When Delane later heard of Klein's decision to take the trial by combat route, he scolded him for choosing something so drastic and so dangerous. He asked whether Klein had any idea how dangerous it was, and Klein assured him that he was fully aware of the risks. Klein urged his brother to simply accept it as it was, since their father already had.
Delane was so worried that he even suggested standing as Klein's champion in the trial, but Klein refused. He told Delane that there was still only one reason why they retained power, even though the branch families were forever trying to shake them loose. The reason was simple. Their father was the strongest swordsman, and Delane was his successor.
Klein urged his brother to look at the bigger picture before offering to stand in for him in a fight like this. He pointed out that it would only hand the branch families an opportunity to kill the heir of Rheinland. Deep down, Klein knew the situation must be hard on his brother, but he also knew he had no choice except to do this in order to salvage his own reputation.
Delane then told his brother how happy he had been on the day Klein was born, because he had always wanted a little brother. Even though they had different mothers, Delane had never cared about that. In the end he had lost his brother to the monastery, and now, so soon after his return, that brother was entering a trial by combat that might lead to his death.
With tears in his eyes, Delane grabbed hold of Klein, and the reaction shocked Klein to his bones. Before Delane could say what was on his mind, Dunkel entered the room to tell them that Delkin had picked his champion. He was Rendell, an excommunicated knight from the empire who had proved his worth in battle. The reason he had been excommunicated was his insatiable desire to kill.
The scene shifted to a tavern, where Rendell, a man built like a giant, sat drinking while surrounded by the corpses of people he had beaten to death purely for fun. Rendell expressed his excitement about going up against a young boy, because he badly wanted to hear Klein's agonized cry when he tore him apart.
On the day of the duel, Dunkel gave Klein the sword that he had asked him to prepare. It was a sword that would shatter the moment it met a blade infused with mana, and Klein seemed pleased with it.
Klein confidently stepped into the arena, and the people gathered there were surprised that he had shown up at all. Delkin was sitting in the executive area alongside Heinkel, and he made a point of expressing his surprise that Klein had decided to fight personally. He asked Heinkel in a mocking tone whether his son would be all right, since Rendell was a great warrior from the empire. Delkin told Heinkel that he should have sent Delane instead, but Heinkel kept his mouth shut rather than engage with such useless talk.
In the arena, Klein was wondering where his opponent was when he felt someone touch his shoulder from behind. It turned out to be the towering Rendell, who grabbed him and said he was excited to hear what sound Klein would make when his neck snapped.
In reaction to the man suddenly touching him from behind, Klein leapt away, and the spectators were shocked to see him running from his opponent. Delkin capitalized on it at once, telling Heinkel that there was no way Klein would be able to handle the duel, since he was already running before it had even started. Even Rendell taunted Klein for being terrified when the fight had not officially begun.
Little did they know that Klein was not actually scared. He had only been startled, and that was thanks to the trauma of the last time Garrison had grabbed his shoulder.
Lyra was also there to watch the fight, against the wishes of her stepmother, Helion. Lyra told her assistant knight that she did not care what Helion thought, because Helion was not her mother. She added that there were things she had to confirm with her own eyes.
Klein, meanwhile, remembered Lyra telling him that she was going to kiss him if he defeated a knight, and he almost retched at the thought.
Klein warned Rendell not to touch him again, but Rendell touched him anyway, and Klein did not hold back. He threw a jab, telling Rendell that he was so ugly it was no wonder the empire had abandoned him. That cut deep into Rendell's soul, though he tried to act tough and said that since Klein had such a foul mouth, it only made things better.
Realizing that Rendell was not going to let go of his coat, Klein began undoing the coat's buttons. Just then Rendell punched the spot where Klein was standing with such strength that the ground caved in. When the dust cleared, Rendell realized that he was only holding Klein's coat. The spectators were raving about how powerful he was, and when the air finally cleared, they saw Klein standing well away from him in the distance.
From that first exchange, Klein already understood that a direct confrontation with Rendell was out of the question. If he even attempted to parry one of those attacks, he would be the one crushed. With that, Klein realized that he could not afford to play around in this match.
Those who were watching admitted that Klein had dodged the attack beautifully, but the problem remained how he was supposed to win against a giant monster like Rendell. Delane could hear the people around him saying that Klein would die in this fight, and it frightened him.
Rendell made another move, lunging at Klein, but Klein dodged the punch before pulling his sword from its sheath. He aimed for Rendell's neck, but Rendell grabbed him like a toy and flung him in the opposite direction. Klein kept his composure, landing on his sword and holding his balance.
Before he had a chance to rest, Rendell dashed at him, swinging his own sword. Klein managed to block the attack, and Rendell teased him, telling him that he could not win by running around. He mocked Klein, telling him to use his necromancy, asking whether he was not the great Archmond.
Klein heard that, and the anger caused his demonic energy to leak out. Rendell felt the aura and leapt backwards in fear. The spectators wondered why he had suddenly jumped back, and comforted themselves with the idea that he was only taking it easy on Klein. Rendell knew better. He could feel an ominous aura, like Archmond's, swelling all around the boy.
Delkin panicked when he saw his champion behaving so strangely, and just then Klein assured Rendell that he had nothing to worry about, because he was not going to use necromancy on him. Since he was a Rheinland, Klein knew that the arena was a place for him to prove himself through the sword alone.