Ivy and Bisky had stepped aside, leaving the field for Naki and Bruhne.
Bisky stood beside her sister in worry. Ivy, though, occupied her tree trunk seat, anticipating a fairly routine victory for Bruhne.
"Sis...was this really necessary? I only brought him here because I thought his power would help us, I didn't mean to..." She hesitated.
"Continue," Ivy said.
"I...never wanted him to get hurt. He's unlike Zickler; he didn't abandon me when he learned I was a demon, and he even helped me get the vermilion ring."
Bisky tried to plead Naki's case.
"..."
"Sis, just as you admire Emile for accepting us as we are...for accepting you. I've come to look at Naruki the same and..."
"Your feelings are obvious, Bisky, and there's nothing wrong with it." Ivy interjected.
"But unlike you, I don't let it get in the way of my judgment," Ivy said and turned to her.
"The purpose of this duel is an evaluation. We all know how powerful the black flame wielder in the chronicles we read was. I have to act to ensure we don't put Emile in any danger while justifying his recruitment."
"!? So you mean?" Bisky asked.
"Yes. I plan to recruit him, but first, I need to know what he is capable of. I need to know if I am powerful enough to control him without exposing my abilities," she concluded and turned her attention back to the field.
"(In his battle against Bruhne I should be able to measure my abilities against his in the event if he somehow manage to win, I can maintain control)"
"(If he is unable to topple Bruhne, then he wasn't good enough in the first place)"
Ivy analyzed the possible outcomes and raised her hand, signaling the battlers to ready up.
Bruhne smiled and grabbed the chains on her waist with a tight fist.
"Time to crush some meat! GROOAARH!!"
She groaned and severed the chains as the steel wheel from her back crashed on the ground.
Naki could physically feel the earth vibrate from the impact of the wheel's weight.
"(Whoa...how heavy is that thing! I certainly wouldn't want to be hit with it)"
Naki frowned as Bruhne picked up the wheel with one hand and suspended it behind her neck, with some chains still attached to it.
"Mwah hahaah, scared yet, boy?" she taunted.
Ivy smiled and explained the rules.
"15 minutes! Topple Bruhne to win. Anything else, and you shall leave my sight, permanently!"
Naki looked up and spotted Bruhne's confident grin.
"(No chance to slip here I suppose)"
Then he stared at Bisky, who was concerned for his safety.
"(...My being in danger must rest on her conscience. I suppose I should make this neat and tidy to alleviate her fears)"
"Naruki..." she murmured.
"Begin on my signal," Ivy said as her hand prepared to come down on the battle.
"(2 sigil circles filled, 5 to go. I have enough room for manoevre here. Hold nothing back Naki)"
"Hmph. Let's get this over with." Naki adjusted his gloves as he took his stance.
3 seconds later, Ivy gave the signal.
"BEGIN!"
<><><>
Immediately, Naki leapt back and created black flames on his sigil hand.
"(I should keep my distance and engage from range)"
"Black flames - Gehenna's breath!"
Naki spread out a huge wave of black flames at Bruhne.
But she used her wheel as a shield and rushed through it unharmed.
"She's unscathed!?"
Her feet stomped on the ground, uprooting leaves, breaking sticks, and tiny rocks as she dashed towards Naki at a pace.
"GROOOAARGHHH!!!'
"(How fast!?)"
Naki barely managed to jump out of the way to the left to avoid the dash attack, as soon as he did, Bruhne put on the brakes.
"GRRAAAHHHH!!!"
She used the steel chains tied to the wheel as a handle and swung the weapon towards Naki like a whip
"What the!"
The steel wheel connected heavily with Naki's left shoulder and sent him flying as he crashed into the trees nearby, dislocating his shoulder in the process.
"NARUKI!!!" Bisky cried out in despair.
"Hhahahahaha, you thought your quick feet could get you out of reach, boy!"
Bruhne suspended her wheel behind her neck once again and turned to the rubble.
Naki's hair was already messed up with some leaves and twigs sticking from it. He couldn't feel his left hand as he stood up, sigil hand on bleeding lips.
"(Interesting...even my shadows couldn't block out her attack huh)"
Naki recalled putting a shadow body shield in front of the wheel, but it was brushed aside in a flash as the wheel landed a hit on him.
"Haha, so you still stand. Good, I was just getting started!!!"
Bruhne took several steps forward and then leapt towards Naki from a distance, raising her weapon with both hands.
"(I'll have to be creative with his one)"
"Shadow trick - Enshroud!" Naki initiated a skill.
A shadow circle shrouded Naki and expanded, putting Bruhne slightly off in her incoming attack.
"TRICKS ARE USELESS!!" Bruhne yelled and proceeded with her descending wheel crush attack.
Her point of impact led to a loud bang and destroyed a large radius of the earth, taking a couple of shadow Naki's out.
Several shadows managed to escape from the circle, including the real Naki, who had slipped away in the chaos.
"Heh, got 'em! huh?"
She stood up and looked around to find herself surrounded by multiple shadow Naki clones, but the real one was not to be seen.
"Tsk. What's the meaning of this? are you so cowardly you can't face me head-on!"
Ivy frowned, "(No, he is still here, and he has chosen a good approach)" she thought as the shadow Nakis started pouncing one by one on her guardian Bruhne.
"GRRR, stay away from me, you flies!!"
She's skillfully using her wheel to push back and destroy the shadow clones one at a time.
As she took one out, Naki replaced it with another from the shadows and at some point, it felt like an endless chore for the giant girl.
"GGAAAARGGHHH! ENOUGH OF THIS!!!!"
She stomped her feet on the ground and inhaled air into her lungs
"Oh crap!" Bisky immediately reached for and covered her eyes, anticipating what was to come next.
Ivy did the same as Bruhne let out a loud, resonating, and devastating roar.
"ROOOOOAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAARGGGGGGHHHHHHHH!!!!"
It wiped out all the shadow clones, destroyed nearby trees.
It also caused some birds and mammals nearby to run away from their habitat because of the vibrations the voice carried.
With all the shadow clones destroyed, Naki was seen crouched to the ground ahead of Bruhne as she grinned in delight.
"There you are!"
"Tsk...What was that roar? It destabilized my energy flow and paralyzed me instantly!"
"I call it the Titan's Roar. It demands all to kneel before me as I proceed with their punishment."
"Punishment?" Naki asked, recalling Ivy mentioning something about Bisky's punishment before.
"Don't tell me you put Bisky through this?" Naki said, looking Bisky's way as she averted her eyes in fright.
"Mwa hahaha, Such is the high expectations we have for Lady Bisky. We must ensure she doesn't stray from her destined path." Bruhne said, laughing.
"(Yet... she never lets it show. Instead, she's always worried about her standing with Habiki. What a strong girl you are, Bisky.)"
Naki chuckled mockingly.
"HUH? What are you laughing for, eh?"
"Ah, forgive me. My mind lingered on an irony is all."
Naki stood up, and his eyes glinted as he concentrated yet more black flames on his hand.
"Why don't we put an end to this duel?"
Bruhne frowned and grabbed her steel wheel once more in preparation for Gehenna's breath.
"Black flames-"
Naki called and sent out a flare, driving its way with pace through the ground to her.
"(It's not the breathe!?)" She took a step back
"Gehenna's Pillar!!!"
The driving flare burst into a huge pillar of black flames when it got close to Bruhne
It was a lesser version of the one that affected Zickler in the past.
"Grk!!" She used her wheel as a shield to suppress some of the damage, but she suffered injuries.
Before she could get her bearings, though, Naki emerged from the flames in front of her, raising a fist.
"Why you!!" She tried to raise her wheel, but steel chains had wrapped around her leg, and by raising the wheel, the chains pulled her leg up, tripping her.
"Wha!!"
"Go down!!!"
Naki gave her a solid punch on the face, adding to the force she already had from tripping herself.
There was no way should could avoid falling down and in the end, a giant was toppled.
"!!...whe-when did?"
Naki called off the flames as the others could see he had indeed won the duel.
"Naruki!!!" Bisky ran to him.
"The objective of the battle was not to defeat but to topple you. Using my shadow clones, I was able to figure out your attack habits."
Then Naki pointed to the chains wrapped around her leg.
"When attacking you use the chains, when defending, you arm the wheel itself, and when transitioning from defense to attack using the wheel, you raise it."
"!!? so you had the multiple shadows wrap the chains around my leg during their suicidal attacks?"
"Yes, each shadow played their part, continuing what their comrade had started. All I needed to do was have you get defensive and then engage."
Naki created a black cinder in his right hand. "Because you fear my black flames, all I needed to get you defensive was to use one of its skills."
"Your defeat in this duel is the outcome of my strategy," Naki said with a confident smile.
"Hehe, aren't you amazing, teach! I was sure Bruhne was gonna squash you to bits."
"I had to impress," he replied.
Then they heard clapping from behind them. It was Ivy.
"And impress you did, Naruki. No one has ever managed to harm Bruhne before, let alone topple her. She is brawns, but she's also brains, so you have achieved a commendable feat here."
She stood up and turned around.
"Follow me. I will now take you to our hideout."
Naki looked at Bisky, and she nodded. It was finally time to meet the hero face to face.