There are about a dozen knights lined up on the either side of the training area. Bale is among them and is wondering if he is in the right area, he feels kinda out of place. Marching sounds could be heard as knights in fancy armor march in and then part to either side to make a pathway. (Wow, fancy. Those must be the duke's knights) Bale observes that their armor is much fancier and had different patterns than what he sees at the estate.

After a prompt ceremonous entrance, the duke, the viscount, and the baroness take a seat on chairs placed facing the training field. The viscount and the baroness are sitting on either side of the duke while the knights are lined up on the wall behind them.

Haz walks into the arena with full armor and stops in front of the duke to salute him. He then turns around to face the field and unfurls a piece of parchment, and reads it aloud.

"May the participants of the duel enter the arena!"

On cue, Lumilla walks in fully equipped with a large metal shield in one hand, longsword on her hilt, and....a large corked glass jar in her other arm.

"What the hell is that?!" shouts the Viscount angrily. "It's a part of my arsenal, my lord." Lumilla bows slightly towards him. "We agreed to any weapons did we not?" She looks up at him. The duke then nods "Even a dragon is allowed if you could tame one. A mere glass jar is fine."

"Thank you your highness." Lumilla bows and then turns to walk towards Johny who is waiting in the center.

Bale then exhales (Good, things are going well).

"Hmph, whatever tricks you're trying to pull with an empty jar won't work." The viscount sneers.

(What the hell is he doing here?!) Leaving the glass jar a little distance away, Lumilla makes eye contact with Bale who smiles at her. "Hmph." She then looks away to face Johny.

"Ahem!" Haz clears his throat.

"Today all here shall bear witness to an official duel between Lady Lumilla Vivi Arnvir, daughter of Baroness Veena Arin Arnvir – and Lord Johny Jay Edmont, son of Viscount Carl Vaz Edmont!"

"The rules are as follows!"

"This is a duel to the death, there is no limit to the weapons or pets! but the victor may spare the losers life!"

"If Lord Johny Jay Edmont wins, Lady Lumilla Vivi Arnvir will agree to take his hand in marriage!"

"If Lady Lumilla Vivi Arnvir wins, Johny Jay Edmont shall be exiled by Carl Vaz Edmont!"

"Are we all in agreement?!" Haz shouts.

"Agreed!" Lumilla, Johny, Viscount Carl, and Baroness Veena shout in unsion.

"Then you shall begin when Duke Feingald Loomis Linzaldt gives the signal!" Haz then leaps away and dashes towards Bale.

He then stands next to Bale "I was wondering whether or not you'd be here."

Bale then snorts "Wouldn't miss it for the world." Bale then looks around "But is this it? I thought there'd be more spectators."

Haz then narrows his eyes "If the duel took place in a normal arena, then you would be right. But the Baroness made Lumilla chose this place since she never approved of the duel in the first place."

"Just in case Lady Lumilla loses?"

Haz silently nods. He then continues "But either way is fine as long as there is an official overseeing the duel."

Duke Feingald then stands up and raises a hand. After looking around, he then quickly lowers it "You may begin!"

"Body enhancment!" Lumilla and Johny both shout as their auras flare up. "..." Johny glances at the ominous looking jar in the distance as he recalls Bale telling him 〘"I came up with a strategy for Lady Lumilla to kill you in this upcoming duel. I thought I should at least let you know."〙

(What's with that jar? Should I destroy it?) He then quickly shakes his head (No, ignore it! I've never heard of a jar that could hurt a Zodiac stone user!) He then quickly focuses on Lumilla who leaps at him. "HAAAA!!" She shouts as Johny blocks her downwards swing. The force of her swing causes the ground underneath him to tremble. (Impressive, considering that she's using body enhancment magic without a silver Zodiac stone). Johny then dodges her next swing and kick before countering with a wide sideways swing. TOOM!! Lumilla blocks with her shield but skids back as a result of his tremendous force.

〘"Don't kill her, you still need her to live so you can marry her."〙 Johny recalls his father's orders. (Damn, I can't go all out otherwise I'll just kill her...). "Tornado!!" Lumilla thrusts her palm forward as Johny quickly dodges to the side and quickly puts some space between him and the 2 meter wide tornado. He quickly glances at the tornado as it dissapates (What is she planning? Wind magic can only immobilize fighters, not hurt them).

Johny then quickly dashes towards Lumilla and thrusts his sword forward - only for her to sidestep and quickly spin, countering with her sword. To avoid the oncoming counter from behind, Johny flips sideways.

"She's not bad..." Bale comments. "Johny's trying not to kill her, he's still analyzing her abilities." Haz says in a low voice, his eyes glued to the fighters.

"..." Duke Feingald and Veena look calm at first glance, but upon closer inspection their hands are gripped tightly to the arm rests.

"Hurry up and beat her already you fool!" Viscount Carl stands up and shouts at his son.

Heeding his father's commands, Johny zips towards Lumilla and slams his sword against her shield. (Even with an inferior reinforcement spell, reinforced items are nearly unbreakable). He swings his sword a few more times as Lumilla calmly blocks his attacks.

His next strike is a feint. Instead of striking the shield, he quickly touches it lightly with his sword. (Perfect, she's expecting another heavy attack!) Johny then shouts "Shock blade!" his body and sword begins to sparkle with electricity, but not before Lumilla leaps away and puts space between them. "!!!"

"..." They stare each other down as Lumilla lowers herself into a defensive stance. (Her reaction was too fast.) Johny takes a step forward, only for Lumilla to leap back some more. (How did she know that I also wield a white Zodiac stone? I only started using it recently...). He then quickly glances at Bale who is makes eye contact with him. (Ahh, so it really was him.)

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"What are you waiting for?! Are you purposely trying my patience boy?!" the viscount berates his son in front of everyone. Haz face palms "That guy's a jerk." "Yea." Bale responds flatly.

(Fools like this should not hold any power) Duke Feingald thinks quietly to himself.

He then takes note of Lady Lumilla crouching in a defensive stance. (So she plans to play defense to tire me out?) "Fine! Lets see you block this!"

FWOOSH!!! Johny charges up as he raises his palm towards Lumilla. "Lightning storm!!!" A blinding flash of lightning suddenly strikes Lumilla. KACHOOM!! The air ferociously vibrates while a barrage of ear-shattering lightning bolts strike the area, kicking up large clouds of dust.

"Woahh!!" Bale raises his arms to cover his eyes. "No!" Veena quickly stands up. "Sit down Baroness! Do you intend to interfere in a sacred duel?!" Viscount Carl mocks her with an arrogant grin. "..."

(And she was so confident about her daughter's victory just a few days ago...). Duke Feingald closes his eyes, fearing that he could be looking at a corpse of his ally's daughter.

"Huff...huff...huff..." Johny breathes hard as the lightning storm ends, trying to catch his breath. (Unless she herself wields a white Zodiac stone, there's no way she got out of that unscathed). He then furrows his brows (I hope I didn't kill her though...)

"Lumilla..." Veena covers her mouth with a hand as she tries to fight back her tears.

A light wind blows away the lingering cloud of dust to reveal Lumilla still crouched in a defensive position . Her blue braids fluttering in the wind victoriously. She's very much alive, and even more impressive – still conscious.

"!!!" Johny could not believe his eyes. He had thrown everything he had at at her. None of his opponents were ever able to withstand such a mighty barrage – though they were merely bandits. "H-how...?" He asks aloud.

"So that really does work..." Haz exhales a sigh of relief. He then puts a hand on Bale's head "You're damn amazing, little Bale."

"What?!" The viscount could not contain his surprise. Lumilla had stuck her sword half way into the ground, with the metal end of her hilt making contact with her shield – creating a lightning rod.

Veena and duke Feingald breathe out a sigh of relief in unsion.

(How is that even possible? Don't tell me she actually wields a white Zodiac stone instead of the clear one?!) The viscount slams his arm rest in frustration.

Haz then recalls Bale giving him a drawing as they're both inside an obscure meeting room 〘 "What's this?" Asks the older demonkin. Bale finger-flicks the parchment in Haz's hand "If Lady Lumilla takes up a stance like this, she'll be effectively shielded by a faraday cage. But make sure to stick the sword into the ground." "What's a faraday cage?" cage?" Haz raises a brow. "Just think of it as a shield against lightning."

"An anti-lightning stance? Is there even such a thing?"

"It won't be perfect but it should work well enough against Johny's ranged lightning magic. Keep at a distance to bait Johny into casting lightning magic – it should tire him enough to slow him down."〙

(What is this magic?! Does Bale have something to do with this too?!) Johny sweats as he glances back at Bale. Even the knights are amazed as they are heard barely containing their surprise.

"Nnnngh...." Lumilla falls on a knee. (I-It worked! I suvived! But...) She then winces (...It wasn't 100% effective, that hurt like hell!!). She looks at her quivering hand (My hands are still numb...). She then glares at Johny who is also struggling to stand up.

(Move! Come on move!!) Lumilla slowly raises her palm towards Johny. "T-tornado...!" She shouts as a wind begins to swirl around Johny, causing his hair to begin whipping with the wind.

"Hmph, fine." Johny falls on a knee as he sticks his large sword into the ground to support himself. "Wear yourself out while I catch my breath."

"Hehe, what a fool." The viscount sneers. "Once she's tired from channeling that tornado, Johny would have enough strength to beat her!" He then glances over at Veena expecting to see tears in her eyes.

But to his surprise, a smug grin instead slowly forms on on the Baroness's face. (What is going on?! Why is she so confident all of a sudden?!) The viscount quickly returns his gaze towards the battlefield.

Lumilla drops her shield, then raises the free hand towards the jar of chlorine gas. "Wind blast!" She shouts as a strong current of wind tips the jar over. It then begins to pick up speed and tumble towards Johny.

"Hmph, do you think glass debris would hurt him?!" The viscount laughs as he stands up and points at Lumilla, forgetting his noble bearing. "Was that your plan all along?!"

The glass jar shatters into tiny pieces when Johny swats at it with his free hand, his other hand still holding onto the sword.

"Heh." Lumilla grins as Johny's eyes suddenly open wide in shock. At first his nose was stung with a pungent smell. But soon after, his eyes, throat, and lungs quickly begin to burn. He reflexively holds his breath, but it was too late. The chlorine had already begun to wreck having inside of his body. "AHHHH!!" Johny reflexively leaps out of the tornado, only to get slowly dragged back in. "HACK!! COUGH!!! N-no!!" He shouts in terror as his nails at the floor.

(The outside of the body becomes almost as tough as steel with body enhancement magic, but the inside is not) Haz smacks his fists together.

"What?! What's going on?!" The viscount now has a worried look on his face. "A duel to the death, was it?" The Duke breathes a sigh of relief.

The tornado turns red as Johny begins to vomit blood and his eyes begin to bleed. "What the hell is that?! Poison?!" The viscount shouts as he swings his arm "T-that's cheating!" He seemed more worried about victory than his son's life.

"I understand your surprise, Viscount Carl..." Veena glances at the viscount "...normally poisons are ineffective and inefficient compared to Zodiac stones." She then flashes him a grin "But you are the one who agreed to a no-holds barred duel to the death."

"Guh!!" The viscount could not counter that statement. All duels and battles fought until now were always straight forward. Poisons were mainly used for assassination, and even then he had never heard of poison gas being utilized due to their rarity and dispersive nature. (How was she able to acquire poison gas in such lethal quantities?! No doubt she sacrificed countless people for it...) There were no such thing as gas masks, and even wind users usually just end up blowing the invisible poison around and end up killing themselves.

"My daughter could have killed Johny at any time, but she instead chose to play with him. She's just that strong, do you understand now?" Veena boasts. "She simply wanted to test a new killing technique." It was obviously a lie, and the Baroness was on the verge of tears at one point. (Now that everyone knows my daughter is quick to duel, I need to make it seem like an easy, overwhelming victory - so everyone will think twice before challenging her...).

FWOOSH!!! Lumilla cancels her tornado as she picks up her sword. She then begins to slowly walk towards Johny.

"It's over. Johny has lost." Haz Exhales a sigh of relief.

"Is that so?" Bale glances at him. He then droops his shoulders and sighs "Good. This means that the looming threat of exile is over for now." (So just like on Earth, the future here can be changed too).

Johny is unable to do anything but spasm on the blood-soaked limestone floor, coughing up blood. When Lumilla reaches him, she stands over him and raises her sword into the air, preparing to bring it down into his chest. "Stop!" Bale interrupts Lumilla as he rushes towards them. "What?!" Lumilla shouts angrily. "How dare you tell me how to fight my duels?!" She frowns, taken aback by the audacity of the fool approaching her.

(Fool, why would I do as he says?) Lumilla then brings the sword down only to have it struck out of her hand by Haz - who was much quicker than Bale thanks to the silver Zodiac stone.

"That's enough. You've won."

"You too?!" Lumilla shouts angrily at Haz.

Haz and the Duke lock eyes as they both nod.

"I, Duke Feingald Loomis Linzaldt declare the winner of this duel to be Lumilla Vivi Arnvir!!" The Duke declares out loud as Haz raises Lumilla's arm into the air. The knights shout and stomp their feet in agreement. "Victory! Victory! Victory!"

"Johny!" Bale places his ear on Johny's chest (Good, his heart's still beating). He then quickly picks Johny up and runs towards the duke and Veena. "Lady Veena! Please have someone heal him!"

(Isn't that the musical performer at Lady Lumilla's birthday party?) The duke's facial expression shifts from relief to curiosity.

"Fine, but you will explain this to me later." Veena approaches Johny as Bale lays him on the floor. "Thank you, Lady Veena." Bale bows deeply. (I do owe him after all, so I can't deny him). She then kneels in front of Johny. "Heal!!" she raises her hands over Johny, who is barely breathing.

"Hmph! Worthless to the very end! I wonder if you were even my son to begin with!" The viscount angrily sneers down at Johny.

"Then as agreed, you will exile Johny. You no longer have a heir, Viscount Carl Vaz Edmont." Duke Feingald sternly glares at the viscount with his legs crossed in a relaxed manner.

"Good riddance. PTHOO!" Johny's father spits on his face in disgust. "..." Bale glares at the viscount. He then takes a deep breath (No. It's pointless to pick a fight with that dead-beat now, as weak as I am).

"I bid you all a good day, may we meet under more pleasant circumstances." Viscount Carl then claps his hands as several servants and knights follow behind him.

"Everyone! Clean up the area and prepare to see off Duke Feingald!" Haz waves his arm as the knights salute him. "Yes sir!" They then scurry off to carry out their newly assigned orders.

"Hmph. I get it, you're his uncle. But even mother? Why would she listen to him?!" Lumilla fumes. "Just who the hell does that boy think he is?! It was a mistake to invite him into the mansion!."

KLONK!! "OW!!" Haz hits the fiery girl's head with his fist. He's probably the only person in the estate brave enough to do so.

Haz then exhales "I refuse to listen to you bad-mouth the person who just saved your life and future."

"What?! Seriously?!" Lumilla glances over at Bale who is still kneeling in front of Johny. "That anti-lightning stance, that poison, the plan with the tornado... little Bale came up with all of it."

"Why didn't you tell me earlier?!" Lumilla could hardly believe her ears. After all, he was just an beast trying to decieve her best friend...probably to get closer to her. At least that's what she believed.

"He asked me not to tell you, of course." Haz crosses his arms. "If you don't believe me, you can ask your mother."

"No, I believe you." Lumilla then frowns, feeling for the welt on her head with her hands. "ARGH!!! It's so annoying to know that he doesn't trust me!"

"Ironic." Haz chuckles.