James and the giant alligator arrived at the edge of the woods where James had gone hunting with the others days ago. The area that remained unclaimed by any Ruler’s aura.

Once they had crossed over into that no man’s land, they and their respective entourages spent a quarter of an hour clearing a large ring for their fight. Flattening the ground with magic and pulling trees up by the roots. The humans did most of the reshaping of the earth, while the alligators used their strong bodies to wrestle the trees free from the soil.

Some of the people who had to work alongside the gators were visibly leery at being so close to the large reptiles, and James could tell the alligators noticed. He again felt slightly embarrassed that his side seemed a bit weaker and more vulnerable than the enemy.

The ground was much firmer here than in the swamp, to James’s relief.

Samuel really shouldn’t have agreed to fight me in a place like this, he thought. Arrogance. Or is it honor? I suppose the result is the same either way.

The audience left a buffer space between themselves and the ring large enough, per James’s request, for Alligator Monarch Samuel to fall down at the ring’s edge and not land on any spectators.

“Yes, this should work,” James said. “I can’t promise we’ll keep the fight contained in here, but we’ll do our best.”

The giant alligator gave a toothy grin and shook his head.

“You’re setting some high expectations, human,” he said. “You’d better hope you don’t disappoint me.”

James just snorted, looking Samuel steadily in the eye.

Then Alan arrived, led by a wolf. They were moving faster than James would have expected. Then again, I guess the situation sounds pretty urgent on paper.

While Alan caught his breath, the wolf waited expectantly, wagging her tail. After only a moment of hesitation, James rewarded the monster with a physical display of affection, scratching under her chin and petting her on the head.

Just treat them like dogs, he thought. The nameless wolf’s tail wagged even more forcefully as she basked in the glow of his affection.

“Thanks so much for fetching Alan, girl,” James said as he showed his appreciation.

The wolf rolled onto her back to receive a belly rub, but James kept it short, because the rest of the pack was looking on jealously. Alan was also staring wide-eyed at the giant creature that James was preparing to fight, wearing an expression that suggested he wasn’t sure it had been a good idea to come.

James decided to get back on his feet and give Alan some reassurance. As he did so, the wolf he’d just been petting went over and started playing with some other wolves. They really were a lot like dogs.

“Thanks for making it, Alan,” he said. “How are you feeling?”

“Jesus, James, you’re really fighting that thing?” Alan asked, staring at the near kaiju-sized Alligator Monarch.

“I know, Alan, I know. But you can’t blame the big guy for wanting to take on the champ. He thinks he has a shot at the belt. I promise I won’t hurt him too badly.”

Alan rolled his eyes but looked like he was restraining himself from laughing.

Samuel really is massive, though, James thought. Could even be stronger than me. I might have to use my brain to win this one. At least I have a plan…

“All the wolf told me was that you’re fighting an enormous alligator, and you thought you might need a Healer,” Alan said. “Any additional information you want to give me?”

“Well, the Alligator Monarch said he wanted to conquer us, and he gave me the choice between having his army fight ours or having a one on one duel to decide who will be in charge,” James said. “So I picked the one on one duel. His army isn’t very big, as far as I can tell, but I think we’d definitely lose some people in a larger battle. Whereas with you here, I don’t think we’ll even lose the big fellow.”

He gestured at Samuel, and the big alligator bared his teeth in what James imagined was his version of a smile, raised one of his front legs, and waved at Alan.

“He’s actually really sporting,” James added. “Agreed to a bunch of very fair rules for the fight, and waited to start until we had you here.”

Alan looked back and forth between James and the giant monster for a moment, then pulled James aside.

“You’re really gambling your whole Kingdom on this one on one fight?” he said. “Level with me. Where is this confidence coming from? Is it just bluster? Arrogance? Or do you know something that backs it up? This monster is high level, I Identified it. Higher than the Goblin King or the Mole Lord. Are you sure you know what you’re doing?”

James was quiet for a moment, and his expression sobered.

“Ultimately, the choice was between gambling on a one on one fight or having a small war,” he said. “I came and tried to talk about building a relationship between our two territories, and Samuel immediately jumped to war. So there wasn’t that much choice. But I do have a reason to feel confident. I’m stronger than any human ought to be. I’ve fought monsters deadlier and more subtle than this one. And ultimately, he’s a relatively smart, high level lizard. I would rather not kill him if I don’t have to, because I think it would be great to have him on our side. But I know at least three ways I could do it reliably. This isn’t a question of me losing. My thinking about it has all been on the subject of how to win. Not if I win. So I had our four legged friend come and get you, because after I tear him apart, I need someone to put him back together alive. A taxidermy Alligator Monarch wouldn’t do me much good, and his head is too big to put on my wall.”

Alan looked back at James, and James knew instantly that the old man believed everything he’d said. Even with the rings, it’s always easier when it’s true. James really couldn’t imagine himself losing to a big lizard.

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“Good luck,” Alan said. “You can do this.” He squeezed James’s shoulder and walked off to join the rest of the spectators.

Everyone that had been working on the ring finally moved back at that point, and the two contestants stepped in to fight. There was no mediator, no referee to say when they should begin or when their fight would end. Just two Rulers with egos that would hardly tolerate a loss.

“You can have the first hit,” Samuel said. He looked cocky. And James could actually smell the aggression from where he stood, at the opposite end of the ring.

He really did get excited for this fight.

James walked toward where the Alligator Monarch stood on all fours, and Samuel stepped forward to meet him. When they were finally close enough, James defied his instincts, which were telling him to stay away from the giant monster’s jaw. He threw a hard straight punch that struck the left side of Sam's face.

Although James could feel that he hadn’t given it as much power as he had initially intended—mainly because of the strange angle he was punching Sam at—the hit still jerked the monster’s head back. His front feet also staggered backward, though he managed to hold his ground with his back feet.

Samuel smiled again. “Not bad for someone so small.”

Then he threw his counter, a swipe with his right front claws. James didn’t try to dodge. The Alligator Monarch had given him a free shot, and James wanted to establish a sense of mutual respect. The blade-like claws caught James across the chest. They tore through the Royal Exoarmor with what appeared to James very little resistance.

He felt the pain a moment later, but it was faint. Barely enough to be perceptible through his high level of resistance. He could tell that the claws had left shallow cuts down his chest.

But James had kept his feet planted firmly on the ground.

“Good shot,” he said, grinning.

Samuel gave a frustrated grunt. “Urk! Give me your best, then.”

James launched himself off the ground with a full force kick into the underside of Samuel’s jaw that threw the alligator’s head reeling back.

Samuel’s jaw slammed down in the immediate aftermath, snapping wildly, trying to take a bite out of James’s toes.

But James had already darted backward, out of reach. He’s too slow, he thought.

Then Samuel lunged forward, and James was diving and rolling under the monster’s body. Samuel tried to raise a giant back foot to step on him, but James dodged to the side—and a dark-green blur smashed into the side of his head and sent him skidding across the ground.

The monster’s tail seemed to be faster than the rest of him.

Holy shit! I actually felt that. This is great! A real challenge for the first time since I returned to Earth.

Samuel chased after him, but James leaped over the monster’s body and landed behind him.

“Nice healing ability,” Samuel grunted as he turned and tried to catch James with his jaws.

James kept himself oriented to the monster’s tail, just out of sight despite its repeated efforts to twist around and catch him. He had already noticed that his cuts had closed up, but he was glad that Samuel had observed the same thing.

“Let’s see how yours is,” James said. He grabbed the monster by the tail and pushed up, throwing Samuel off balance so that he was performing an awkward handstand for a moment. Then James threw an Air Strike at the weaker-looking armor of its underbelly.

“Grahh!” Samuel let loose a pained grunt.

James saw thick lines appear on the alligator’s body, blossoming with dark red bursts of blood. But the flow of blood was already slowing before gravity brought the monster back down to Earth.

Good healing, then.

Then Samuel was turning, faster than before, fueled by rage, jaws snapping, claws swinging and grasping. James danced out of reach, keeping only a step or two ahead.

“Cheap shot,” Samuel finally grumbled as he slowed and calmed.

James was wheeling slowly to the side now, moving further from the edge of the ring the monster had almost chased him into, and Samuel followed him by turning his body.

“Anything goes, right?” James said.

“Right you are,” Samuel breathed. “Dominion.”

“Dominion,” James replied.

The two auras fought a duel that James was certain he would eventually win. Samuel had at least as high Strength as James, but James was faster. Given that Samuel wasn’t blowing him away in Stats, and that the monster had shown no magic prowess yet, James doubted that he could lose to the Alligator Monarch in a contest of Mana and Stamina. And those were the energies that combined to form the aura that Dominion emanated.

Samuel seemed to sense the same thing. He launched himself through the air at James—at a speed he hadn’t reached before—and James used Lightning Strike to dodge, jumping above Samuel again. He aimed a Meteor Strike at Samuel’s back with his foot, but the flaming kick glanced off like he was striking solid steel.

Need to get the underside again. He really didn’t like that.

Then Samuel was sinking into the ground, with James still balancing on one leg on his back. James realized the monster was using the environmental manipulation component of their shared power to turn the soil swampy.

But two could play at that game. James clenched his fist and exerted his power, and the earth all around them hardened again.

Samuel burst through the sedimentary prison, more annoyed than inconvenienced by the loss of control. As James tumbled from the monster’s back, Samuel sprung at him, teeth gnashing, tail thumping against the ground.

The world seemed to slow down, and James took a moment to enjoy the situation he was in.

Honestly, when was the last time I felt this much tension during a fight? Roscuro frankly hadn’t given him that. The only times he had really felt worried during that fight were when the Soul Eater was using Soul Magic or trying to kill hostages. Soul Magic was clearly deadly, which was why James wasn’t using it now. But besides that, Roscuro had no probable way of killing him.

Here, every one of Samuel’s attacks was potentially deadly. He had at least equal Strength to James—no, if James was honest, the alligator’s physical brawn was greater than his, if only slightly. If this was just a wrestling match, Samuel would win at least seven or eight times out of ten.

But in fact, superior brain power and versatility are more important than brute Strength here.

As James fell through the air, he decided how to handle Samuel’s furiously snapping jaws. His heightened awareness took in the alligator’s movements, where Samuel’s eyes were looking, the speed at which he was throwing himself forward, the monster’s direction of travel, and the speed at which James himself was dropping. James could tell where the teeth would land.

Samuel clearly wasn’t trying to kill James, anymore than he was trying to kill Samuel. James decided to allow Samuel to land the attack. He began infusing Mana into his left arm—where Samuel’s jaws were poised to strike.

The alligator gave himself one final push forward and intercepted James’s body before he could touch the ground.

There was a sharp, wrenching agony and the grisly sound of bone separating and tearing away from flesh. Hot blood met dank, moist air and then spilled forward onto the ground.

As time seemed to catch up to him, James’s body struck earth, missing one limb.

A searing pain ran through his left shoulder, as Samuel roared in triumph.