Could this really be called a battle though?

(This chapter is from Lana's perspective)

Lana took a deep breath as they reached the dueling field. She was not prepared for what was happening. 'This guy had to be a fake, right? Why did he accept the duel? Could he be telling the truth? That's not possible, a new god could not happen, let alone a male god. The idea is preposterous. But then, what is going on?' She could not wrap her head around it as she got to her side of the field.

As she got into position, Karen addressed her again, "Be careful. Even if he is bluffing, we can more easily deal with a **** than you messing this up, got it?" Lana nodded, and with that Karen went to stand at the side of the arena.

The strange man in armor went to stand in the opposite position as Karen. 'And there is another mystery. Sister didn't mention anything about a man in armor, and seems confident this Mathew is the one who saved her. Yet, if Mathew was capable of dealing with a group of bandits on his own, why would he need a guard? And where did he come from?' She shook herself to get ready for the duel and chase away those thoughts. It didn't matter, right now, she just needed to defeat him.

Mathew took a deep breath, and raised something from his chest onto his face. It was a solid mask, with no places he could see through it, as well as a very strange design covering it's smooth form. 'Great, yet another mystery I can't make any sense of.' She shook her head in annoyance and prepared to cast a spell.

Her father took a position at the center edge of the field, across from Karen and the man in armor. He looked to both members, Mathew silently nodding, and Lana giving a thumbs up. With that, he shouted, "You may begin!"

There were a tense few moments where nothing happened. Lana didn't want to make the first move and lose to a counter so she waited a second, only for Mathew to make no move at all. 'Was this guy just bluffing? Why isn't he even pretending to do anything?'

As if to answer her thought, Mathew called out, his voice barely muffled by the mask, "Go ahead and send a good attack my way, I need to test my abilities after all. It would be a waist to win before I can see what gifts my lord has given me." She could imagine the smug grin on his face under that mask, it filled her with rage.

She channeled her magic, forming mana into a concentrated ball of light. 'I don't know what he is capable of, the best assumption would be to guess he is strong and simply faking divinity. In this case, I should lead with my strongest attack, since he isn't going to stop me casting.' She smiled herself as she continued to gather mana.

Once she gathered as much as she could handle, she focused it into a lance before throwing it at Mathew. To her great surprise, he made no attempt to dodge, even opening his arms as it approached at immense speeds.

The crowd went completely silent as the light pierced through Mathew, leaving a clear hole through his torso. Karen called out from the sides after a moment, "It seems my services shall be required, let me-"

She was interrupted as she walked forward by the armored man placing his hand in her way. "The duel is not over." He said in a voice that echoed from within his helmet.

As everyone looked at him in confusion Lana continued to stare forward, dread filling her as she watched the man with a hole where his heart should be calmly look down at his chest. "Ah, a good hit. I commend your accuracy." He gave a chuckle, and the blood drained from Lana's face as she saw his flesh contort and grow. His bones grew from their broken pieces and latched back together. Within a mere second of it beginning, the only evidence that he had been hit was the hole in his clothing.

"H-how is this-" Lana began to say, stumbling in fear.

Mathew interrupted her, "Well, I would say that is one of your stronger attacks, judging from the mana output and channeling time?" Lana just stared at him in horror. 'How is this happening? Even cultists of the dark can't do anything like that. The only person I have even heard of with such an ability is the Amazon Queen. What kind of monstrosity is this man?' Interrupting her thoughts was a statement that paralyzed her, "I suppose I should respond in kind," He tilted is head, "No?"

He raised his hands above his head as he called out in a somewhat distorted voice "Do!" The air above the field contorted, a ring of intwined lines forming above them. "Vah!" From inside the ring, a shape manifested, a great eye twisted on its side, glaring down upon her. The shape in the air now had an unmistakable resemblance to the mark upon Mathew's mask. "Kiin!"

With that, a beam of twisted green energy streamed forth from the pupil of the floating eye. Lana only had the time to think one thing as it stretched towards her at lightning speeds. 'Is this... The power of a god?' Her thought was ended as a great flash of light blinded her and **** her to close her own eyes.