"Two minutes is up." Sunny announced, his voice slicing through the tense murmuring between the two figures before him. He stood utterly still.

​Aiden swung around to face Sunny, his face a mask of pride. "In my tribe, only the strongest holds the throne! So I challenge you!" He raised his colossal battleaxe, the blade glinting menacingly.

"If you lose, you give up all claim to the throne!"

​"So, Option One it is then?" Sunny asked, directing the question to Leonardo, who was visibly conflicted. The First Elder gave a tight, reluctant nod. He didn't like the decision, but the combat challenge might help the Ogre hold their throne, which won't be possible.

​'All this is that Chad's fault!' Leonardo thought with a flash of profound annoyance. 'If the Ogre King hadn't been so corrupt, none of this would be happening.'

​"So you," Sunny continued, a slow, perplexed look spreading across his face:

"A Demi-god rank, want to fight me, a peak God rank?" He genuinely seemed to be struggling to comprehend the Ogre's logic.

​"Rank doesn't matter!" Aiden roared, abandoning all tactical sense for raw, furious conviction. He unleashed his pressure, a tidal wave of brute force that made the ground groan beneath his massive boots. A set of Grand Class armor shimmered into existence, enveloping him in metal and power.

​"Rank doesn't matter? Is this guy stupid?" Sunny muttered under his breath, dismissing the Ogre's bluster.

Sunny sighed, and checked Aiden's profile with the system.

​{Name: Aiden Wyatt.}

​{Bloodline: Mighty Ogre - Epic rank.}

​{Rank: Demigod rank. Stage 2.}

​{Strength: 300,000. (+100,000).}

​{Agility: 100,000. (+100,000).}

​{Stamina: 500,000. (+200,000).}

​{Defense: 500,000. (+300,000).}

​{Attack: 350,000. (+50,000).}

​{Spirit energy: 100,000. (+10,000).}

​'His armor buffs aren't that bad.' Sunny conceded internally, completely ignoring the armored Ogre who was now coiling to attack.

​"Die—"

​"—Is this a death battle?" Sunny interrupted, cutting the Ogre's war cry short with chilling casualness.

​Leonardo turned sharply to Aiden, his expression urging caution, but the Ogre was beyond listening.

​'With my bloodline boost and defense, I can even defeat a mid-level God Rank,' Aiden thought, his adrenaline and arrogance boiling over.

'This ant only entered the God Rank some days ago; his strength will be unstable. I can defeat him. And if I succeed, all of Eldoria will belong to me!' The thought of seizing the God Wolf's power and territory drove him mad.

​"Fight to the death!!!" he screamed, raising his axe high into the air, effectively signing his own execution order.

​'This moron... he just signed his death warrant,' Leonardo thought, a weary expression crossing his face as he briefly pinched the bridge of his nose.

​'Why is this guy so cocky?' Sunny mused. "System, show me his bloodline advantage."

​{Ok, Master.}

{Mighty Ogre: When activated, the User gains 500% increase in all stats.}

​'That's why,' Sunny thought, slowly nodding. The raw, exponential boost explained the Ogre's desperate arrogance. He believed he could bridge the gap.

​"Die!!" The Ogre bellowed, activating his bloodline, a sudden, explosive surge of power making his figure momentarily blur, and he lunged towards Sunny, the enormous axe aimed at his neck.

​"I could kill him, but Leonardo won't feel so good about it," Sunny reasoned with himself.

"The Immortal Council are important—that's why they're still standing. They are a necessary check on the Lower World. So what should I do with this guy?" He stared at the rapidly closing Ogre.

​"Oh well... I can just make him unable to go against me," he finally decided, a subtle, almost imperceptible shift in his body the only indication of his action.

​BAM!!!!

​An invisible, kinetic force, far beyond any known physical law, smashed into Aiden. It was not a punch, not a kick, but a casual, flicking motion of vast power. The Ogre's immense, armored body was flung tens of meters away, the sound of the impact a deafening explosion of displaced air.

"...??!"

​Leonardo whipped his head around, his composure utterly shattered. He watched in disbelief as the powerful Ogre warrior smashed into the ground, vomited a mouthful of blood, and fainted instantly.

​"...Was... was he slapped to death?" Leonardo asked, the shock making his voice thin and reedy.

​Sunny slowly lowered his hand, shaking it once as if brushing away invisible dust.

​"So weak," he said, the words heavy with genuine disdain.

"And he wanted to challenge me." He turned back to the speechless First Elder. "Don't look so shocked. You already expected this outcome, didn't you? Go take care of him."

​He opened a shimmering gateway behind him with a snap of his fingers, the portal humming with energy.

​"I spared his life," Sunny continued, his eyes cold and clinical. "But his core is gone."

​"He is now a normal Ogre in a vegetable state..." He turned toward the gateway, but before he could step through, Leonardo found his voice.

​"Why didn't you just kill him?" Leonardo asked, confusion battling with relief. The God Wolf had shown restraint, yet delivered a final, cruel punishment, why?

​"As I said, because of the bit of respect I have for you," Sunny replied, stepping into the portal. "In another hundred years, with immense resources, he might, might, reach his peak again."

​"Tomorrow, the Ogres' nation will have a new ruler."

The gateway shook violently for a second and then vanished entirely.

​Leonardo stood alone, staring at the spot where God Wolf had been. He looked down at the unconscious, Ogre. A slow, chilling smirk grew on the elder's lips.

​"Good Job God Wolf... Soon, you will get to the finish line," Leonardo murmured, his voice now devoid of any paternal warmth, replaced by the calculating tone of a millennia-old chess player.

"I will be waiting for you... Just don't fail me."

​With a simple, chilling snap of his fingers, the body of the once-mighty Ogre, shattered instantly, turning into a fine mist of blood and dust. Leonardo had no use for weak, defeated pawns.

​"Keep going," he added, looking toward the distant horizon.

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