True Evil!!!!

Gazel stood in awe as he surveyed the bustling city from above. What lay before him was an advanced infrastructure in the middle of the Jura Forest, built and inhabited by monsters. A few months ago, after the reappearance of the Storm Dragon, he had sent his trusted spy, Henrietta, to investigate the matter. She began uncovering a series of strange activities, such as monsters from various races living together in harmony.

At first, Gazel dismissed these reports, thinking they were just a result of Veldora's disappearance. But then, the emergence of the Orc Lord caught his attention. Nearly a hundred thousand orcs were marching together, destroying everything in their path. Gazel had to declare a state of emergency in Dwargon.

He prepared his forces to fight the Orc Lord, but the next report from Henrietta left him stunned. She claimed that someone had defeated the Orc Lord and that the remaining two hundred thousand orcs had joined the monsters building a city.

Unwilling to believe such an incredible story, Gazel decided to see it for himself. And now, as he gazed at the organized and industrious monsters, the city infrastructure even surpassing that of Dwargon, he was utterly amazed.

The streets were bustling with activity. Goblins, lizardmen, and orcs worked side by side, constructing buildings with an efficiency that rivaled the best architects of Dwargon. Shops lined the streets, and marketplaces buzzed with a variety of goods. The city had an air of harmony and purpose that was both surprising and impressive.

But what caught Gazel's attention was the number of kijins. He was nearly terrified to see so many kijins in one place. The sheer power emanating from them was enough to make any seasoned warrior uneasy.

Deciding to err on the side of caution, Gazel ordered his knights to land outside the borders of the city. Though there were some spaces to land in the middle of the city, he thought that would be pretty much a declaration of war, wouldn't it, if a nation did that to another? Even if this was a city of monsters, Gazel decided to show them the respect like he would any other country.

As the Pegasus Knights touched down outside the city's border, Gazel took a moment to survey the area. His knights formed a protective circle around him, their presence imposing and disciplined. In front of him stood a tall blonde man just outside the entrance.

Though the man appeared to be a normal human, Gazel sensed something amiss. The man showed no surprise or shock at the sight of Gazel's elite Pegasus Knights. These were the most elite forces of Dwargon, and most would have at least shown a hint of awe or caution.

"Tell your city ruler that the King of the Armored Nation of Dwargon has come to pay a visit," said a dark-haired man with thick sideburns, clad in jet-black heavy armor. He had two notable scars on his face. This was Admiral Paladin, Vaughn, the supreme commander of Dwargon's military.

{Warning. Individual Gazel is trying to read master's thoughts.}

{Due to Master's immense spiritual existence, the attempts have been blocked.}

A smile appeared on Veldora's face. He ignored Vaughn and walked towards Gazel.

"Now, now, it isn't good manners to read the minds of people you've just met," Veldora said casually as he approached Gazel.

The guards around Gazel took a defensive stance.

'I can't even read the surface of his thoughts. What a monster!!!' Gazel thought.

"My apologies. It was rude of me," Gazel said. He had come to check on the monsters but didn't want to start a fight, especially when he didn't know the strength of his opponents, particularly one who could block his unique skill.

"Your Majesty, you shouldn't…" The members around Gazel were shocked at his behavior. They had known Gazel for a long time, and he had never shown any weakness toward any enemy. He followed the philosophy of "peace through strength" to a great extent. But now, he was apologizing to the man in front of him.

"Master, he is the one leading the monsters," whispered Henretta from behind.

The king looked on silently, but his personal companions seemed fairly unnerved.

"Silence!" the king suddenly bellowed, never taking his eyes off Veldora. "Enough of this racket."

"I suppose you are in charge of the monsters here. I am the King of the Armed Nation of Dwargon, Gazel Dwargon," Gazel spoke as he stepped forward.

"Yes, I am," Veldora responded, placing both of his hands on his waist and stepping in front of Gazel. "But why are you here?"

Gazel met Veldora's gaze firmly. "I came here to judge your intentions by myself," he replied.

"And how do you plan to do that?" Veldora asked nonchalantly.

"No need to worry. Words are not what I need to judge your character. Instead, I will use my sword to divine your true nature," Gazel stated, drawing his sword and readying himself.

"Fair enough," Veldora spoke, a slight smirk playing on his lips. "But I want to set some rules for the duel."

"What rules?" Gazel asked, his eyes narrowing.

Veldora drew a small circle around himself with his foot and said, "If you can move me from this circle, you win. Not that it has to be said, but you are free to attack me at any time, and you can also get help from the knights you brought, too. But remember: if you lose, Dwargon will be under my rule."

The people behind Gazel started to mock and laugh at Veldora, their amusement evident.

"Do you hear this man? He thinks he can take on our king with such absurd conditions!" one of the knights sneered.

"This is going to be over quickly," another knight chuckled.

But Gazel was no fool. He could feel that Veldora wasn't joking. He was the one who had proposed the duel, so it was out of the question to take it back. Moreover, the status of his country was at stake.

"Your Majesty, you shouldn't accept his conditions," the old woman behind Gazel spoke with wary concern.

Gazel glanced back at his advisor, then returned his gaze to Veldora. "I appreciate your concern, but I am confident in my abilities. Ruler of monsters, I accept your challenge."

<< Contract has been fromed >>

Veldora's smirk widened. "Excellent. Let's begin."

With that, Gazel took his weapon in hand and aimed it in front of his eyes. It held a single edge, with a bit of a curve to it, and pretty patterns were etched up and down its length. It resembled a samurai sword but had its own unique design—certainly, a very well-made weapon for the Master of the Sword to carry.

Gazel didn't take Veldora lightly, and he didn't want to hold back when his nation was at stake. He decided to overpower him from the beginning.

Gazel released his Hero's Haki to its full extent. He summoned his Earth Elemental Lord, his body started to glow, and spiritual armor appeared on him.

{Warning. The individual Gazel has fused with an Earth Elemental Lord.}

'Elemental Lord, huh? Is it the same as Irys?' Veldora mused.

{Affirmative. It is the same rank as the individual Irys. However, the individual Irys has more than twice the magicule amount since it was named by Master and has been constructed with Master's dense magicules.}

After fusing with it, Gazel's flesh elevated to full spiritual-level. As a saint, Gazel already had well over a million EP, and then the Earth Elemental Lord had an equal amount of energy or greater, which was added onto it. He also had legendary-grade equipment which boosted him significantly, at least 400,000 or so.

Now Gazel was comparable to a True Demon Lord. The dwarven knights were awestruck to see their king in such a majestic form. For those who looked up to him, this was a moment of sheer pride and admiration.

However, Veldora remained nonchalant as ever. His face stayed neutral as he looked at Gazel with dead eyes.

Gazel charged forward with incredible speed, his sword gleaming with purified energy.

"Plum Blossoms - Five Petals Thrust!" Gazel shouted as he almost vanished from the spot.

In an instant, Veldora felt the sword coming towards his eyes with incredible speed. Just as it was about to touch Veldora's eyes, he grabbed the sword with his bare hand.

To counter the momentum of Gazel's sword, Veldora activated his Unique Skill [Engorger] and amplified his weight 1000 times, making him immobile like a mountain.

As soon as he grabbed the sword, Gazel's pale face appeared in front of Veldora. He could only mutter one word, "HOW!"

The force behind the sword was incredible, but it was Gazel's bad luck. He couldn't even scratch Veldora. 

This was the same dude who had caught Chronoa's sword with his bare hand, so there was no need to say anything about his physical strength.

"Is that all you've got?" Veldora taunted, his voice calm and mocking.

Gazel's eyes widened in shock. He poured more power into his sword, trying to break free from Veldora's grip, but it was futile. Veldora's strength was insurmountable.

With a swift, almost casual motion, Veldora slapped Gazel with his free hand. The impact was so powerful that it sent Gazel flying, breaking through nearly a hundred trees before stopping a mile away.

"Your Majesty!" the upper echelons of Gazel's entourage shouted as they ran in the direction Gazel had been thrown.

The knights and Gazel's companions stood in stunned silence. The duel had ended before it even truly began.

Veldora flew towards the place where Gazel had landed. The old woman who accompanied Gazel was trying to use healing magic on his unconscious body. 

Seeing this, Veldora reached into his stomach and pulled out a jar of healing potion. He tossed it to Gazel, and soon his wounds began to heal and his consciousness returned. 

Though his physical wounds were healed, there was still fear in Gazel's eyes. The fear he felt just before Veldora slapped him—it was as if a huge dragon was about to crush him like a bug. "Storm Dragon Veldora," Gazel muttered, eyes closed.

"Yep, that's me," Veldora responded.

"Ehhh!" Gazel freaked out, suddenly hearing Veldora's voice. He jumped up from the spot and took a battle stance. "You are Veldora?" he asked, disbelief clear in his voice.

"Yep, that's me," Veldora repeated calmly.

Jane, the old lady who heard what Veldora said, couldn't even move. She was frozen in fear. The tales of the evil dragon weren't rare. There were terrifying beings who had killed many people. Among them were the primordial demon Guy Crimson and the Destroyer Milim Nava, notorious for massacring humans.

But there was a single most evil entity in all of human history that no one would argue about—the fourth True Dragon, the Storm Dragon Veldora, feared by basically everyone. 

Veldora was a greater evil than any dictator, a monster who could wake up one day and decide to destroy a country or even all of humanity on a whim. He had killed millions, if not billions, of people for no reason. His actions had been so terrible that even Guy Crimson had to step in to prevent him from wiping out humanity. Veldora's evil was on a scale that people tended to forget, overshadowing even the worst of the tyrants.

Jane, who had a bit more knowledge than the others, couldn't even dare to look at him. She felt like she couldn't even breathe without the permission of this tyrant in front of her.

Veldora, noticing their fear, addressed Gazel. "Relax. I don't intend to kill you guys. Since you have lost the duel, your country is now part of my Empire and I don't like to kill my own peoples"

"Empire?" Gazel repeated, still trying to process what he was hearing.

"Yep. Have I not told you? I am building an empire, and now Dwargon is part of it," Veldora spoke nonchalantly.

While Gazel was processing all this information, Jane saw a glimmer of hope. Still trembling, she finally managed to speak. "Lord Veldora... we... we will serve you faithfully."

She was relieved that Veldora didn't say he was going to destroy Dwargon. Being under his protection meant safety from the Storm Dragon. Only a fool would argue against that.

Gazel, sensing Jane's intention and understanding the gravity of their situation, also knelt in front of Veldora. "We will serve you faithfully, Lord Veldora. Dwargon will be a part of your empire."

Veldora nodded, satisfied with their response.

"That's why I like smart people like you guys," Veldora spoke with a bright smile as he patted the kneeling Gazel's shoulder.

Stones where???