Hero of Darkness

Both Helsi and Kahn placed their respective shields on the big white marble table in front of three saint blacksmith judges. The opponent's shield had green and beige patterns here and there while the center had a head and horns of a ram. The shield made by Kahn on the other side had black and silver coloring with the shape of a demonic head in the center similar to a yokai. 

Although both the shields were only of Silver rank… they emitted a faint glow because of the attributes added to them via the runes by their respective makers. Helsi's shield gave off a faint blue aura while Kahn's glimmered with a yellowish green aura. 

"The Judges will check the quality of the finished shields by themselves now. We will hear about their expert opinions soon." commented the announcer of the duel. 

In the following moments, Master Ivaldi dressed in red attire, Druvagar in blue and Fili in yellow started with Helsi's shield first. 

Back in the day when Throk and Kahn visited the Dwarven Council where the High Elders tried to intervene in the matters of the two blacksmiths, these three saint blacksmiths also appeared that day. 

Master Ivaldi, the number one blacksmith of the Vulcan empire and Throk as well as Bifur's former mentor sided with Kahn's master during that skirmish. 

Master Druvagar, the number two blacksmith took Tawerik's side. Kahn had an impression of this dwarf as someone who greatly hated humans and opposed Throk taking in a human disciple. 

Master Fili on the other hand had chosen to take a neutral. He wasn't associated or familiar with any of the parties involved and he already declared his intentions to not pick a side back then. 

And now these three top blacksmiths were going to judge the quality of their shields and decide the winner of the first round. 

----------------

Master Ivaldi, the long white-haired bearded dwarf took a Punch and banged it against the shield made by Helsi. 

Tanggg!! 

The loud noise resounded in the arena and the empire through the screens. He nodded in approval after inferring the built. 

Master Druvagar used his world energy to lift the shield high in the air and in the following moments, 3 orbs containing three different elements such as fire, wind and lightning came to be. Their size was very small but the power concealed in these orbs could be felt by everyone. 

BOOM!! 

Right in front of the audience, he bombarded the shield with all three orbs at the same time. 

Sizzle! 

Sizzle! 

Smoke from the point of impact subsided and he out down the shield back to its place. 

All three masters nodded in approval after seeing that the shield was unscathed and had no cracks over it. 

Master Fili finally took his turn and started studying the engraved runes and using his own saint pressure, he tested the shield's capacity to absorb the damage and how the rune helped it successfully alleviate it based on the type of rune. 

The three masters did not give any type of statement or remarks, only giving each other an understanding nod. 

And without waiting for another minute, they moved towards Kahn's shield. 

One by one, they repeated the same actions and started discussing among themselves using an artifact. 

While their solemn expressions on the screens throughout the Vulcan empire piqued everyone's curiosity and attention… the three masters finally came to a collective conclusion. 

The announcer walked close to the masters and held the mic close to their mouths since it was the moment of truth. 

"Both are equally durable and can easily withstand a lot of damage." spoke master Ivaldi. 

Gasp! 

Millions of gasps were heard regardless of the location within the empire. This reaction came because nobody expected Kahn to be in the same league as Helsi. Just the fact that both shields were equally matched in durability meant that the challengers also were equal to each other in terms of crafting skills. 

"The built, as well as the ability to maintain its shape and structure despite the bombardment of three different elements speaks for itself. 

In my eyes, both the shields made by the challengers are top-notch work among the Silver rank shields." spoke Druvagar like a true professional. 

He gazed at Kahn with an indignant expression that expressed his acknowledgment toward Kahn's shield even if he abhorred him because of the latter being a human. 

And finally, Master Vili stated his opinion. 

"I have inspected the runes on both the shields so I will make a thorough comparison." said the old dwarf in yellow attire. 

Soon, he started pointing out flaws in both shields without holding back. 

Like how the size handling is catered to only heavy and strong build people and not universal use for Helsi's shield. 

As for the one made by Kahn… it was very handy despite the shape in that manner but also prone to getting bludgeoned. Not too sturdy compared to Helsi's shield. 

"Quality is equally matched in many aspects but then it all comes to runes." said Ivaldi with a somber expression. 

The first shield by challenger Helsi is made for sustaining great damage but not only it can absorb it while facing attacks in a frontal clash but also would expel it on the enemies after a specific interval. 

This shield is extremely good for an offensive approach in a battle." said Druvagar with a stern expression. 

Then at last, Fili decided to give his expert opinion on Kahn's shield. 

"This shield is lighter compared to the first one and also, the maneuverability is more flexible and also can be used by anyone regardless of their position in a battle formation. 

The runes engraved on it will help increase defense by absorbing damage with time. 

This is a fine shield specially made for a battle of attrition. Even a Tank can benefit from using it." spoke the number 3 saint blacksmith as he gave his honest analysis. 

"Both shields are good but in a battle, the one made by challenger Kahn is lacking only in total defensive capacity for this weapon after taking everything into account. 

While it can accumulate and improve its defense over time… it's not ideal to face a sudden and unprepared onslaught." said Ivaldi. 

"In the end, although the quality is equally matched for both the shields…" spoke Druvagar. 

"It depends on the response time and the position of the user in a battle formation. So if we were to personally choose the most preferred one… I think we have a common consensus." said Fili and all three saint blacksmiths declared the result. 

"The winner of the first round is…" they took a moment of pause and their loud voice reverberated throughout the entire Vulcan empire at the same time. 

"Challenger Helsi!"