"Let's fight at the base of the mountain," Lux said.
"Sure," Cethus replied. "Don't regret challenging me after I beat you up, okay?"
"Hahaha. I hope you bought life insurance," Lux stated. "I might accidentally kill you."
"Kukuku, You're funny Half-Elf."
"I'd like to see if you will be able to laugh after our battle, Cethus."
The two sneered at each other because both of them were confident in their own strength. Clearly, neither of them believed that their opponent had a chance of winning against them.
—---------
Ten minutes later…
Lux and Cethus stared at each other as they prepared for their duel.
They were a hundred meters away from each other, and Gerhart, whom they decided to be the judge of their battle, was at a safe distance.
Eiko was currently sitting on Valerie's lap. The plain-looking lady and her two handmaidens had also decided to watch the battle.
Truth be told, they didn't believe that Lux could win against Cethus.
Why? The reason was simple.
It was because Cethus was a Dragon Born.
Those who lived in the Floating Kingdom of Karshvar Draconis had an unwavering belief that they were a blessed race.
They believed that the Gods had blessed them with the power to ensure the safety of the world, which allowed them to build a Floating Kingdom that looked down upon the Lower Realm from the sky.
This was the mentality of the Dragons and Dragon Borns, who had never stepped foot outside Karshvar Draconis.
Only the Dragons who liked to roam the world understood that the world was a big place, and there were many powerful individuals that could threaten their existence.
"Don't worry, Lux," Cethus said. "I'll take it easy on you."
"Thank you?" Lux chuckled as he made a come-and-get-me gesture to the Dragon Born who was looking down on him.
Not far away, Valerie lightly patted Eiko's head as she asked the Baby Slime a question.
"Eiko, who do you think will win?" Valerie asked.
"Pa!" Eiko answered in a heartbeat.
"Are you sure about that?"
"Un!"
Valerie smiled faintly because she could understand why Eiko would naturally be on her Papa's side. She was just worried that the Baby Slime would be devastated once she saw her Papa get beaten up by Cethus.
"Ali, Ari, make sure to stop the match if Cethus goes too far," Valerie ordered. "Dragon Borns shouldn't bully those from the Lower Realm."
"Yes, Mistress," Ali replied.
"If the Dragon Born goes too far, I will definitely stop him, Mistress," Ari stated.
The three ladies were not aware that high above the clouds, hundreds of Rankers were also making bets on who would win the duel between Lux and Cethus.
"Who do you think will win?" one of the High-Rankers asked the Old Lady, who was looking down on the two combatants, in a volume that only the old lady could hear.
"The Half-Elf," the Old Lady replied.
"Right," the High-Ranker replied. "Aren't you worried for your grandson?"
"No, actually. This is a good thing." The Old Lady smiled. "Cethus hasn't gone to the Lower Realms, and his biased opinion about Dragon Borns needs to be corrected. Who knows? This lesson might save his life in the future. Also, this is a good opportunity for the new recruits to realize that even if we live above the Lower Realm, that doesn't mean that we are superior to them."
The High Ranker nodded. "Indeed. It will also be a good wake-up call for our own troops."
The High-Ranker glanced at the Dragon Borns who had accompanied them to keep watch over their Princess' escapades. Just like Cethus, they also had a biased opinion of their race, which made them look down on those who lived on the lands below their kingdom.
'I wonder how they will react once they see the outcome of this battle,' the High Ranker thought.
As someone who had fought many life and death battles, he could tell at a glance if someone was proficient in fighting.
People who just trained and sparred with others wouldn't understand the battle experience that could be gained when fighting with your life on the line. This was what separated beginners from veterans, and the Half-Elf that was about to fight Cethus had seen his share of fights that surpassed his current level of strength.
"Ready!" Gerhart shouted as he raised his hand to signal the start of the battle. "Fight!"
As soon as Gerhart gave the signal to fight, Cethus immediately flapped his wings and flew up in the air.
Dragon Borns were proficient in both close combat and ranged battles. However, since they could fly, the majority of them focused on using long-range attacks to decimate their opponents by using their air superiority.
Those who specialized in close combat would find themselves at a great disadvantage against flying creatures because they were simply out of their strike range.
However, Lux was different.
He wasn't just a close combat fighter, he was also a Necromancer.
A very disgusting Necromancer.
Lux raised his right hand as he stared at the Dragon Born in the sky with a sneer.
"Arise!" Lux ordered.
A moment later, his named Creatures, the members of his Covenants, as well as the hundreds of Undead under his command materialized around him.
Cethus was unperturbed as he opened his mouth to use his Dragon's Breath.
'So what if you have many Undead under your command?' Cethus thought as the blazing flames gathered in front of his lips. 'All I need to do is blast them all to ashes!'
However, just as the Dragon Born was about to unleash the signature move of Dragons and Dragon Borns alike, a booming and powerful voice reached his ears.
"Duel [EX]!" Orion roared as he pointed his finger at Cethus, locking him in place.
The Dragon Born immediately felt that something was wrong as the power he was gathering disappeared without a trace.
A second later, he found his body being pulled down from the sky, which made him panic.
Pazuzu took a step forward and raised his spiked mace with a sneer on his face.
The Skeleton Gang Bangers gathered beside him as they eyed the Dragon Born, who was desperately trying to resist the powerful taunt ability that would give Cethus nightmares.
Asmodeus and Lazarus chuckled because they already knew what was coming next.
"It's Gang Bang Time!" Pazuzu shouted, and all the Skeleton Gang Bangers raised their swords and cheered.
"""HA-OOH!"""
"""HA-OOH!"""
"""HA-OOH!"""
Nothing could have prepared Valerie, Gerhart, Ali, Ari, the Rankers, the High-Rankers, as well as Cethus' Grandmother for the scene that they would witness that day.
It was the day they came to understand that the Half-Elf, who had built his Guild Headquarters in the Outer Reaches, was someone that they shouldn't provoke lightly.
