On Black Rock Prison, Toria was standing out in the open on the roof highest tower of the facility and could see the smoke rising from the home island, her heart sinking as she thought of what was going on there. She had heard the rumblings and the sights of explosions from all the way out here and she wondered just what in the world made those terrifying noises and sights. 

"What in the world is happening over there Commodore Falk" She muttered as she turned away from the sight of Nas and towards the naval commander of the prison 

"I cannot say Your Highness, the ships that were supposed to meet us have failed to arrive. The last communication from the 3rd Fleet was that they were about to reach Pattu" Commodore Falk replied, an unsure and uneasy expression resting on his face 

"We were only recently able to secure the 3rd Fleet on our side, something I failed to communicate to them...shit" Toria cursed as she slammed her hand into the wall of the doorway leading back down to the prison 

The Commodore was silent as he was looking at her, a feeling of regret for not getting those sailors in line earlier filling him with dread of what may have happened to them, with the worst possible outcome filling his mind, they probably had died against the forces of the empire they were soon going to serve, and it was not going to be pretty in trying to convince their families to accept the new government that had possibly killed their relatives in a first strike move against them. 

"I will prepare the letters for the families" Falk said as he turned to her 

"No, I will...I fucked up" The princess cut him off as she sighed

"I see. But I believe we have more pressing matters Your Highness, I think you might want to take a look at what's coming at us" 

{!}

Turning her gaze back to Nas, she saw a ship as large as a War Galleon gliding through the waves on its way to them, the flag it was flying was far different from the flag of the kingdom and it only meant one thing, it was the flag of the Halkare Empire and that ship belonged to them and although it would send most into panic, to Toria and the rest on the island who were informed of her plan, they were here to pick them up and escort them back to Nas to oversee the overturning of the nation. 

"Get everyone ready, our ride is here" She ordered as she watched the Brig come closer and closer at a much faster pace than she thought 

"Understood Your Highness" Falk replied as he bowed his head and disappeared behind the door, leaving the princess all alone on the roof

'Showtime, nothing but smiles now' She thought as she let out another sigh before turning around and making her way back down to the prison 

.........................................................................................................................................................................................................................................

Back on Nas, Viktor, Alfonsis, Ophelia, Amelia, and their green-haired elven minister Irly were inside a chamber of the castle that was the designated dueling hall. A place where the demonkin royalty could practice their martial and magical skills and hone them to perfection. The dual monarchs were on the other side of the room and had brought Irly with them since she was the Minister of Interior Relations and was the fighter the two had selected to fight Viktor and then Alfonsis, although she would be given some blessings by her monarch to even the odds but not make the fights one-sided, that would all determine on the skills of their Minster of Interior Relations. 

"Be sure to give them a good thrashing" Ophelia stated as she looked at her minister 

"I will try my best Your Majesty, I am still kind of nervous in all seriousness" The elven minister replied with a hint of fear in her voice 

"Don't worry Irly, the blessings I gave you will even the playing field, you are now the same power level as them and are immune to their domination magic, you got this" Amelia added with a small smile that lifted the spirits of the elven minister 

"I am thankful for your support Your Majesties. I will do my best to not let you down!" Irly stated with a determined gaze as she gripped her staff tightly 

"We know you won't Irly, now go give em hell!" Ophelia said with a small smirk on her face 

On the other side of the room, Alfonsis and Viktor were busy stretching and getting themselves ready for the fight ahead, although they knew whether win or lose they would give up their throne, at least the feeling to quell their pride was there and it was something that was driving them, giving the duo a comfortable but false sense of self-determination in this duel. 

"You ready son?" Alfonsis asked Viktor as he turned to him, seeing his son flourish his saber 

"I am Father, and although the result is the same, I wish to show that I have grown strong enough to defend myself if anything at all" The crown prince replied with a wounded smile as he looked at his reflection on the flat side of the saber 

"I know you have gotten stronger son and I am proud of you, but I will admit, after all we have been through and throughout my reign, I am actually glad it is coming to an end...so many mistakes were made and so many people I have to reconcile with and apologies to be made, it helps without the burden of keeping up appearances and actually ruling haha" Alfonsis added with a tired chuckle as he shook his head 

"Are you really sure this is the best course of action Father? To just sign away the kingdom? To sign away a birthright that has been passed down for generations?" 

"Viktor, when you get to my age and see the larger picture, the situation now is the best thing that could have been hoped for. We get to retire to a piece of land on the continent where we can farm in peace, the islands of Amma are gifted new life and are going to be under a ruler who truly understands their struggles better than we do,  not many people can say they have the luxury of this outcome" Alfonsis answered his son, a tired but understanding expression on his face 

"I see...not many are enviable of our predicament huh?" Viktor replied with a weary chuckle 

"Indeed son, not many" His father nodded as he let out a sigh 

"Let's get started then shall we?" Viktor asked with Alfonsis replying with a nod 

A few minutes later, Viktor stood across from Irly, both fighters in their readied stance and waiting for the word to begin. The dual monarchs who were behind Irly simply smiled and nodded at the elven woman when she looked back at them, while Viktor did not even spare a glance at his father and kept his gaze on his opponent at all times. 

"Right, some ground rules before we begin" Ophelia began as she moved to the center of the room but off to the side 

"First off, lethal attacks are obviously restricted, but just in case for that certain scenario, my beloved has set up a barrier to ensure that fatal hits do not kill, so you may try to kill but you won't be able to, and secondly, this room has traps and contraptions hiding in the floors and behind wall and ceiling panels, I am using my magic to ensure they are not in any way shape or form used during the duels, you can accuse me of having small trust in you both but I just want things to be fair and thorough, any objections?" 

"None" Alfonsis replied 

"None" Viktor added 

"Good. Now let's begin in 3, 2, 1...begin!" 

{!}

At the drop of her hand, Viktor charged forward, using the wings on his back to help propel him forward as he launched a thrust that Irly barely dodged in time, the tip of it nicking her left shoulder and leaving a cut on her delicate and flowing white colored robes. Irly was still in a state of shock as Viktor quickly turned and then landed a kick on her abdomen that sent her reeling back, trying to follow up with another thrust but this time, the thrust was caught by the elven minister who used her staff to deflect it downward and then pressed forward by swinging the lower half upward and striking Viktor in the cheek and then shifting her stance as she then thrust the staff forward and struck his chest, sending the crown prince reeling in pain. 

As the two fighters continued to exchange blows, the trio of monarchs continued to watch with steely gazes, while Alfonsis was internally judging his son, the dual monarchs were busy in a telepathic conversation

[Seems that those Kitsune combat classes are really something else] Ophelia stated as she watched Irly deflect several thrusts and replied with a swipe of her staff that smacked the crown prince on the cheek 

{I know right? The classes Chief Yamato has been teaching are doing our people well, a lot of our adventurers are even asking her for sparring sessions} Amelia added with a happy tone 

The two watched as Viktor was able to grab the end of the staff as it missed, and then pulled Irly forward in hopes that his saber which was already stretched out, would impale her and win him the fight, but to his surprise, Irly shifted her body to the right and the blade went past her, before closing in and elbowing the crown prince in the stomach and then following it up with a back fist that struck him in the nose and sent him reeling. Irly tried to follow up her strike but pulled back when Viktor fired off lighting from his left hand in anger, the bolts striking the ground where the elven minster stood, with some bolts bouncing off the ground and striking the walls but doing no damage. Irly then replied by stomping on the marble floor and conjuring up medium-sized pillars of marble that lunged forward directly at her opponent, the sight of these things was surprising to Viktor as he let loose a horizontal slash in retaliation that destroyed the pillars but left him open to the staff thrust by Irly that sent him crashing onto the ground before he quickly recovered. 

[The blessings you gave her are really showing their worth here my beloved, to think she was only an A-Rank in power level, she would be so easily bested by now] 

{I am pleased as well by the results, but unlike before where I could keep the buff up for as long as I wished since my connection to Holy Magic has been severed, it can only be active for an hour or two at least, 8 at most. For the ones I cast on others before my severance like Sharon's, Our Goddess Histy has told me they will remain a permanent mark and activate accordingly} 

[Impressive, truly impressive]

{Indeed it is} 

After another few minutes of back and forth, with lighting and earth magic being chucked at their opponents, Viktor found himself on his last legs. Despite his demonkin strength and prowess, he had never actually been in a proper fight before. Sparring with his father, the knights, and even Toria were part of his training, but they all used swords of some sort of bladed weapon, plus they were demonkin so he could expect what abilities he would be facing. But the opponent in front of him, this elven woman who had been repeatedly landing blows on his body with a staff, and using a fighting style he barely understood, was dominating him in the fight despite the advantages his race had. The lack of fighting against other species had finally shown its limitations as he could barely understand what limits the woman in front of him had, if any at all. But, he was not going to go down just yet, he had one trick up his sleeve and now he was going to use it.  

"You put up a good fight...for an elf" He remarked as he circled his opponent 

"Oh? And what do you mean by that?" Irly asked as she kept her staff ready 

"I am just complimenting how a woman, such as yourself, who-" 

"I have a feeling of where this is going so just stop" Irly cut him off as an unimpressed and slightly annoyed expression formed on her face 

"I see, a pity then...I was going to give you a heads-up" Viktor stated with a smug smile 

"Oh yeah? And what was it going to be" Irly asked, still unimpressed 

"Don't blink <Domination>" 

{!} 

At the end of his words, Viktor's crimson eyes glowed with a soft and pulsating shine as he looked upon the elven minster. A grin on his face manifested as he slowly walked toward her while raising his sword, and just as he was about to let loose a slash, Irly replied with a staff thrust to his chest and then a quick whip of the rear of the staff that clocked him in the head, knocking him out cold and collapsing onto the marble floor. 

Alfonsis was left gaping as he saw this happen while the dual monarchs had small smirks on their faces. The outcome was surprising but it was one that the dual monarchs knew they could win, considering that Irly had specifically asked to be the one to fight and since Chief Persophone and Lady Val supported her decision, it seemed like the elven minister secretly wanted to prove herself to her monarchs, even if she did not have the blessing. 

"Seems like that's one fight down" Amelia remarked with a small hint of pride as she looked at the demonkin monarch 

"Impressive, my son's <Domination> Magic had no effect on Miss Irly. I must say Your Majesties, colored me impressed" Alfonsis stated as he walked over to his son, lifted his unconscious body, and gently placed it on the side 

"As one of the crucial ministers of our government, mainly that of the Interior Relations department which Irly is the head of, she is expected to know how to fight considering the ambitions we have for the future" Ophelia said as she looked at him 

"I respect that, having your people ready to fight for themselves to put the rabble in place is a smart move if they will not listen to reason" Alfonsis stated with a nod

"But I must warn you Miss Irly, I am no rabble, and unlike my son who you bested, I have faced different kinds of warriors before, and monsters to boot" The demonkin king added with a small smile, lowering himself as he got into a fighting stance, a pair of sabers appearing from the sleeves of his shirt and into his hands 

"That is duly noted Mister Amma" Irly replied with a nod of her own as she got back into her fighting stance 

"Alright, begin in 3, 2, 1...begin!" 

{!} 

With the drop of her hand once more, the second fight began. But unlike before when she barely dodged the saber of Viktor, Irly coughed up blood as she felt one of the sabers dig into her abdomen while her staff blocked the other, her eyes locking with Alfonsis' and seeing a devilish smile on his face as he knew he had landed a blow. As Alfonsis pulled out his blade, he ducked and dodged two retaliatory swings from the elven minister before landing a turning sidekick to her chest that sent her crashing onto the ground, clutching her wound that was beginning to rapidly heal itself but still being visible since the clothes themselves did not repair. 

"See? I am a much more dangerous opponent for you to subdue" Alfonsis stated with a smug smile 

The usual calm and collected Irly however, let out a snarl as she stared down the demonkin king and stomped her foot on the ground once more, taking the marble panels from the floor and then transforming them into an all-encompassing body armor before letting out a battle cry and charging the demonkin king who was cackling as he charged back

[Seems that Irly is now putting more effort into the fight] Ophelia commented as she watched the back and forth begin 

{I hope she is alright, that stab to her gut must have been painful, it possibly triggered her dormant fighting rage, and although I am ashamed to say it, I am quite excited to see how this ends} Amelia added as she also watched the fight but with a bit more worried expression than her beloved 

[She will win, Irly has had experience fighting stronger opponents before, Erhet is one. She will find her way to win or else she will lose the match, so just give her some motivation]

{Your right, I think I will} Amelia replied with a happier tone 

"Go Irly! Kick his ass!" She shouted with a jovial voice

{!} 

Hearing the encouraging words of her monarch, Irly's eyes lit up with a much more potent glow as she dodged several slashes from her opponent. Alfonsis also sensed the change in the air after the encouragement, a feeling in his gut warning him to get clear, but before he could follow his instincts, he gasped in pain as he felt the tip of a staff plunge into his abdomen and sent him staggering back into one of the walls of the room. He had a smile on his face as he wiped his mouth and then got back up, letting out a roar as he charged forward, using his wings to propel himself forward. He fired off a pair of slashes that Irly caught and parried and tried to counter with a swing of her own but the demonkin monarch dodged the blow and replied with a tail whip that landed on the shoulder of the elven minister, but thanks to the armor taking the hit as it chipped away the blow did not cause a lot of damage to Irly and she was able to reply with a shoulder bash from the other side and put some space between the two as Alfonsis staggered back once more. 

With a smirk on his face, Alfonsis let loose a stream of fire from his mouth as he used <Fire Breath> on his opponent, blinding her with its searing flame and heat before he quickly dashed through the fires, his sabers now alight with flames as he fired off an 'X' slash that Irly barely dodged out of, with her right side getting nicked by one of the sabers, cutting away the marble armor and cutting and cauterizing the gash it made, making her cry in pain as she pulled back. When Alfonsis tried to capitalize on this, Irly knew it was her only chance to end the fight and win. Continuing to act like she was unbalanced, she allowed Alfonsis to get close, dodging the two thrusts from his flaming sabers that still chipped off parts of her marble armor and replying by stepping on his foot, making him cry in pain from the sudden counter, but before the demonkin monarch could do anything else, Irly followed up by jabbing one of the ends of the staff into his abdomen that made him lurch forward and then backhanded him across the left side of his face, with force so hard it shattered the marble gauntlet, lifting her foot up, she allowed him to stumble back and leave him exposed as she quickly tightened the grip of her staff with both hands and poured everything into the overhead strike that landed on the same area, the force knocking out Alfonsis as it broke his jaw that was quickly repaired by the barrier and then watched as he fell to the floor in a defeated heap. 

Standing over the unconscious demonkin monarch, Irly let out a sigh of relief that it was all over, looking at her monarchs who were smiling with pride at her while also locking eyes with the now-conscious Viktor who was able to see the fight's ending blow. The former crown prince then stood up and bowed to the woman who had bested him, with the gesture being reciprocated by Irly. 

"Good show everyone, good show" Ophelia remarked as she clapped her hands 

"It was a very good show of strength on everyone's part" Amelia added 

"Thank you so much Your Majesties" Irly replied with a bow 

"Thank you for accommodating the request of me and my father" Viktor added as he helped his unconscious father up and placed him on the side 

"It was no problem, I am glad that this has been dealt with" Ophelia replied with a small nod

But just as they were going to talk more, a Black Guard soldier entered the chamber and locked eyes with the dual monarchs 

"Your Majesties, the package has arrived" He stated with a firm tone 

"Understood. Thank you for your service" Amelia replied with a nod, sending the Black Guard on his way 

"Is it time now?" Irly asked with raised eyebrows 

"Yep it is time. Let's see what she has to say" The blonde empress answered, with her sharing a smile and a nod with her beloved 

A/N: Righto, I hope you all enjoyed this fighting chapter and seeing the former demonkin royals in action against a hopped-up elven minister. I always wanted to showcase their skills but knew that if I paired them up with either of the dual monarchs they would lose, so I settled for them to fight Irly who out of the group brought to Nas has the least in terms of fighting experience as she has mostly done combat classes and a few monster hunts. I hope you enjoyed reading it as much as I had fun writing the fight scenes and if you have reactions or questions leave em below for me to read and answer, as always Stay Safe and Enjoy Your Day!