towards Parania City in order to pass Zion’s message to Anwir.
Thirteen had allowed Percival to return to his family for a few days because this was what Briella had asked of him.
Since the beautiful Tigerkin had treated him properly while he was still living in their residence, the seven-year-old thought that it wouldn’t be a big deal to let Percival go home for a few days.
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Somewhere on the Main Continent…
Arundel looked at his army, which was in the process of boarding the ships that would take them to the Valbarra Archipelago.
These ships were being pulled by Sea Monsters, allowing them to travel faster compared to those who relied on sails to travel the sea.
He had lost all contact with Gael from the Barbarians, making him wonder if the one he’d chosen had decided to betray him.
Fortunately, Paven was still there to communicate with him, allowing him to better understand the situation in the Valbarra Archipelago.
Since it had already come to this, he decided to oversee the war himself and if it didn’t progress the way he intended, he would not hesitate to interfere and forcefully make everyone submit to his rule.
Although it was embarrassing, he didn’t want to lose his bet with Camazotz, who always talked to him as if he was beneath him.
However, now that things had gotten out of hand, he decided to act personally even though he would become the laughing stock of their organization.
He would rather endure this kind of shame and embarrassment, than lose completely.
‘I guess my plan to impress the other Majin Princes and Princesses has backfired,’ Arundel thought as he gazed at his army. ‘But, it doesn’t matter. This is just a small setback. I will be able to regain my prestige in the future.’
With this thought in mind, the Majin Prince, who was hailed as the Destroyer, boarded the flagship of his army, which was being pulled personally by a Kraken.
It would still take a day before they departed from their territory, yet the news of Arundel making his move had already started to spread among the powerful factions, who bordered his territory.