Misunderstood Hero: My Family Are All Villains

Malik didn’t recognize the Title, but it seemed that...

Ding!

His system did.

—

╔═════════════╗

║TRAIT UNLOCKED!║

╚═════════════╝

[Trait — Flipper Of Armies]

[Description: A title celebrating the Sultan’s might on the battlefield.]

—

Accepting that and the man’s words with a nod, Malik asked:

"What do you want, Order’s slave?"

The man raised an eyebrow, seemingly amused.

"Ah, so you’ve already figured me out, huh?"

Yes, his white hair, his arrival right after the "insurrection," the reinforcements that shouldn’t have existed. It all pointed to the Order. Malik didn’t need more confirmation than that.

"Have you come to admit defeat?"

The man laughed out loud.

"Well... heh. I would’ve if I could, but unfortunately, I have to see this through."

He spread his hands, palms up.

"Since I can’t defeat you in true combat, then how about a duel?"

Malik stared at him.

’...Interesting.’

The man’s smile didn’t waver. His eyes remained sharp, but there was no fear or desperation in them. He knew he couldn’t win, he knew he might die, and he didn’t seem to care.

"What kind of duel?"

The man’s smile widened at Malik’s question.

"The kind where we all walk away."

Just as those words left his lips...

Whoosh!

Sinbad landed on Malik’s shoulder.

Azeem touched down to his left.

Zafar appeared from the crowd.

Noor floated down from above.

Kabir slithered in their shadows.

They gathered around their Sultan, their faces concerned.

"Elder Brother, I urge you not to accept this."

Sinbad’s feathers were still damp with blood.

"It must be a trick, you know this."

Azeem nodded.

"The Order never plays fair, my Sultan. There is no dishonor in denying any request of theirs."

Zafar’s voice was quieter.

"My Sultan, let me kill him now and end this."

Noor said nothing. She just stared at the plain-faced man with open contempt.

Kabir was the same, though his trembling shadow said all that was needed to be said.

Listening to all of them, Malik eventually nodded.

"Thank you for your input."

He gently denied them.

This wasn’t a duel he could easily reject.

He’d already run out of Soul Glyphs, at least those that he was intent on using.

Plain or not, the man was likely as strong as that snake-eyed illusion bastard.

Malik would need a Peak Soul Glyph to kill him.

Sure, his people could gang up on the plain man as well, but that held too high a risk. Malik couldn’t find it in himself to risk the lives of his people when he had an alternative option.

Besides, his army was too exhausted; this duel would provide a moment for them to recuperate, even if the invading army attacked them right after.

Furthermore, and most importantly, he’d be getting Fear Points from this!

A Sultan destroying an army and their leader right after!

What a tale that would be!

It was very interesting how the Order, realizing that overpowering him wouldn’t be so easy, decided to use his pride against him, thinking that they could trick him.

He would gladly take them up on that.

And so, coming to a decision, Malik turned back to the plain man.

"When I win against you, will your army retreat?"

The man’s smile didn’t waver.

"I swear this Oath upon my Runes, and my name, Mendax, that if I lose this duel, I shall command my army to retreat."

Such words carried weight. An Oath sworn on Runes couldn’t be broken without consequence.

The man would lose his Runes and his Class. Everything he’d built.

Malik studied him for a long moment, then nodded once more.

"I accept. I find honor in your terms."

Mendax reached behind his back.

When his hands came forward again, they held two daggers.

Identical black blades with silver hilts and no ornamentation.

They looked like nothing special, but they were.

"Holy Relics."

Mendax held one out to Malik.

"As long as both opponents wield the same dagger, they can hurt each other regardless of Class difference. Even if you’re too strong for me to touch normally, this dagger will cut you."

Malik took the offered blade.

’Hm.’

It was lighter than he expected.

"The restrictions are heavy."

Mendax casually continued.

"It can only be used once. There’s a time limit, ten minutes, no more. After that, the daggers turn to dust."

Malik looked at the weapon through his system.

—

╔════════════════╗

║HOLY RELIC DETECTED!║

╚════════════════╝ 𝒻𝑟𝘦𝘦𝘸ℯ𝒷𝑛𝘰𝓋ℯ𝘭.𝘤𝘰𝘮

[Item: Dagger of Equal Ground]

[Effect: Allows the wielder to harm any opponent regardless of their Class in the Divine Hierarchy. Duration: 10 minutes. One use only. Only works if the opponent has the same dagger equipped.]

—

Malik closed the window.

"It’s real."

Sinbad made a low hoot in his throat, and the others followed, subtly showing dissatisfaction.

Malik ignored them and turned to his army with a raised hand.

"Reform your formations."

For once in their lives, his soldiers hesitated after hearing his command.

They looked at the enemy army, which was barely standing, and then looked at Malik, a glowing pillar between the two forces.

"Now."

Finally, they moved, as did Malik’s family.

The shield walls retreated step by step, keeping their faces toward the enemy. The archers climbed down from their elemental platforms. The spell casters gathered their exhausted ranks. The healers carried the wounded.

Across the field, Mendax raised his hand as well.

His army did the same, retreating in good order—surprisingly good order for a force that had just been massacred.

The nearest invaders backed away the slowest, their eyes fixed on Malik even in their retreat.

Soon, the two armies fully separated, pulled back to their original positions.

The battlefield grew empty.

Bodies still lay scattered across the mud—too many to move and count—but the living had withdrawn.

Malik noticed how thin the enemy ranks had become.

They’d started with over a hundred thousand.

Now they looked like twenty percent of that.

’Very good.’

Mendax walked to the center of the empty field.

He drew a circle in the dirt with the tip of his dagger.

It was a simple ring, maybe twenty feet across, nothing more.

"The rules for this duel are simple. Both combatants must stay inside the circle. Fight with nothing but the dagger. In other words, no Rukh or a different Holy Relic than this one."

He stepped into the circle.

"Step outside, you lose. Die inside, well, you lose. That’s it."

Malik inwardly hummed.

’...really interesting.’