Let’s Get This Duel Started [Part 3]

Augustus had equipped his full-plate armor that covered his entire body.

He couldn't afford to lose, so he decided to go all out and prove to the Half-Elf that he was a tough cookie to crack.

Diablo summoned the Forest Wolf, making it a four versus one battle. Even so, Augustus wasn't worried. In his eyes, the only threat was Lux. Once the other party fell, the others would follow, so he decided to focus all of his attention on the Half-Elf.

Lux charged at the Shield Warrior as he brandished Oathbreaker to check how tough the little Dwarf was.

After executing Slash, a metallic ring reverberated in the surroundings after Augustus successfully blocked his attack.

Diablo, the Skeleton Warrior, and the Forest Wolf also took this opportunity to attack the Shield Warrior from all sides.

Aside from the shield in his right hand, the dwarf also had a peculiar looking short sword in his left hand, which he used to block Diablo's strike.

For some reason, Augustus' instinct told him that Diablo was a creature he couldn't afford to look down on.

After successfully blocking Lux's and Diablo's attack, the Forest Wolf's jaws clamped down on the Shield Warrior's head. At the same time, the Skeleton Warrior slashed at the Dwarf's body.

The Forest Wolf's teeth weren't able to penetrate through the helmet it had bitten on. The Skeleton Warrior was no different as its attack didn't even put a dent on Augustus' armor.

One mighty roar suddenly sounded from the Shield Warrior, causing Lux and his subordinates to get blown a few meters away. Augustus unleashed his AOE Skill, Shield Warrior's Roar, which had a knockback effect.

Although it didn't deal great damage, it was effective when it came to pushing enemies away especially when the user was getting mobbed.

"No matter what you do, you can't pierce my defense!" Augustus declared.

Lux smiled as he took a fighting stance. "We'll see about that."

This was the first time that the Half-Elf had seen a Shield Warrior in action, so he was quite curious about its abilities. From what he could tell, the Forest Wolf and the Skeleton Warrior practically did no damage to Augustus because of his full-plate armor.

Lux was sure that this armor was something that couldn't be obtained from Leaf Village, so there was only one explanation. It was an armor that was given to the Dwarf before he entered Elysium.

Seeing that Augustus focused on blocking his attacks, Lux knew that there was only one tactic he could use in order to breach the dwarf's solid defenses.

Lux took a fighting stance and the sword in his hand glowed as he prepared to unleash one of his family's sword arts.

"Kaizer Sword Art First Form…," Lux shouted as he charged at the Shield Warrior who had already raised his shield up to meet him. "Piercing the Heavens!"

Augustus shifted his body in order to deflect Lux's attack and weaken its momentum. However, just before he could properly block the Half-Elf's attack, a moan of pain and pleasure escaped his lips.

Diablo had positioned himself behind the Dwarf and stabbed Augustus' bum. Although the Dwarf was wearing a full-plate armor that covered his entire body, Diablo's attack dealt Ethereal Damage.

It was an elemental damage that was similar to a spiritual attack that ignored all defenses.

Diablo's attack had penetrated Augustus' weak spot, which made the latter cry out in pain and pleasure.

Lux didn't continue his attack because the Dwarf had already collapsed on the ground, with his hands covering his backside.

"I concede!" Augustus said as he rolled on the ground towards his party members.

"Duel Over!"

"Winner, Lux!"

All the aspiring Shield Warriors, who were watching the battle, unconsciously covered their backside. For some reason, they could feel Augustus' pain. All of them shuddered as they looked at Diablo, who was looking at his sword in a weird manner.

Augustus had already unequipped his plate armor and returned to his normal attire. Beads of sweat could be seen in his forehead as he endured the pain that persisted in his backside.

It was at that moment when a black shadow covered his body.

The shield warrior looked up only to see Diablo looking down on him. This made Augustus' body unconsciously shudder as he backed away while shielding his backside with both hands.

"The battle is already over!" Augustus stated in shame and embarrassment. "What do you want?!"

Diablo ignored him and simply walked toward the panicking Dwarf who was frantically hiding behind Frederick.

Without another word, Diablo reached out to touch Augustus robe and did the unthinkable.

To everyone's surprise, the Skeleton who was wearing a Black Armor used the Shield Warrior's robes to wipe its sword.

Although it was hard to tell the facial expression on the skeleton's face, everyone could vaguely feel the trace of disgust in Diablo's face, as he wiped Tranquility's tip zealously.

Lux didn't know if he should laugh or cry at his Named Creature's actions. Just like everyone else, he was also caught off-guard by Diablo's act, which showed that it was a very intelligent creature.

After making sure that his weapon was now clean, Diablo patted Augustus' head before walking towards its Master, Lux.

The Half-Elf knew that he had to diffuse the situation, so he decided to settle things in a peaceful manner.

"That was a good fight," Lux said with a smile. "Although we all started off on the wrong foot, everything can be settled if we all sit down and talk in a civilized manner. Since you want the Bladed Claw and the Exoskeleton, I am willing to sell it to your party at a 90% Discount of the market price.

"You can buy the Bladed Claws for five gold coins and the Exoskeleton for three gold coins. How does that sound?"

Frederick knew that Lux was trying to settle things peacefully, so he readily agreed to his condition. Although they still had to pay a total of eight gold coins, it was already a very low price considering that these materials could be used to craft a high-quality weapon and set of armor.

"You have a deal," Frederick said as he extended his hand for a handshake.

Lux held the Dwarf's hand and shook it firmly. For him, the Terror Mantis' Bladed Claws and Exoskeleton were not a big deal to give up. Anyway, he could simply hunt the Terror Mantises at his leisure when Diablo, and his other summons, achieved a higher rank.

Making the Dwarves his enemies for materials that he could hoard in the future was simply not worth it. This was why he decided to take a step back and give Frederick and the Shadow Tempest Party a way to resolve the issue without escalating things.

After the successful trade, Lux took Colette and her party members to the inn to eat.

Robin politely declined, using the excuse that he still had things to do, and left without waiting for anyone's reply. Colette and the others watched him go with a sigh because they were used to Robin always doing things at his own pace.

Lux didn't think much about it and herded the Golden Slayers off to eat and drink to their heart's content.

—--

In a house located inside Leaf Village…

"Find any information that you can about the Half-Elf," Robin ordered the Dwarves who were kneeling in front of him. "I want to know everything about him. Now, Go!"

""Yes, Sir!""

All the Dwarves left the house and headed in different directions. Since their master had given them an order, they would fulfill it to the best of their abilities.

"Lux Von Kaizer…," Robin muttered. "Just how did you arrive here in the Kingdom of Gweliven? Just what is your goal?"

Robin was very wary of Lux because his father had warned him that associating with children from other races would just lead to trouble. Of course, he didn't believe this advice completely because he hadn't met any other races in the Dwarven Kingdom of Gweliven.

But although he didn't know if other races could be trusted or not, he was still very curious about the Half-Elf who had suddenly appeared out of nowhere.

"I'll find out your true colors soon," Robin said softly. "If you are a threat to this kingdom… I will make sure that you will never be heard from again."