Chapter 20
Scorched Earth
— Chengtang Pass : Shang Dynasty, Northeastern China —
"Mother! I'm going out now!" Nezha called out to Lady Yi as he raced out of his house having just finished another long and boring Guzheng practice session his father had forced him to take.
"Okay sweetie!" Yi called back from within the kitchen, "But make sure you come home in time for dinner. Also, you remember what your father always says, never play too near the beach, alright?"
"Yeah yeah, got it mom, bye!" Nezha answered as he made his way down the staircase whilst rolling his eyes.
As Nezha made his way throughout the town, he was greeted by the various citizens out and about the streets during the afternoon hours, all smiling and waving at the young boy as he weaved through the crowd to get to his intended destination.
"Hi, how're you doing today, Uncle Ping?" He said as he raced past the old man who manned the fruit and vegetable stand everyday.
"Afternoon aunties!" He greeted the group of old women who sat together under the shade, all waving back at Nezha and complimenting him for being such a, "Polite young man."
After a minute or so of running, Nezha finally made it to his destination, the long Sandy shores that stretched along the edge of the wavy blue ocean. The very place he had been warned not to go to by his parents.
As Nezha took in the beautiful seaside scene, with the coarse sand between his toes, the salty breeze that blew through his hair and the crashing waves that pummeled the coast line. He produced from behind his back a training spear and his Qiankun Ring, the only Divine Weapon he had at the time aside from his Huntian Scarf, both gifted to him by his mentor, Taiyi Zhenren.
Taking his ring in one hand, Nezha began tossing it high into the air before expertly catching it with his spear tip and throwing it upwards again. After repeating this trick a few more times, Nezha began increasing the difficulty level of his tricks, such as spinning his spear before catching the ring, or spinning the ring round and round, on the tip of his spear before launching it high up into the air and catching it with one hand.
Unbeknownst to Nezha, An unknown figure stood behind one of the many Sandy boulders that dotted the coastline, slowly making its way closer and closer towards the boy, watching him continue with his entertaining display of skill and concentration, blissfully playing in the sand without a single care in the world.
Still unaware that he was being watched, Nezha prepared to perform one of the hardest tricks he knew. First he would throw his ring up in the air, before striking it with his spear and sending it flying towards a boulder in front of him, sending it ricocheting back towards him. Whilst that was happening he would throw his spear spinning into the air and back into his hand, before catching the rebounding ring on the tip of his weapon in a perfectly timed moment.
Taking a deep breath and clearing his mind, Nezha threw his ring and watched it sail high up into the air before descending back down towards the ground. Gripping his spear, Nezha's eyes followed the ring intently as it fell back to the ground as he prepared to strike it. This trick would take every fiber of his concentration to carry out, he had to ensure that he was completely focused every step of the way. There could be no mistakes, no slip ups, no distract-
"Whoa that's SO COOL! How'd you manage to get it to fly so high?"
Startled by the sudden appearance of another individual, Nezha's steadfast concentration was lost as he jumped in surprise with a yelp, falling to the floor as his ring landed in the sand next to him.
"Oh no! I'm so, SO sorry! I didn't mean to startle you like that!" Said the owner of the voice as they extended their hand to help Nezha back to his feet.
"Thanks," Nezha grumbled as he was pulled back to his feet, slightly annoyed that his alone time had been interrupted by the presence of this newcomer. "Jeez! Where did you even spring from? Didn't anyone tell you not to sneak up on folks like that?"
Standing in front of Nezha was a strange looking boy, he was around 13 years old like Nezha, with long ocean blue hair tied in a ponytail. Pointed ears, striking green reptilian eyes, two elegant long horns sprouting from his forehead and scaly blue skin covering most of his body. He wore expensive looking robes with a scale patterned design in white, dark and light blue, making it more obvious to Nezha that this guy definitely wasn't one of the few other peasant kids that lived in Chengtang Pass.
"I'm really, REALLY sorry for sneaking up on you like that!" The boy apologized as Nezha dusted off sand from his body.
"Don't sweat it too much," Nezha assured him," I'm fine, but seriously, where DID you even come from? You just appeared behind me out of nowhere!"
"Well I was just popping out of the ocean and having a look around the beach when I saw you doing those cool tricks with your spear! I mean, how did you even get so good? Anyway I decided to get closer to have a better view and accidentally ended up scaring you, sorry..." He said as he rubbed the back of his head sheepishly.
"Oh, uh thanks I guess. Only takes practice and all to master it really, nothing that impressive actually..." Nezha said bashfully, surprised that someone would actually compliment him just messing around with his spear.
"Wait wait, hold up," Nezha said as he suddenly looked more closely at the boy,"Did you just say you 'popped out of the ocean' what do you mean by that?"
"Whoops! I completely forgot to introduce myself, sorry about that." The boy said as he extended a hand forward in greeting, "My name's Ao Bing, son of Ao Guang, the Dragon King of the East Sea. Pleasure to be meeting you!"
Nezha gaped as he shook Ao Bing's hand, his mother had told him tales of the four Dragon Kings who dwelled in each corner of the ocean. The Dragon King of the East was the strongest of the four and the people of Chengtang Pass regularly made sacrifices to him pleading for rainfall.
"Wait, You're a Dragon Prince? WHOA! That's so cool! But what would a person like you be doing hanging around here? Shouldn't you be in your undersea palace doing some royal Dragon Prince stuff?"
"Heh, well being a prince isn't really all that cracked up to be," Ao Bing said with a sigh, "Needing to take a bunch of classes so that you will be ready to inherit the throne from your father and whatnot can get super boring after practicing the Gu Zheng for six hours straight since waking up."
"Damn, same here," Nezha replied, "My old man's been forcing me to practice that wretched instrument for the entire morning as well, just barely made it out alive." His response caused both boys to share a laugh at the similar misfortunes in their life.
"Sorry if this seems a little out of nowhere, but would it be possible for me to uh... have a look at that spear you have there?" Ao Bing suddenly asked whilst pointing to Nezha's training spear which lay by their side.
"Huh? Oh, yeah sure go ahead and pick it up if you want man, I don't mind."
Ao Bing's eyes widened with excitement as he gingerly picked up the spear, lifting it close to his face to get a better look.
Nezha tried to stifle a laugh as he watched the Dragon Prince carefully turn his spear in different angles and directions so as to better inspect it. Ao Bing was acting as though he wasn't holding a regular spear at all, but some weapon of mass destruction that would explode with just one wrong move.
"You okay there?" He smiled as Ao Bing handed him back his spear, as he spoke Nezha began twirling his spear with one hand which was met with a look of wonder and awe by the Dragon Prince, "It's just a regular old spear, don't you already see your dad's soldiers using them as weapons half the time? Why're you acting like you've never seen one before?"
Ao Bing blushed at Nezha's comment, "Well I mean yeah, I do see the soldiers and guards in my palace using spears before, but my dad never actually allowed me to USE one before."
"Seriously?" Nezha said incredulously, "Why the hell not? I mean he would want you to be fit to inherit his position right? Are you telling me the Dragon King of the East Sea wants his heir to be good at playing some dingy instrument, but not trained in the art of combat?"
"No no!" Ao Bing replied quickly, "I mean, I do know how to fight and all, but it's just that my father thinks that spears shouldn't be used by someone of my status. He says that spears are the common soldier's weaponry and that a Dragon Prince shouldn't be using them. So I've never actually practiced fighting with them before."
"Wow, and I thought my dad was strict and unreasonable," Said Nezha, "So you're saying you never ever used a spear before in your life?"
Ao Bing nodded glumly, "I would like to though, it seems much more fun and interesting to use than those hammers my father gave me."
"Hammers huh? I mean hammers are good in their own way and all, but I think spears are much more efficient and elegant."
"I know, right? But since my father doesn't want me using it, no one in his court is willing to train me in using it no matter how much I beg him." The Dragon Prince finished this sentence with a deep sigh
Seeing Ao Bing's dejected face, Nezha felt a pang of pity and understanding for the Dragon Prince's predicament. Though his father was a military commander, Li Jing had initially rejected the idea of his son learning how to fight, due to his fear of Nezha's unnatural birth and strength. Were it not for Taiyi Zhenren's intervention and insistence that the boy become his student, Nezha could very well have never found his love and passion for battle.
It was because of this understanding, and Nezha's desire to help his newly made acquaintance, did he choose to say what he said in the next moment.
"Well then you're in luck then!" Nezha said in a dramatic tone as he held aloft his spear, "Because I shall hereby take up the role of your teacher of the spear, and will help train the Dragon Prince of the East Sea to use this mighty weapon!"
"W-wait really?" Ao Bing said in shock as Nezha once again passed him his training spear to use, "You do that for me? W-wow, thanks so much! B-but I can't just take your spear, that would be a bit much."
Nezha grinned, "Don't worry about it, I think there's one or two more of these training spears lying around my house somewhere, it's not a big deal really. Plus, us kids with overbearing dads got to look out for each other y'know?"
With that Ao Bing and Nezha shared a laugh as the Dragon Prince held up the training spear in his hand while Nezha helped to get him in the proper starting stance in preparation to start the lesson.
"Hold on," Ao Bing said before they began, "I completely forgot to ask you but, what's your name?"
"Whoops!" Nezha scratched his head in embarrassment, "Looks like I'm the one who's forgetting his manners this time, my bad!" He said, which made Ao Bing giggle a little.
Nezha stuck out his arm again so he and the Dragon Prince could properly introduce themselves to one another, "It's nice to meet you, Prince Ao Bing! My name is Nezha, son of General Li, military commander of Chengtang Pass. It is a great honor for me to have the role of training you to use the spear!" He finished humorously.
Ao Bing smiled at Nezha's joke as he shook his hand again, "Nice to meet you Nezha, and thank you for your generosity! I'm Prince Ao Bing, but there is no need for you to use any formalities, for you can regard me as a friend!"
The young boys smiled at each other, knowing that this would mark the start of an inseparable friendship between the two of them.
(Present Day)
As Nezha and Arthur faced off against each one once again in the arena, flames began swirling all around the Third Lotus Prince's body, slowly morphing into a large column of flames that engulfed his entire body. The size of it and sudden surge of heat in the arena caused Arthur to recoil backwards as he took in the breathtaking scene
"No way," Erlang grinned as the gods around him gasped at what was unfolding below them, "He's pulling THAT out so early in the match? Ho HO! This just got interesting, that Arthur fellow is in for one HELL of a fight now!"
Göll and Pandora gaped at what they saw, "Oh no..." Göll whispered fearfully, "Whatever Nezha is up to now CAN'T be good for us!"
Prometheus grimaced in agreement," Indeed Göll, Arthur will need EVERY last amount of his wits and strength, for that is the form the Third Lotus Prince took when he did battle with THE MONKEY KING himself!"
As Nezha revealed himself from within the subsiding fires, the audience gasped in wonder at his new form, while his armor and weaponry hadn't changed, his physical appearance had undergone a radical transformation.
From his legs to waist there was nothing different, however it was Nezha's upper torso or torsos that had the biggest change in appearance. Sprouting out from his waist were three separate upper bodies of the Third Lotus Prince, each facing a different direction, allowing Nezha to fight from all angles and effectively leaving him with zero blindspots. Each Nezha had one of the god's Divine Weapons, the one directly facing Arthur held aloft the Fire-tip Spear, the one that faced the right grasped the Qiankun Ring, whilst the left was barehanded but wore the Huntian scarf.
NEZHA: THREE HEADS, SIX ARMS (This is literally what it is called when directly translated from chinese)
All three heads flashed Arthur a cocky grin as they readied to charge forth, "Three heads are better than one as they say, King of Camelot! Let's see if you can handle the fire!" Said all of them simultaneously, perfectly in sync.
Arthur smirked as he readied himself for battle, "And just when I believed that things were crazy enough."
With a battlecry Nezha charged, but as he did, two things happened at the same time. First Nezha raised his spear ready to run his opponent through with one of his bodies. Second, his other body that held on to the Qiankun Ring flung the projectile forward as soon as the Third Lotus Prince moved. Two simultaneous speedy attacks that came one after another, hard for Arthur to react to, and even harder for him to defend against.
"LOTUS PINCER!"
The King of Camelot wasn't about to let Nezha dictate the flow of the battle again though, once again Arthur positioned his shield forward and held up his sword, and pushing his legs against the ground, rushed forth to do battle once more.
"CAMELOT CHARGE!"
With a heavy "CRASH!" Arthur's shield met Nezha's ring headfirst once again, the projectile was sent flying to the side, allowing the king to break through the first line of Nezha's offense. However, following up right behind it was the sharp point of the Lotus Prince's spear, ready to pierce through Arthur's chest and skewer him whole.
In response, Arthur swung his blade to parry the attack, and now that both fighters stood face to face, the long-awaited close combat melee between the two fighters finally began.
Being trained from a young age to become the destined great King of Camelot meant that Arthur was an incredible fighter with his blade, each of the king's swing and stabs was backed with great strength and might, causing a great sound to be heard every time his and Nezha's weapons made contact. But at the same time, Arthur's blows exuded a certain elegance and regal demeanor,his form and composure never once faltering as he traded blows with the Lotus Prince.
As for his opponent, while Nezha's attacks weren't as strong and powerful as Arthur's, the Third Lotus Prince ensured that he more than made up for the fact with his speed and range. Every time Arthur parried Nezha's spear, the Lotus Prince would already be sending another jab straight his way. At the same time, Arthur would have to multi-task, maneuvering his shield to defend himself as Nezha's second torso began throwing the Qiankun Ring towards the arena walls, sending it hurtling towards the King's side. Thankfully it seemed because the two of them were locked in close combat, Nezha was unable to properly perform his Celestial Ricochet attack without endangering himself as well.
However this was still a difficult task for Arthur to do as he was basically fighting two people at the same time, whilst he parried blows with one body face to face, he would also have to constantly defend his vulnerable sides from another at the same time. Nezha having three bodies facing different directions also meant that it was now harder for the king to outmaneuver the god and flank him.
Seeing their King's predicament, Gawain and Percival rubbed their heads in worry.
"Things aren't looking good for our king!" Percival said nervously as he chewed on his thumb, "Though he's in his element, dueling his opponent face to face with Excalibur, that Nezha fellow's strange new look is definitely chipping away at his stamina with all those attacks from the front and sides!"
"P-perhaps if the king used the Shield of Avalon's ability once more?" Gawain suggested in response.
"No..." Merlin responded in a stoic voice, though the worry and fear in his eyes were visible to the other knights," It wouldn't do him any good now Gawain, Nezha's ring would still be able to bypass the barriers when thrown. Not to mention, their fighting in close range of one another, limiting their movement NOW would handicap Arthur as much as it would Nezha." The wizard explained sagely
"Then our king's FINISHED!" Sobbed Gawain as he threw his hands up in the sky, his worry shared by many other of the spectators, who began bristling with fear as they watched the fight continue.
"Do not be so quick to despair, Sir Gawain," A new voice called out, "Your uncle won't fall so easily to this god, that I can promise you."
Both Gawain and Percival swiveled their heads to face the newcomer, they recognised that voice all too well, and their faces contorted to ones of resentment and fury as they confirmed the identity of who stood before them.
Dressed fully in white armor, was a young man with blonde hair, his handsome face wore a sad smile as he greeted his former comrades, "Hello Gawain, Percival... Merlin, it has been a while."
"Lancelot..." Percival spat viciously as he stared hatefully at the traitorous knight," What the hell are you doing here?"
"Same as you all are Percival, to support our king in his round." Lancelot answered softly
"HA! You want the honor of spectating the king's match?" Gawain scoffed, "FAT CHANCE! You lost your position of being a Knight of the Round Table and my uncle's friend the day you chose to mess about with that harlot Guinevere behind his back! Or have you forgotten your treachery after so many years?" The knight said savagely, "So if you're done wasting our time, kindly piss off back to wherever you came from, because you're not welcome here!"
All around them, the other Knights of the Round Table began jeering at Lancelot, showing that they shared Gawain's view on their former comrade, whilst Lancelot simply watched them do so with an unreadable expression on his face, clearly this wasn't the first time he had been reminded of his past folly and heard such biting remarks.
"I know very clearly the sins I have committed in the past Gawain," Lancelot answered, "I only hope that I can somehow atone for them and earn your forgiveness." His response was only met with even more jeers from the knights
"Enough," came the stern voice of Merlin, which immediately caused the angry crowd to settle down, the wizard turned to Lancelot and stared at the knight carefully, the wizard's piercing gaze seemed to delve directly into Lancelot's soul, watching, thinking for a moment or two before he spoke once more.
"Though Lancelot has committed a great wrong against Camelot, he has every right to sit with us and spectate Arthur's match to show his support. Ragnarok is above our petty squabbles from our time on earth, we have all made mistakes, what's important is that we admit to them and make amends."
Gawain and Percival seemed ready to protest Merlin's decision, but seeing the wizard's resolve, they gave a reluctant nod and settled down once more, though they still threw a dirty look at Lancelot before turning their attention back to the fight.
"You have my sincerest thanks and gratitude, Merlin," Lancelot said with a bow as he sat down next to them," For so kindly allowing me to stay and watch our king's fight, I am in your debt."
Merlin gave a small nod in response as he turned back to view the match, "While I allow you to watch Arthur's match with us Lancelot, that does not yet mean you have earned my forgiveness for what you had done all those years ago, I hope that is clear to you."
Lancelot pursed his lips upon hearing the wizard's words, "That I know, Merlin," He said in his soft voice, "That I know."
Back in the arena, both Arthur and Nezha continued trading blows with one another, never once backing down from the fight, their blades continuously met in the air with loud clashes echoing throughout the arena. And while it seemed like neither side was tiring out, the constant fighting was taking its toll on both fighters, with Arthur bearing the heavier burden of the two.
As the king continued blocking the Lotus Prince's attacks and trying to break through Nezha's guard, he noticed that for some reason, Nezha had so far only used two of his three bodies in battle, whilst his front and right facing bodies were currently fighting in sync, his left facing body was seemingly doing nothing.
Taking advantage of this, Arthur decided to try something risky, holding Excalibur backwards, he waited for Nezha to strike once more, and as both of the Lotus Prince's weapons raced towards him. The King of Camelot swiftly dropped down to his knees, and with all his might, he swung Excalibur upwards at Nezha's undefended left.
"NEZHA! WATCH OUT!" Yelled Jinzha and Muzha as the rest of the Lotus Prince's supporters let out a cry of shock, watching Excalibur's blade move closer and closer towards Nezha, ready to tear into his flesh.
Li Jing on the other hand, leaned forward in his seat, knowing that the human had just fallen into Nezha's trap, "Show him my son." The Pagoda-Bearing King whispered.
Just before Arthur's sword made contact with Nezha's skin, the king felt something soft yet incredibly firm suddenly grab onto his left forearm and hold it fast, causing Excalibur to go taunt and remain hovering in the air just inches from the god's skin.
"W-what?" Arthur uttered as he saw that Nezha's Huntian scarf, no longer draped across the god's shoulder, had silently crept up on him and was now tightly wrapped around his arm, holding it hostage, preventing Arthur from swinging his blade and hurting its master.
"Bollocks," He cursed with a small grin," I forgot about the scarf."
Quickly, the King turned his gaze upwards, hoping that he was fast enough to block the incoming attack, but was only met with the smirk on Nezha's face and the piercing pain that came from the Fire-tip Spear as it dug into his right side.
With a cry of pain, Arthur instinctively rolled backward across the floor, wincing in pain as he gripped the bloodsoaked right side of his vest.
"UH OH FOLKS!" Came Heimdall's commentary,"Nezha's three heads are proving to be a formidable challenge for the King of Camelot! As expected of the Third Lotus Prince! He's bringing the red hot fire to this tournament! No sneak attack is going to work on him with all those extra surveillance!"
The Knight's of the Round Table groaned in despair upon seeing their king be the first to bleed, "This is going terribly!" Bemoaned one of them," King Arthur just can't seem to land a decisive blow on that god!"
"NO!" Lancelot suddenly shouted, "Our king hasn't given up! So what the HELL are you all doing mourning him already? There's no way Arthur will lose this! Trust me when I say that some measly battle-wound is NOTHING to him! He has seen and overcome much worse than that, as he will now!"
Seeing the so-called traitorous knight scolding them for their lack of faith in their king filled some of the Knights of the Round Table with anger, but more still felt shameful upon hearing his words, Lancelot was right, their king would not be so easily finished.
"As much as I hate to admit," Percival grunted, "That bastard is right! King Arthur ISN'T going down so easily! He WILL win this! For he is the greatest monarch humanity has ever seen! COME ON BOYS! Cheer the king on! He needs our support not despair!"
Hearing this, humanity's spectators began cheering Arthur on louder than ever, encouraging the king to get back up and stand firm on his feet to continue the fight.
Prometheus from his room with Göll and Pandora smiled as he watched this unfold, humanity standing together as one to cheer their fighter on, that was the one thing he genuinely looked forward to in every match of Ragnarok.
Seeing the humans so riled up, Nezha's three heads smirked as they turned towards Arthur, who true to Lancelot's words was now back up on his feet, still panting heavily from the damage he took, but ready as ever to continue the fight.
Arthur chuckled weakly as he got into his fighting stance, "As you can see Prince Nezha, my people, my friends. They all have entrusted their FAITH in me to win this battle, so try all the fancy tricks and forms you want, for victory in the third round WILL be humanity's, and I will risk my LIFE and SOUL to ensure that is so!"
In the God's VIP section, Ra gave a loud scoff as he watched the battle with a cruel smirk, "Pathetic, that human is already done for, yet he still tries to console his fellow apes with hollow words? The Third Lotus Prince better cut him down quickly less he gives them any more false hope."
Amaterasu and Huitzilopochtli gulped as they saw a dark aura emanating around their boss, if there was one thing they learnt from the last two millennia of working with the Egyptian God, was that the one thing Ra hated besides disrespect and weaklings, were any sort of preachy motivational speeches.
Nezha gave a sad smile at Arthur's words, "Your unwavering commitment to protecting mankind is admirable, King of Camelot, it is no wonder you are so beloved and renowned for many generations. Unfortunately, I fear that your subordinates' cheers are wasted." He said in an unexpectedly serious and stoic tone, "For this is the END of the road."
Even though Arthur was already prepared for battle, he could not have defended himself from what happened next. For without nowhere, the Fire and Wind Wheels that Nezha stood upon suddenly flew straight towards the king at blinding speed, and somehow locked themselves around Arthur's ankles.
"W-what is this?" The king asked incredulously as he struggled to remove the wheels from his feet, this however left him susceptible to the second and third phase of Nezha's attack.
Once again, Nezha threw forth his Qiankun Ring, only this time it was not to strike Arthur, rather as the ring flew through the air, it grew bigger in size. Till it was as big as a hula hoop whilst it hovered above the king's head for a moment, before suddenly dropping atop of him and shrinking in size, causing Arthur to roar in confusion and drop his weapons as his arms were pinned to his side by the ring, the King of Camelot desperately tried to break free of his restraints, but the Divine Weapon's held fast.
Next, Nezha's right facing body extended his arm forward, and like a snake slithering off a branch, the Huntian scarf flew off the Lotus Prince's body, sailing across the air towards Arthur and tying itself around the struggling king's legs and forcing them together, completely immobilizing him into standing still.
"W-what's going on?" Pandora yelped in shock as she and her companions saw what was happening, "This can't be good for Arthur! What on earth is Nezha doing?"
Göll felt a chill run down her spine; she was not well versed in battle, but even she had a good idea what was going to happen next. By her side Prometheus' face went pale as he rushed towards the balcony to get a better look.
"No, no, NO!" The Titan growled, "We can't afford to lose a third time in the row! Come on Arthur! Do something!" As he said this, Prometheus tilted his head upwards towards Ra with a seething look, the Sun God wore a look of supreme smugness as he knew the battle was over.
"HOLD ONTO YOUR HATS FOLKS!'' Heimdall yelled loudly, "If I'm not mistaken, Nezha is about to perform the very move he used to subdue the Demon Bull King back in the day! This could be IT for the third round!"
As Heimdall said this, all three of the Divine Weapon's that were holding Arthur in place all burst into flames at the same time, causing the audience to cry out in shock as the King of Camelot's lower body was engulfed in flames.
"ARTHUR!" Merlin and the Knights of the Round Table screamed as they watched their king struggle whilst completely covered in flames, though the brave King of Camelot did not utter a single sound of pain or anguish even as he was burnt alive.
Strangely, Lancelot did not seem to share their worry, instead the fallen knight leaned forward in his seat, eyes open as he took in every second of the scene. While the horrific situation Arthur was now in frightened him, Lancelot knew something everyone else didn't and that fact was the reason why he did not mourn, for he knew there was more to the story.
Watching his opponent take the burning fires of his Divine Weapons without crying out in pain made Nezha's respect for Arthur rise even higher. He wore a look of pity and reluctance as he prepared to do what needed to be done, the King of Camelot had truly been a worthy fighter, opponent and king. But at the end of the day, only one could stand, while the other must fall. The Lotus Prince thought as he raised his spear whose tip ignited into flames, ready to deliver the finishing blow as he rushed forth to perform the fifth and final phase of his attack.
"TOTAL SUBJUGATION : BLAZING SPEAR POINT OF THE LOTUS PRINCE!"
To Nezha's surprise and confusion, Arthur made no attempt to move or dodge the attack, instead the King of Camelot looked him dead in the eye with that same stupid grin still plastered across his face as he uttered,
"Bring it on, Third Lotus Prince, but do not assume my warrior's soul so EASILY extinguished!."
"SCHLUK! '' Was the gruesome sound made as the Fire-tip Spear pierced straight through Arhur's chestguard and vest entirely, running the King of Camelot straight through and sending him flying backwards in a bloody torrent.
"NOOOOOOOOOO!" Merlin howled in horror as he watched his foster son being impaled straight through the heart,"MY SON! ARTHUR!" The wizard sobbed as Gawain and Percival rested a shoulder on the grieving man with tears in their own eyes; they couldn't believe it, their king was dead.
The rest of the audience could only watch in shock and silence at Nezha and the fallen body of Arthur, so this was the true might of the Third Lotus Prince, nearly unscathed and with one of the fastest victories of any match in both Ragnaroks, it was nothing short of frightening.
"YES!" Erlang, Jinzha and Muzha yelled together, breaking the silence as the rest of Nezha's supporters all began cheering loudly for the Lotus Prince as well for his supposed victory," THE MATCH IS OVER! NEZHA FOR THE WIN!"
The Jade Emperor sighed as he watched the younger gods celebrate, "Thank goodness Nezha won, eh Li Jing?" He spoke to the Pagoda-Bearing King," Such a pity it was at the cost of such a fine man like Arthur Pendragon, you don't find a leader who is willing to lay his own life down for his people these days anymore, much less the entire human race."
Li Jing nodded as Lady Yi hugged him tightly, sobbing tears of relief that her son had won the fight, "Indeed Yu Huang, it is rare for a being to do battle with my son as equals, much less respected by Nezha. The King of Camelot deserves to die honorably on the battlefield, surrounded by all those he loved and swore to defend."
"NO, NO, NO!" Pandora screamed in despair as she slammed her fists down on the floors of their spectating room, "We lost THREE times in a row? This can't be! Humanity is all but finished now!"
Göll and even Prometheus this time shared her panic, had they truly lost three times in a row to the gods? Brunhilde had ensured that never happened before in the first Ragnarok! But it seemed like they had failed to do the same this time. All hope seemed well and truly lost.
In the God's VIP section, Huitzilopochtli sighed as he stuffed another Tortilla in his mouth, "Whelp," He said with his mouth full, "Another bites the dust I guess. HEY WHOA! WHOA! CHILL OUT!"
The last part was because Amaterasu had begun shaking the Aztec god giddily by the shoulder, whilst muttering, "We won, Hutizy, WE ACTUALLY WON!" Celebrating the fact that the gods had managed to get three consecutive wins, something Zeus and his roster had not been able to achieve in the first Ragnarok.
As for Ra seated besides the two Sun Gods, The Egyptian Chief God could not be bothered with their antics as he rose from his seat whilst erupting into cold, cruel laughter, gazing down at the despairing Titan, Valkyrie and girl with a malicious grin.
"Four more victories to go, Prometheus," The Sun God said softly, barely containing his glee, "Before your precious humans are wiped out from the face of existence. Hahaha-HA! OH! This will be FUN!"
While the rest of the arena began filling with sounds of cheers and despair on either side, Nezha himself still felt uneasy as he looked at the supposed corpse of Arthur, ignoring the cheers of the crowd as he became lost in his thoughts, the Lotus Prince could not help but feel that something was not right about everything.
Arthur could have chosen to jump to the side and avoid his attack, yet he didn't... Perhaps it was because he was panicking at that moment? No that didn't make sense, the king's final words to Nezha before he had impaled him were proof enough of that, so why had Arthur allowed the attack to land?
Meanwhile, Heimdall fumbled with his Gjallarhorn as he prepared to announce the end of the fight, shocked like everyone else that the third round had ended so quickly. But as the crowd waited for Arthur's body to break into shards and disintegrate so that the match could be considered finished, they found that nothing of the sort was happening at all?
Confusion overtook Nezha's mind, he had literally stabbed Arthur straight through the chest and heart! Surely he must be dead by now, he couldn't actually still be alive could he?
Despite this possibility, Nezha still remained confident in the skills of his ability, but the Lotus Prince decided that he should ensure he had truly won, and slowly made his way over to Arthur's body while the entire audience watched on in confusion.
Standing over Arthur, Nezha took in the scene, Arthur's clothing and armor blackened and smoldering after being burnt, check. The right side and front of his blackened vest completely soaked in red blood, check. Complete lack of any visible wounds from Nezha's previous attacks, also checked.
"Hold on," Nezha thought as he got to the last part, complete lack of wounds? All three of the Third Lotus Prince's heads bent down to get a better look at their fallen opponent. Indeed, while there were large torn through holes in Arthur's vest courtesy of Nezha's attacks, underneath it were not the large gaping bloody wounds or burn marks he expected to see, but instead what he found was completely normal and undamaged skin! It was as though Arthur had instantly healed all of his wounds in death! But that shouldn't be possible, unless...
Lost in his confusion, Nezha barely had time to act as from the corner of his eyes he saw the glint of Divine steel hurtling towards him, and before he knew what was happening. The Lotus Prince's breastplate broke into pieces as the seemingly revitalized Arthur had suddenly jumped to his feet, shocking the crowd and swung Excalibur's blade, smashing it straight into Nezha's chest, sending the god reeling backwards in shock.
"VALOR SLASH!"
"W-what the fuck?" Nezha gasped at the now-standing Arthur, as he struggled to catch his breath after having the wind taken out of him." H-how did you survive that hit?
"A-AM I THE ONLY ONE SEEING THIS FOLKS?" Heimdall yelled as both sides of the arena gaped at the scene in front of them, "Or has King Arthur somehow gotten back up on his own two feet, seeming completely unhurt from Nezha's DEVASTATING STRIKE! What's going on over here folks?"
Merlin wore a look of both relief and shock, "H-he's alive!" He said in amazement "MY BOY IS ALIVE! HA HA!"
"HAIL TO THE KING! ALL IS NOT LOST HUMANITY! FOR MY UNCLE LIVES!" Gawain yelled excitedly to the rest of the crowd as humanity began to cheer with renewed confidence.
Arthur gave Nezha a smirk as he brushed off a few burnt up bits of his vest off his chest, "Tis but a scratch! Prince Nezha, I guess you could say I'm just very lucky I suppose. And your attack may have pierced straight through my chest, but your aim was just EVER so slightly off that it missed its mark, so I'd suggest you fix that. But, ALSO..." As Arthur spoke he shifted his shield to his side, revealing that hanging from his belt was a simple red and gold scabbard, just the right size for Excalibur to fit into.
"It REALLY helps when your old magical items manage to find their way back to you thanks to the help of a friend."
While most of the audience remained confused as to what Arthur meant by that, all the Knight's of the Round Table gave a cry of shock and amazement.
"D-DO MY EYES deceive me Gawain?" Percival spluttered, "Or does our king now currently hold the LOST SCABBARD OF EXCALIBUR?"
"H-he does Percival," Gawain answered, his voice becoming louder by the second, "THE KING HAS RETRIEVED THE SCABBARD OF EXCALIBUR! OUR CHANCES OF VICTORY ARE ALL BUT ASSURED! EVEN DEATH HOLDS NO MEANING ON HIM ANYMORE!" The knight whooped in elation.
Merlin's eyes cried tears of joy, "I don't believe it, he's had the scabbard again! that careless fool somehow HAS IT! Excalibur has been reunited with its sheath! Its great healing abilities are once again Arthur's to command! B-but how... where... WHEN did he find it?" The wizard said incredulously.
Suddenly, Merlin remembered Arthur's words, "The help of a friend." he murmured thoughtfully, turning to Lancelot who sat beside him with a wide happy grin plastered on his face as his eyes were fixed on completely revitalized Arthur, "Well I'll be... Lancelot, it was you…"
Lancelot turned to Merlin with a smile, "I told you didn't I, Merlin," He said more confidently, "I wish to atone for my sins, and I shall do that by assuring Arthur's victory and return to us from this battle! Humanity will not lose this match!"
Merlin gave a hearty chuckle as he clapped Lancelot on the shoulder, his confidence anew, "Well boys?" He said, turning back to the other Knight's of the Round Table, "The King is back on his feet! What are you doing twiddling your thumbs for! His majesty needs our support!"
Arthur smiled as he heard his friends and the rest of humanity motivated and confident of victory, he turned to Nezha and pointed Excalibur's tip towards the Lotus Prince, "Marshal of the Center Altar, Third Lotus Prince, Nezha," He said addressing the god by his full title, "You, are one of the strongest and most formidable adversaries I have ever met, and I am honored to battle to the death against you!"
Nezha smirked as he rubbed his wounded chest, "The honor is all mine, King Arthur Pendragon of Camelot! Let us battle till our VERY SOULS are set AFLAME!" He answered loudly with a grin, causing the entire crowd to bristle with excitement for the ensuing fight that was about to occur.
Arthur chuckled at this praise, before he took a more serious expression, though the smile never once left his face, "INDEED! However, as I said, all of humanity has entrusted me to win this match for them! Hence, FAILURE! is unimaginable, DEATH! is a consequence I can NEVER PAY! SO no matter HOW MANY times I have to claw my way BACK from the BRINK OF DEATH! I will gladly do so in a HEARTBEAT! FOR I CANNOT LOSE THIS!"
