The Scarlet estate was no longer quiet.
It had become a gathering ground for power.
Carriages lined the outer gates in layers—nobles, war clans, retired commanders, and representatives from distant territories all arriving under one unspoken truth:
Something important was about to happen.
Whispers spread through the crowd like wildfire.
"The Trial between Scarlet's chosen and the Morningstar heir…"
"They're really going through with it…"
"I heard it's not just a duel…"
Even warriors who had seen war before stood in silence.
Because this wasn't entertainment.
It was judgment.
Inside the estate, Michael Scarlet stood at the center of the courtyard.
Krishna beside him.
Ellistra on the elevated balcony.
Aldrich stood below, calm as ever.
Lephisto stood opposite him—composed, unreadable.
Eldran watched from the side, sipping tea like this was just another afternoon that happened to involve political collapse.
Michael raised his hand.
Silence fell instantly.
"This is not a duel."
His voice carried across the estate.
"This is a measure of kings."
The words landed heavily.
Even Lephisto's expression sharpened slightly.
Michael continued.
"The Trial of Kings will determine not only strength… but leadership under pressure."
He gestured forward.
"Three phases."
A pause.
Then—
"Phase One: The Hunt."
The world shifted.
Both Aldrich and Lephisto were transported—by carriage and guided escort—to a northern wilderness zone beyond the estate's controlled lands.
A place where the terrain itself tested survival.
Dense forests.
Rocky cliffs.
Predator territory.
Beasts strong enough to wipe out squads if ignored.
Their objective was simple:
Track and eliminate a designated high-level beast. Return with proof.
But the true meaning was not simple at all.
It tested:
Awareness
Efficiency
Adaptability
Judgment under uncertainty
Lephisto moved first.
Fast.
Direct.
His method was clean: dominate terrain, force information, eliminate threats quickly.
He didn't hesitate.
He advanced like a blade through paper.
Aldrich, however, did not move immediately.
He stopped at the edge of the forest.
Closed his eyes.
And lowered one hand to the soil.
Ellistra, watching from a projection point far above, narrowed her eyes.
"…What is he doing?"
Eldran beside her smirked faintly.
"That boy stopped chasing a long time ago."
A pause.
"Now the world walks into him."
Aldrich breathed once.
Then twice.
The forest stopped being "space."
It became information.
Wind direction.
Broken branches.
Animal tension.
Ground vibration.
He wasn't searching.
He was listening to the environment breathe.
Then—
He moved.
Quietly.
Not fast.
Not slow.
Certain.
Hours passed.
Lephisto found the beast first.
A massive territorial predator—strong enough to crush trees and rupture stone with its movement.
Lephisto engaged directly.
Clean strikes.
Precise movement.
Controlled aggression.
He won quickly.
Efficiently.
But loud.
Meanwhile—
Aldrich arrived at the same beast later.
It was already wounded.
Not dead.
Not untouched.
Just… destabilized.
Aldrich studied it.
Then ended it in a single motion.
No waste.
No excess force.
Just conclusion.
Result
Both returned.
Both succeeded.
But the judges saw something important:
Lephisto: faster, louder, direct dominance Aldrich: quieter, more efficient, absolute control
The hall split in interpretation.
Some favored strength.
Others favored precision.
Michael spoke finally.
"No winner."
A pause.
"Yet."
Phase Transition
Ellistra exhaled slowly.
"He's not trying to look strong…"
Eldran nodded.
"He's trying to look inevitable."