I sat up slowly, rubbing my ribs. That one actually stung. Not because of the strength behind the hit—it was sloppy, rushed—but because I hadn't seen it coming.
'So the older brother finally made his move, huh?'
Across the ruined platform, Blaze lay sprawled like a broken marionette, jaw hanging loose and flames finally extinguished. The heat around him had dissipated, but the older brother burned like a furnace, the fire rippling off his form in tightly controlled waves.
He stood tall, broader than Blaze, more refined in posture, and his armor was custom-forged, deep red plates laced with dark silver veins. His eyes locked onto mine, filled not with rage, but something colder.
"You went too far," he said.
I stood up, brushing the dust off my shoulder.
"He challenged me," I replied evenly. "And lost. Badly."
He stepped forward, the platform crunching under his boots. The remaining spectators went dead silent. Even the royal guard, who'd been conveniently useless during the duel, took a wary step back.
"You broke his jaw. Shattered his ribs. Humiliated him."
I raised an eyebrow. "That was me holding back."
He clenched his fists. The flames around him pulsed, hotter and sharper.
"I won't let you disrespect our House like this."
"Then don't let your brother start fights he can't finish."
That did it.
With a burst of flame, he charged me—faster than Blaze had ever managed. His movements were precise, every step calculated. I ducked his first swing and countered with a jab to the ribs.
Clang.
My punch connected, but his armor soaked up most of the impact. He spun, elbow slicing toward my jaw. I leaned back just in time.
'Alright, he's actually trained.'
He came again—less brute force, more technique. A low sweep, a shoulder feint, then a flame-coated punch to my chest. I blocked, deflected, and ducked—until one strike caught me across the temple.
Crack.
My vision blurred for a second, and I stumbled back.
'Okay. That one landed.'
I grinned. "Good. You might actually last longer than your brother."
He didn't rise to the bait. Instead, he reached for a hidden blade at his hip.
"Now who's breaking the rules?" I said, dodging.
He didn't answer. The blade flashed, slicing for my shoulder. I caught it between my palms, the metal scorching hot from the enchantments running through it.
"Cheap tricks don't win duels," I muttered, twisting the weapon out of his hands and tossing it aside.
He growled and kneed me in the gut.
"Ugh."
I staggered but grabbed his leg and yanked. He hit the ground hard, and I moved in with a punch—but he rolled away and sprang back up.
We circled each other. No one dared interfere now.
This wasn't a duel.
This was war.
I surged forward. Steel rang against steel as our blades collided in a blinding flurry. He met each of my strikes with crisp, precise parries. His blade glowed faintly with embedded light magic—controlled bursts that flared with each swing, giving him just enough edge to keep up.
I darted to the side, slipping behind him.
My sword came down Blaze's neck.
Clang!
Spark blocked it, just barely, inches from the final blow.
"Still trying to kill my brother?" he growled.
"He's not worth sparing," I snapped, twisting and slamming my elbow into his ribs.
He flinched but retaliated instantly. A quick jab—coated in light—caught my shoulder. The burn was real, but not enough to stop me.
"You can't keep this up," I said, moving in again.
I slashed for Blaze.
Clang!
Another block.
A pulse of light magic flared between us like a flashbang, momentarily blinding me. I backed off, blinking spots from my vision.
"You're wasting your time protecting trash," I spat.
"You're wasting your breath."
He charged. Our blades clashed again and again, sparks flying in all directions. I feinted high, cut low, and tried to break past his guard. He kept pace—barely.
"I can't let you kill him," he said through gritted teeth.
I scoffed. "Then die with him."
I dove low, swung wide, and forced him back. My blade carved across his armor—a shallow cut, but enough to stain red.
He struck back with a horizontal slash lit by a thin layer of light magic. I blocked it, sparks flying between us.
"You're not strong enough to stop me," I said.
His blade shimmered again. A burst of light surged through the edge—but it was condensed, not large-scale. He was limiting it.
'So he can't use light magic in full here. Good.'
"You're not allowed to go all out here, are you?" I asked with a grin.
He didn't answer.
I lunged for Blaze a third time, blade aimed cleanly at his throat.
Cling!
A shield of solid light flashed into place—thin, almost invisible, but enough to block me.
"Tch, annoying."
I twisted mid-swing and caught Spark in the ribs again with my elbow, following it with a sweeping slash. He caught my sword just in time.
Our blades locked, muscles straining. I leaned in, close enough to smell the heat rolling off his skin.
"You're burning up, Spark," I said coldly. "Are you sure you can keep shielding him while I carve you down?"
He pushed me back with a burst of flame and light, sending me skidding across the platform.
But I charged again—one last time.
This time, my strike hit Blaze directly.
Or it would have.
Clung!
Spark's sword stopped mine an inch from Blaze's face. His hand trembled. He was sweating now. Exhausted. Just like his brother.
"You went too far," he said again.
"No. I didn't go far enough."
I pivoted hard and slammed my fist into Spark's gut. He coughed and stumbled back, finally showing pain.
He tried to retaliate—but I caught his hand and twisted.
"Ugh!" he grunted, pulling back his now-blackened fingers, scorched from my magic.
That's when Nyx finally stepped in.
"Stop this right now!" Nyx yelled, stepping between Spark and me, her arms raised to block us both.
"Nyx White," Spark growled, eyes narrowing. "What do you think you're doing?"
"I'm stopping a pointless fight between you two," she snapped. "Seriously, your brother lost. Just accept it."
Spark scoffed, irritated. "Bitch, don't run your mouth like that. You have no standing here. Your father isn't even in this dimension. Do you think he'll be able to save your sorry ass?"
I stepped up beside her, my voice calm but sharp. "Have you forgotten where we are right now?"
Spark scoffed again. "The royal castle. What, you think I'm an idiot?"
"Then you should know exactly who you just attacked—on royal grounds, without provocation."
"I was provoked by you," he shot back.
I folded my arms. "No, Spark. Your brother provoked me. You decided to jump in like some kind of self-righteous idiot."
Spark's eyes narrowed. "So what?"
I sighed. "Gods, it's like talking to a toddler. Can you not read between the lines? You attacked a royal. During a sanctioned duel. In front of an audience."
He rolled his eyes. "Pfft. You're just adopted. That doesn't mean anything."
My expression went flat. "You really are asking for it."
I vanished, reappearing in front of him. Before he could react, I grabbed his head.
Crack!
I smashed him into the arena floor, shattering stone for the second time this month.
From behind me, I heard Artemis call out, her voice laced with concern. "Ren, are you okay?"
I turned to her with a grin. "Yeah, of course. They're not very strong, after all."
Spark's laughter echoed from behind me. "Not strong? I haven't even used close to my full power yet!"
He pushed himself to his feet and slammed his sword into the ground. The air shifted—the stone darkened beneath our feet.
Then came the voice that silenced everything.
"I warned you not to use that sword on royal grounds, Spark Crimson."
The Demon King appeared behind him like a shadow of judgment. Uwe's presence was crushing.
Spark froze mid-ritual. "Sorry, Demon King. I won't—"
"You've already had your one pass." Uwe's tone was calm, final. He placed a hand on Spark's head.
Crack.
Spark collapsed instantly, lifeless.
The silence afterward was deafening.
Uwe turned his gaze toward Blaze, who still lay where I left him. "Blaze Crimson. You and your fellow Red Dragons are hereby banned from the royal grounds for five years."
High above, Leah descended like judgment itself, voice echoing. "Drop your weapons and armor. Leave."
Blaze, still shaking, stood and staggered toward Spark's body.
"No," Uwe said, gaze hard. "You may not take his body. You have five minutes to leave."
From the shadows at my feet, Lina emerged, brushing dust off her shoulders as if she'd just gotten up from a nap.
"Ren, are you alright?" she asked, her tone casual.
I smirked. "Minor bruises. My scales are still top tier. I've tested them personally."
She looked me in the eyes. "Did you see the hit coming?"
"Yeah," I admitted, rubbing my ribs. "I just couldn't keep up in time."
"Glad you're fine," she said, patting my head gently—annoyingly.
I rolled my eyes. "Why'd you all get involved, anyway?"
Lina sighed. "His sword—Guang Mors. It's light-aligned. He's not allowed to use it in populated areas, especially not here."
"Why not?"
"It's too dangerous," she explained. "Light magic like that is devastating to most demons, especially non-combatants."
"But we're dragons."
She shrugged. "The spectators aren't."
I eyed the fallen weapon. "Huh. Can I have it?"
Lina sighed again. "Ask Uwe."
"Will do," I said, turning toward the Demon King.
[5 minutes earlier—Leah POV]
"They're planning something," I muttered, eyes locked on the Crimson group across the arena.
Uwe, standing beside me, nodded. "Obviously."
"Blaze's brother is here too," I added, watching the tension grow between the Red Dragons.
Lina leaned against the balcony rail, her gaze following my own. "You think they'll try to gang up on her?"
"Probably," I replied grimly.
Lina tilted her head. "Should we help her then?"
Uwe shook his head, arms crossed. "No need. They're not strong enough to force Ren to go all out. She won't even need to draw her sword properly."
"But..." I hesitated, watching the arena floor, "If that brother of Blaze uses his sword—"
Uwe cut me off. "Then I'll intervene."
I glanced sideways at him. "Uwe, I don't think you should go that far."
He met my gaze, unflinching. "I warned him, face-to-face, not to use that sword here."
"I get that, but if you act too aggressively in front of everyone, it's going to look like you're playing favorites. Your favoritism will be obvious."
He didn't flinch. "…So?"
I sighed heavily. "I know you care about your family. And yes, she's one of us now. But if you jump in like that, it's going to show too much of yourself. You'll give them something to use against us."
Uwe gave me a small, unapologetic smile. "Leah, you know I listen to you, most of the time. But not this time. I'm sorry."
Another sigh escaped me. "Fine, fine. But if this turns into a political mess, I'm going to blackmail Andreas over it."
Now it was his turn to grin. "And you say I show favoritism?"
"Shut it," I snapped, rolling my eyes.
Lina snickered softly behind us. "You two really are something."
Just then, her eyes narrowed. "Oh. They went for a sneak attack."
Uwe's voice came cool and measured. "She blocked it."
Leah folded her arms. "Yes, Uwe. We can see that."
Lina pointed at the arena. "But… Why is she trying to kill Blaze? Isn't the duel over?"
I shrugged. "I don't know."
A low thump rang out below. Lina winced.
"Man," she muttered. "Her punches are no joke."
"She's holding back," I said, watching Ren's movements closely.
"Why?" Lina asked, a little surprised.
I exhaled through my nose. "I don't know everything, Lina. Stop asking me like I'm an oracle."
Boom!
A powerful impact rocked the platform.
I looked at Uwe. "That should end it. Or at least..."
"Or push it too far," Uwe finished, his eyes flashing.
Without another word, he disappeared.