The delegation from the Golden Kingdom, consisting of the two golden knights, orus and Garok, along with some aides and advisors, arrived at the Kingdom of Winds. There, they encountered a group of soldiers who instructed them to follow them to the main palace.

On the way to the palace, Garok spoke up.

"Leader, don't you notice something strange?"

"What do you mean?" replied orus.

"Look at the movement of the people. It seems like they are moving supplies to shelters. They are indeed preparing for war."

"We'll find out what happens soon," orus replied.

One of the soldiers spoke.

"We've arrived at the palace gates. We will wait for orders from Lord Shane before allowing you to enter."

Meanwhile, Shane was outside the palace with his advisor, having just left the mutant beast laboratory. A soldier approached him and informed him that the delegation from the Golden Kingdom had arrived.

Shane responded, "It's fine. Let them wait inside the palace in the guest room and provide them with food. I'll join them shortly."

Instructions were sent to the palace guards, and the delegation was allowed to enter.

"Please, come in and follow me."

A palace servant guided them to a waiting room where they prepared a table for them.

"This is the guest room. Please wait for Lord Shane. He will arrive soon. In the meantime, feel free to rest here as you like."

The leader, Orus, thanked the servant for their hospitality, and the servant then left.

One of the aides whispered to orus,

"Isn't this the same kingdom that killed our previous messenger? What is going on?"

A consultant approached to have some food, but Garok stopped him.

"Are you crazy? Don't you remember where we are? It could be poisoned!"

Orus interrupted calmly,

"No, I've already checked it. They don't intend to kill us this way, at least not yet."

About an hour later, Shane entered the guest room with his advisor and several assistants.

"I apologize for the delay, gentlemen. I had to finish some work before coming." He smiled and continued,

"Greetings, I am Shane, the current leader of the Kingdom of Winds."

Orus spoke,

"We've come to discuss matters of war, as well as the incident with our previous messenger."

Shane responded,

"Oh, no worries. First, I want to apologize for that. I'll explain more in the negotiation room."

The delegation was surprised, but they followed the aides to the negotiation room.

At the door, two guards stopped them. One of them spoke,

"Before you enter, please leave your weapons here."

"What are you saying?" Garok replied.

"It's fine, we'll do it," Orus said, calming Garok down.

Shane interrupted with a calm smile,

"No, there's no need for that, gentlemen. You can bring your weapons in if you'd like."

The guard allowed them to enter, and they were puzzled by Shane's behavior.

Everyone sat at the table, and Shane, relaxed, had a soldier bring him a cigar and a light. After taking a puff and exhaling, he spoke,

"So, how can I assist you today?"

Orus began,

"To start, I am Orus, leader of the Golden Knights. We've come to inquire about your declaration of war, especially since it came in such an insulting way. You killed our messenger. You could have at least requested a fair meeting to discuss the war, and we strongly reject the method you used."

Shane smiled as he responded,

"Actually, regarding the death of your messenger, that was an unplanned event, and we apologize for it."

"Hmm."

"I'll explain what happened. Some things changed here, and the leadership structure in the kingdom shifted. After that, your kingdom sent a messenger to inquire. We welcomed him well, and we discussed several matters. We explained our refusal of the injustice in this kingdom due to its subjugation to the Golden Kingdom. That's the reason for the separation. We also expressed our readiness for war if this subjugation continues. All I wanted was to establish a free kingdom here."

"But you're not from the Kingdom of Winds! If a rebel from the kingdom said this, I would understand, but it's clear you're from the Demon Clan of the Underworld, Makai, am I wrong?"

Shane laughed and said,

"That's correct. I'm not from the Kingdom of Winds, but I have my reasons for doing this."

"And what are those reasons?"

"Sorry, I can't talk about that."

Garok raised his voice,

"Are you joking with us?"

Orus spoke in a serious tone,

"Calm down, Garok. Sit down."

"Sorry, leader."

Orus then continued,

"I apologize for this. Please continue explaining."

Shane said,

"No need to apologize. I understand his anger. Anyway, I'll continue now. After the discussion with your messenger, we reached a point where war couldn't be avoided in order to prove our sovereignty to the world. Your messenger tried to find a solution, and then I suggested a solution in the style of one of the clans in our world."

Orus responded,

"A duel?"

Shane laughed,

"No, no. Of course not. Would I fight someone weaker than me to make a decision? No, it was through a fair and honest game."

"A game?"

"Yes, a game. We played a special game called the Dual Blade."

Orus was confused,

"What are you talking about?"

Shane explained after a soldier entered and brought him the Dual Blade.

"Here is the Dual Blade. It seems you might recognize it now. It’s a staff with blades on both ends, facing opposite directions. Each blade is placed on the necks of the two competitors. It is charged and activated from the middle, and then one of the blades moves randomly with a fifty-fifty chance and cuts off one of the competitors' heads."

Orus responded,

"But what does this have to do with the war?"

Shane smiled,

"I suggested your friend play this game. If he won, my head would be cut off, and I had already agreed to halt the war if I died in the game. However, if he lost, I would declare war, and he would lose his life in the game, of course."

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Everyone was stunned,

"What are you saying?"

"In truth, I admire his bravery. He accepted a fifty-fifty chance to save your kingdom from war and didn't fear death. That’s what I meant. I didn’t kill him by force. He lost in the game by his own choice."

Garok shouted,

"Are you insane? How can you determine the fate of two kingdoms with a game?"

Shane laughed and replied,

"Since you’ve come here to reach an agreement to stop the war, I’ll give you another chance. We’ll play another game."

Orus responded calmly,

"Another game?"

"Yes, but this time, we won’t play that game. We’ll play something else, something easier."

"What is it?"

A soldier entered and brought a gun with ammunition.

"I think you know what we’ll play. This weapon has six rounds, and it’s enchanted to be immune to magical shields and healing methods. We’ll place one round, rotate the weapon, and then..."

Boom.

"One shot and it’s over for you. The good part is that this time, we’ll use magical binding. This means that if we survive the first round, we’ll be bound, and the shot will affect both of us. If I hit you with the magical bullet, we both die."

"And how do we determine the winner?"

"I’ll make it easier for you. If I die, you win. If you die, I win."

"But with this binding method, if we both die, who wins?"

"You’ll win. What do you think? It’s simple. There are three possible outcomes: two where you win. Isn't it great?"

Orus responded,

"Okay, I’ll play."

Garok spoke,

"Are you really going to participate in this madness? Please, don’t do it."

"No, it’s fine. Let’s see what happens."

Shane laughed,

"Then, Leader Orus, you’re the one who will participate. Great, let’s begin. But first, check the weapon and ammunition to ensure there’s no trickery."

Orus took the weapon, loaded a round, and rotated it. He then placed it against his head.

Everyone was terrified, and Shane spoke,

"Does your heart race? Do you feel like you’re on the edge between life and death?"

Orus gathered his strength and pulled the trigger.

Nothing happened, and the delegation breathed a sigh of relief.

Orus handed the weapon to Shane, who placed it on his head, smiling. Then he said,

"The edge between life and death it's my favorite place."

Shane started breathing rapidly, and the smile never left his face. He then pulled the trigger.

Nothing happened.

Shane’s advisor spoke,

"My lord, are you sure about this?"

"Are you joking with me? I haven’t enjoyed myself this much in a while."

Shane loaded another round and handed the weapon to Orus.

"Now, the odds are higher, and we’re closer to the edge."

Orus hesitated, thought for a moment, and then raised the weapon to his head.

Shane smiled, watching the delegation in fear, then looked at the leader and said,

"Tell me, what does it feel like? Is it terrifying?"

"Quiet. Let me concentrate."

Orus took a deep breath, and the delegation closed their eyes. He then squeezed the trigger.

Nothing happened.

Shane spoke,

"It seems you tilted towards life again. Excellent."

Shane held the weapon, rotated it, then placed it against his head and pulled the trigger quickly.

Nothing happened.

"Wooah, let’s raise the stakes."

Shane loaded a third round and handed the weapon to Orus.

Garok shouted,

"This isn’t fair! our leader always faces the increased risk first!"

Shane laughed,

"Looks like you’re starting to lose your composure, but your leader is still calm. No worries. I’ll grant your wish. No problem."

Shane placed the weapon to his head and said,

"I’ll start first," then pulled the trigger.

Nothing happened.

"Ha-ha, I survived this round too. Perhaps thanks to your words, Mr. Garok, or maybe it was fate."

Orus took the weapon and placed it to his head.

Shane spoke,

"I remind you, the odds are now 1 in 2. Ha-ha, I wonder how you’ll feel, Mr. Garok, if your leader dies now and he would have survived if you hadn’t spoken."

Garok was extremely worried and thought about Shane's words, feeling responsible.

Orus pulled the trigger, and Garok was more terrified than anyone, turning his head to avoid watching.

Nothing happened, and Garok breathed a sigh of relief.

Shane laughed,

"Looks like you're lucky, Lord Orus. You’ve been very close to the edge, but now we’ll take it to the next level."

Shane loaded two rounds, increasing the odds to 5 out of 6, and applied the magical binding technique.

Now, it’s the final stage. The rule this time has a slight difference.

"We’ll rotate the weapon, and whoever it points to will hold it and aim at their head. But this time, if one of us survives, the other will too. If one of us dies, both of us die."

Everyone was shocked.

Garok spoke,

"This is absurd! Stop this madness now!"

Shane rotated the weapon to ensure there was no magical interference. The weapon was aimed at Aureus, who picked it up and pointed it at his head.

Shane smirked,

"It seems fate has chosen you to make the decision."

Orus placed his hand on the trigger.

Shane laughed,

"Look at your hand. It's shaking so much. Listen, all you have to do is pull the trigger. No matter the result, whether we both survive or both die, the war will stop, and your kingdom will be saved."

Orus thought for a moment,

"All I have to do is pull my finger and save thousands of lives."

Shane answered,

"Yes, that’s correct."

Orus began sweating, his hand trembling badly, as he prepared to pull the trigger. Shane breathed rapidly, still grinning hysterically. His advisor was anxious.

"My lord, please stop. We’ve gone too far."

"Shut up, you fool. This is the final moment. We’re as close to the edge as possible. This is magnificent!"

Shane was incredibly excited and shouted crazily,

"Come on, pull the trigger and save your kingdom!"

Orus moved his finger but couldn’t press the trigger. He put the weapon down.

"I’m sorry. I couldn’t do it."

The magical binding was broken, and Shane laughed,

"You’re afraid, the strong knight. You chose your life over the lives of others. That’s the truth. These are your false ideals, humans. Look at you knights living comfortable lives, pretending to be heroes who save people and fight for them. But you lie to them, and you lie to yourselves. This truth only shows up in critical moments."

Garok stood up to strike Shane, but Orus stopped him and spoke, exhausted, unable to speak clearly,

"Garok, please stop. We lost. We don’t want to make things worse."

"Orus, did this bastard’s words affect you? Don’t listen to him. How many times have we saved our kingdom and fought for it? Don’t let him make you forget all that!"

Shane spoke afterward,

"Anyway, it looks like the war decision stands. I think you’ll accept it now. I gave you a chance, and you refused."

The delegation stood up to leave in sorrow, especially Orus, with Garok by his side, trying to comfort him.

After everyone left, the advisor spoke to Shane,

"My lord, that was really dangerous. Please don’t repeat it.

But what would have happened if he had pulled the trigger?"

Shane picked up the weapon, aimed it at a glass on the table, and pulled the trigger.

The glass exploded, shocking the advisor.

Shane laughed,

"That’s what would have happened."