God Mountain glittered with golden light, but no godly decree was issued. Meaningful looks could be seen in the eyes of the three stewards, but they said nothing. The surrounding Firemoons and the subsidiary species, as well as everyone else looking on, seemed full of excitement and anticipation. Although some people were clearly surprised by the development, there weren’t many. Apparently, it wasn’t a surprise at all for Sir Firedark to challenge someone during the Darkheaven part of the ceremony.1

It was almost as if it was expected among the Firemoon Darkheavens. Throughout all the countless years that had passed, there had never been a large number of Firemoons. In order to keep their species’ battle prowess strong, a certain amount of infighting was acceptable. In fact, the way the Great Hunt was set up conformed to that custom. By raising venomous bugs in a jar, they fostered the warlike blood that pumped through their veins. And in the brutal ‘survival of the fittest’ environment, the strongest experts emerged. That was why, whenever the Great Hunt happened and someone was named a darkheaven general, it was acceptable for others to challenge them to fight, although only on that one specific day. Those were the rules.2

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