Chapter 98 Duel
Chapter 98 Duel
Yumi, Reika, and Alessandra lay on the ground, hands bound behind their backs, trembling as cold steel pressed against their necks. Their eyes widened in horror as King Alden planted his boot firmly on Iryoku’s back.
“Nooo!” Yumi sobbed.
Reika shook, pleading, “Let him go!”
“Iryoku!” Alessandra’s voice cracked, fury blazing through her tears.
Alden yanked on Iryoku’s harpoon, the white rope still coiled around his arm, wrenching Iryoku’s limb violently.
“A really nice weapon you have here, boy,” Alden said, shaking his head side to side. “Formidable weapons like this can make you a formidable warrior, but relying too much on them makes you vulnerable to people who are actually strong. Hahaha.”
Iryoku’s eyes burned, sharp as blades, fixed on Alden’s throat.
Darragh and Garron strode up beside him.
Garron sneered. “All bark, no bite.”
Darragh added with a smirk, “Carried by that weapon.”
Alden’s eyes narrowed in thought. “Just as Jonas reported—that coward. Fast, quick reflexes, but anyone can be beaten if you know how.” He wound the harpoon rope around his forearm, then glanced at the blade. “The power in this thing... I’ve never seen anything like it. Worthy of a king—not some foolish boy pretending to be one.”
Iryoku’s eyes burned with rage as he scanned the area, measuring every possible move.
“Eidrith,” Alden called, “drop the gravity spell.”
“Done, Your Majesty. Magic disruption’s off too,” a voice replied.
Alden’s smirk widened. “Boy, let’s play a game.”
Iryoku’s body lightened. He glanced at the girls, heart twisting.
“Don’t look at them.” Alden’s boot pressed harder, pain shooting through Iryoku’s spine. He grunted, teeth clenched. “Look at me. I’m a king who values strength. I don’t like easy wins, so here’s the deal—one-on-one. You win, you’re free. I win… you’re dead.” His voice darkened. “And those girls? Mine to do with as I please.”
“I’ll fucking kill you and your whole damn family,” Iryoku spat, blood mixing with hate.
“That’s the spirit.” Alden glanced toward Garron. “Give this weakling his daggers.”
The king stepped off. Iryoku rose, pain searing his back, his eyes flicking to the girls for a heartbeat. Twin daggers clattered to the stone at his feet. He snatched them up.
Alden passed the harpoon to a knight, who gripped it tightly. “Don’t worry,” the king said, waving for a sword. “I won’t use your toy.” A knight handed him a blade, its edge glinting. “Let’s make this fun.”
Knights formed a wide circle around them, the hall’s air thick with tension.
Iryoku and Alden circled, blades ready, eyes locked. Iryoku’s focus narrowed to a single point—killing this bastard.
Silence gripped the hall, broken only by heavy breaths.
Iryoku vanished in a blur, lunging at Alden’s side, daggers aimed for his neck.
Alden’s Leben—fiery energy—erupted, his body blazing with power. He slashed, blade slicing the air with blinding speed.
Iryoku twisted away, barely dodging, and kicked at Alden’s head. The king’s Leben flared, jagged spikes of flame bursting out, searing Iryoku’s leg mid-strike. He landed, glancing at his boot—a smoldering hole charred the leather.
“Is that all?” the king taunted, rushing forward like a charging locomotive. His steps scorched the floor, his blade cutting through the air with lethal force.
Iryoku sidestepped with minimal movement, eyes sharp, slashing both daggers at the gaps in Alden’s armor. The blades hit Leben, sparking ice that melted instantly. He swiped again—but Alden’s fiery aura repelled them effortlessly.
Alden countered, blade slashing diagonally. Iryoku rolled back, gaining distance.
Garron laughed. “What a dumbass. Speed without power is nothing. If you can’t hurt your enemy. How do you expect to win without using Leben?”
Iryoku clicked his tongue, the sting of fresh burns and cuts biting into him. His eyes flicked toward the knight holding his harpoon.
If I could just get it back… I could kill this bastard easily.
He lunged, faster now. Alden parried, but Iryoku slipped past, aiming for the king’s legs—only for Leben to explode outward, fiery spikes searing his skin, stopping his blades cold.
Alden swung again. Iryoku planted a foot on the king’s knee, ignoring the burning pain, and launched into a spinning leap, daggers aimed for Alden’s jaw—
A blast of molten fire erupted from Alden, spikes tearing into Iryoku, hurling him across the floor.
“Arghhh!” he groaned, pain ripping through him.
“Nooo!” the girls screamed as he crashed down, skin charred and bleeding.
But Iryoku forced himself to stand, rage burning in his eyes.
“Let’s keep going, boy,” Alden said calmly, beckoning with one hand.
Iryoku steadied his breathing, letting his presence fade until even the onlookers could barely sense him.
“He’s gone,” Garron muttered, shifting his stance.
Darragh scoffed. “Don’t be stupid—he’s still here.”
"That won’t work," Alden laughed. He stomped the ground hard, fire-hazed energy erupting from his body in all directions as the floor trembled beneath him.
“Shit,” Iryoku cursed as his cloaking shattered and his position was exposed. Alden rushed at him, swinging his sword in a flurry of wide, relentless slashes. Even with burns and wounds, Iryoku dodged with the bare minimum movement, conserving every scrap of energy.
I can’t keep this up, his mind raced.
He feinted at Alden, then dashed aside, vanishing again. Alden turned, searching, but found nothing. Another pulse of fire flared—still no Iryoku.
The king smirked, standing still.
Above, Iryoku clung to the high ceiling, eyes locked on the knight with his harpoon.
He dropped, diving for the weapon—
His hand reached—
but the knight was no ordinary guard. His body suddenly sheathed in energy, stance unshakable. One arm shielded the harpoon completely; the other lashed out with a hidden blade.
Iryoku twisted away, daggers rising to deflect the strike—
when his danger sense flared.
Alden was behind him.
Before he could react, the king’s flaming sword came down. Iryoku leapt aside at the last instant—
but the blade struck the floor, detonating in a burst of fire. Spikes of molten energy ripped through the air, searing his flesh until it blackened and cracked.
He hit the ground hard, his body refusing to move.
Alden abandoned his sword, dashing forward. Without breaking stride, he slammed his boot into Iryoku’s ribs.
Crack.
“Gahh!” Iryoku spat blood.
The king’s Leben faded—no need to waste it now. He grabbed Iryoku by the collar, slamming him into the floor over and over before lifting him up like a ragdoll.
“Look at you,” Alden sneered. “Shaking… bleeding… still trying to glare at me. You thought you were strong? You thought you mattered?” He laughed in Iryoku’s face. “Those knights you killed? Trash I left outside the barriers to die. You just did my dirty work.”
“Fuck you!” Iryoku roared.
Alden’s fist shot forward, smashing into his face.
Thud.
Blood streamed down his chin, his jaw shattered and nose crushed.
“You’re stubborn, I’ll give you that,” the king said, voice low and cold. “No Leben… and you still stood in front of my flames. You burned, but you didn’t break. That’s… almost impressive.” His eyes drifted over the burns already knitting shut.
Even in that battered state, Iryoku glared back with pure, deadly intent.
“You’ve already lost, and you still dare to challenge my power?” Alden’s voice darkened. “I’m not the kind of person to do this publicly… but it’s time you learn who’s really in control.”
He dragged Iryoku by the arm, the man’s legs scraping against the floor, and hauled him toward the girls. They sobbed, eyes wide at the sight of his broken, bloodied form.
Iryoku’s hand twitched. He swung weakly at Alden—a feeble, blood-slick punch that barely connected.
Alden didn’t even flinch. He signaled to his sons, who approached with cruel smiles.
They stopped in front of the girls, who were pinned down by knights, steel pressed against their throats.
Iryoku’s chest constricted. “No, no, no—please! Let them go! I’ll fight for you! I’ll do anything, I swear! Please, just don’t hurt them!” His voice cracked, desperation spilling into every word.
Alden hurled him to the ground in front of them. The knights shifted position, making space for the royal trio, blades never leaving the girls’ necks.
The girls’ sobs deepened, their eyes sinking into despair. Alessandra looked up through tears, anger burning.
“I’m gonna kill you!” she screamed, her body starting to glow with energy.
Garron, looming behind her, snarled,
“Don’t do it, lioness, or we kill the others. Bitch, just take your new man’s seed and maybe we let that guy live.” His smirk was cold, vile.
Alden looked at Iryoku while loosening his belt.
“Watch, boy.”
He stepped toward Yumi. Garron and Darragh closed in on Alessandra and Reika, following their father’s lead.
The surrounding knights yanked at the girls’ pants, dragging them down, while the king and his sons leered at their bodies, their members already in hand.
Iryoku thrashed weakly, right in front of them, trying to reach—do anything—but his body wouldn’t respond.
“AAARGHHHHHHHH!”