The Divine Wolf... or?
Chapter 136: Duel?

To no surprise, endless men and women clad in silver armour walked out of the forest, with numerous mages amongst their ranks. At the forefront of this small army, a large imposing man clad in black armour walked imposingly.

Not only that, but instead of the usual longsword that you would associate with a knight, this man dragged a large club covered in spikes along the ground, leaving a trail wherever he went.

As the humans arrived, they saw what was once their fellow comrades torn up on the ground, and as a result, most of them were instantly enraged. Even though some of them had lost people that were really important to them, none of them made a move. Their discipline was admirable, and they wouldn't just make a reckless move unless told otherwise by their superiors. Not every human was like this though.

"NOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!"

A loud yell was heard as a knight with armour that stood out from the rest dashed out of formation. This knight's armour had engravings that shone both gold and blue respectively, and his aura was different from the rest of them. Instead of looking at the fallen soldiers like the others, this knight knelt down at the sight of what was left of the nobles.

In particular, his eyes didn't seem to be able to leave a particular woman in a green dress, or whatever was left of her anyway.

Tears streamed down the knights face, and he just stared at her corpse in shock, not able to take his sight off of her. Many people were influenced by the knight's sadness, and almost anyone present was able to notice how much he had loved this woman. Seeing their vice-commander like this, as well as the state of their dead comrades, the knights were beginning to grow restless.

The commander clad in black armour watched as his closest aide knelt down on the ground in shock and sadness, and he had to try really hard to not explode with anger himself.

"Balan, get back here before you end up the same as her!" Even though his words were harsh, Balan knew that his commander cared for him, and meant well. Before he walked back reluctantly, he glanced at the large bear in front of him, an enormous amount of killing intent in his eyes.

The mother bear didn't feel bad about what she had done, these greedy humans had done this to themselves, and she had only defended her lovely child from their schemes.

"King of the Forest, I demand an explanation for this! If not, then there will be war!"

The man clad in black armour took a step forward, and lifted his heavy club off the ground, resting it on his shoulder.

"Explanation? Humans never get old! Why would you care for my explanation? I attacked them because they attacked my own kin, just like you will attack me for attacking them!"

The mother bear snapped back, and she showed everyone present why she was called the King of the Forest. The strength behind her harsh words shock everyone present, and some of the humans had to resist the urge to take a step backwards.

Silence quickly ensued. No one dared to even breathe too loudly, as everyone was anxious about the fight that was about to break out. The commander in black armour contemplated silently. He knew that what the bear was saying was probably true, but even so, what was there he could do about it?

If he was to not think about his troops, then he would've already left, as the only people that had died had done so because of their own greed. But if he just left, how was he supposed to lead his soldiers in the future?

The commander was caught in a dilemma. Even if he might win the small war, at what cost would he do so? What was the point? To show dominance? To get revenge? Either way it was only stupid, but there was nothing he could do, he had to come up with something.

"Then how do you suggest we solve this then? We can't just leave like this! You should know this!"

The King of the Forest was a little surprised at the human's question, but she was able to quickly figure out why he asked for her opinion. He didn't want to spill blood, at least not create rivers of blood flowing through the forest. The king of the forest was actually relieved at the notion, as she didn't want the forest or her child to be endangered.

"How about this, we have a duel to decide our fates? If I win, you humans leave this forest, but if I lose, then you can have my head!"

The commander in black armour was taken aback by such a suggestion, but he was quickly convinced. This was perfect for reducing losses and there was no real risk involved, he could also soothe his soldiers this way. There was only a slight problem, he was no match for the king of the forest, and not by a small amount. Before he could fret too much, he came up with a new idea.

"I'll accept your suggestion on a condition. Instead of us duelling, we each choose a champion to fight for us! How does that sound?"

As the commander in black said this, he glanced at his vice-commander. His vice-commander seemed eager at the thought of being able to exact revenge, and he quickly nodded at the commander. The King of the Forest seemed a little surprised by the suggestion, but considering the plethora of magical beasts that surrounded her, she had plenty of confidence that her champion would win.

"I'll agree to your condition human, but do note that this fight will be to the death!"

"Of course!"

As this was said, the duel was set in stone. No one was allowed to interfere with the fight, and it would only end when one of the participants was left alive. There was no other rule than these two, you could fight however you wanted, and with whatever methods you wanted, whether they were considered good or bad.

The commander in black armour declared Balan as his champion, but the King of the Forest was still not sure who her champion should be.

Before she was able to decide on who her champion would be, she could feel a large influx of mana entering her brain, once more, she was able to feel the emotions that were associated with this mana. Desire. The King of the Forest was a little shocked, but as she turned her head to look at Ark, all she was able to see in his eyes were his pure intentions.

He wasn't trying to deceive her, he truly wanted to take this fight!

As for why? She didn't know, but she was sure that it was probably to protect his family, and nothing else. When the humans blasted the trees and scared his child, the wolf seemed to be enraged, even if it was hard to notice. The King of the Forest was perceptive, and after thinking briefly about these details, she decided to let him fight.

Considering how much this wolf seemed to care for its family, he wouldn't want to leave them behind.

This meant that the wolf was really confident in its own victory, even to the point of risking its family's happiness. After seeing the King of the Forest nod at him, Ark knew that he was allowed to fight, and he walked forward. Before he did, the small cub walked up to him, and rubbed against his side a little, before it walked back to its mother.

This was the cub's way of showing his affection, and Ark was moved as a result.

He vowed to himself that he would win this fight, and to not let the small cub down! With steady steps, he walked away from the two, and appeared in front of Balan. Even though the humans were surprised by the fact that this wolf was chosen without them even noticing how, they were even more surprised by the opponent itself. Was the King of the Forest looking down on them?

Or was this some kind of joke? The King of the Forest's life was on the line, yet she sent this small wolf forward to represent her?