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"My king?"

"You heard me, commander. Do you think your Sentinels could take me down if I were to go all out?"

Alena had seen her soldiers hold their own against Leon. Even if the king was stronger than he let on, she doubted he was powerful enough to rival a mythical beast of Leon\'s calibre.

"Sir… I don\'t think it\'s a good idea… How would our soldiers feel if they were to take out their king? Wouldn\'t that defeat the purpose you had for asserting dominance over the court when you came back?"

Astaroth scoffed at her words.

"You seem pretty quick to discard me. Let me make things easier for you. I will go all out, and I want all your Sentinels, including yourself, to do the same. If you think you can take me out, this is your chance to try. Are you game?"

Alena was curious about Astaroth\'s true power level. But she felt like taking this bet was risky on so many levels.

What if they took him down too fast and the soldiers lost faith in his power? Wouldn\'t that be detrimental to him?

Astaroth could see the hesitation in her eyes.

He wanted to fight them, not to allow them to go. But to gauge their strength.

So he opted to sweeten the pot.

"I will make you an offer I doubt you will refuse. Take the fight. If you win, you get to go for the next five years, without exception or going back on my word."

The offer was enticing, and Alena was already inclined to take it. But she was still hesitating.

"And what if you win?" she asked, biting her lower lip nervously.

"If I win, then you go only this year, and the next year will be a fair competition between all regiments. No detriment in it for you, right?"

Her eyes widened.

This meant the king had already agreed to let her regiment go. This competition had no more incident in this year\'s selection.

But she wondered where the king took his confidence.

"And if I accept? When would we be holding this mock battle?" she asked.

Astaroth smiled at her.

"If you say yes now, then we can set it up as early as tomorrow. I am tired today and have been up for a long time. So we can take the day to rest, get your men ready, and convene on the training floor tomorrow at dawn. What say you?"

Alena had virtually no reason to say no. But something from the confidence exuded by her monarch made her feel off.

She was no slouch in terms of power, which was why she had become commander of the Sentinels in the first place. And under her were a little over two hundred men and women that had proven their worth over the last decade.

Yet, the king was a wild card, as far as she was concerned. She had asked Leon, once, why he bowed to Astaroth, back when the king and his ilk were still nowhere to be found.

Leon had been taken aback by the question but had answered still.

"King Astaroth may not be powerful by himself as of now. But a time will come when his potential pushes him far beyond mortal reach. By then, how far under him will even I be? Only time can tell…" he had answered.

She had always thought he said this only for her to stay in her lane. But something about how he phrased his words still echoed in her mind to this day.

\'His potential, huh? How much of it has he unearthed, as of now?\'

"Then I accept. I will get my men ready by the morrow. I hope you will come prepared, and that you will be humble in defeat, my king."

Astaroth stepped off the throne dais and stepped down to stand in front of Alena, a wide grin plastered on his face.

"I hope your men are ready to take the most horrible loss they have ever taken, commander!" Astaroth declared loudly, extending his hand toward her.

Alena grabbed his forearm in a knightly handshake. She grinned back, as well, putting up a facade of confidence.

Once they let go of each other\'s forearm, Astaroth climbed back the few steps to the top of the dais and sat back on his throne.

"Now that this is settled, would you mind fetching the other commanders? We have a few things to discuss."

The commander nodded her head, taking a quick bow, before backing out of the room.

As she left, Phoenix finally opened her mouth to speak.

"I don\'t mind you deciding on your own, but don\'t you think accepting for her regiment to go so easily will breed feelings of mistrust, about favouritism?"

Astaroth shook his head before answering her question.

"I will make sure it doesn\'t happen. I already have a solution in mind for that. Tomorrow, when I fight her regiment, it won\'t be the only fight I will be holding."

Phoenix\'s curiosity was piqued.

"Tell me more, oh wise King Astaroth," she teased, a smile on her lips.

"Tch. I was going to, but since you want to mock me, I guess you\'ll find out tomorrow at the same time as the others."

"Aww… Don\'t be like that, love. Pretty please?"

Phoenix made a pouty face, pursing her lips and batting her eyelashes. But Astaroth pulled out his tongue toward her jokingly.

"Not telling you, even if you beg. It\'ll be a surprise for everyone, anyway."

Phoenix crossed her arms, trying to appear angry at him, but her curiosity was visible on her face, and Astaroth knew she was faking.

"Don\'t worry. It\'s nothing too big, and you only have to wait one day to know."

She huffed in fake anger at him and punched him lightly on the shoulder.

The doors to the throne room started creaking open, so she quickly switched back to smiling, as if nothing had happened. The speed of her transition impressed Astaroth.

\'Years of practice, I suppose…\'