Thousands. Thousands upon thousands, surrounding them. Yet the knights and the soldiers were not harmed. No one was moving to attack them. The dark armor floated down towards them, a wicked, dark smile on his nonexistant face.
"I am Mordred. And this is my army. I have come to shatter the bonds king Arthur has built. Surrender, and I might kill some of you quickly. But rest assured, you all will die."
"WAIT!" Sonic shouted, drawing all eyes to him. "I challenge you to a duel. Nobody else fights until we're done...If I win, your little group of knights turns around and scampers on home, alright?" Mordred waited and watched him for a moment.
"Very well. If I win, your knights surrender to me, and you must behold every one of their executions before you are finally slain..." Sonic bit his lip, turning to the knights...and saw in their eyes a fire. No one spoke...He was their king, but he still couldn't just sacrifice them based on the outcome of something. It was their duty, but not his place. They all stared at him, waiting, seeing the doubt in his eyes. They looked to Lancelot, champion of their kingdom, but he could say nothing to sway the king. He knew this burden, but not the words to convince him to shoulder it. Finally, growing impatient, Mordred glared at them.
"YOUR ANSWER!" He bellowed, hatred in his voice.
"He accepts." Percival placed her hand on his shoulder. She knew him. She knew he valued freedom, lack of responsibility. But if he didn't take responsibility for their lives, there would be no freedom, no life, for any of them. Sonic stared into her eyes, and smirked. She was pushing him to fight alone. Where he could be free. And where he wouldn't have to worry about cutting loose. Where he could go all out.
"I do." He turned back to Mordred. "But we keep it in the air. Ready, buddy?" He gripped Excalibur tightly, his body giving off a golden light, solidifying around him as armor.
"I am ALWAYS ready to cut down evil." They floated into the air, staring off at Mordred.
"Very well, Sonic. We will end this. HAVE AT YOU!" He burst forward, slashing at Sonic frantically.
Parrying every strike, Sonic was desperately trying to to find an opening. This was no time for honor. This was time for creative thinking. He dug his armored boot into the crotch of Mordred.
"...You do realize there's nothing actually there, don't you?" Mordred stared at him, confused.
"Yeah, in retrospect, I didn't think that out too well." Mordred resumed pressing his attack, and Sonic continued defending. If that wouldn't work as a strategy, well, at least he knew he could distract the enemy. Finally, he saw an opening. Thrusting at Mordred, he nearly made contact...until Mordred cut into his hand, forcing him to drop the blade. Excalibur fell to the ground, and all was quiet, until, finally, Mordred struck at Sonic again. And again, and again.
"This battle isn't over...I'm having far too much fun..." Sonic rushed downward to try to get Excalibur, but Mordred cut him off and rammed his elbow into the king's ribs.
The knights watched in horror as their king was brutalized by the enemy. Percival reached for Excalibur, determined to at least try to get the sword back to Sonic.
"STOP!" The blade bellowed. "Do not touch me! Only the king can hold me as I am!"
"Then constrain your power!" Lancelot ordered, seeing what Percival planned.
"If I did that, his armor would dissipate, and he would plummet to the ground!" They stared at the sword, and at the king, and at the sword again.
Sonic was growing afraid, quickly dodging and blocking anything he could. He had to survive, he had to win, the knights, the people, the kingdom, everything was depending on him. Parts of his armor cracked and broke from the strain, and the scabbard was working overtime to heal his wounds.
Percival stared at her king, her love, her friend, fighting for so many lives, and then stared at Excalibur. It didn't matter if only the king could hold him. She would still try. She grabbed its hilt, screaming in pain as his power surged through her, burning her hands through her gauntlets as she gripped it. She spun in place, fast as she could, and released the sword into the air, flinging it at Sonic.
Noticing the presence of the source of his power, he reached behind himself, grabbing the blade out of the air. His helmet was half broken, his breast plate cracked, his arms sore and tired. He looked down at the knights to see Percival unconscious, and felt rage welling up inside him. He lunged at Mordred, who deftly dodged to the side, thrusting at Sonic.
"Won't work twice!" Sonic said, parrying the blow with the sword and grabbing Mordred's wrist with his off hand. He plunged Excalibur into his chest, cutting through the sigils and runes, and skewering the gate to hell itself. Light flooded the sky, for a moment, blinding all present. When finally it subsided, the knights of the underworld were reduced to mere armor, but Mordred's suit was nowhere to be found. Sonic fell, despite his armor. He was too tired to keep himself aloft. He landed heavily next to Percival's prone form, his armor vanishing as Excalibur returned to normal. He opened his eyes tiredly, to see Percival's motionless face. He let out a tear, staring at her, before succumbing to exhaustion.
The knights of the round table gathered up both the king and their sister in arms. The war was over. But was it truly a victory?
