BAM! The door burst open as the maids poured tea. Arad looked, seeing an armored old man with a long white beard, wrinkled face, and a golden gown above his head walking inside.

“The rumored Arad Orion, I heard tales about you, most of them seem unrealistic.” He stared at Arad, standing close to the table.

“You’re the king?” Arad asked, standing up and staring at the man in the eyes.

“Father, why are you armored?” Isdis asked if it was the first time she had seen him wear it in years.

The king bowed, “King Baltos Lior Ruris, named after my ancestors, but I still do not meet their standards. So thank you for saving my daughter,”

Arad nodded, “Don’t worry about that.” He looked at Isdis, “She’s surprised to see you wearing armor. Why is that?”

“I haven’t fought in years,” The king replied with a smile.

Gin looked at Arad with a grin, “Don’t underestimate those old bones,”

Kin smiled, “No matter how powerful a king gets, he can’t move much to use that power,”

Arad looked at the king, smiling, “You’re looking for a fight?”

“You spent a while with my daughter. I want to see what you’re made from,” Baltos fixed his gauntlet.

“Father! Stop it!” Isdis shouted, and Baltos stared at her, “Worry not, I won’t kill him.”

“Let him be,” Arad said with a smile, “It won’t take long to drop him to the ground,”

A dragon can’t refuse a challenge from a king, and Baltos’s reasons are still unknown. No matter how much Arad tried probing his mind, it always came back empty.

“Shall we get started? And let’s make it quick,” Baltos stared at Arad.

^Beware! He’s dangerous!^

Arad instinctively lifted his arms, Baltos’s iron boots connected with his forearms, sending a shockwave across his whole body.

Arad could feel the pressure rushing to his shoulder, his legs lifted from the ground, and his body flew out of the balcony and fell from the castle.

He blinked and saw Baltos falling after him with a passive face. Arad growled, lifting his palm and firing a massive fireball.

Baltos fell right through the flames, unharmed. He swung his fist at Arad’s face and sent him to the ground.

BAM! Arad landed on his legs, smiling, “You old bag of bones, that hurts,” He smiled, swinging a fist and hitting the fallen king on the face. CRACK! Baltos’s body flew at a blinding speed, crashing into the castle walls.

CRACK! As bricks fell around his body, Baltos opened his eyes, smiling, “Now that’s a punch,” He fell on his legs, cracking his shoulder and approaching Arad. “Almost lost a tooth.”

“I expected the human king to be weak, taking Alina’s lords as a measure, but I seem to have been wrong,” Arad smiled, taking a deep breath and stepping forward.

SWOSH! Baltos’s body ignited in red flames, his eyes flashing with a white light as golden scales emerged on his face. “To tell you, I have the blood of a gold dragon coursing through my veins. Fire won’t harm me,”

Arad clenched his fists, refraining from showing his scales, “Is that so? It’s not like I’m limited to fire,” he smiled, and lighting crackled from his shoulders and down to his fists. The white flash of light illuminated the whole garden, blinding the poor guards rushing to help.

“Father! Stop! You can’t beat Arad!” Isdis shouted, glaring down from the balcony.

BOOM! A red flash exploded beneath Baltos’s feet, propelling his body forward like a missile, shockwaves bursting from his shoulders as he swung a fist at Arad.

CRACKLE! Lighting crackled, and Arad’s body disappeared in the blink of an eye. He then emerged behind Baltos with a smile. “Slow,” VROOM! He swung a lightning-fast punch.

SWOSH! Baltos spun in his place, deflecting Arad’s fist with a kick and hitting him with his knee to the head.

BAM! Arad’s body spun in place, his head digging through the ground as Baltos went for another punch.

The ground crackled, and a large ice spike flew up, forcing Baltos to stop his attack and leap back. “Ice?” He gasped.

Arad’s purple eyes gleamed from beneath the ground, glaring at Baltos with an eldritch magic flashing from them. His body started levitating, pulling his head out of the ground and standing upright.

“Those rumors aren’t wrong. You’re a true monster,” Baltos smiled, “No matter how hard I hit you, it doesn’t seem to affect you, and you can retaliate at a terrifying speed. You punching a dragon to death won’t be strange, let alone vampires and werewolves.”

Arad smiled, “Same for you. I faced a monster that couldn’t punch as hard as you,”

Baltos smiled, approaching Arad, “Haven’t fought like this in ten years. Since that Buffon came here. Alcott, do you know him?”

Arad blinked, “Alcott? He taught me how to fight,”

The king stared at Arad, scratching his beard, “Your mentor? I expected more. You two look awfully alike.” He stared at Arad, “That large build, sharp glare, and boiling temper, and the face you came with my daughter. Except, he came with my sister instead.”

“I only met him a few months back,” Arad replied, landing on his feet with a smile. .

The king approached Arad, extending his hand for a shake, “Arad Orion, or should I say, Baron Arad Orion the dragon slayer, welcome to the royal castle, and make yourself at home.”

Arad shook the king’s hand with a smile, “Nice to meet you,”

After a moment of silence, the king smiled and closed his eyes, “One last thing,” He said, “Keep away from my daughter,” He swung his leg up, kicking Arad in the jewels as hard as he could.

Arad felt his bones quake as the blood rushed to his head. He ground his teeth, and grabbed the king by the beard, swinging him up and smacking him on the ground face-first.

CRACK! As the king lay on the ground bleeding, Arad fell beside him, unconscious.

A few minutes later, Arad and the king were transported inside for treatment, and they were left asleep in the castle’s healing quarter. Isdis and Aella stood beside them, looking at them with disappointed faces.

“Those two numb skulls,” Isdis sighed, staring at her asleep father, “Especially you,”

Aella stared at Arad, “You could have dodged that kick. Why the hell did you take it?”

Isdis stared at her, “Probably father’s sleep aura,” She sighed, “His gold draconic bloodline gives him command over fire and a sleeping gaze. It numbs the senses and can drop people asleep,” She stared at Arad, “I’m surprised he fought that long without falling,”

CLICK! The door opened, and Kin walked inside, “You majesty Isdis, your sister is here for you.”

Isdis looked at Aella, “I need to go. Call me when Arad wakes up. I think I should apologize in my father’s stead,”

Aella shook her head, “No, we’re heading out as soon as he wakes up.” She smiled, “We have a market to explore, don’t want to waste more time here,”

Isdis giggled, “Calling the apology of a princess a waste of time, you’re a savage.”

Kin looked at them, “I don’t think sir Arad would care for an apology. As smart and wise we dragons get, we always talk better with our claws. I’m sure he and the king had an understanding,”

“Like what? An eternal vengeance?” Isdis sighed.

“More like,” Kin scratched her chin, “His Majesty Baltos won’t worry about you being with Arad as he trusts his strength, and Arad won’t have a problem respecting him since he has proven his power.”

Gin walked inside the room, “Kin is right. As a dragon, Arad can only ever respect the strong, and as a father, his majesty can only trust a strong man with you. Fists are the best at conveying that,”

“What do you mean trusting him with me?” Isdis cried, rushing out of the room as the maids stared at her with passive faces.