"Another duel, Sir Niles?" Winston sighed, arms crossed. "Haven't you learned from last time?"
Niles was too busy stretching to care. “My dear Winston,” he began, rolling his shoulders, “I’ve figured out the secret to duels. It’s kind of like doing business.” He grinned, eyes glinting. “You drag your opponent into your playing field… and then crush them with experience!”
He threw an arm out dramatically, striking a pose that made him look like some kind of demon lord. Winston exhaled, long and slow. “I feel sorry for whoever let you handle their customers”
Niles only laughed, flashing a devilish grin. “Oh, you’ll see.”
He waved Felix over, then turned to Tesla. “Care to join the negotiation?”
Tesla scoffed. “After your duel, I’m leaving—with them.” He jabbed a finger at the Xandrian soldiers.
Niles shrugged. “Of course. You’re free to leave.”
Tesla narrowed his eyes. “I don’t trust you when you say that.”
“It’s a free country,” Niles said, smirking.
Tesla cut him off immediately. “Don’t say it.”
Niles’ smirk widened. “In Niceland.”
Tesla groaned. “It’s not a real nation. And if it was, that name is the worst thing I’ve ever heard.”
“Says the guy who named his summoned goblin… Goblin.”
Tesla shrieked like a noble caught in a scandal. “I WAS UNDER PRESSURE!”
Niles only chuckled.
“Sir Niles,” Winston interjected, rubbing his temples, “please don’t start another duel before you finish this one.”
Niles grimaced. “No promises.”
Niles, Winston, and Felix stood near the edge of the barrier. On the other side, Bear and his army loomed.
The crowd was getting rowdy. Winston stepped forward to address both sides.
“We are here to settle negotiations. The matter at hand—who should have their request honored first. Sir Niles of Niceland demands a doctor to treat his injured. Bear demands access to search for his missing artifact—the so-called holy crystal. Are these terms understood by both parties?”
Bear grunted. “Aye. Let’s get it over with.”
Niles smiled. “Correct.” He locked eyes with Bear. “I’ll drop the barrier for you. And then… I’m going to send you flying.”
The Xargian soldiers erupted in laughter. A dark, guttural sound, like it was the first joke they had ever heard.
Bear chuckled along with them—then his laughter cut off. His voice dropped, deadly serious. “I can’t promise you’ll live to see the king.”
Niles picked up a goblin-made war club. It wasn’t much, but it was something. Across from him, Bear activated his skill.
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His body twisted, dark fur sprouting across his limbs. His metal helmet shifted, morphing into the snarling head of a true beast—a giant bear.
Niles opened the guest protocol window.
Status: Bear → Entry Accepted.
The moment the barrier recognized Bear, his massive claws scraped against the ground. He let out a low, rumbling growl.
“I’m gonna tear you to shreds,” he hissed.
Niles simply stepped back inside the barrier and smirked. “And I’m gonna send you flying… with just one finger.”
The soldiers of Xandria roared their commander’s name.
Winston raised his arms. “THREE—”
Bear dropped to all fours.
“TWO—”
His muscles tensed like a coiled spring.
“ONE—”
Winston’s hands came down. “BEGIN!”
Bear launched forward, a massive beast of muscle and fur, barreling across the ground like a force of nature.
“YOU’RE MINE NOW!” he roared.
He reared up, towering over Niles like a living mountain. His claws glinted, sharpened and ready to tear through flesh.
Tesla realized the truth a second too late. His face went pale. “WAIT—IT’S A TRAP!”
But Bear didn’t hear him. His rage-blinded eyes were locked on Niles—who was just standing there. Waiting.
Smiling.
For a brief moment, Bear thought the man had lost his mind.
Then—
With one casual motion, Niles lifted a finger.
Opened the guest protocol.
And changed Bear’s status from "Entry Accepted" to "Entry Denied."
A magic wind, howling like a storm, erupted within Niceland.
It grabbed Bear like a rope.
His massive frame was ripped from the ground, thrown, spinning out of control like a ragdoll.
The force catapulted him through the air, sending him crashing through branches, trees, and shrubbery before his body finally slammed into a towering tree in the wilderness.
The battlefield fell into stunned silence.
The soldiers of Xandria, who had been cheering seconds ago, just stood there, gawking, trying to process what had just happened.
Niles swung the war club over his shoulder like a tired lumberjack at the end of a shift.
“I told you I’d send him flying… with just one finger.”
He turned to Winston, who let out a slow sigh. Then, with a nod, Winston raised his hands.
“WINNER OF THE DUEL—SIR NILES!”
A few Xandrian soldiers coughed awkwardly. Others muttered that, in hindsight, maybe they should have chosen a better location for the duel—perhaps anywhere other than inside Niles’ realm.
Some Xandrian troops had already ventured into the wilderness, hoping to recover their captain from wherever he had crash-landed.
Then—laughter. Deep, hearty laughter.
One of the Xargian guards, Elephant, stepped forward, his voice rich with amusement. “Never in my life did I think I’d see Bear get sent flying like that.”
The man stepped closer to the barrier. His mask bore the image of a mighty elephant, tusks curved and fierce.
He smirked inside his helmet. “Congratulations on your victory, Sir Niles.”
Niles grinned. “Why, thank you!”
Elephant folded his arms. “I’ll speak with Bear once he’s back. But on the pride of the Xargian Guard, we will honor the duel’s terms.” He pounded a fist against his chest in salute.
Niles nodded, pleased. The two fell into conversation, but their discussion was soon interrupted by another approaching figure.
A wolf-masked soldier from the Xargian guard strode toward them in a hurry.
“Bear is awake,” the man reported. “he’s little groggy, but alive. He needs time to recover before continuing negotiations.”
Niles immediately pointed a dramatic, accusatory finger at him. “IT’S YOU AGAIN!”
The Xargian soldier—Wolf—stared back through his snarling mask, his steel-gray eyes sharp and cold. Not exactly the friendly type you invite to play Mario Kart with.
Elephant chuckled. “Aye, Wolf and I are often on missions together. Someone’s gotta keep an eye on him.”
Niles, undeterred, squinted at Wolf. “Are you finally going to APOLOGIZE for punching me the moment I arrived in this world?! That hurt, you know!”
Before Wolf could respond, a booming voice cut through the air.
“I DON’T KNOW THE DETAILS,” Vulcan bellowed from across the field, “BUT I’M SURE YOU DESERVED IT!”
For once, Wolf actually spoke. His voice was quieter but firm. “He insulted the honor of our princess.”
Vulcan shouted back, “SEE, NILES?! YOUR JUDGMENT IS NOT BETTER THAN MINE!”
Niles opened his mouth to argue, but—
“Sir Niles,” Winston interjected swiftly, “I suspect this isn’t your playing field.”
Niles hesitated. Then sighed. “Fine.”
He turned back to Elephant and Wolf. “Call for us when your doctor is ready.”
With that, he walked off, rejoining his party in the center of the barrier.
As they settled, Felix—who had been silent all this time—finally spoke.
“…I think this is the first time I’ve seen Niles actually win a fight.”