Kaede narrowed her eyes. “Determine my worth? Meaning?”

  King Gazel shifted his left arm, resting his hand on the hilt of his sword. “I will judge you, with nothing but the steel of my on.”

  Kaede’s brow twitched, and her panions immediately teheir battle instincts kig in. Hachi’s emerald hair crackled with energy, Crimara’s fiery aura fred slightly, and both Shifu and Aurina gripped their ons, poised to strike.

  Kaede exhaled sharply. “Why, though?”

  Gazel remained unwavering. “If you insist on calling yourself the ruler of this forest, then it falls to me and my sword to put you in your pce.”

  Kaede’s stance widened ever so slightly, and in an instant, a bck shield materialized in her hand, its surface shimmering. The air around her wavered, dist faintly uhe sheer weight of her presence.

  Gazel took a step forward. “You had better accept my challenge.” His fiightened around his sword, poised to draw it.

  Behind him, one of his generals stepped forward, his face lined with . “Please, my king, don’t do this.” His instincts screamed at him, warning of the overwhelming power radiating from the monsters before them.

  Gazel, however, merely chuckled, sparing his general a brief gnce. “Would a fight not be the most direct way to settle this dispute?”

  Kaede frowned. “You waltz into my city with an army, practically threatening my people. Then, you challenge me to single bat?”

  The air around her grew heavier, ing slightly as a dense pressure spread outward. The warning ione was clear.

  “Alright, I accept your challenge.” Her voice was calm but carried undeniable authority. “However, mark my words, King Gazel, you’ll answer for this.”

  Gazel nodded, unfazed. “Of course. If my assumptions prove false, I will pay reparations.”

  Kaede sighed, rolling her shoulders. “Fine. Just don’t regret your words when I beat you.”

  Gazel smirked. “I’d like to see you try.”

  Before the duel could begin, a sudden glow fred between them, causing both rulers to pause. The light solidified into two figures, their presence immediately anding attention.

  Murmurs erupted from the crowd as the dwarves were shocked. Whispers of, "It 't be," "A dryad." "Two of them." "Over a hundred years." Filled the air.

  Kaede’s eyes widened in surprise. “Acer? And…”

  Two stunning women stood before them. The first bore Acer’s unmistakable magic signature, though she appeared vastly different, taller, regal, with flowing forest-green hair and a vivid red rose marking her left cheek.

  The sed figure was eerily simir in appearance, yet distinct, standing a head taller than Acer. Her beauty was atuated by a green dress, with vines floating around specific parts of her form like natural force fields.

  Acer was the first to speak. “As protectors of the forest, we have e to withis test.”

  The dryad beside her tinued. “A duel between King Gazel Dwargo, ruler of the dwarves, and Lady Kaede, ruler of monsters, to determine her right to rule the forest, shall now ence.”

  For a brief moment, Gazel’s jaw sed before he let out a hearty ugh. “It appears I was wrong after all. If the dryads aowledge you, then you are no threat to the bance.”

  Kaede brightened instantly. “Does that mean we don’t have to fight?”

  “No.” Gazel’s voice was sharp. “I still o determine your true nature.”

  Kaede groaned. “Aww.”

  Acer lifted her hand to the sky before bringing it down in a swift chopping motion. “Begin.”

  The gathered crowd fell silent as Kaede and Gazel slowly began cirg each other.

  Gazel studied her stance carefully. “Will you not draw your on?” His gaze flicked to the rge shield resting in her grip.

  Kaede grinned. “Oh, I’m actually a great shielder. This shield is my on.” She adjusted her posture, raising it slightly.

  Reition dawned on Gazel’s expression. “Ah. A protector. I see.” His stance shifted slightly, adopting a mgressive form. “The’s make this iing. If you withstand my entire of attacks without falling, I will decre you the winner.”

  Gazel’s gaze sharpened as he adjusted his grip on his sword. “However, I should warn you, aside from being a king, I am also a master swordsman.” He raised his on closer to his chest, his stance radiating unwavering fidence.

  Without further warning, Gazel let out a fierce roar and lunged forward, his sword desding in a devastating overhead strike.

  Kaede barely had time to react. She braced herself, bringing up her shield.

  G!

  The force of the blow sent back as her feet carved deep trenches into the ground, the sheer power behind Gazel’s attack pushing her back several meters.

  “He overpowered my [Knockback Resistance]…” she whispered in awe. Her grip tightened on her shield. “Talk about power.”

  Gazel, uerred, shifted seamlessly into aance, his sword now pointed skyward.

  Kaede’s eyes widened in reition. “Wait… that stance,”

  Gazel bellowed, his voice reverberating through the battlefield. “Here I e, Kaede! HAZE: THUNDER OF HEAVEN AH!!”

  The moment the words left his mouth, he disappeared.

  Panic surged through Kaede’s mind. Without hesitation, she activated [Thought Acceleration], stretg time within her perception.

  Even then, she barely mao glimpse the tip of his bde streaking toward her, an attack so fast it defied normal vision.

  Move!

  She threw herself backward, dodging by the narrowest of margins.

  “From above!” she whispered, instinct kig in. She wrenched her shield upward just in time.

  G!

  BOOM!

  A deafening impact rocked the battlefield as Gazel’s sword crashed against her shield, triggering a massive dust explosion. The shockwave bsted outward, f the onlookers to brace themselves.

  Silence hung in the air as the dust slowly began to settle.

  Then, a clear voice cut through the fading chaos.

  “Enough!” The sed dryad stepped forward. “Lady Kaede is the victor.”

  As the dust fully cleared, the se became visible, Kaede, standing firm, her forearm raised high, successfully blog Gazel’s sword.

  "Hahahaha!" Gazel stepped back, ughiily. "I 't believe you blocked that!"

  Kaede pouted, crossing her arms. "What are you talking about? You pletely wrecked my shield." Though she was embarrassed ihoughts. 'I pletely fot about my high defense for a moment. What a terrifying ability he has.'

  As if to emphasize her point, the remains of her shield crumbled to the ground in six shattered pieces.

  "There's not even a scrat you, even after I went through your shield." Gazel sheathed his sword with a satisfied nod. "Now that we've battled, I know the truth. It's obvious, you are no malicious being."

  Kaede let out an exasperated sigh. "Seriously? That’s all this was about?"

  Gazel chuckled, his sharp eyes gleaming with curiosity. "I'm impressed you mao reay Haze: Thunder of Heaven ah. Just how did you predict my attack?"

  Kaede casually devoured the broken pieces of her shield before answering. "Oh, that. Well, I’ve seen it before, whenever Shifu and Ari are training. As a shielder, I o uand different on teiques so I block them effectively."

  Her mind flickered back to tless battles, fag Payne’s relentless swordpy, the interaining Sally had drilled into her, and all the times she had fought against different on styles. Swords, katanas, daggers, axes, hammers, magic, she had defended against them all. Even against other shields.

  Gazel raised a brow. "This Shifu uses the same teique?"

  Shifu stepped forward, his purple samurai robes flowing with his movement. "The teique was taught to me by my master. A white-haired ogre in his ter years." His tone carried deep respect.

  Gazel’s expression shifted to one of surprise. "The servant was your master?" He spoke with clear reverence.

  Shifu gave a knowing smile. "It seems you also learned from him."

  Gazel let out a nostalgic ugh. "That was a long time ago… How is the old ogre?"

  Shifu’s gaze softened. "As of the st time I saw him, he was as dangerous as ever." A hint of amusemeered his tohough I must admit, your swordsmanship is nearly on par with his, even surpassing my own."

  Gazel chuckled again, his pride evident. "ing from a fellow student, that is a great honor."

  Kaede blinked, watg the exge. ‘Huh… So they were both trained by the same master? Weird how everyone is so ected. Even in a pce like this.’

  ---

  By nightfall, Kaede, King Gazel, and their panions had gathered at Kaede’s mansion to tiheir discussions in a more rexed setting.

  The dining room was grand, tered around a rge regur table where everyo, enjoying their meals. The warm glow of deliers bathed the room in a soft light, creating a pleasant atmosphere.

  Crimara burst into ughter at a joke the wolf-eared girl had told, quickly grabbing her drink to avoid choking.

  Aurina sat nearby, projeg various holographic images from a small device. The rge hobgoblin beside her watched with keen i, nodding in approval as she expined.

  Although they were quiet, Acer and her dryad panion, eheir meals as well.

  Across the table, Shifu engaged in versation with one of Dwargon’s generals. After a brief exge, he uhed his ade katana and ha over.

  The general’s eyes widened in awe as he examihe bde, running his fingers along its finely crafted edge. He murmured something, clearly impressed.

  At the far end of the table, Kaede and Gazel sat side by side, enjoying their meal while their panions. The tension from earlier had long since faded, repced by a sense of camaraderie.

  Kaede took a sip of her drink befng at Gazel. "So… you're here because of the the storm dragon's disappearance."

  Gazel set down his gss, nodding as he spoke. "Ihe Storm Dragon’s presence made the Great Forest of Jura a safe haven for monsters, keeping humans out. However, at the same time, it also kept the monsters in. With its disappearahe bance has shifted. Without their protector, the monsters are bound to grow restless. Just this month alohe number of motacks along the forest’s borders has increased by six pert."

  Kaede took a slow sip from her cup before nodding. "And then my city started doily what you feared."

  Gazel swirled the wine in his gss, his expression calm. "Precisely. To those unaware of your true iions, it would appear as though..."

  "We were amassing an army," Kaede finished with a sigh. "That’s just inviting trouble. Especially if every natios the way you did."

  Gazel set his gss down, his gaze steady. "There is… a solution."

  Kaede raised an eyebrow. "Oh? And what might that be?"

  Gazel’s face remained ral. "I’ll be pletely ho with you, Kaede. I want to establish diplomatic retioween our nations."

  Kaede stilled, her expression unreadable as Gazel tinued. "This would solve your problem. With Dwargon officially reizing your nation, other tries would have no choice but to aowledge it as well. Well, except for the Holy Ruberion Empire, but that’s to be expected."

  Kaede closed her eyes for a moment, deep in thought, before opening them again. "It could work… but what’s in it for you?"

  _____

  If you're fused about the fight, here's my thoughts on Gazel. Gazel has this aura around him, that makes him feel incredibly powerful to others.

  The way he talks, the way he moves. Just The way he looks makes you think that he's strohaually is.

  Kaede for a moment was fighting him like a normal person because she thought he could hurt her, not because he actually could. He went through her shield and stopped at her forearm because he's not strong enough to even cut Kaede.

  Kaede was dodging because, she fot how tough she was in the heat of battle. Getting Payne fshbacks.