Kind Demon King

Poyraz followed the Queen together with others. Poyraz was happy that he was out of the council chamber, away from the countless gazes. Just because he could take all the gazes on didn’t mean that he was comfortable with it.

“May I ask why you hid your strength when you entered the chamber? If you were to release all of your mana, no one would have dared to disrespect you.”

The Queen inquired, glancing at him with her keen green eyes. Poyraz took a moment to consider her question, his thoughts lingering on the moments before the council meeting.

“Because you can learn more about one’s personality by observing how they treat someone weaker than them. It is common to see people treat those strong and high rank with respect but a person of genuine virtue would treat everyone with respect just because they are human beings like them.”

He replied, his voice steady as he walked alongside the Queen and the others.

“Plus, it was a good lesson for them. I assume you liked it since you didn’t do anything to stop me when you could easily do so.”

The Queen chuckled softly, her laughter a melodic sound that broke the tension of the earlier council meeting.

“You are quite astute, Champion. But do you really think I could stop you easily? Or are you being humble?”

Thalia, Artemeni, and Aurora exchanged glances, their expressions shifting from curiosity to concern. They had witnessed both the Queen's and Poyraz's strength, yet the question of who held true supremacy lingered. In a world on the brink of chaos, certainty in power dynamics was crucial.

Poyraz held the authority as the Champion of Alira, the patron Goddess of Quipax but The Queen was the ruler of Quipax. Two heads in one body. If it wasn’t for Poyraz’s rejection of ranks and lack of greed, things could lead to a civil war. But even though Poyraz rejected a ruling position now, it didn’t mean he would keep that mindset. Even if he stayed unchanged, if the people loyal to him wanted him to rule, things could get really bad.

That’s why establishing a power dynamic from the beginning was the most important.

“Well…”

Poyraz touched his chin, patting his non-existent beard as he thought.

“I am not sure how much stronger you are than me. The only thing I know is I wouldn’t want to clash you in a real battle.”

The Queen raised an eyebrow, intrigued by Poyraz’s candidness.

“Is that so? Many warriors, especially men would find what you said difficult to admit.”

Poyraz shrugged, a small smile creeping onto his lips. “I’ve learned that recognizing your limits is just as important as knowing your strengths. It doesn’t make me any less of a warrior to acknowledge that someone else might be more powerful. One can only climb higher if they realize there is a bigger peak.”

The Queen regarded him with a newfound respect, her keen green eyes narrowing slightly as she considered his words.

“Wise words, Champion. But I can’t help but notice that you are a little bit too happy with that fact.”

Poyraz let out a small laugh.

“Perhaps. The strongest takes the heaviest of responsibilities. Maybe I am happy that I don’t have to shoulder many burdens this time.”

The Queen’s gaze hardened for a slight second.

“I hope you don’t plan on me killing Moloch alone. I will be angry if that’s the case.”

Poyraz let out another loud laugh when she heard her fake anger.

“Hmm. I should change my plans then.”

The Queen smirked, her earlier expression softening at Poyraz's banter.

“I never expected what I wouldn’t do from other people. If I order others to march, I will march with them. If I order them to bleed, I will bleed with them.”

The Queen quickly noticed Poyraz’s expression shifting to serious maturity in the span of a second. It had happened in the council room too. She felt as if the lightheartedness and humbleness were masks worn to cover his seriousness and the giant amounts of experience he had. The real Champion was the one who cut Ilaria’s hand and scolded the Council and he kept that version under a heavy blanket of humor and charm. The Queen found it intriguing, if not a little unsettling, how easily Poyraz shifted between these two sides.

“Where exactly we are going? I am a little bit tired from all that traveling. Larve is also not really used to dealing with strangers alone.”

To tell to truth, Poyraz wasn’t tired physically. The way they traveled from Whifur to Quipax was mostly magical. The road had several magical terminals which allowed mages to teleport so the only road they had to travel was from terminal to terminal. It was quite fast and convenient except for the nausea teleportation caused. Poyraz couldn’t complain, however, not after he saw the state of mages after they teleported them. Some of them collapsed and required several days of rest to continue, even Aurora who impressed even Ama and Methild with her magic skills barely could walk by herself after it.

However, he was mentally tired. He wanted to lie down after traveling for more than a week. He also worried about Larve who he left behind with the priestess.

“To my training grounds.”

The Queen answered. Poyraz raised an eyebrow, intrigued. The heavy oak doors opened in front of them and they left the walls adorned by paintings depicting battles behind. The air was different outside—a fresh, invigorating breeze brushed against his skin, carrying with it the scents of damp earth and blooming flowers.

The passageway opened into a sprawling courtyard, where sunlight spilled over the cobblestone paths, illuminating the vibrant greenery that framed the training grounds ahead. Several warriors clad in armor which covered them head to toe guarded the entrance. They looked more like statues or golems than living, breathing people.

“Do not let anyone else enter. I will be sparring with the Champion.”

The warriors nodded in unison, their expressions hidden behind their helmets. Poyraz felt a thrill of anticipation surge through him at the thought of sparring with the Queen. He liked sparring, it had the excitement of a real battle without someone dying.

As they stepped into the training grounds, Poyraz took a moment to observe the area. It was vast, with various training dummies, combat rings, and obstacles designed to challenge even the most seasoned warriors. He felt a magical barrier cover the area, probably erected to keep the surrounding area safe. There was no one else but them.

The Queen slowly walked into a wide circle. She tapped her ring and an armor covered her body as a shield and spear appeared on her hands. Poyraz couldn’t help but admire the Queen’s readiness. He wondered what kind of item her ring was to allow this kind of thing. It surely had a subspace but equipping right away was something he hadn’t seen before. Poyraz couldn’t help but admire the Queen’s readiness. The armor she donned was resplendent, catching the light with a gleaming sheen that spoke of both elegance and functionality. The spear she wielded was a finely crafted weapon, its shaft, and blade imbued with various enchantments.

She looked like she came out of the movie 300. Poyraz hoped that she wouldn’t kick him down an endless hole while screaming “This is Quipax!”

“No helmet?”

Poyraz asked. Only two places in her body were unarmored. One was her upper arms which exposed her massive biceps. While it could be protected by leather just like her thighs, Poyraz could justify it by saying it was for mobility. However, her head was also fully exposed, only covered by a silver tiara.

The Queen's gaze met Poyraz's with a hint of amusement, her lips curling into a knowing smile.

“I prefer my face being the last thing my enemy sees. And with Thalia and Aurora here, we don’t really worry about taking too much damage.”

Poyraz chuckled, nodding in understanding.

“I suppose it does make things more personal.”

He could sense her confidence and readiness, a testament to her skill and experience. He slowly walked towards the circle, shadows wrapping around him to form his armor. The grey armor covered his entire body in less than a blink of an eye. It was made out of a metal that absorbed the light even Queen couldn’t recognize. Purple lights shone out of his helm, staring down her.

“I am Penthesilea Battleheart, descended from Valiera Battleheart and Queen of Amazons! I challenge you to a duel.”

She stabbed the butt of her spear to the ground.

“I, Poyraz Karabulut, Champion of Aliera accept your challenge.”

He stared down her. The distance between them was vast but both of them could close it with a single step. Yet, none of them took that one step. The Queen had two reasons; the first one was she wanted to see how strong Poyraz was and how he would move. The second one was much more personal, it was due to her pride. She was the ruler of this city and Poyraz was an outsider, a challenger. He had to move first.

So, that’s what he did.

A massive thing appeared on his hand. Queen could recognize it as a shield but it looked like it was torn apart by a furious crustacean beast. Poyraz gripped the rocky texture of the shield with one arm with no difficulty. Queen expected him to charge towards her, using the shield as its intended purpose, blocking her attacks.

However, the Champion of Aliera was nothing but normal. Instead of hiding behind it, he threw the shield weighing several tens of kilos with a single arm. Queen’s eyes widened with surprise and amusement for a tenth of a second but she raised her shield to block it. She could easily dodge it to the side but this was a challenge and she would take it. So, she raised her shield high and got ready to swat the massive chunk of rock to the side.

However, it never came in contact with her shield. At the same moment, her shield touched it, and it dissolved into shadows and scattered in the air. This would have taken anyone by surprise. Anyone but the Queen of Amazons. She knew that this was a distraction to close the distance without her doing anything or seeing which direction he came from.

She had 3 options to choose from. She didn’t even consider Poyraz coming straight to her. He felt too experienced for that. This left her right side and left side. Her left side held her shield which was big enough to cover most of her body. So she eliminated it too. This only left her right side which held her spear.

The Queen's instincts proved accurate as Poyraz materialized from the shadows on her right side. He moved with a speed and grace that seemed to blur the line between reality and illusion. With his sword drawn, he swung in a clean, fluid arc, aiming directly at the exposed part of the Queen's upper arm.

The Queen’s response was immediate. Her spear swept in a wide, defensive arc, catching Poyraz’s blade. The spear which could pierce through steel plating clashed against the sword which could cut through a boulder. The resonating clang shook the training grounds.

Thalia tried to stop her robes from flying away while Aurora dispelled the wind coming her way with a smug face. Artemeni took the wind head-on, not letting it distract her from the clash of the titans in front of her.

Queen tried to slam her circular shield to Poyraz’s face. He pivoted to the side, avoiding the strike while clearing himself a better angle but Queen, predicting his movements pivoted with him, matching his movements perfectly. This led to a fierce dance of sword and spear where each swing was calculated. Their weapons clashed tens, hundreds, and thousands of times, neither one giving an inch.

Poyraz clicked his tongue. He had realized that Queen was like himself, a tactical fighter who moved based on experience and training and not instinct. He could see gears turning behind her green eyes, taking in every step, stance, and feint to calculate, predict, and counterattack. The only difference they had was she was more talented than him and he was more experienced than her.

As their skill and tactics were similar levels, this left their mana, physical capabilities, and gear to decide who was superior. And Poyraz did not feel confident about his physical capabilities against Queen.

“Your body is like Valeria’s.”

Poyraz allowed his body to be pushed back by Queen’s thrust, putting some distance between himself and her.

“What do you mean by that?”

Queen asked, raising her eyebrows.