DKIE CH30: The Dark City

Amidst a pile of “shocking” headlines that could trigger a tsunami, Leo barely managed to lock onto the inconspicuous mention of screening rights.

He estimated that even Alec wouldn’t notice that, compared to winning and seizing jurisdiction, Luka wouldn’t lose out as long as he fought hard for a draw to get the screening rights.

However, the First Prince might not agree to the fight. But on second thought, it seemed Alec didn’t have a choice either.

Luka shrugged. “Win or lose, I can expand my fame.”

If you’re going to pick a fight for fame, pick on the strongest. When people start making comparisons, they subconsciously elevate the other party. The only thing to worry about was whether he would be ambushed in the Dark City. The Demon King couldn’t interfere in the Return Hunt, but if he wanted to, he could always find a roundabout way to achieve his goal.

One’s life was not a trivial matter.

As Luka hesitated, Leo finally got his cue. “You want me to accompany you.”

Luka shook his head. “Actually, it would be enough if you just invited some influential figures to watch the battle.” With more racial leaders present as spectators, the Demon King would be less likely to publicly interfere with the younger generation, for the sake of both face and reputation. He only needed a relatively fair battlefield.

It had been snowing for the past few days, and the temperature was very low. The waves stirred up not long ago had made the air even more humid. As Luka spoke, a layer of frost melted on his eyelashes, and his damp, long hair hung down softly, giving an illusion of obedience no matter how you looked at it.

Knowing he wasn’t going to a reckless death, Leo’s tone softened again. “Actually, you don’t have to work so hard.” If he gave up this risky endeavor, the dragon race could shelter him for a life of wealth and luxury.

Luka smiled shyly. “I’m in it for the fame.” Whether it was to control his own destiny or to gain greater fame and a larger audience, he needed to move forward, step by step, with determination.

The weak can lose a thousand times, but as long as they win once, they will be remembered by all.

At this point, Luka’s lips were red and his teeth white, his face radiant. “From the first day I knew this world, I understood that being powerful is the original sin.”

Leo: “…”

The dragon race had no reason to refuse such a small wish. Leo discussed it with Grover, and a day later, golden invitation letters flew from Dragon Island to different races in Grover’s name.

The wording on the invitations was beautiful, saying that he had recently awakened and wanted to reunite with old friends. If they were free, they could all visit the Dark City together to admire the style of the younger generation of demons.

The influential figures who received the invitations had only one thought: The dragon race must be crazy about wanting to lay eggs, even paying attention to another race’s child.

At the same time, various magazines did their part, and news of Luka challenging Alec spread rapidly.

As the one being challenged, Alec first saw the news in the newspaper.

“Utter nonsense!” He slammed his hand down, crushing the armrest of his chair. “Immediately issue a statement clarifying that this is a baseless rumor.”

Alec clearly didn’t care about any talk of a draw for screening rights; his eyes were fixed on the ridiculous claim to jurisdiction. Trying to get something for nothing, betting a worthless life for the Dark City as a bargaining chip—it was utterly laughable.

Below him stood a fierce demon general who usually enjoyed skinning and deboning prisoners of war. Not long ago, this demon general had been summoned to ambush Luka outside the Holy City, but by the time he arrived, he only saw the blasted remains of the guild hall. Luka was long gone.

“Your Highness, you mustn’t,” the demon general advised. “It’s the middle of the Return Hunt. If other highnesses use this against you, saying you’re afraid of him, it will damage Your Highness’s prestige.”

Alec laughed in anger. “Are you saying I have to accept the challenge?”

The demon general’s advice was harsh but true. “Who told him to be weak?”

“…”

The fury in his green eyes reached its peak, eventually mixed with a chilling smile. Alec thought about many things, mostly about the impact of the Holy City explosion. After a comprehensive assessment, he determined that the possibility of being exposed was very small.

Once Iliad publicly admitted to being the mastermind behind the bombing, the Holy City would have to give the Demon Realm an explanation and apprehend the culprit. Furthermore, the bombing of the guild hall was detrimental to the Demon Realm’s prestige. If the demon populace knew about such a face-losing incident, it would be even less likely they would vote for Iliad.

Now, they had to keep this secret together. The thought of becoming an invisible accomplice made Alec even more physically uncomfortable.

“When is the duel?” he asked coldly.

The demon general: “Please wait a moment, Your Highness. Let me check the newspaper.”

“…”

“Found it. Seven days from now, at sunrise.”

Alec: “And the location?”

The demon general: “Please wait a moment more, Your Highness. Let me check the newspaper.”

A vein popped on Alec’s forehead.

The demon general continued to search for information in the newspaper. “The dueling arena in the Dark City.”

Seven days. It would take at least four or five days to get there from Dragon Island. The opponent might have already set off.

Alec’s eyes narrowed. One thing was certain: after that single explosive move, Iliad must be in a weakened state. Otherwise, with any bit of strength, he would have risked staying to finish the job.

“Fine. I’ve let him live this long. It’s time for him to say goodbye to this beautiful world.” He would not make the same mistake he made in the Holy City a second time.

As his shoe stepped on the chair’s debris, Alec suddenly asked, “Did my father, the King, say he would come to watch?”

The demon general lowered his head and, after a moment, shook it. “Reporting to Your Highness, it’s not written in the newspaper.”

“…”

The wind was strong, the sky high. There were no cries of apes. Even if there were, they couldn’t be heard.

Tens of thousands of feet in the air, Luka had calculated the time for public opinion to ferment and had set off in a beast-drawn carriage the very next day.

Berlanie followed in secret. At this critical juncture, it was best to be as low-key as possible when going to the Demon Realm, to avoid attracting too much attention.

As for the other dragons familiar with Luka, Grover was going to visit some old friends, and Leo went out to find the dark elves to compose music for the movie—he didn’t even dare to watch that outrageous thing a second time after acting in it. Putting on the air of an elder, he had Alice and Isha supervise on-site. Denton was old, a standard homebody dragon.

The Green Crystal Dragon and the Horned Blue Dragon were willing to go to the Dark City together, but they were too lazy to fly the whole way slowly and planned to set off two days before the duel.

The beast-drawn carriage was assembled by the dragons’ own claws. The table was made of top-grade oak, and it was pulled by eight winged horses, looking incredibly majestic. Under an invisibility spell, ordinary people couldn’t notice it unless they were a powerful archmage.

During the days of travel, Luka maintained a regular schedule. From 8 to 10 AM, he wrote the second part of “Three-and-a-Half-Year-Old”; from 10 AM to 4 PM, he studied spells; from 4 to 4:30 PM, he rested; and from 4:30 PM until dawn, he dedicated himself to practicing magic.

To maintain his persona as someone from the Holy City, the Quill Pen wore a God’s Attendant robe popular among the nobility, its color as pure as snow falling from the clouds. He quietly watched Luka.

No teacher dislikes a diligent student. Even when mocked for mispronouncing spells, Luka would accept it with humility.

“You don’t need to learn too many spells. Proficiency is enough.” With a wave of the Quill Pen’s hand, a notebook appeared in front of Luka.

He opened it curiously, and ten combat templates appeared unexpectedly.

• Combat Type 1: Alec holds his weapon in a reverse grip, thumb moving first, simultaneously chanting a spell. This indicates he intends to use his strongest attack to strike you down in one blow.
  
  • Counter-strategy: With the candidate’s current strength, it is impossible to interrupt the enemy’s charge-up. Release a protective shield one step ahead. The force difference is expected to push you back three to four steps, and you will spit out a mouthful of blood. This entire process will take one second.
    
  • To win, the candidate must chant a counter-spell while spitting blood, at a speed of 12 syllables per second.
    
  • Recommended spells: Curse of Misfortune, Hela-dada Curse.
    
• Combat Type 2: Alec first mobilizes ice or earth elements, most likely to cast the Dark Cage.
  
  • Counter-strategy: Earth Burrowing spell, while simultaneously casting a fire element spell to buy time. Escaping is a feint; before actually escaping, cast an Ice Arrow spell. When the enemy tries to counter-seal your space, take them by surprise with a backstab from the ice arrow.
    
  • Recommended: Enchant the ice arrow with an invisibility spell.
    
• Combat Type 3: …
  

The ten templates were practically a reference answer sheet.

“It’s enough to deal with a little demon brat,” the Quill Pen said, his gaze sweeping lightly outside. Seeing a sea of forest below, he said, “Stop the carriage. I’ll go down and practice with you.”

Luka swallowed. “This feels like cheating on the college entrance exams.” This wasn’t just spotting questions. What was the difference between this and an open-book exam?

Without explaining what the college entrance exam was, Luka repented earnestly. “Great kindness from Teacher Quill. If I had known, I would have arranged more scenes of the fake young master being all high and mighty.” To guarantee the audience’s resentment was fully fed.

The Quill Pen: “…No need.” He was fed up with those inexplicably wronged characters.

Traveling day and night, a few days later, a bustling and massive city was close at hand. The beast carriage began to lower its altitude. Luka peeked out; it was clearly a place without spiritual civilization.

Below, skeletons that had not yet completely weathered away were scattered everywhere. The air was filled with the restless smell of blood, and a group of people were robbing someone nearby.

After landing, Luka sent the carriage back and entered the city on foot. Unlike Boulder City, the Dark City did not restrict killing. The entrance fee was only one silver coin. Most of the people who came here to trade were vicious criminals, and incidents of black-on-black crime were common.

Luka wore a cloak and, to fit in, also changed into a gear mask. “How is it?” The half-skull steampunk design was bizarre yet cool.

The Quill Pen: “Nonsense.” The masks he made were not comparable to the defective goods sold in shops.

Some robbers spotted a new face entering the city and subconsciously started to follow, but they were all taken care of by Berlanie from the shadows.

Another day passed, and more and more visitors came to the Dark City. Many of the natives from the surrounding areas of the Demon Realm also squeezed in. The flow of people increased explosively in a short period, all clearly attracted by the news in the papers, wanting to see the truth for themselves.

“It must be true. Someone saw the Centaur chief and the High Dark Elf clan appear in the city at the same time this morning.”

Even the murderers and robbers in the city quieted down a bit.

A demon chuckled. “Why don’t you just go and see for yourself?”

His companion spat at him. “You think I don’t want to? The ticket price for the dueling arena has been jacked up to a hundred gold coins per ticket.”

Alec’s business acumen was not low either. Since the duel could not be changed, he might as well make a fortune from it.

By the day the duel officially began, the entire Dark City was packed with people in every nook and cranny, except for the sky itself.

Before the sky was bright, Luka had already arrived at the dueling arena. He had been staying in a nearby inn, and from time to time, he could hear the discussions from outside.

“Alec sure knows how to make money,” Luka said, adjusting his appearance. He gladly accepted this. Those who could spend over a hundred gold coins to watch a duel were no ordinary people, which meant the duel’s popularity would be unprecedented.

He looked up at the sky. “It’s about time.”

As the morning glow gradually spread, at sunrise, the other participant in the duel, Alec, officially made his entrance. As the heir temporarily ruling the Dark City, his entrance was very grand. He wore a traditional demon battle robe, his armor composed of a thousand special enchanted pieces. His newly grafted left limb was encased in special molten gold, and his aura was powerful.

The sharpest demon sword, the hardest armor, like a master in the midst of flames.

In comparison, Luka, who appeared later, was much more modest. Today, he had removed his disguise and was dressed appropriately, without any special equipment enhancements. Before leaving, Leo had originally wanted to give him a powerful weapon, but Luka had refused.

The two stood face to face, with the referee in the center of the field. The entire dueling arena was packed. There were originally some restless demon servants, but they chose to restrain themselves upon discovering the dragon clan’s seating area.

“So he’s Iliad.” The demon populace had long forgotten about this heir, and seeing him, their discussions inevitably grew a little louder.

The chatter was soon drowned out by the referee, who raised his hand solemnly. “The sun has risen. By the will of the Demon God, the duel is about to officially begin.”

Before the referee officially declared the start, Luka suddenly interrupted. Today, he had his hair tied up in a high ponytail, his voice carrying a dignity that didn’t match his age. “Alec, as we agreed, if you lose, I want jurisdiction over the entire Dark City. If it’s a draw, you cannot stop me from screening my work in the city. Of course, if I lose…”

He closed his eyes. “I will forever renounce the name Iliad, never return to the Demon Realm, and no longer bring shame to the Demon King’s bloodline! Even if you have the skill to make me bleed in this dueling arena, I will have no complaints!”

He cut his palm as a vow, his resonant voice rising to its peak. “Come, let’s duel!”

“Duel!”

“Duel!! Duel!!”

The inherent warlike nature of the demon race was ignited, and waves of sound erupted from the stands. Among them were many of Alec’s loyal supporters. “First Prince! Ten thousand victories.”

In the VIP seats, the invited High Dark Elf’s pointed ears twitched. He looked at Grover nearby. “Old friend, why do I feel like something isn’t quite right?”

Grover still wore his gentle smile. It’s right that it’s not right. It sounded like he was giving up a lot, but in reality, he wasn’t. Luka had barely used the name Iliad anyway. As for his status as an heir, he had never been truly acknowledged. Under non-special circumstances, returning to the Demon Realm was courting death. As for the last sentence… if he bled to death in the arena, how could he have any complaints?

In the time it took to say that one sentence, the referee had already left the field, and the duel began!

Alec did not underestimate his opponent. He gave Luka no opportunity to strike. The thumb on his demon sword moved slightly, unleashing a powerful move right from the start. He intended to crush him with overwhelming magic, disrupt his vision, and then strike him down. A single slash down the middle would be enough to ensure this eyesore’s death.

“Pfft…”

Just as the template taught, even with his defense up, Luka was still pushed back 3.8 meters and spat out a mouthful of fresh blood.

In the stands, the Quill Pen sat there with a blank expression, his eyes slightly cold. Almost at the same time as Luka retreated, he spoke. “He blocked it! The rumored magic waste actually blocked Alec’s full-power attack.” His tone was highly inflammatory.

Even though it was Luka who spat blood, all the spectators instantly had a unified thought: Iliad is so strong! He can withstand Alec’s attack. Wasn’t he said to be a low-level magic user, unable to sense the elements?!

In battle, the five senses are infinitely magnified. The voices from the stands reached his ears, and Alec, who was about to draw his sword, had an ugly expression.

The sword was unsheathed, and under the infusion of magic, the illusory blade extended infinitely. Unfortunately, before Alec could strike, Luka’s counterattack arrived first. He had actually used an attack spell in an extremely short amount of time!

So fast! It was as if there was no time to think at all.

Alec’s blade, originally intended for slashing, was temporarily used as a shield, blocking the powerful shockwave and causing him to be pushed back two steps.

In the stands, the Quill Pen’s words were sharp. “Incredible! Alec was actually sent flying by Iliad.”

Alec: “?” Which peasant is talking nonsense? When Iliad was pushed back several steps, almost off the stage, why didn’t anyone complain?

Failing to kill in one blow, Alec’s green eyes darkened. His confidence and magic were much stronger than in the Holy City. Did the dragon race help him? The answer was no longer important.

He had originally thought that killing Iliad directly would be letting him off too easily. Since that was the case, he would see if his opponent could escape the attacks of both the Dark Cage and illusionary dark magic at the same time.

The ice and earth elements were strengthening. Luka immediately became highly vigilant. It was question number two! It was time for him to burrow into the ground.

Because he burrowed so quickly, he even preceded Alec’s full deployment of the cage. The stands were once again in an uproar.

“It’s a pity the Demon King didn’t come today, otherwise I’d really like to see his expression,” the Centaur chief said with a hint of schadenfreude. The demon race’s preference for hunting centaurs as mounts had long displeased him.

“Very strong combat awareness,” the High Dark Elf said. “He completely predicted Alec’s prediction.” Could it be that this child truly inherited the innate combat abilities of the demon race?

Berlanie led the applause, saying only one word concisely: “Good!”

“It was worth it! This hundred-gold ticket was worth it!” A reporter from some newspaper (Lilian’s) had a flushed face. “No wonder Iliad dared to challenge him. He already possesses the strength to fight Alec!”

Alec was extremely frustrated. He intensified the gathering of elements, and the terrifying cage finally materialized. Compared to his opponent, he now wanted to bombard the stands more.

Iliad spits blood = he withstood my attack.
Iliad attacks and I dodge = I was sent flying.
Under the cage, Iliad is forced to burrow = he has predictive abilities.

All the good and bad things had been said! So no matter how he fought, he was inferior in skill?

__

Author’s Note:

Excerpt from Alec’s diary:
I’m going to write a pirated diary. In the diary, I will defeat him.

Luka passes by, leaves a ‘stomp’.
Alex passes by, leaves two ‘stomps’.
The dragon race passes by, leaves a slap.
…

Alec: Why has my diary become a tourist attraction!