[Ren POV]
"Alright, I got permission. We can have our duel," I said as I stepped out of the mansion, teleporting just past the front door.
"Heh, great," Blaze said with a smug grin.
I ignored him and made my way to the dueling platform. Funny enough, it was the same one Uwe and I had accidentally destroyed not too long ago. I dropped my sword box on the ground; it held all three of my blades, and I took my place across from him.
"So," I called, "we're going to fight to decide who gets to court Artemis White?"
"Yes," Blaze said simply.
"Huh. Isn't that a bit stupid? Shouldn't she get to decide? She's her person."
"She's weaker than me, so she doesn't have that choice."
'Right. Strength equals authority. Classic Red Dragon logic. Though I really doubt she's weaker than him.'
I tilted my head. "But still, why do we need to fight? It's not like we're forbidden from pursuing the same person. You're just failing miserably at it."
"Grr… Shut up! I want to prove I'm stronger than you and that you don't stand a chance of winning Artemis over."
"Win her over from you? But she's closer to me."
"You've got a sharp tongue. I hope your skills match."
"Oh, I'm excellent with my tongue," I said innocently, glancing toward Artemis and Nyx, who had just arrived.
"Ren!" Artemis snapped, while Nyx just looked confused.
"Sorry, sorry. Just genuinely wondering what I'm better at." I shrugged.
"Shut up!" Blaze barked.
Before we could go further, another red dragon stepped onto the field—one of the royal guards, judging by his armor. He looked bored.
"Let's go over the rules," he said, standing between us. "First, no soul weapons."
Blaze sneered. "She doesn't have any."
I didn't correct him. 'I have three—but let's keep that a surprise. He wouldn't know what to do with that information anyway.'
"If soul weapons are banned, Blaze should hand his over," Artemis said sharply.
"I don't see the need for that," the guard replied, not even looking at her.
"Oh? So the passive boost it gives him doesn't count as using it?" she snapped.
He didn't respond. Technically, she was right, but he clearly didn't care.
"Artemis, it's fine," I said. "If they want to help each other, let them."
The guard cleared his throat. "Second rule, no killing."
"But—"
"This is a duel against a princess. She may be adopted, but Blaze, you won't survive the consequences."
I raised an eyebrow. That casual tone was starting to grate.
'Great, so they're already giving him unfair advantages. And I can't teleport. Guess I'll get to see what my body can really do.'
I took a simple hand-to-hand stance, no weapons drawn. Blaze smirked.
"Heh. Want to do this bare-handed?"
"There are training swords in the armory," the guard offered.
"Nah. Let's do this hand-to-hand," Blaze said, cocky.
The guard walked off the platform without a countdown.
'No start signal? Useless.'
"Focus, woman!" Blaze shouted, charging.
'Oh? No countdown, and you're already yelling?'
I caught his punch, twisted his wrist, and tossed him over my shoulder. He slammed into the ground with a loud boom.
"What?!" he gasped, confused.
"Is there no start signal?" I asked the guard, ignoring Blaze.
"We don't do that here."
"I see." I shrugged and looked down at Blaze again.
"I wasn't ready!" he muttered, climbing to his feet.
"You attacked me… But you weren't ready?"
"You talk too much, bitch!"
"And you shout too much for someone so weak," I said, appearing in front of him and jabbing him in the gut.
Clang.
He stumbled, groaning. I noticed the dull glint beneath his clothes.
"You've got armor under there?"
My battle uniform had monster-skin lining and was lightweight and flexible. His was pure ego.
"I didn't even see her move," someone in the crowd muttered.
'So my speed's this good now? It feels close to the speed I had when I first learned to teleport.
"Come on, I'm almost healed—I want to test myself."
Blaze groaned. "What did you do to me?"
"A jab."
"A what?"
"A jab. A small punch. Not even full strength."
Snarling, he charged again. I caught him, flipped him, then blocked his wild swing and jabbed him again.
Crack.
His armor cracked. His face twisted with fear.
"You were so confident earlier. Look at you now—groaning after every little hit, even with armor."
"Princess Ren, I think that's enough—" the guard began.
"You didn't say how the winner's decided. You said no killing. So shut up before I break your armor, too."
He backed off immediately.
'This isn't even a proper test of my strength. He's too soft.'
"Are you done yet? Actually, let's use our swords now."
"You should've finished me when you had the chance!" Blaze yelled, flames erupting around him as he drew his sword.
"Red dragon, red flames. "What a twist," I said sarcastically, drawing my sword. I held it lazily, one hand behind my back, the blade tapping against my boot.
He lunged. I didn't move.
At the last second, I shifted and slammed my palm into his chest. He went flying. I caught up midair, kicked him upward, then drove him back down, hard, into the platform. A crater formed beneath him.
"That is not going to help you much," I said.
"Ugh—what are you?!"
"Do I need to explain what a half-demon is?"
"You—!"
"Yes, me." I grabbed his face.
"Fuck you!" he screamed, igniting fully in a desperate final blaze.
Flames erupted from every inch of his body in a violent burst, spiraling around him like a cyclone of molten rage. The sheer heat distorted the air between us, and several spectators instinctively stepped back. His eyes burned—not with determination, but with desperation. It was a last-ditch effort, and he was throwing everything into it.
"You think this flame hurts me?" I muttered, unimpressed, narrowing my eyes.
He lunged.
This time, there was real speed behind it. The flames along his blade twisted into jagged shapes, slashing toward me like claws. I ducked under the first swing, the heat grazing my cheek. He was aiming wildly, too fueled by anger to think clearly.
He went for an overhead strike. I pivoted to the side, letting the blow crash into the stone floor. The platform cracked under the force, splinters of rock shooting upward.
I brought my elbow down onto the back of his neck.
Thud.
He staggered forward, coughing through clenched teeth, but spun around with a burst of fire, aiming for my ribs. I blocked with the flat of my blade, the metal singing from the heat. Then I slammed the hilt into his nose.
Crack.
Blood sprayed.
He roared and shoved his palm toward me, releasing a jet of flame at point-blank range. The wave hit—it barely singed me, but it did make my clothes catch fire a bit.
"You're seriously trying this again?" I said, stepping through the fire like it was fog, swiping my hand, killing the flames that clung to me.
I grabbed him by the collar and drove my knee into his stomach. He folded forward with a pitiful wheeze. I let go, letting him stumble back on shaky legs. His flames were flickering now, weak and unstable.
He screamed again and came at me, sword flaring up one last time. This swing was slower and more predictable.
I met it with my blade, the force of the clash sending a shockwave across the platform.
"You're done," I said coldly.
Then I moved in.
One step.
Two.
He tried to swing again, but I was already inside his reach. I ducked under his blade and landed a rapid one-two combo to his ribs—left, right—then brought my heel up and spun, kicking him clean across the jaw.
He crumpled sideways, coughing up blood.
He wasn't unconscious yet.
Not satisfied, he roared one final time and set his entire upper body ablaze, the fire clinging to him like armor. He came charging in blindly, shoulder-first, trying to tackle me to the ground.
I didn't move.
I waited.
Clung!!
Sound vibrated over the platform. I'm standing there with no care in the world about his blade against my shoulder. Or, more precisely, my scales. My matte black scales are reflecting silver light from his fire.
With wide eyes, the man looked at me. He looked at me not with confusion but with utter fear—an overwhelming need to comply with that fear.
He smashed into the far wall of the arena with a sound like breaking bones and cracked stone. Dust exploded around him, obscuring the wreckage.
In the smoke, he groaned.
Still alive.
Still conscious.
Impressive.
But this time, I walked over calmly. Slowly. My boots tapped against the cracked floor with deliberate steps.
He tried to crawl away, his hand dragging uselessly behind him.
"Where do you think you're going?" I said, grabbing his face with one hand.
"Ugh!"
His flames flared weakly in panic. I squeezed.
Crack.
His jaw gave out with a sickening snap. His mouth hung open limply, his body trembling.
"Oh. That was your jaw, wasn't it?" I muttered, brushing soot off my uniform.
He slumped, his entire frame going limp in my grip.
Then—
"You dare hurt my brother?!"
A roar cut through the aftermath like a blade. I had just enough time to glance to the side before a red blur collided with me.
Boom!
The force sent me flying sideways. The impact cracked through the arena as I tumbled across the ground, flipping once—twice—before landing hard on my side.
I sat up slowly, rubbing my ribs.