1 Duel of Champions: Paladin vs Demon

"There is an old illusion. It is called good and evil." -- Friedrich Nietzsche

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Aster flashed through the capital's outer district, feet pounding on the worn cobblestones. His armor reflected resplendent light, making the man shine like a beacon of brilliance and hope. He kept steadfast and charged onward, chin pointing upwards, driven by a surge of pride the likes of which he had never felt before.

For he was Aster Sunbourne, humanity's champion!

The Chosen of Khepri! The Paragon of Light! The shield that would protect his people, the mace that would strike down all Evil!

He was the last stand of mankind!

The crowds stretched back, far and beyond him, fading into obscurity, as the hero stepped outside the castle's reaches. Everyone stood behind him – and he was responsible for them all. Every commoner, merchant, and craftsman that lined the streets. Every warrior that flocked behind the palisades. Every mercenary and adventurer thronging the crenellated battlements. All of them waited hopefully, their stomachs' churning in anticipation.

Aster's mind wandered towards the ones he held dear. His mates in the Paladin Order. His younger siblings, Taric and Melissa. And lastly…

"We're with you, my darling!" the elven princess Cybelle cheered on from the tallest spire. "Please, win this duel, and come back to me safe!"

As Cybelle's words magically rode upon the winds, Aster bolstered himself. The training of the last few years flashed through his mind. Every day - fighting, running, praying. He had sought new heights, and broke through his limits. He had sparred with some of the finest martial masters, and developed battle tactics with the brightest human minds. All that effort, all the sweating and the pain he suffered over and over again. Just so he could stand here. It all came down to this moment.

The battle that was either going to be his most glorious of wins, or most devastating of defeats!

Aster's step grew increasingly heavy as he approached the enemy's ranks. Thousands upon thousands of pig-like orcs, chimeric abominations, evil fae, bony skeletons and all kinds hellish insectoids coalesced into an army straight out of nightmares. At the forefront, he could recognize some of the notorious Demonic nobility: Archduke Balaur, Archduchess Vessina, Duke Karsus, and many other unsavory faces. From among their ranks, a single humanoid chimera, with the lower body of a goat, the tail of a snake, and the head of a lion stood out. The sea of monsters parted as they allowed his passage.

"Demon King Malnak."

He walked in a poised manner, as befitting of royalty, taking his mark opposite Aster. The human stared deeply into those golden, snake-like pupils of his. They looked back, cool and calm, staring past the Paladin as though he wasn't there.Instead, the evil-doer directed his devilish gleam at the Royal Capital Daphtaria. Aster could imagine the monster licking his lips in pleasure and anticipation at occupying the human bastion.

Oh, what horrible atrocities would befall his kin, if he failed to stop Malnak here!

He would not, could not, let this monster get the better of him! He was Aster Sunbourne, the Paragon of the Paladin Order. With faith in the Light, and the power of his friends' hopes, he would win! It was an incontestable fact!

"Champion of the manlings" the beast addressed him in a grave pitch, more than two octaves below what a human was capable of. The demonical voice reverberated magically through the plains, reaching the fringes of the capital. "I stand hereby today, the one True Demon King, leading the United Army of the Four Hells. As per the Ancient tradition, before we wage war, you may stake a claim by besting me in the honorable Duel of Champions."

The demonic armies roared, rattled, and thumped the ground chanting "Duel! Duel! Duel!"

Aster didn't flinch at the heavy atmosphere, retaliating with confidence: "I shall Duel you, monstrous beast, for that is my holy duty! To protect the lands of Man, and to stop the advances of Evil!"

The demonic horde boo'd and stamped the ground harder, until Malnak raised his hand, signaling them to stop. It was a display of utmost authority. In unison, the crowd bowed their heads in silence, allowing their King's voice to be heard:

"Is that your claim then, human? To stop our advance?" the demon asked in disinterest. He had expected that much from the human. But the foul words that continued to roll from the manling's mouth had shaken him.

"My stake will be your head, you foul wretch! I shall stop at nothing to bring an end to your Evil rule and disband your armies of unholy creatures!" the man doubled down with ire and rage. "I shall never let your kin feast on the blood of my kin! Nor shall you enslave our women and corrupt our children! My resolution is steadfast, and I shall prevail! For humanity! For the Light!"

The demon hordes grew restless, and the hero could feel their unholy gazes upon himself. If looks could kill, he would've been dead many times over by now. But it didn't shake his determination. Aster knew his claim was bold, but letting the King live would solve nothing. He needed to cripple their hordes' morale by killing their leader, lest they return another day to lay siege to mankind. This was the plan that his trusty confidant and tactician Lucreus proposed. The only way for humanity to respite.

Malnak looked down at him, sketching a surprised visage. As soon as he opened his maw, the outcries of his army quenched. "Is that what you stake, Champion of Man? Quite a big claim indeed, taking the head of the enemy." The chimera laughed dryly, as if he had found an amusing toy. "But I wonder, manling, are you aware that everything in this world has a price? The Gods govern this world under the law of equivalent exchange. For you to obtain something, something of equal value must be lost." The demon's golden reptilian pupils flashed with interest. "I wonder, are you ready to stake your life for this claim? But that won't be sufficient." He paused, before giving the ultimatum. "Champion, are you ready to stake the lives of your kin, hiding behind their puny forts?"

This time, Aster was shook. He didn't expect to be lectured on the basic principles of life by a bloodthirsty demon. He found it most hypocritical, if only true. He considered it.

Was he ready to die for his goal? He didn't fear death, but what of the that loved him and waited for his return?

And what of the thousands that stood behind him? The people that trusted him with their hopes? Was it the right thing to do, deciding their whole lives with a mere fight?

Aster exhaled slowly, emptying his mind of such needless thoughts. His resolution was steady as the mountains. He couldn't back down now. He needed to stake it all if he wanted to kill Malnak. Then he considered the full picture. Weren't the lives of the humans already forfeit if the demons won here? If they fell in the hands of those monsters, a fate worse than death awaited them!

"I shall stake everything! Every life, every soul behind me, Malnak - all of it to take you down! For we humans live together, or die together!" the human shouted his lungs out, as he worked his fingers, clearly itching for a fight. "Now, raise your sword, you wretched tyrant! Rejoice that I shall purge you of your sins, and guide your soul towards the Light!

Malnak shook his head in disappointment and a smile of schadenfreunde crept up his bestial face. "You humans are fascinating creatures, I dare say. You call me a tyrant, but look at your actions. How can you condemn the lives of your people so easily?" the beast spoke with great pathos in his grave voice "Because you would rather deem them dead than under the rule of demons! Foolish and prejudicated!"

Malnak roared in disgust. "Your folk makes my skin crawl, manling. You stand as astute defenders of the prejudices you dub as truth - so much so that you're willing to die for it. But it never crosses your mind that perhaps the values you stand for are flawed! That the demons, the monsters, the blasphemies standing against you can be more than a target of your abject hatred!"

Aster stared into his opponents' reptilian eyes, and for the first time since their meeting, he could discern something deeper inside them. Sadness. Reluctance. Weariness. Emotions that a demon shouldn't be able to feel.

"But alas, that's just the way of life. Demons and humans, darkness and light. Two sides of the same coin, tangled in the eternal dance of prejudice and pain." The demon's voice grew ever more silent, as he made his way to the hero's side. "There is nothing we can do about it, but fight. As per the Ancient Rites, let the Duel of Champions commence!"

As soon as those words were spoken, Aster entered battle mode. He didn't care for the complicated sycophant words that his opponent uttered. He only needed to think about simply. Malnak was a demon, thus he was evil. And it was Aster's job, as a Paladin, to stand against evil!

"Khepri, bless thy pious servant with thy Light! Grant me strength to slay this Spawn of Darkness!"

A faint yellowish aura covered the hero like a blanked of light. Aster swiftly assumed a fighting stace, his set of double maces pointing heavenwardly.

"Rhitta, Gretta, my trusty weapons. Please, don't let me down now."

Tension built up in the air as the two duelists eyed each other down one last time. The Demon King's forearms were thick as tree trunks, heavy cords of muscle squirming as he worked his meaty fingers. Demonic tattoos lit up and danced across his skin, like embers of fire. Chants of foul Demon-tongue resounded like ghastly prayers, as Malnak conjoured a weapon from his own shadow: A jet-black axe, darker than the night, and twice the size of Aster.

Yet the hero didn't feel impressed. Rather, he engrossed himself fully in the duel, his honed battle-instinct telling him everything he needed to know about his enemy. It was subtle, but Aster saw. From the ways Malnak's dark muscles twitched, to the position of the enemy's center of balance. He felt it. The weakness in the enemy's stance.

Thrust.

Silent, and frighteningly quick. Aster's muscular thighs expanded until they reached the size of logs, providing incredibly powerful thrusts and bursts of speed. The Paladin acted instantly, pressing his momentary tactical advantage of striking first.

In a second, he leapt at the demon, and performed a mid-air whirl, making full use of his momentum to land a succession of potent mace blows, which the Demon King parried with his oversized axe. This one flurry of strikes would've been enough to cut down even the strongest of men, yet Malnak even flinch. Would the circumstances differed, Sunbourne would have taken a second to praise his opponent's defence. But with the stakes so high, he couldn't afford such a luxury now. He rolled on the dusty ground, trying to find a better position to strike at his enemy. The hero's well honed triceps, the size of melons, allowed him to perform a swift swing from below, with Gretta, followed by a mighty overhead arc with Rhitta.

The first strike was skillfully blocked as axe met mace, the sound of metal on metal ringing across the field. However, the well timed second blow succeeded in finding its target – that was, Malnak's right shoulder.

"Aargh"

The chimera screamed in pain as tiny streams of golden blood seeped out from the wound. Aster had drawn first blood, but the wound was shallower than he had hoped for.

"You will pay for this, manling!" the demon roared as he changed his grip on the shadowy axe. It was a minute change, but Aster took notice of it.

'Even if the wound is shallow, the Aura of Light must have weakened his right shoulder considerably. Which is why he'll find it awkward to guard against attacks from that side. '

Aster instantly formulated a tactic to capitalize on his newfound advantage. Shifting his weight and performing a counter-clockwise spin, Aster gained enough momentum to fling Gretta towards his enemy's stomach. The demon blocked the first strike, but he was unguarded against the second attack. In the blink of an eye, Rhitta was sent whistling towards the enemies' right flank, followed by a surprise upper-kick combo by the human's part.

Much to the Sunbourne's delight, the mithril mace struck true, bashing the chimera's ribs with a loud crack. The aura-enhanced kick connected to Malnak's orbit, golden blood trickling down Malnak's left eye socket.

Whilst the Evildoer grimaced with pain and shock, the paladin leaped backwards, repositioning himself after the successful offensive combo. So far, each of his attacks have been met with clumsy resistance. It was obvious that, between the two duelists, Aster was more experienced and employed superior techniques. It almost felt like an unfair advantage. Wasn't the Demon King supposed to be the strongest out of his kin?

The paladin met his opponent's cold reptilian eyes, which glinted with newfound amusement - like a predator eyeing a prey worthy of its chase. Aster shuddered, beads of sweat rolling down his back.

"Impressive, human. You are among the few individuals worthy of my praise. It's a shame I have to kill you, really. If you were born a demonkin, I would've liked to have you join my cause. Alas… such is fate. Truly a waste." Malnak's smile turned maniacal. Rows upon rows of jagged teeth gleamed at him devilishly. The ember-like demonic tattoos multiplied and danced wildly, inscriptions flowing like molten lava atop the chimera's skin. Two pairs of bat-like wings spurted unnaturally out of his back, making him look like an angel of death.

"Take pride in knowing you were the only human to force me to use this form! Now, allow me to guide you to the Afterlife myself!"

Sensing imminent danger, Aster unconsciously attempted to leap away from the demon's range. Some inexplicable feeling compelled him to run as far away as possible. His heart beat wildly, his mouth turned dry.

'Am I feeling... fear?!'

The Paladin was shook, but didn't waver. He crossed his dual maces in a defensive stance, whilst unconsciously tightening the grip around their handles until his fingers bled.

"The Light is my shield!" Aster shouted pridefully as he prepared himself to take the demon's blow. He mustered every last drop of Aura from his body, enveloping his skin like a protective shell.

For nought.

'Slash'

All it took was one cut from Malnak's shadowy axe.

Aster Sunbourne's vision split in two as he found himself inexplicably approaching the ground. Time appeared to slow down, as the human stared confused at his own insides, like he was a dissection subject in an anatomy lesson: The perfectly separated hemispheres of his pinkish brain. His still beating heart, that spewed blood around like an artesian fountain. Half a stomach which revealed his last meal - now a ball of goop singed by stomach acid. And finally, the beautifully strewn intestines, oozing out like deflated balloons to his lower body.

'Thud' 'Thud'

With a couple of thuds, two pieces fell on the ground. Two halves of a human, separated unnaturally with a clean cut along the sagittal plane.

Aster Sunbourne, humanity's greatest hero met his swift demise at the hands of the Demon King. And with him, the Capital of Daptharia had fallen.

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The Limbo that separated the world of the living and the dead was marked by an unending darkness and silence. An anachronous world of total sensory deprivation, and numbing stillness. A strange plane, where the souls of those bound by earthly shackles drifted about aimlessly, endlessly, praying for reincarnation.

One of those souls was, of course, that of the Fallen Hero, Aster Sunbourne. How long had he been there? He couldn't tell. But one thing was for certain - he had never, not for once, forgotten about his last moments on the mortal plane.

He had failed. He had failed not just himself, but his family, friends, and all of mankind. He had condemned them to death, simply by virtue of losing against Malnak, the Evil incarnate.

But why? Why couldn't he, a Paladin, the Paragon of Light, and chosen of Khepri save the world from the atrocities of Evil?

Weren't the good guys supposed to always prevail?

Aster questioned himself, but found no answer. He could only pray to Khepri, the goddess of Light, as he had piously done back when he was still alive.

'Mighty art thou, Khepri, with thy Holy Light! Forgive thy lowly pious follower and bring me another chance at shining thy Light across the lands and purge all that is dark and foul. '

But this time, like all the times before, nothing happened. Aster couldn't understand. Had the goddess relinquished him? Distraught, he prayed once more, but now he wished for something slightly different.

"Please, Heavens, just give me a chance at redemption. A chance at becoming better."

Immediately, a flash of white inundated Aster's eyes. His sight had been sealed, and he had grown confused.

'What… what happened? Did the Heavens heed my call?' he asked himself in confusion.

Aster opened his eyes, only to be confronted with a familiar visage.

'That! That face! Those devilish teeth! That chimeran body!'

A most unsavory, familiar visage! In front of him stood Malnak, the Demon King, his mortal enemy and great evil to be purged! Aster's heart skipped a beat. The demon had grown tremendously in size since their last meeting, but that didn't dissuade the former paladin from assuming a fighting stance … Or atleast attempting to do it. He didn't take into consideration the fact that his newborn body couldn't respond to such complex commands. The current range of motion was limited to extending and curl his tiny, chubby limbs. More than a fighting stance, Aster found himself forming a cute dance.

A moment of silence ensued as Aster stared into Malnak's predatorial eyes once more, blaming his luck. He was about to be killed by the beast a second time! The monster opened its jaws wide. Was it going to swallow him hole this time? Such cruel fate! Aster mentally prepared himself for the intense pain of having his unblemished flesh ripped and torn between Malnak's four rows of serrated teeth. The baby could picture his innocent blood gushing through the wounds, painting his enemy's smile a vivid crimson as it chewed his tiny bones gleefully .

Yet the pain never came.

Something else, much more vile, did. A sick realization, so perverse, so horrifying, Aster failed to comprehend. No, he simply refused to comprehend!

"Look, it's a boy! A son! My first son!" the Demon King yelled rapturously , as if proclaiming his proudest victory for the whole world to behold. "Oh, how enamored I am by your cherubic visage, my adorable boy! How I waited for this moment, to become fulfilled as a parent! Such love, such joy!" the demon spewed flowery words in a way that made the former paladin's skin crawl. "I shall raise you with utmost care, grant you the best education, and shower you with all the love in this Universe!" the beast said while jumping on its caprine feet, clanking on the hard floors in joy. "And you shall rise to rule upon the lands of demon and man! All shall know your unholy name that will sound true, Noctiferus!"