THE DUEL OF THE CENTURY
"What are these bloody scraps?" the people asked.
"These are the remains of the Temple of Eloora. I destroyed the Temple of Eloora after obtaining its Crown and these are the scraps from the broken temple. I pronounce the Baptism of Magic over for you, scum", the Mad King screamed and announced to the shock and horror of everyone who witnessed it.
"The Mad King is really mad", the people screamed.
"How can he destroy the greatest of our inherited magic? This is our inheritance", the people shouted out and asked.
"Submit your feeble cities to my rule or the next to break is not just this bloody temple but your cities. All your cities I will destroy if you dare defy me and we shall carry your possessions away like these bloody scraps", the Mad King shouted to the crowd consisting of the governors of the cities in the kingdom.
"The Mad King in his anger will wantonly destroy a great treasure like the Temple of Eloora. He is insane. He will really kill us all", the sentiment was echoed among the governors.
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"In the end, these barbarians do not change. They are all brawns and no brains. How can the Mad King destroy the Temple of Eloora once he obtained its magic? He could use the resource from the Temple of Eloora to bribe the governors' support," Apostle Matthieu asked.
"These barbarians are so predictably stupid which is good for the Church. Controlling them will not require immense effort", I replied to the apostle.
"But the Mad King will still need to depend on the argument of might. In the end, he must destroy all the cities in Drachia kingdom to rule it. This conference is a waste", Apostle Matthieu told me.
"This conference is not a waste yet if I can help it", I replied to the apostle.
"How can you salvage this situation? Do you have a plan?" Apostle Matthieu asked me.
I suddenly rose toward the Mad King.
"Look it is the Bully of Starri. He is facing the Mad King", someone shouted out to comment.
"What is the Bully going to do against the Mad King?" another asked.
"King of Nyx, Tarah city will not surrender to your rule unless you can defeat me in personal combat", I said to the Mad King and proposed.
"Fight. Yes, fight it shall be. That is the way I like it", the Mad King told me.
"If I defeat you in personal combat, your army shall leave my city alone as an independent city. If I lose, Tarah city will surrender to the Empire of Nyx-Nymera", I proposed to the Mad King.
"Accepted. Who else shall challenge me for the independence of your bloody cities?" The Mad King asked.
The governors were silent.
None of them could produce a champion who could defeat the Mad King. Neither could their cities' forces defend against the assault of the Mad King's army who could defeat the demon army easily.
"This is so unfair. We have no chance at all", a governor lamented and complained.
Then someone came up with a solution that the governors could mimic.
"I, Prince Geoffraie, represent all the cities governed by the Mithridocus family would challenge you, King of Nyx to personal combat. If we win, you shall leave our cities alone and if we lose, we shall all submit to your rule", Prince Geoffraie proposed to the Mad King.
"Who is your champion?" the Mad King asked him.
"Our champion is Lord Knight Oriese", Prince Geoffraie replied to the Mad King to the surprise of the crowd.
"Hahaha, fine I'll fight with the boy and all your cities are the wager", Mad King replied to him.
Suddenly, someone else with a good idea screamed out.
"I represent the Appolokis family. We nominate Lord Knight Oriese to fight on our behalf with you. If we win, we shall have independence. If we lose, we shall submit to your rule", an Elder from the Appolokis family proposed to the Mad King.
Soon, the cities in the entire kingdom nominated me to fight with the Mad King, for the independence of their cities, wagering their cities' independence as the stake in the gamble.
Then the Apostle entered the discussion.
"Now, let me be the judge of this contest. There shall be no going back on your wager after the duel. The result of this duel and the corresponding wager shall be binding, and the Church will make sure of it", Apostle Matthieu suddenly announced to everyone at the conference.
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Two extraordinary figures ascended into the skies above the Magic Arena of Tarah City, where their epic duel was set to unfold.
On one side stood the Mad King, a being of immense power and might.
His strength was legendary—capable of splitting mountains and demon lords with his bare hands. He arrived at the battlefield, exuding an aura of raw, unstoppable force.
Opposing him was the Bully of Starri, a formidable Lord Templar Knight known throughout the land for his unmatched magical prowess. Despite often being underestimated, his magic was considered undefeatable by those who had witnessed it.
The battle commenced with the Bully of Starri summoning a powerful lance, a signature move that had brought him countless victories. With lightning speed, the conjured weapon hurtled towards the Mad King.
"Lance of Drakul"
But the Mad King remained unshaken.
Rather than dodging the attack, he met the lance head-on, using nothing but his fist. In a moment that stunned all who watched, the Mad King shattered the Bully's conjured spear with a single, unyielding punch.
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"Who do you think will win this battle?" an invisible being asked a woman who was dressed in the ordinary clothes of the aristocratic class of Tarah city.
They were seated in one of the flying pavilions overlooking the Battle of the Century between the Bully and the Mad King.
"It doesn't matter. I didn't come to cheer either of them", the woman replied to the invisible guy.
"The Bully seems a tad weaker than usual", the invisible guy said.
"That seems to be the case although the magic he used is the magic the Bully commonly conjures. He might be dialing down on his magic to lose to the Mad King", the woman replied.
"Why will he do that? Will he lose to the Mad King on purpose?" the invisible guy asked the woman.