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Never in his entire life had he been underestimated and insulted by anyone, let alone branded as a weakling.

Despite lacking a holy weapon, as the chosen bearer of the hero\'s destiny, Guren possessed remarkable talent and strength.

Moreover, having been taken in by Velix as a child, the training he received was of no lesser quality than that of the other three heroes.

Therefore, Valen\'s pretentious words left him feeling deeply humiliated and enraged!

"You..." Guren\'s palms clenched as he shot Valen a hateful glare.

He had heard rumors about the spear hero Valen\'s domineering and arrogant demeanor, often belittling everything around him.

However, he never anticipated Valen\'s arrogance and dominance reaching such egregious heights.

Observing Guren\'s anger, Valen remained indifferent, even displaying a hint of disdain.

Throughout his life, Valen has offended countless individuals, effortlessly defeating anyone who dared to oppose him.

Yet, despite his domineering and arrogant nature, there was one individual he dared not confront—Leon Kruger, the sword hero.

Apart from that unbeatable monster, Valen feared no one—not even Velix.

Meanwhile, Velix, upon hearing Valen\'s dismissive remarks, merely smiled as if anticipating them.

"Regardless of your opinion, Guren is indeed the ideal candidate for this task, Valen. At the very least, his strength is invaluable assistance to you in the war," Velix stated nonchalantly.

Despite Valen\'s rejection and belittlement of Guren, Velix knew he had to include Guren in the upcoming war.

After all, the purpose of launching a large-scale war against the Demon race, aside from leveraging Leon\'s death to garner prestige for the Empire, was to provide Guren with the opportunity to emerge and earn recognition from all of humanity.

In that scenario, when Guren gained recognition as the wielder of the Holy Sword of Zenith, there would be no objections from anyone, including the Holy Orthodox side.

"Oh? I didn\'t expect Your Majesty to hold someone in such high regard. There must be something remarkable about this individual that has eluded me, am I correct?" Valen inquired curiously, folding his muscular arms and raising one eyebrow.

He was well acquainted with Velix\'s character and understood that this middle-aged man seldom praised others unless he deemed them worthy.

Therefore, he gradually shed his dismissive attitude towards Guren.

Velix smiled nonchalantly and nodded as he replied, "Of course. I have high hopes for Guren, and you\'ll soon see his capabilities."

Hearing Velix\'s confident words, Valen glanced at Guren and approached him slowly.

Observing Valen\'s approach, Guren\'s frown deepened, his wariness growing.

\'What does this guy want?\' Guren wondered to himself as he assumed a ready-to-fight stance, prepared for any surprise attack Valen might launch.

However, to his surprise, when Valen stopped right in front of him, he simply stood still and bowed his head, observing him quietly.

This unexpected action caused Guren to furrow his brow slightly, feeling perplexed.

"What is it you desire?" Guren raised his head and asked, his tone cold and unwavering.

Due to their contrasting heights, Guren, standing at 1.83 meters tall, had to tilt his head up to meet Valen\'s gaze, who towered at 2.5 meters.

This height difference also made Guren appear small and short in comparison to Valen.

Valen didn\'t respond to Guren\'s question, instead fixing him with a sardonic smile.

"Well, upon closer inspection, you do seem a bit distinct from the rest, but that\'s all there is to it, nothing more," Valen taunted lightly.

Guren\'s handsome face flushed red, his chest heaving with indignation at the mockery.

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His previously contained anger surged to its peak.

Just as he contemplated launching a surprise attack on Valen, the latter unexpectedly spoke first.

"How about this... I challenge you to a duel to test whether His Majesty\'s expectations of you hold true or are merely empty boasts. Are you up for it?" Valen\'s words dripped with arrogance and dominance, drawing a cold stare from Guren.

Without hesitation, he nodded and replied firmly, "Of course! I accept your challenge, and I\'m eager to witness the power of a rumored hero."

His tone was icy, concealing a simmering intent on revenge.

After enduring countless taunts from this man, it was now time to retaliate fiercely.

Although Guren acknowledged Valen\'s power and even felt threatened by him, he refused to succumb to fear.

Furthermore, this presented a golden opportunity for him to gauge how he measured up against a true hero.

"Hahaha! Excellent! Though the outcome will undoubtedly be your defeat, I must admit, I do admire your courage," Valen remarked with shameless arrogance, a smirk curling on his lips.

Guren remained silent, staring at him with indifference.

Valen\'s gaze swiftly shifted to Velix, who sat on the throne, and he inquired, "Your Majesty, may I test him? Rest assured, I won\'t go too far and inflict serious harm."

Upon hearing Valen\'s request, Velix did not immediately respond. Instead, he glanced at Guren, as if seeking confirmation of his readiness.

Meeting Velix\'s gaze squarely, Guren nodded firmly and confidently.

After receiving this assurance, Velix finally nodded slightly in agreement.

"Alright, I agree to that. However, don\'t overdo it, and you are prohibited from using the Soaring Dragon Holy Spear in this duel, Valen. Do you understand?" Velix said, issuing a slight warning.

"Hahaha! Not to worry, Your Majesty. I\'ve never relied on the Soaring Dragon Holy Spear in any duel except when facing that bastard Leon," Valen reassured, patting his muscular chest.

Velix said nothing more, choosing to believe Valen\'s words.

Despite Valen\'s arrogance and pretentiousness, he possessed integrity, and his word could be trusted completely.

After all, for someone of his pride, lying or breaking his own word would be a direct insult to himself.

"Alright, then, assume your respective battle stances," Velix ordered nonchalantly.

Valen and Guren nodded in unison and positioned themselves at a distance from each other.

Since the throne room was spacious, there was ample room for both to maneuver.

Velix then directed his gaze towards Rain and said, "Rain, create a strong barrier magic circle to mitigate the impact of their battle."

"Yes, Your Majesty," Rain replied flatly, stepping forward.

Slowly, she raised one hand and closed her eyes slightly, invoking a high-level spell.

"High-level Barrier Magic: Dome of Emptiness!"

*Whoosh!*

In an instant, a brilliant white light emerged at the center of the throne room, swiftly expanding to fill the entire space.

Simultaneously, a barrier enveloped the entire central area of the throne room.

Soon after, the bright light gradually receded and vanished.

Observing the barrier magic, Velix nodded in satisfaction, a slight smile gracing his lips.

"Excellent! Thank you, Rain," Velix expressed with contentment.

"You\'re welcome, Your Majesty," Rain replied with her usual flat expression, then slowly retreated to the far end of the throne room alongside Jim and Natasya to observe the duel.

Once everything was arranged, Velix took a slight breath and regarded both Valen and Guren with indifference before finally declaring, "Very well, you may commence your duel!"