Dragon King: Throne of Demons and Gods-Chapter 18: Showdown for the Clowns

In the house, Dusteria moved quickly through the halls, her frustration growing with each empty corridor.

She had been searching for Crest for a while now, and there was still no sign of him. As she turned a corner, she nearly ran into a group of maids carrying linens.

The moment they saw her, they froze, their faces paling.

She frowned.

"Ah, sorry. Hm... could you tell me where is Crest?"

The maids exchanged nervous glances, shifting awkwardly before one stammered.

"M-Milady... Shouldn't you be on the courtyard?"

Dusteria's eyes narrowed.

"The courtyard ? For what? Is he there?"

The maids hesitated, their hands tightening around the linens. Then, one of them blurted out.

"There's a duel happening! Between Sir Will and..."

In the courtyard, Bel and Will stood face to face, surrounded by a circle of knights. The air was electric, the clamor of voices rising as the onlookers cheered, jeered, and placed their bets on the outcome.

Sienna stood between the two, her arms stretched out in a last-ditch effort to stop the inevitable.

"Will, this is ridiculous. You don't have to prove anything! This is not how friendship works!"

Will barely acknowledged her, his grin never fading.

"I don't back down from a challenge, Sienna. Besides, it's just a test match, no one will die."

Sienna groaned, rubbing her temples.

"You're impossible." She turned to Bel, her expression pleading. "Bel, don't go along with this. There's nothing in it for you."

Bel smirked.

"I disagree. I'm winning, no matter the result of this game. This kid was unexpected but very welcomed."

The knights erupted into laughter, some clapping their hands, others shaking their heads in amusement.

Will, unfazed, grinned even wider.

"Alright then. Since we're making this official, we should use skills too. Just don't go too hard."

Bel raised a brow, tilting his head.

"Skills?"

Will blinked, momentarily thrown off by the question.

"Yeah, skills. You know, actual techniques? Moves that trained knights use? Wait... don't tell me you don't have any?"

The knights chuckled again.

"What kind of knight doesn't have skills? Who brought this joke here?" one of them mocked.

Will crossed his arms.

"You've been fighting monsters, but have you ever trained properly? Skills are what make a knight deadly. If you don't have any, you'll see the difference real soon... I'll show you."

Bel shrugged.

"Fine, whatever."

Will's confidence never wavered.

"And if you lose, you give up your place as Dusteria's knight."

Bel barely looked at him.

"Sure. Let's start."

The two of them took their positions, each armed with a wooden sword. The knights hollered in excitement, eager to witness the fight.

Sienna sighed, already facepalming. This was going to be a disaster.

The circle around them tightened. The Duke and Crest watched from above.

The wooden swords were raised.

The moment the duel began, Will lunged forward, his wooden sword cutting through the air with precise, wide arc.

Bel barely had time to raise his own sword before the first strike came. Then another. And another.

Will moved with skill and speed, his attacks relentless. His blade struck from every direction, forcing Bel to block and parry with growing urgency.

The knights watching erupted into cheers, clapping and laughing as Will unleashed his maelstrom of attacks. The sound of wood clashing against wood filled the courtyard.

"Come on, boy! Where's all that training now?" someone jeered.

Bel's eyes had widened at first. He kept defending, blocking every attack but never countering.

Some knights began to murmur among themselves.

"Maybe he's just trying to tire Will out?"

"Or maybe he's all talk?"

Will, noticing the shift in energy, decided to put on a show. He struck faster, twirling his sword in grand gestures to further entertain the crowd.

Bel, however, remained silent, his eyes narrowing slightly as he continued to parry.

Then, as Will went for a vertical slash, his wooden sword met Bel's in a sharp rebound.

Will grinned.

"What's wrong? Scared to attack?"

Bel lowered his sword slightly, tilting his head.

"I was just wondering... do I really need to..."

Then, as if realizing something, he cut himself off and raised an eyebrow.

"You're not mocking me? Are you fighting seriously now?"

Will blinked, briefly caught off guard by the question. Then, with a smirk, he chuckled.

"Of course not. You said you couldn't use magic, so I'm keeping things fair. Wouldn't want to bully you."

Bel rubbed his thumb along the edge of his wooden sword, his voice calm.

"You should use it."

Will scoffed.

"What?"

Bel glanced at him, his expression as calm as ever.

"Because if this is your best, then

this isn't a fair fight."

The knights burst into laughter, amused by what they saw as arrogance. Sienna, however, frowned. She knew Will well enough to recognize the consequences of these words.

Will threw back his head and laughed, making a show of it.

"Oh? You think you can handle me at full power? That's rich."

Then, his grin sharpened.

"But there's no merit for me, beating a beginner at full power. You want my full power? You'll have to deserve it."

Bel lowered his sword, giving him a tired gaze.

"At your risk and peril."

Will lunged forward again. The clash of wood echoed across the courtyard as Bel met his attack with a smooth, effortless parry.

Will gritted his teeth, pressing forward with relentless strikes, trying to break through Bel's guard.

The crowd roared with excitement, the knights cheering for Will, entertained by his aggressive offense. To them, the fight seemed one-sided. Bel hadn't attacked once. He simply blocked, dodged, and deflected, his wooden sword moving just enough to keep Will at bay.

But inside Bel's mind, it was an entirely different battle.

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Too slow...

Bel's brow furrowed slightly as he observed Will's movements. Every strike was painfully obvious. The shift of his weight, the tightening of his grip, the motion of his shoulders, it all screamed his next attack before it even happened.

Is this really it?

He wasn't sure whether he had grown stronger or if Will was just that weak.

Bel shifted slightly, letting Will's blade glance off his own before stepping to the side.

He caught Will's gaze for the briefest second before dodging another attack with a subtle tilt of his body.

Will's expression flickered with confusion. He attacked again, this time with a powerful downward slash, but Bel's sword met it at the perfect angle, knocking it aside with ease.

Again. And again.

Will's swings grew wilder, frustration creeping into his movements. He was putting on a show, yet Bel wasn't reacting the way he wanted. The knights' cheers began to shift into murmurs, their excitement diminishing as they realized something was wrong.

"Wait..."

"Why isn't he struggling?"

Sienna frowned, arms crossed. The longer the battle dragged on, the clearer a fact became, Bel wasn't losing; he wasn't even trying.

Will clenched his jaw, shaking off the nagging doubt creeping into his mind. He forced a smirk, trying to regain control of the crowd's perception.

"What's wrong? Afraid to hit back?" he taunted. "Or do you just not have it in you?"

Bel exhaled through his nose, then his wooden sword flicked forward like a whip, smacking directly into Will's fingers.

A sharp yelp escaped Will as he instinctively recoiled, his hand jerking back. A wave of pain shot through his fingers, leaving them stinging. He stumbled, shaking his hand, eyes wide in shock.

The crowd gasped.

Then, before Will could process what had happened.

A sharp impact slammed into his stomach.

His breath vanished. His body curled forward as the tip of the sword crashed into him. His legs buckled beneath him, and he dropped to his knees, arms wrapping tightly around his torso.

The courtyard fell silent.

Bel stood over him, resting his sword casually over his shoulder.

Then, in a low, ominous tone, he spoke.

"I don't know if you understand this, boy, but when I asked you to go all out..." He tilted his head slightly. "It wasn't for you; it was for me."

He let the sword drop slightly, its tip resting against the ground as his shadow loomed over Will.

"So... do you feel like stopping the talking and playing like a kid now?"