Night lay heavy, stars filled the sky, and clouds half veiled the cold moonlight.
Torches lined the spacious castle courtyard, and a roaring bonfire bathed it in red.
Two figures stood in the courtyard: Naofumi Iwatani and Motoyasu Kitamura, both bristling with aggression.
The surrounding spectator stands were packed with nobles. The king sat in the gallery to the upper left, flanked by his trusted ministers and the chief court mage. Across from him sat the pope of the great church and two black-robed bishops, their expressions warm and benevolent.
"Now, the duel between the Spear Hero and the Shield Hero will begin! Victory will be determined when one combatant corners the other into a position where he can deliver the finishing blow, or when either side concedes defeat."
Motoyasu Kitamura spoke flippantly, his manner arrogant. "You know that story about the sharpest spear and the strongest shield-which one would win?"
"Ready-"
"Naofumi, why not just give up?" Motoyasu Kitamura twirled his spear and took a fighting stance, urging him to surrender.
Naofumi Iwatani said nothing. He changed his shield's form, a diamond-shaped Small Shield appearing on his right arm, and assumed a defensive stance.
Tch. So you won't give up until you've learned the hard way?
Seeing Naofumi Iwatani's response, Motoyasu Kitamura grew serious. He pointed his spear straight at Naofumi Iwatani, ready to teach him a painful lesson.
"Begin!!!"
At the referee's announcement, Motoyasu Kitamura shot forward like a pouncing leopard, raising his spear to thrust straight at Naofumi Iwatani.
Naofumi Iwatani raised the shield on his arm, his eyes intent. Watching Motoyasu Kitamura's movements closely, he shuffled several steps backward and blocked every fierce thrust. Metal clashed violently, sending sparks flying.
"Oh, you blocked them? That's the Shield Hero for you."
Motoyasu Kitamura smiled in surprise as he spoke, though it was hard to tell whether he was mocking him or offering praise.
Naofumi Iwatani gave Motoyasu Kitamura a dark look and replied coldly, "You lost. If this is a contest between the sharpest spear and the strongest shield, you already lost the moment you failed to pierce my shield."
"Tch. Nobody would accept deciding the winner that way."
The recoil from the shield drove Motoyasu Kitamura several meters back. His eyes narrowed, and Naofumi Iwatani's level information immediately appeared in his field of vision.
Naofumi Iwatani LV21. Motoyasu Kitamura LV43.
Despite being more than twice Naofumi Iwatani's level, Motoyasu Kitamura had failed to break through his defenses several times.
He's as hard as a turtle shell from head to toe. This is so damn frustrating!
Irritated, Motoyasu Kitamura abandoned his carefree attitude and began taking his fight with Naofumi Iwatani seriously.
Let's see if you can block this one.
Activate skill!
"Rapid Thrust!"
The spearhead blazed with light. In the next instant, Motoyasu Kitamura surged toward Naofumi Iwatani, his spear becoming countless points that stabbed at him like a storm of driving rain.
The relentless impacts knocked Naofumi Iwatani's raised shield aside, and several streaks of spear-light struck him. He hurriedly retreated, blood seeping from his wounds.
Though he looked battered, those minor injuries had barely reduced Naofumi Iwatani's HP.
Seeing that the HP bar above Naofumi Iwatani's head had hardly budged, Motoyasu Kitamura spat in frustration. His hands trembled slightly, his arms ached, and he stared at Naofumi Iwatani with a disgruntled expression.
I even used a skill, and his HP barely moved. Is this guy really only LV21? His hide is harder than granite!
With his skill on cooldown, Motoyasu Kitamura could not launch another attack of that scale. He had no choice but to find a way to fight Naofumi Iwatani at close quarters.
Seizing an opening, Naofumi Iwatani slammed a fist into Motoyasu Kitamura's stomach, but his opponent's HP bar did not move at all.
"He just won't give up. How could the shield's attacks possibly do any damage?"
Myne watched Naofumi Iwatani's attack from the sidelines and sneered contemptuously.
So I really can't do any damage?
Naofumi Iwatani silently considered that as he pulled his secret weapon-an orange-red balloon monster-from inside his cloak and quickly shoved it onto Motoyasu Kitamura.
Crunch-
"Ow! Why...?"
Motoyasu Kitamura cried out in pain and looked at its source. A vicious-looking orange-red balloon monster had clamped its sharp, jagged teeth onto him.
"A balloon monster? Why is that here?"
As though showing off, Naofumi Iwatani lifted his cloak. Several vicious orange-red balloon monsters were gnawing at his body, though they were not doing any real damage.
Motoyasu Kitamura looked as disgusted as if he had swallowed a fly. "What are you doing?"
Naofumi Iwatani smiled with malicious amusement. "I can't win anyway, so I just wanted to gross you out."
The spectators seemed stunned by Naofumi Iwatani's bizarre tactics, staring blankly down at what barely resembled a duel between spear and shield.
"Damn it, fight me fair and square!" After dealing with the balloon monster on his body, Motoyasu Kitamura roared through gritted teeth, raised his spear, and stabbed at Naofumi Iwatani.
The shield transformed into a two-headed black dog shield and blocked Motoyasu Kitamura's thrust. Then the two dog heads on its surface seemed to come alive. Their scarlet eyes flashed red, and their necks stretched out as they sank their teeth into Motoyasu Kitamura's arm.
"Argh, that hurts!"
Motoyasu Kitamura shook off the biting dog heads and hastily retreated. Though he had taken little damage, the pain remained.
Good. That's the way. I just need to keep this up.
Just as Naofumi Iwatani prepared to attack again, a figure clad in black patterned with red clouds appeared in the center of the courtyard, directly between the two combatants.
"Ye?"
Naofumi Iwatani and Motoyasu Kitamura froze. Neither had expected Ye Uchiha to be the one interrupting their duel.
"Is that man the fifth hero...?"
"Wasn't he supposed to have skipped the banquet? Why is he here?"
"I heard he publicly snubbed His Majesty last time. All the nobles present witnessed it."
"..."
Murmurs spread through the stands as the spectators glanced between Ye Uchiha below and the king in the gallery. Even the king's expression turned dark and cold, his hands clenching into fists.
The king himself had arranged this duel, making it a symbol of the royal family's supreme authority. Anyone who dared interrupt it was undoubtedly slapping him in the face.
As the king of Melromarc, he had now had his authority challenged repeatedly, with so many nobles watching. If he still failed to take action, his prestige within the kingdom would surely plummet.
This man must face the king's punishment!
Even his status as a hero could not protect him, especially when he was merely a counterfeit hero added to the Four Holy Heroes. The Four Holy Heroes alone were enough to save the world.
This extra hero was utterly inconsequential. Even if the king could not act against him openly, he could send a host of assassins willing to die for their mission to take Ye Uchiha's head in secret.
The king had already sentenced Ye Uchiha to death in his mind. He watched him impassively from above, considering how to kill him.
"I apologize for interrupting your duel. I just happened to acquire a rare treasure, and I'm rather eager to show it off. I simply wanted everyone here to admire the priceless treasure I've brought."
Ye Uchiha opened his crimson eyes and looked at everyone present with a gentle smile. The three tomoe in his eyes slowly rotated, transforming into black five-pointed stars.
At some point, the thick clouds blanketing the sky had dispersed. The cold moon had turned crimson and hung high overhead, spilling an eerie, chilling light.
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