The crowd stood frozen. The air was so thick it felt like breathing molten stone. Dust still hung in the air where I'd thrown the two soldiers like rag dolls. No one dared to move. Even the wind seemed to stop, watching.
The queen tilted her head at me, curiosity dripping with venom.Queen Abiel: "Who are you, stranger? Rumor speaks of a god-man wandering the wildlands. My spies whisper tales of an unnatural aura… beasts bowing before him. Tell me—are you that man?"
The king turned sharply toward her, his brow furrowing.King Solomon: "God-man? What nonsense are you speaking of, Abiel?"
She smiled faintly, her green eyes glinting like a serpent in sunlight.
Queen Abiel: "My love, word travels fast beyond the rivers. Villages burned to ash, monsters slain, witnesses claiming they saw a man wielding power like the gods themselves. I thought it was just tavern gossip… until now."
The king's jaw tightened. His glare fell on me like a blade.
From the corner of my eye, I saw Chief Goro and Haru, tied and kneeling at the center of the crowd. Goro's face had gone pale, sweat dripping from his chin.
Goro (low): "Why… why would Lord Ryuma appear now of all times…"
Haru leaned closer to him, her voice trembling but steady.
Haru (whispering): "Because he heard everything. About Hana. About the king's decree. I told him."
I caught that. The way Goro's expression twisted with anger told me he was cursing her. Goro (hissing): "You told him?! Do you realize what you've done, woman? If he dies—"
Haru (interrupting): "Then so be it. But if he lives, our daughter lives too. I'll take that chance."
Their words stung me more than I expected. I wasn't here because of fate or prophecy — I was here because I chose to be.
I stepped forward, my voice slicing through the murmurs."Yes… I am the man you've heard about."
My tone was calm, but my words carried weight."The one who walks where even beasts bow."
A shiver ran through the crowd. The queen's smirk faltered, her confidence cracking for just a breath.
"And I have one thing to ask of the King of Men."
The king leaned forward, his suspicion thick in his eyes.King Solomon: "Speak. What is it you want, stranger?"
The queen's gaze flicked toward him — I could read the fear buried under that arrogance. She knows I'm dangerous. Her expression said it all: This fool better not accept anything blindly.
I took a step closer, the ground crunching beneath my feet. My words came out heavy, not loud — but every soul there could feel the vibration in their chest.
"I've heard tales of your strength, Solomon. They call you one of the greatest warriors alive."
I stared right into his eyes."So I, Ryuma, stand before you… to challenge you to El Dorado."
The words hit like thunder.
The crowd gasped. Some fell silent, some dropped to their knees and began to pray. Even the king's monstrous bull snorted and stomped, as if it sensed what was about to unfold.
The king rose slowly, his expression darkening — fury swirling beneath confusion. His voice boomed, shaking the air.King Solomon: "You dare challenge me? Here? Before my people?"
Queen Abiel, her lips curling into that serpent's smile again, stepped forward beside the throne-bull.Queen Abiel: "My, my… such boldness."
She turned toward the crowd, her voice loud enough for every trembling villager to hear.Queen Abiel: "But the challenge of El Dorado is not so easily earned. Are you even aware of the sacred law, stranger?"
I didn't answer. I just watched her, waiting for the poison she was about to drip.
Her tone shifted — sweet, mocking, almost playful.Queen Abiel: "A man cannot simply declare an El Dorado. To prove he's worthy of facing a king, he must first offer the heads of ten fierce beasts — trophies of his strength. Only then can the gods recognize the duel as divine."
The crowd began murmuring — some nodding in agreement, others whispering my name like it was blasphemy.
The queen tilted her chin, eyes glowing with victory.Queen Abiel: "Tell me, 'god-man,' where are your beasts? Or are you just another delusional wanderer who mistook courage for divinity?"
So I smiled. Just enough for the queen to see it.
"You're right," I said calmly. "The law demands proof."
I stepped forward, the earth under my feet cracking softly from the spiritual pressure I released — not too much, just enough to hush the whispers.
"But since I've already declared the duel, the gods themselves now watch this moment. And until El Dorado is fulfilled, no other ceremony — not even your king's so-called purification ritual — may take place."
The queen's smile faltered. The king's smirk vanished completely.
I looked directly at Solomon, my voice steady."So I'll hunt your beasts. I'll bring their heads. And when I return, I'll claim your crown… and her freedom."
My eyes flicked toward Hana. She met my gaze for just a heartbeat — fear and hope tangled in those eyes.
I barely had time to breathe before the king cut through the air like a blade.
King Solomon's voice rolled over the square, hushed and final even as it carried: "I accept your challenge."
A ripple went through the crowd — then a collective intake of breath. Queen Abiel opened her mouth, indignation flickering across her face, but Solomon raised a hand and silenced her with one look. He was the law; even her venom had to bow to that.
"Three days," he said, each word measured. "You have three days to bring me the heads of ten fierce beasts. Return here at dawn on the fourth, and your duel will be before all. I command every elder and every village to send people, and I order my guards to bring my wives and the chief's family to the lodge as hostages until the matter is settled."
The sentence landed like thunder. For a beat I didn't understand; then the meaning cut through me: he was using them as guarantee.
"If you do not return," Solomon continued, dark and unblinking, "this settlement will be burned, its people scattered, and the blood of those who sheltered you will be on your hands. Fail, and not only will you die — your choice will take them with you."
Heat rose in my throat. My hands clenched until my nails bit into my palms.
"Leave them alone — this is my duel, not theirs!" I snapped before I could think. The words spilled out rough, raw.
The king looked at me with slow, cold amusement, then at the elders who lined the lodge. "No. The law protects the crown. You are the one who flung yourself into my court. If you wish to use the gods as judge, you must accept their terms."
Queen Abiel, trying to salvage something, ran interference. "This is madness —" she began, but Solomon's stare cut her off. She folded her hands, her voice a soft knife as she sided with the verdict: collateral keeps men honest. The queen's supporters nodded; the advisors obeyed.
Around us, the crowd dissolved into terrified murmurs. Mothers clutched children; men muttered prayers. I could see Chief Goro's chest heave where he knelt, and Haru's shoulders tremble but hold. Hana pressed her hand against her mouth; I watched her face — pale but with a small, fierce light still there.
They were using their fear to make me act. They'd chained my challenge to their lives.
A blistering clarity settled over me. Three days. Ten beast heads. A deadline set in blood and ash.
I swallowed, tasting iron and decision.
"Fine." My reply was quieter than before, but iron in the bone. "I will bring their heads. I will return. If I do not—then fate will judge me."
The king's lips curved like a promise, cruel and satisfied. The elders began to bark orders; men ran to prepare; the king's heralds shouted for riders to spread the word to the outlying settlements.