In the Waiting Area…

Ruval Phenex had yet to be able to pick his jaw up off the floor. After applying a Phenex Tear to Valerie and leaving her lying on the couch under Zissa's supervision to rest, he stared slack-jawed at the large viewing screen in front of him.

Ruval couldn't believe his little brother had somehow managed to summon Lancelot, greatest of the knights of the round table. Not only was Lancelot currently in the arena, but he had agreed to fight on Riser's side. It was…beyond unbelievable.

"Ruval?" Zissa said as she stepped up beside him, her eyes locked on the monitor. "Is this…this is real, right?"

Ruval could do nothing but nod numbly, watching as Seekvaira's peerage arranged themselves in a line, The Red Dragon Emperor and a devil astride the Pegasus flanking a large, european dragon.

"How?" Ruval said breathlessly, not expecting an answer. "How did two teenagers gather such impressive peerages? We've faced lords who were hundreds of years old that would resign in the face of either force. They both have Longinus wielders for Satan's sake! It took us decades to find Xantha. How the fuck!"

"I don't know." Zissa said, falling silent as the bells tolled the start of the battle.

Ruval's eyes wandered to a second screen – this one showed the crowd watching in the stands. There were a variety of reactions to the scene on the field. Some sat in shocked silence, unable to believe their eyes. Some stared greedily downwards, likely already plotting how to take the young devils power for their own. Others stood and screamed in approval, absolutely loving every second of what they were seeing.

Seekvaira's peerage flew towards the ravine positioned exactly halfway between the two King's headquarters. Riser's peerage was seen moments later, Lancelot sprinting through the trees beneath them, easily keeping pace.

This would be a fight talked about for decades to come.

X

With Riser…

There was very little I could do from here. Even with my eyes glued to the console before me, the most I could do was organize everyone and let them know where the enemy was.

"The knight is heading straight for Lancelot. Intercept her and ask Lancelot to take Alivian when you do. One of you may have to pull back to distract the Red Dragon Emperor." I said. The knight had probably seen Lancelot and recognized him. I was willing to bet she wanted to test herself against him; letting her do so would screw up my plans.

"Understood, my king." I heard Yubelluna's voice speak in the ear Clarissa's charm was attached to.

I watched on the monitor as Yubelluna took the lead, directing Clarissa and Yubelluna ahead of Lancelot to block the night's path.

"Sir Lancelot!" Yubelluna called as she passed overhead. "Please fight the dragon!"

Lancelot's face lit up and he shouted something back, but without one of Clarissa's charms on his ear, I couldn't understand what he was saying. Lancelot altered his path and sprinted towards Alivian with speed that rivaled what Serafall Leviathan had used to close the distance to me in her office. Lancelot became a black-blue blur, quickly reaching the edge of the cliff only to leap off its edge, Arondight reared back as a surprised Alivian tried to roll away from the legendary figure. Lancelot was too fast, spearing Arondight into the dragon's midsection as Alivian dipped below the cliff, spiraling towards the ground with Lancelot attached to him.

That was one major problem dealt with for the moment. Now we just had to deal with the other two.

"Yubelluna! Issei's coming up on your right!" I relayed, watching as the red-armored form fell into a dive towards them.

"Clarissa!" Yubelluna shouted. "You have the best chance of stalling him. Buy us time!" Without another word, Yubelluna rocketed towards the knight, Kalawarner right on her heels.

Clarissa offered no protest. She reached both hands into her robes and withdrew two items, a large, blue, bird carving and the coin she blackened earlier. Rather than fly up to meet the Red Dragon Emperor in combat, doing so would be suicide, Clarissa channeled a massive spell circle through the carving. With a crackling of magical energy, the carving expanded. It grew and grew until it was the size of a small car, flying out of her hand and soaring up to meet Issei.

"Boost!"

Issei's entire body flashed green as his power surged.

The moment the boost was announced, Clarissa flicked the coin into the air, firing another spell circle through it in a line to connect to Issei. My mouth fell open in shock as the green power bolstering Issei's strength was sucked away. It funneled off of him and flowed downward, directly into Clarissa's coin. The coin absorbed almost half of Issei's boost before exploding into shards, unable to handle the power. The rest of Issei's green energy dissipated into the air.

Clarissa had managed to divert one boost and keep Issei's attention on her construct. She was doing an admirable job of buying time against the Longinus wielder.

As Clarissa faced down Issei, Kalawarner and Yubelluna had launched an all out assault on the knight. Explosions rocked the air around the mounted knight, forcing her into a column of relative safety. The moment she was surrounded on all sides by the explosions, a tidal wave of bright, white spears descended towards her.

Rather than allow the light magic to debilitate her, the knight intentionally flew into one of Yubelluna's explosions to get away, nearly knocking her from her mount. Yubelluna capitalized on the knight's decision, laying into her with dozens of explosive spells.

The first connected, slamming the knight down into Pegasus's back. Before any of the others could hit, black-feathered wings rose up to cocoon the rider, absorbing every explosion. The knight lost a staggering amount of altitude as Pegasus defended her, but the horse unfurled its wings and recovered before the duo hit the ground.

The knight's eyes narrowed in frustration. She held the legendary sickle in her hand aloft, pointing it towards Yubelluna. "Go!"

Like a rocket, Pegasus surged through the air, closing the distance to Yubelluna faster than a shooting star crosses the night sky.

"Yubelluna, dodge!" I shouted.

Yubelluna curled in on herself, bringing her arms and legs in. Moments before Pegasus and the mighty steed's rider would have had her she thrust aloof her limbs forward, a spell circle igniting in front of each of them to create a massive explosion. Yubelluna was blown clear of Pegasus's path, and the knight flew directly through the largest explosion Yubelluna had used yet.

A glint of silver flashed through the dark cloud left by Yubelluna's explosion, extending beyond it to cut open Yubelluna's arm, barely missing her midsection.

Yubelluna hissed in pain, pulling her arm into herself and searing the wound closed with a controlled explosion.

Pegasus tore out of the cloud, providing me with a view of what had caused Yubellunas injury. The knight astride Pegasus was still wielding the same blade, but the weapon it was affixed to was entirely different. Before, the handle had been barely large enough for the knight's hand to comfortably grip. Now, the handle was as long as a tree branch.

"Harpe can transform from a sickle to a scythe and back again." I said, informing my peerage of my discovery. "Don't trust that you're out of its range!"

Yubelluna fell back away from the on rushing knight as Kalawarner showered Pegasus's path towards her with light spears, forcing the knight to peel away, her weapon once more transforming into a sickle.

"Boost!"

My eyes snapped back to the camera watching Issei just as his fist tore through Clarissa's avian construct, his form coated in green power that seeped through the gaps in his armor to strengthen him.

Clarissa reached behind her and pulled out the small, yellow oval she'd bent earlier as Issei careened towards her. She held it between her thumb and forefinger, angling it towards Issei. A jet of green energy exploded out of Issei's back, sending him careening towards Clarissa.

Clarissa stood her ground, gripping the top of the oval and twisting it, creating an 'X' between the two ends. A spell circle flared to life just before Issei fell upon her and the entire area around her exploded into a maze of yellow vines. The daisy-colored tendrils snaked around Clarissa's form and latched themselves onto Issei, immobilizing both of them and covering the area for twenty feet around them.

"Yubelluna! Kalawarner! Now!" Clarissa screamed, a spell circle flashing in front of her hand, causing the bands to constrict around herself and Issei.

Yubelluna looked away from her attempts to bomb the knight to the entrapped Red Dragon Emperor. "Kalawarner, rain light spears! Clarissa, surrender!" Her arms were outstretched, explosive orbs already on the way to their target as she issued her orders.

"I retire!" Clarissa said, following Yubelluna's command. She was engulfed in a blue light that teleported her away from the killzone.

"Riser's bishop re–"

The rest of the announcer's words were drowned out as the entire arena shook from the force of Yubelluna's onslaught. The Red Dragon Emperor was pinned in Clarissa's unnaturally durable thread, forced to bear the bombardment from on high. Dozens of light spears soon followed Yubelluna's explosions. The vast majority deflected harmlessly off of Issei's draconic armor, but a scant few slipped through gaps in his defense, causing him to scream in pain as the holy weapons pierced his flesh. Issei was pummeled by holy light and devastating explosions that destroyed the entire landscape around him, unable to move because of Clarissa's bindings.

"Yaaa!" the knight screamed, having used the break from Yubelluna and Kalawarner's combined ranged onslaught to fly Pegasus up and behind Yubelluna. Harpe was held high as she flew towards Yubelluna, the blade still in its sickle form.

"Behind you, Yubelluna!" I yelled. "Kalawarner, keep on Issei!" They would never get another chance to trap Issei. They needed to take him out now.

Yubelluna turned around just as the knight swung Harpe down towards her midsection.

Yubelluna stepped into the strike, bringing up an open hand to deflect it over her, a spell circle flaring to life in front of her open hand. The moment her palm touched the knight's wrist, an explosion fired out of her hand, knocking Harpe from the knight's grasp and causing her to scream in pain.

The knight's next move shocked both Yubelluna and me. She leapt off of Pegasus and wrapped her arm around Yubelluna's throat, pulling a secondary blade, a small dagger, from her belt.

Yubelluna pulled out the dagger Kalawarner gave her at the start of the fight and stabbed back into the knight's stomach just as the knight's blade came down to impale Yubelluna in the chest.

The dagger Yubelluna had used was made from light magic. The damage done by it would bring any devil down with a single well placed strike. The knight's dagger, while not made from light magic, also transferred some sort of curse into Yubelluna as it connected with her chest. The magic from each dagger did its job, causing immense damage to the target's body.

Both women screamed, falling away from each other before being surrounded in a halo of blue light.

"Riser's Queen retired."

"Seekvaira Agares's knight retired."

A blue light engulfed Pegasus and teleported the horse away when the knight's defeat was announced, pulling the mythical steed out of the fight before it was able to do anything too unbelievable. All that was left was Alivian and Issei, but Kalawarner was my only remaining piece.

"Kalawarner, do not let Issei escape Clarissa's trap! You need to do enough damage to get him out of the arena!" Her light spears had been connecting, but none of the ones that slipped through his armor had landed a solid enough hit to retire him. The Red Dragon Emperor was still struggling to get free.

"Boost!"

The bonds around Issei started to creak and bend as his mutated rook strength doubled once more. If he was able to boost again he'd be able to get out.

"Kalawarner, get in close while he's still trapped and impale him. It's your only chance!"

Kalawarner instantly dove towards the trapped Issei, flinging light spears as she fell.

She landed on top of the yellow bands and summoned a thin spear into her hands. She slid the sharpened point down the struggling Red Dragon Emperor's armor until the point caught on a gap under his arm. Kalawarner used her full bodyweight to drive the spear into Issei, causing one last scream of agony to leave the teen's mouth before he was engulfed in blue light.

"Seekvaira Agares's rook retired."

Kalawarner fell to her knees and sucked in air as Issei's form disappeared.

Now all that was left was–

"Seekvaira Agares's queen retired."

What?

I looked at the monitor covering the camera at the floor of the ravine and saw Sir Lancelot standing facing the river, both his hands gripping Arondight's hilt with the sword's tip buried an inch into the dirt between his feet.

Did I seriously miss my chance to watch Sir Lancelot of Camelot fight a dragon?

X

Sir Lancelot of Camelot Fights a Dragon

His long-time sword felt comfortable in his hand as Lancelot drove the blade deep into the black dragon's chest. The beast howled in pain, beginning its descent towards the ground.

"I am Sir Lancelot. I will be your opponent, wyrm." Sir Lancelot said as he withdrew Arondight to stab the dragon once more. The knight was nothing if not polite.

Alivian snarled as the blade sheared through his scales a second time. The dragon rolled in the air, straightening his plummet into a semi-controlled dive.

Lancelot pulled Arondight free, stepping across the dragon's scales as he adjusted to ensure he wasn't thrown off. When Alivian was upright once more, Lancelot was standing on his back.

"Nothing personal, my friend, but I cannot fly." Lancelot said. He stepped to the left and swung Arondight in a large arc, cutting into the joint connecting Alivian's wing to his body.

Alivian roared in pain, his controlled dive failing as his left wing lost all of its strength, refusing to keep him aloft. The dragon began to spin towards the ground.

Lancelot slashed the blade of Arondight into the dragon as he ran across the dragon's scales as if he were on a treadmill. As Alivian spun towards the ground, Lancelot kept running to ensure he remained perpendicular to the ground, dragging Arondight behind him to score deep lines into Alivian's flesh. When Alivian had almost reached the ground, Lancelot leapt away from Alivian, landing with bent knees on the bank of the flowing river at the bottom of the ravine, Arondight held out to his side, stained with dark red blood.

I have missed this, old friend. Arondight said in Lancelot's mind, feelings of longing, reminiscence and contentment flowing through the sword to Sir Lancelot.

"It has been too long, my friend." Lancelot said, standing from his crouch and bringing Arondight up into a guard position in front of him. "Let us conquer this beast."

Arondight's excited laugh was the only agreement Lancelot needed.

Lancelot charged into the river, water splashing away from his heavy footfalls.

Alivian had crashed into the water, lessening the impact of his fall, but the damage he had sustained was visibly affecting him. The dragon had deep lacerations and puncture wounds all across his body. His mighty left wing hung limp at his side. The scales on the side of the dragon's face had been knocked free. His impact with the ground had likely caused the damage.

Alivian slowly forced himself upright, seeing Lancelot charge towards him. The dragon roared a challenge and opened his maw. Fire the color of a rising sun poured from Alivian's mouth in a great cone, engulfing everything in the area and instantly evaporating a good portion of the river.

An eager grin was visible on Lancelot's face. The knight held Arondight in front of him and was enveloped by the fire.

Alivian kept spewing flames for as long as he could, but the need to breathe won out in the end. The dragon's fire cut off as Alivian sucked in large helpings of air.

When the flames disappeared, they revealed Sir Lancelot. He was standing in the exact same spot he'd been when the fire had washed over him. Arondight was glowing a dull orange, but there was only one other change to Sir Lancelot's appearance.

"Most unfortunate." Lancelot said as he noticed the flames licking at his shoulder. Calmly, he reached up and unfastened his blue cloak and threw it to the ground, the flames falling away from him to hungrily devour the cloak. "A good try, wyrm, but I am made of sterner stuff."

Alivian reared his head back to unleash another torrent of flame, but Lancelot was faster. Within the blink of an eye the knight had closed the distance between himself and the dragon. Lancelot swung Arondight in a downward slash, cutting deep into the dragon's front right knee.

Alivian collapsed forward as his leg was no longer able to support his weight, using the motion to snap toward Lancelot with his powerful jaws.

Lancelot danced away from the attack with the elegance of a ballerina, spinning around Alivian's maw to slash into his right foreleg.

Alivian cried in pain, his entire body coiling as his tail snapped around towards Lancelot's head.

Lancelot squared his stance and held Arondight aloft. Alivian's powerful tail slammed into the flat of Arondight's blade and was stopped dead. Lancelot did not so much as twitch as he absorbed the full power of Alivian's blow.

Lancelot pounced on the opening created by the failed attack, lunging forward to thrust Arondight into the dragon's flank.

Alivian fell to the ground, though not because he was defeated. The dragon's right hind leg shot forward and his claws wrapped around Arondight's blade, keeping it stuck firmly inside him.

Lancelot looked up and saw the sharpened claw at the midpoint of the dragon's wing strike towards him, Arondight still trapped in the dragon's grasp.

Lancelot released the sword and stepped back, the claw passed harmlessly in front of him to tear into the riverbed.

"I hope you excuse me, but I need this." Lancelot said cordially. The knight stepped forward and punched Alivian's clawed paw right on the joint of the appendage that on a human would be a thumb.

Alivian's grip went slack as the armored gauntlet impacted him with the force of a falling mountain, allowing Lancelot to retrieve Arondight from where it lay sheathed in the dragon's body.

Alivian limped away from Lancelot, blood coating his scales and pouring from dozens of wounds to paint the river red. The dragon's eyes were full of determination still as they frantically darted around, searching for any advantage.

A crimson red aura surrounded the dragon, flowing to several points across its body. Alivian roared defiantly, the gatherings of red energy flying off his form to assault Lancelot like a hail of cannonfire.

Arondight's blade became a blur as Lancelot used the legendary weapon to deflect the powerful orbs away from him. Each time Lancelot deflected an orb into the ground, a great explosion could be heard as the ground became a smoldering crater. When the orbs impacted a tree, the tree's trunk was blown into splinters, sending the rest of the tree toppling to the ground.

With a flourish, Lancelot deflected the last orb, sending it careening into the wall of the ravine, a great explosion of rock flying away from the wall with its impact.

"You have fought well, wyrm. I would ask your name." Lancelot said as he approached the deeply breathing dragon.

Alivian had thrown his most powerful attacks at the knight, and Lancelot was unscathed. The only difference between his appearance now and at the start of the fight was the absence of his cloak. Even his armor had not been stained by rubble or blood.

"I…am…Alivian." the great dragon said between deep breaths, defiantly staring at the slowly approaching knight.

Lancelot held Arondight before his face in a salute to the dragon. "You have been a worthy opponent, Alivian. Think on this defeat and use it to grow stronger."

Alivian's reptilian eyes widened slightly, something that might resemble a smile pulling at his cracked lips. "You…honor me…great knight. I will."

Lancelot bowed his head towards Alivian and said, "I honor only those who deserve it, Alivian. Now…" Arondight was grasped firmly in both hands as Lancelot fell into a fighting stance once more. "Have at you!" the knight called as he charged the wounded dragon.

Alivian roared in challenge, forcing his bleeding limbs to throw his body forward, his teeth, claws and tail all striking towards the knight.

Lancelot slid under Alivian's leap, passing under Alivian's form. When he was directly beneath the dragon, he stabbed Arondight upward, driving the blade hilt-deep into Alivian's stomach. He retracted the blade just as quickly, spinning around to face the dragon as he came to his feet, stabbing Arondight's tip into the soil between his feet.

Alivian's body crashed to the ground in an uncontrolled heap. The dragon tried to stand but collapsed under the weight of his many wounds. A blue light enveloped his form and teleported him away.

"Seekvaira Agares's queen retired."

"It was a good fight." Lancelot said, looking at the space the dragon had just disappeared from.

That it was, my old friend. Thank you for your assistance.

"Think nothing of it, Arondight. This short break from my rest was exemplary. Regretfully, I can already feel myself returning." The light around Lancelot's form had grown more prominent, his physical body less physical.

If there were a way…

Lancelot smiled, untold years of wisdom coloring his features. "No. My time is over. Camelot is no more and without it I became that which I had sworn to combat. I am glad that this, my last battle, returned me to the man I was before. I can never repay what you have done for me, Arondight. I can never make up for what I've done to you."

There is nothing to forgive, Lancelot. It was an honor to serve as your blade one last time.

Lancelot pulled Arondight from the dirt, gripping the sword by the blade and holding it at his side, mimicking a sheathe. "Let us return to your new comrades. There may yet be more foes for us to face."

He was the last. Riser's peerage is victorious.

"Truly? Then we must make haste. I would be most appreciative if I were able to speak with you face to face before I return."

Taking a running start, Lancelot leapt up the cliff face, jamming Arondight into the rock face and leapin off the wall to continue his climb.

X

With Riser…

I stared open-mouthed at the screens in front of me. That was it. We'd won.

"Seekvaira Agares's peerage retired. The kings may now join the battle."

We'd almost won. We still had to fight Seekvaira.

My wings roared out of my back as I flew out of the cave.

"Kalawarner, are you alright?' I said, trusting Clarissa's earring to translate my message.

"I'm…fine…Where…are you…?" There were several heavy breaths spaced between Kalawarner's words. She sounded exhausted.

If I were Seekvaira, I would come out swinging, trying to take advantage of the chaos to finish off as many people as possible. That meant I had to get to Kalawarner.

I flew as fast as I could to the still present nest of twisting yellow vines Clarissa had summoned to fight Issei. Kalawarner was standing, her eyes watching the sky for attacks.

"My king." she said in good humor as I landed next to her. A cocky grin pulled at the edge of her lips as she said, "Do I get a bonus for being the last piece standing?"

"I am sure the organizers can think of something."

Kalawarner and I fell into fighting stances as we looked up to the sky.

Seekvaira was lazily approaching our position, her dark wings holding her aloft as she slowly descended. "I must be honest, Riser, I did not expect you to win. I had merely intended to show the strength of your peerage when faced with a superior foe, but you surprised even me with what you kept hidden. Would I be correct in assuming Valerie was the one who summoned Lancelot and that doing so proved too much for her?" She landed on the ground a fair distance from us, her wings still present.

Not seeing any reason to lie to her and willing to let her talk if it bought Kalawarner time to catch her breath, I said, "Yes. You'll find out soon enough anyway, so I'll just go ahead and tell you right now that Valerie has Sephiroth Graal."

Seekvaira's eyes widened. "Three–" She violently clamped her mouth shut before she could say any more, her eyes darting around suspiciously. "So she is human then?" she said instead.

"Dhampir." I corrected her. "Her last name is Tepes."

Seekvaira began to laugh, her elation at odds with the battlefield around her. "You are remarkable, Riser. The most unlikely events seem to transpire around you with regularity. May I ask how you managed to convince a Fallen Angel to become a devil?"

"That's our business." Kalawarner growled.

Seekvaira smiled at her. "Very well. I will not pry."

"This is a fine gathering indeed."

All three of us turned to the voice of the newcomer and saw Lancelot walking towards us, Arondight, held by the blade hilt-out, at his side. The white glow that was before so faint as to almost not be present was now nearly overpowering. Whatever Valerie did to bring him back seemed to be fading.

Seekvaira turned to fully face him and entered a deep bow. "Hail, Sir Lancelot. I am Seekvaira Agares, heiress to the Agares name."

Lancelot's smile was as bright as the glow surrounding his body. "Well and merry met, my lady." the knight said with a curt bow, bringing a fist to his chest in salute. "I must compliment you on your choice of subordinates. Alivian was a fine opponent. Had he more experience, the battle would not have been a sound victory. Please inform him to focus his training on guarding his flank. I imagine that will correct several flaws in his form I was able to exploit."

Seekvaira bowed again. "Coming from you, that is a mighty compliment indeed, sir knight. I will ensure Alivian hears your words."

Lancelot nodded in thanks, then turned to face me. His eyes roamed up and down as he assessed me. "So, you are the devil my Arondight has chosen." His eyes panned to Kalawarner behind me and a smile grew across his face. "I approve."

I told you he was loyal.

Seekvaira gasped as Arondight's voice filled my head, giving me the sense that she had heard the blade speak as well.

"Yes, but it is another thing to see it for yourself." Lancelot said. He walked towards me and held Arondight out, hilt first. "I believe the two of you have something to discuss."

Extremely confused as to why he was handing Arondight, a sword that was rightfully his, to me, I carefully grasped the sword's hilt and hesitantly said, "Arondight?"

I have traveled with you for long enough to determine your character, Riser. You are compassionate, generous, wise, honorable, merciful and valorous. I was made a demon long ago when Lancelot fell into darkness. I never expected to find a Devil who reminded me so much of him. If the lady Agares would allow it, I have a request I would ask of you before Lancelot fades.

Seekvaira's mouth hung limply open as she stared at the sword. "I…uh…I mean you may do whatever it is you need. I will allow you all the time you require." she said, recovering her proper demeanor once her shock of talking to a sword faded. She turned to Lancelot and said, "Sir knight, if you do not wish to fade I am sure…" she trailed off as Lancelot held up a hand.

"I am aware of the method devils have procured to reincarnate others. I must respectfully decline. My time is at an end. I linger only to say farewell to my friend."

Seekvaira and Kalawarner followed his gaze to the sword in my hand.

Thank you, Seekvaira. Riser, I have been used by horrendous beings for too long. The devil you slew to win me used me to commit atrocities that weigh heavily upon me. I have no will of my own. I would ask that you grant me that.

"How?" I said, holding the sword up before my face.

I ask that you reincarnate me. Make me your knight, my king. I swear to serve you loyally for all time. My blade will always be yours to wield. All I ask is you allow me the same freedoms you have given to the others that serve you.

My jaw joined Seekvaira and Kalawarner's on the ground. None of us were expecting that.

"I…is that even possible?"

I cannot be sure, but I would be honored if you would try.

"I…of course. Of course I'll try." Arondight had been a welcome companion on my journey. On top of that, it was Arondight. The least I could do was make the attempt.

An Evil Piece appeared in my hand as I looked at the blade. The knight…I knew instinctively that it wouldn't work. Not because it was impossible, but because it wasn't enough. A second knight joined the first in my free hand, and a smile grew on my face.

"Are you sure?"

Absolutely, my king.

There was no hesitation.

I brought the sword close and pressed the two Evil Pieces into its blade. The sword began to glow a brilliant silver, flashes of black and red flaring through. An unseen force knocked the sword from my hand, but it didn't fall to the ground. The sword levitated in the air, its shape slowly changing. The outline of its blade and hilt shifted, growing taller and wider. The silver glow shifted into the shape of a human. There was one final, blinding flash, and the sword was gone. In its place stood a woman. She was just under six feet tall with long, flowing silver hair that tumbled past her shoulders. Her skin was the color of polished ivory. Silver eyes glowed faintly out from a sculpted face. Two large, dark wings extended from the woman's shoulders, their membrane outlined in glittering silver. A simple gray gown clothed the woman as she experimentally opened and closed her hands, touching her fingers to her face with an expression of awe.

"It…It worked." a voice I had only ever heard in my head said through new vocal chords. "It worked." Arondight repeated, a radiant smile growing across her face. She looked at me, and the next moment she was hugging me, her grip as fierce as if I was the only thing keeping her from falling from the edge of a cliff. "Thank you!"

Gingerly, for I wasn't sure if she was quite used to having a sense of touch yet, I wrapped my arms around her. "You're welcome, Arondight."

The silver-haired woman pulled away and began to dance from foot to foot, an expression of pure glee on her face. Her eyes fell upon Lancelot and she stilled.

The knight was almost completely enveloped in white light now, though the brightness did nothing to hide the fond smile on his face. "I am glad to see you happy, old friend." he said, his voice sounding further away than it was even a moment ago. "Cherish your new comrades. I learned far too late that those who fight beside you are more valuable than any keep."

A tear streamed down Arondight's face as Lancelot's glow grew even brighter. She rushed forward and wrapped her arms around the fading knight. "Thank you for everything, my friend." she whispered against his form. "May you finally find the rest you've longed for."

Lancelot's arms wrapped around her as he was completely enveloped in whiteness. "Farewell, Arondight. Live well, my old friend." There was a burst of blinding white light, then Lancelot's form faded into hundreds of glowing orbs, all drifting away to dissipate against the air.

We all looked on in silence as Arondight watched the orbs fade to nothing. "Goodbye, Lancelot, my dearest friend." she said when the last light had gone out, her voice barely above a whisper.

"Arondight? Are you…?"

"I will be, my king." she said, straightening her back as she took a deep breath. "I would request a moment to collect myself."

"Retire yourself." I said. "Yubelluna should have been given a Phenex Tear by now. She'll be there waiting for you."

Arondight bowed. "Thank you, my king. I retire." A blue light covered her and whisked her away.

Where there would normally be an announcement, there was nothing but a thick silence. A silence so complete it was as if a powerful fae had stolen the voices of all who had witnessed the scene.

"That was…" Kalawarner said, breaking the silence.

"Yes." Seekvaira said, gently lifting her glasses to wipe a tear from her eye. "Yes it was."

Another silence fell over us as we absorbed what had just happened.

"What now?" Kalawarner said, her eyes drifting suspiciously towards Seekvaira.

"We still have a Rating Game to complete." the heiress said, composing herself. "Though I would very much like to meet with you in private once this match is concluded." she said, looking at me.

"I would like the same. We should bring our peerages and debrief everyone at once. A lot of earth-shaking revelations have been made in less than an hour."

Seekvaira nodded. "Quite. Now how would you like to proceed? We could return to our headquarters and attack from there."

I shook my head. "No. I have something else in mind." I turned to Kalawarner and said, "Go back to the waiting room. I'll handle this."

Kalawarner turned to me in wide-eyed shock. "Riser, she's alone! We have the numbers advantage and with my light spears–"

"We have a new peerage member who is rather fragile right now. Valerie is likely still unconscious, and Yubelluna and Clarissa can only do so much. You are the most likely to understand what she is going through right now. Besides, you are the one who retired the Red Dragon Emperor. No one is going to doubt your strength now. Go. I'll fight Seekvaira alone."

Kalawarner looked like she wanted to argue, but she accepted my command. "I retire." She disappeared in a flash of blue.

Once again, there was no announcement. The people in the booth were probably too shocked by the events of this battle to remember to do their jobs.

When I returned my attention to her, Seekvaira was looking at me with a tilted head, a puzzled expression on her face.

"You would surrender your advantage so easily? Are you that confident you can defeat me?"

I chuckled. "I honestly have no idea how this fight will go. All I know about your combat capabilities is that you can somehow mess with the flow of time. I don't understand the limits or even if there are limits. I want Arondight to have as many familiar faces around her as possible right now." I grinned. "I also really want to see which one of us will come out on top. We're both fully rested and in as close to a controlled environment as possible. We can both do our level best to kill each other without actually killing each other. Tell me that doesn't get you excited."

A dangerous fire lit in Seekvaira's eyes as an evil smirk grew on her face. "It's positively maddening." The world around her shifted as she said that. She began to slowly lift off the ground. "I knew I liked you, Riser. Come then – try to kill me." she said, a manic, anticipating grin plastered on her face.

Super-heated flames and volatile air currents swam around me as I rose into the air across from her, my own face cemented into an expectant smile. I'd never been able to really cut loose before. Everyone I'd ever fought had been too weak, or Serafall. If you could call shrinking in on myself like a bitch a fight.

Hopefully Seekvaira would live up to my expectations.