Splat!

The sound of Rigathon's body hitting the ground echoed through the air after his deadly fall from the towering cliff.

Dante let out a sigh of relief, finally able to relax and be himself again, free from the burden of pretense.

[New Trial Added: You have defeated Rigathon in a Duel of Might!]

"Weird. The Holy System recognized that duel as a Trial too, huh?"

"Whooo! All this pretending to be someone I'm not is exhausting," he exclaimed, his true self shining through now.

Sir Lysander Verinthal squatted down to get a closer look at the incredible feat achieved by a seemingly small child. He was in awe of what he had just witnessed.

Meanwhile, Ravka stood behind Dante, trying to figure out how to explain her intentions regarding Zylthar's Radiant Sword, a powerful Class 2 Relic. She was waiting for Dante to decide on her fate.

"I'm done playing this fucked up game of pretending to be a dumb kid. I'm not a child and I'm not going to act like one anymore," Dante said to them.

Sir Lysander asked, "Then what are you?"

Suddenly, loud stomps of hooves and paws could be heard coming from the nearby woods. The Brayskorn Clan had witnessed Dante's duel against Rigathon, and their clansman's resounding defeat.

Unbeknownst to them, members of the Gallophire Brotherhood of Equinix had also witnessed the spectacle from other parts of the woods.

"Danny?" Sir Lysander said, "We have company."

Soon, various formidable beings emerged from the forest - Feralkin from the Snarlfang Pack, Wyrmtouched Beastmen from the Drakespine Clan, and Soarwing Beastmen from the Talon Crest Tribe, flying high above in the sky. They all had one thing in common - they had seen the mighty Rigathon defeated by a mere child.

They all came slowly out of the forest. Their colossal bodies were muscular and hard-knocked with battle wounds, and their sight focused on the child who had defeated one of the strongest of the Brayskorn Clan in a sacred duel that was traditional law for the Jagged Fangs of Teih.

Dante, wearing only his ragged pants, and his chest bare with a few scratches from the fight and the mud that had splashed all over him in the face of Rigathon's destructive stomps, stood up and stared down the incoming horde of Jagged Beastmen.

"None of us can speak the Faireenic, but there is one language that is universal," Dante smirked confidently.

"It is the unspoken words of strength and dominance. This is the way of the beasts. Are we Marialians even that different from them? We speak it too, just with extra steps," Dante replied, emphasizing the primal nature of their confrontation.

Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon.

The Holy Archivist and Holy Chaplain Knight stood by Dante, clutching their Scriptures in preparation for the impending battle.

The Jagged Beastmen were fixated on Dante, ready to unleash their weaponry and war shamans upon him.

Ravka aimed her Crossbow at the intimidating horde, her heart pounding with both fear and exhilaration at the thought of fighting their way out of this perilous situation. However, Sir Lysander acknowledged the dire odds and offered an escape plan.

"Dante, just let me know, and I will handle them all myself. But on my signal, I want the two of you to run and escape. It will only be for a short second, but if timed right, you can escape to the woods and come back to the port," he proposed.

Dante shook his head, refusing to run away. He stepped forward, wielding Zylthar's Radiant Sword, a symbol of his newfound strength and determination.

An 11-foot-tall Equinix, distinguishable from the Brayskorn Clan by his fur's different color, pointed an iron cudgel at Dante. Sir Lysander informed them that this Equinix belonged to the Neighshroud Tribe, a rival of Rigathon's who always lost in duels.

Sir Lysander then said, "He is from the Neighshroud Tribe, a rival of Rigathon that always lost in duels."

Dante suddenly broke into laughter, unconsciously showing his dominance against what he perceived to be loser weaklings that were afraid of Rigathon's dominating power.

The Jagged Beastman was appalled by Dante's audacity, but none of them could act out of line because tradition was tradition. The duel was won with the champion dead and the challenger alive.

Ravka's sweat made her thin leather clothes wet, but she had never felt such a riveting tension before in her life. She was exhilarated by the idea of fighting their way out of the death trap they were in.

Then the black Equinix threw his cudgel in front of Dante.

Dante looked up at the Beastman who had nothing but respect for Dante and a determination to kill him in combat. The Jagged Beastmen roared, one by one, raising their clubs and maces in the sky, signifying the beginning of a Duel of the Beasts.

"Dante? Whenever you're ready. I can get you two out of here!" Sir Lysander urged him.

Dante stared them all down from left to right and understood that all of them wanted their turns after.

"Tsk. Disgusting retards," Dante murmured.

It was going to be the beginning of a chain of deadly duels. Until one remained who would take the place of the Jagged Alpha.

Dante then observed each of them with intense analysis, using his Gift of Discernment.

"Tsk. These barbarians are useless!" he complained to himself.

Ravka Grimshaw stood behind Dante as instructed by Lysander, ready to run for their lives.

But Dante closed his eyes.

And said, "I'm thinking! Shut the fuck up!"

Sir Lysander's patience wavered while he watched the 3-year-old boy in front of him, tell him to be silent in the face of the horde of cold-blooded killers in front of them.

"Nah! Fuck this!" Dante tells himself.

He raises his sword as high as he could, and stabs in on the ground.

"What are you doing-" Lysander shouts.

For the second time, Dante hits the most crucial part of the top of the cliff, right where he needed to make the chip of landfall and send them to their descending deaths.

"Grab on to me!" Dante shouted at them.

The Jagged Beastmen could do nothing but try to throw their clubs at them only to watch the Marialians fall into their graves.

They walked away.

Dante, Ravka, and Lysander had accidentally let go of their Scriptures and were unable to conjure any meaningful invocations. Not even Dante's Blessing of Silent Prayer could help him out of this grave.

They fell off the cliff, trying to grab hold of each other and their Scriptures. But in their fatal descent, they could only look at each other and laugh at the ridiculous irony.

Dante then smiled at the two and giggled at their hair standing up, and reminded him of awkward deadhead hippies.

Lysander the Chaplain Knight, looked at Dante, realizing his inevitable death, and turned his frown slowly into a burst of laughter. Thinking, how stupid their situation was.

And Ravka was able to hug Dante, but she laughed while and tried to imitate the Avianbord Beastman by extending her arms and pretending to fly while making sounds with her mouth.

Splat! Splat! Splat!