“ABSOLUTELY NOT!”

Having drawn everyone’s attention, Megumi surreptitiously flicked a finger toward Pei.

* ULTIMATE PROTECTION *

She stood and slowly menaced her way toward the astonished pair.

“I won’t have it.”

Kadoharin’s cheek twitched uneasily. “But dear Lady, it’s a matter of pri … honor.”

“And you can always revive his sorry ass …”

At Megumi’s furious gaze, Gueng Zhin quickly cleared his throat.

“My humblest apologies, Great Lady.”

Megumi took a deep, calming breath.

“I won’t have my precious priesthood further diminished, especially over trivialities. You may duel, but I will absolutely set terms and arbitrate.”

The two grinned wickedly.

“I shall also participate …”

“What?”  “My Lady …”

“… as the terrain.”

‘My Lady, this doesn’t feel safe.’

Pei’s voice was small and ephemeral through the telepathic connection.

‘You’ll be fine, my dear. I trust Lord Hazadul to guard you if my blessing fails.’

‘It’s not me, my Lady. I’m worried about you.’

Pei’s unease was certainly understandable.

Deities were practically immune to all but the most exotic sources of harm. At least according to Megumi’s ‘memories’ of battle. Knowledge didn’t grant experience, though. She would surely flinch repeatedly.

But … no backing down now.

Megumi knelt in the center of the room and placed her hands palms-down on the floor, an arms-width apart. Each duelist took their position atop one hand.

Here goes …

“Gentlemen, the colored bars appearing in your vision match those displayed around the room. They begin counting down whenever we are not touching. If your bar counts down one full fēn, you lose. It restores completely once you resume contact, even for a moment. Personal contact, but feel free to risk testing its limits. Cleverness is encouraged.”

So a quick knockout could end this foolishness in under fifteen seconds.

“Targeting the timer or attempting absurd technicalities earns my ire and an instant loss.”

The two priests looked far calmer than she felt.

“Any last-moment requests? No? Then on my mark …”

Silence. Dead silence.

“Begin!”

As expected, the duel opened with a silent battle of auras. While the whispering audience watched the crackling clash of wills, Megumi set her own plan in motion.

* SPLIT CONSCIOUSNESS *,  * SPLIT CONSCIOUSNESS *,  * SPLIT CONSCIOUSNESS *

Hopefully this trick lasted through the duel’s end.

The trio of invisible spirit clones, each fully independent and empowered, flew to their places. One to watch behind her, two to scan the room. They sent their first reports just as the inconclusive aura battle ended in a burst of shadow and energy.

‘all clear’  ‘sending images’  ‘wow, we look like that?’

Gueng Zhin’s first flurry of blazingly fast shadow knives shattered against Kadoharin’s reflexively placed barriers. The dragon’s mighty dark bolt in response merely obliterated a shadow image left in its caster’s vacated position.

A half dozen copies of Zhin flashed into view. They soared upwards and raced along Megumi’s right arm as summoned black knives filled the air. Kadoharin unleashed mighty black waves of multidirectional force in response, all while layering his defenses and slowly marching up her left. It felt like unruly monkeys battling for shoulder space.

Megumi maintained her composure throughout, eyes open.

She’d experienced no harm, just as promised. The magic of the status bars let her sense the condition of the two combatants, and her clones were watching and waiting.

So far, so good.

Honestly, the ability to see perfectly without glasses was rather exhilarating. She could even call up informative commentary and distinguish reality from shadow.

‘My Lady! I can barely watch!’

‘I’m fine, dear Pei. I promise. Watch and learn.’

Despite the multitude of Gueng Zhin’s dancing and fighting from across Megumi’s head, arms, and shoulders, his dark blue bar steadily depleted.

Kadoharin clearly noticed.

“Taking the coward’s route, are we boy?”

He planted himself on Megumi’s left shoulder and blasted two Zhin’s off her head with a pair of arcing bolts from his staff. His blood-red bar remained resolutely full.

The dark blue bar suddenly restored, moments before elimination.

“Better than the fool’s path, old fart.”

The voice had come from above Megumi’s head, prompting an immediate, retaliatory staff swipe from Kadoharin.

The next instant, Megumi felt someone racing up her folded wings. Staying true to her neutral role, she remained silent as Gueng Zhin attacked. The thought of danger occurring right behind her back made her die a little inside. Having a clone floating behind her to watch and project the scene into her mind couldn’t completely assuage her fear.

Don’t flinch, don’t flinch.

Even without the mental image, the clanging staccatos of knives on magical barrier and the ensuing whoosh of a heavy staff meeting only air informed Megumi no strikes had landed.

At that moment, the two other clones reported,

‘some petty theft, not worth intervening’

‘a bit of unwanted groping, sent a shocking little lesson’

Megumi chuckled and winked up at the young lady abashedly hiding her offending paws.

Having tired of kneeling, Megumi slowly rose to her feet, hands still outstretched.

The growing shadow horde shifted accordingly. Kadoharin awkwardly adjusted his position at her shoulder but otherwise steadfastly maintained his stalwart defenses and magical onslaught. The real Zhin was elsewhere, his bar once again slowly shrinking.

So far, the duel was a running stalemate.

Gueng Zhin was struggling to dislodge the mighty dragon or meaningfully penetrate his defenses. Kadoharin was equally confounded by the deluge of shadow magic and clearly unable to pinpoint the real location of the highly mobile human. Neither duelist could claim an obvious advantage.

At this rate, luck or attrition would decide the outcome. Megumi would need major healing ready at a moment’s notice.

She also found herself uneasy about the crowd’s relatively good behavior. Her instincts were screaming that a significant incident would occur. She was certain about it. The troublemakers were likely waiting for the right moment when the audience was sufficiently distracted.

Time to change things up a bit.

“Gentlemen, let us dance!”