Defeat In Defeat

Lying in his sleeping bag, Kazi pointed at the starry night, saying, "You see that? No north star. The closest in the first millennium BC is Kochab. Whoever created this simulation must have been super thorough."

"A simulation? What makes you say that?" Marta asked.

"I doubt we're actually back in the days of King Saul. Time travel would cause too many paradoxes. So the Heavenly Tower has to be a simulation. Plus, multiple attempts and versions? It has to be."

"...you ever think everything is a simulation?"

"Nah."

"Why not?"

"Dunno. I just don't think the things everyone else has felt and experienced are fake."

William pretended not to listen, despite verbally agreeing. He had taken a lot of weird shit when he was young. Even in the thick of it, where the world became faces of creatures he did not recognize, nothing indicated to him that the world was simulated. If everything was a simulation, then William would have discovered it then.

Unlike him, Nikolai overheard their conversation and directly responded. "A simulation? As if."

"Another point to my side." Kazi grinned as he turned his face over.

"Allow me to demonstrate!" Nikolai demonstrated. "William, come!"

"Huh?" Before he knew it, he was several feet away from the vampire and standing across from Nikolai, facing off in a deadly distance. William blinked again. "Huh?

"Let us spar!"

"S-spar?" Nikolai grinned and raised both fists, suddenly combat ready. Awkwardly, William went into a high-guard boxing stance. Nikolai was bigger than him. Judging by muscle alone, stronger too, though that remained to be seen. The interference of the System could shift the advantage at the snap of a finger.

Ksenia sighed. "I'm going to sleep. Try not to go too crazy, people."

His one deterrent gone, Nikola beckoned him. "Come at me, friend!"

"What are we doing exactly?"

"I'm bored and I want to prove this isn't a simulation by inflicting some fun!"

'Fun? Or pain?'

Nevertheless, William wasn't completely turned off by the idea of a spar. As a matter of fact, he welcomed it. With Kazi, winning was never an option. It was like going up against an uncategorically difficult NPC that never made mistakes. Maybe against Nikolai…

"Ah, that's a good look in your eye. Come at me! Grab your victory, William!"

Channelling the frustration from his losses against Kazi, William charged at him, only for his world to flip.

'Huh—?'

William hit the ground hard, his shoulder slamming head first. There came a deafening crunch, followed by an unrestrained groan.

"Haha!" Nikolai rolled his shoulder, his grin above him like a cloud. "You were heavier than I expected. Let's go again."

Nikolai offered a hand, which William took. He purposely put a bit more distance between them, wanting to be on the counter side. Nikolai's grin didn't waver. Instead, as soon as the two nodded at a rematch, he came forward. His feet twisting, Nikolai went for a punch.

Miss.

Nikolai put his whole shoulder into it and William attempted to capitalize on the grand opening. A second punch was arriving but William wasn't worried. His own fist was almost to his face. Whatever damage he was going to take would be negligible.

Bam! Direct hit. Nikolai stumbled back, shocked at his strength. The two of them understood in that point of contact that in terms of strength, they were dead even. In terms of raw numbers, William was superior, with Nikolai making up for the System numbers with his weight and stature. There was some shuffling, feet going in circles, with William throwing out a few unsuccessful jabs.

'His footwork is amazing. It's probably better than my old coach,' William thought. 'I should have figured. He's a gym coach too.'

A swirl of fear struck his heart. He didn't want to lose. Not again. Not against an equal. A flurry of impatience taking hold of him, William sent out a sweeping jab. A clean read from Nikolai, who proceeded to send out his own sweeping jab. William thought he blocked it. No, he did block, but Nikolai proceeded to literally dive into another move: a throw.

"Ngh!"

His head in his stomach, William was unable to do anything as—Slam! He was forced to the ground. There was nothing he could do. He attempted to kick him off but Nikolai wormed his way into a shoulder joint lock.

"Got you, haha!"

A small part of him was pissed off for losing. A larger part was in awe. "I give!" he said.

Nikolai released him, though remained on one knee. "You did great work, William. I am impressed."

"Thanks. To be honest…" William contemplated telling him that he had wanted to spar with him at the gym. In the end, he elected to praise him. "...I just couldn't react to your moves. I've never seen anything like it."

"Haha, do you wish to go again?"

William thought long and hard about it. "Sure."

Round three: another loss.

"Again!"

Round four: a little closer. William was starting to get the hang of it. He was a mixed martial artist but there was something more to it. His grapples and throws were astonishingly smooth. The instant he was grabbed, William was dead.

"Again!"

'Seriously! Why—'

Four, five…

'Why—'

Six, seven…

'Why can I never win!?'

William experienced a total of eight losses. There was frustration. There was anger. Yet through it all, there was envy and admiration. He wasn't sure if he hated him or if he thought the world of him.

*****

"Li Xuanming may not be from Oyashima and may be quite old, but he would be a perfect fit for my eldest great-granddaughter. He turned the Orthodox Sect from a council of pathetic elders to a Sect worthy of its name; on the same level as the Unorthodox and the Justice Sect. Then there is his potion and pill-making abilities. No one in my family has what he has. Not even my son, Kazuya. I can't wait to meet him tomorrow."

- Excerpt from the private journal of the Eternal Emperor, 111 HE

"The meeting happened. It went as I expected. Li Xuanming rejected my offer. Ah, apologies, rather,. he would think about it. A rejection, pretty much. My great granddaughter was bold and asked him outright. Saying that you would, 'Think about it,' is as close to a rejection without saying it outloud.

I sense something off with him. I can't explain it. He's smart and his strength is nothing to scoff at either. He will certainly reach Nascent Soul in a year or two. Even so...

He's not a villain. No, no, certainly not. However, if he needs to achieve his goals, I do feel that he would backstab even his own child. He has no pride in his work. He may a genius but he is looking waywards. He is looking at a goal beyond our horizons.

One who does not put the family above all else will doom all else."

- Excerpt from the private journal of the Eternal Emperor, 111 HE