A quick warning before you start reading, this chapter is significantly more gory than previous chapters!
Elsa's previous onslaught had been a massive wake-up call for me, like being viciously slapped across the face in the midst of winter. Not only did she highlight my own arrogance, but also my biggest weakness.
My biggest weakness was not my lack of experience in battle, nor was it the fear that plagued me when combatting Elsa, nor was it my lack of synchronization with the king, nor was it my inability to properly make use of the king's body and his skills. It wasn't even the weak, fresh Master-Servant bond between Lady Emilia and I.
Don't get me wrong, these were all great weaknesses, but not my greatest weakness.
My greatest weakness, and the reason I was unable to defeat Elsa even without using Magical Energy, was the fact that I was intrinsically incapable of physically harming another person, even during a battle to the death.
I couldn't be blamed for this. I was fundamentally a pacifist at heart, someone who had never been in a fist fight, let alone a battle to the death. Even when confronted with the three stooges armed with knives, my first instinct was to rely on intimidation tactics as opposed to physical violence.
This was just how I was. Thinking back, even when I was in high school, I had to go home after dissecting a frog's eye due to my squeamishness, and I'm honestly not sure how I actually expected myself to instantly adapt to battle, to cut through Elsa, to brutally maim her with my sword.
Even when I automatically countered her earlier, I subconsciously held back with the speed of my blow to avoid cutting through her.
Even when I was behind her, in the perfect position to cut her in half, I opted to throw her through a wall instead, knowing it wouldn't hurt her.
It was embarrassing. I had talked about bravery and making my Lady proud, but ultimately, the bravery to fight against someone and the bravery to kill someone were two completely different matters entirely.
I was just a gacha gamer, an anime addict. I lacked the tenacity to hack someone to pieces with a sword.
It was precisely because of this that at some point, I had subconsciously decided to simply fend off Elsa until Julius arrived, so I could dump all the responsibility on the true knight and let him make all the tough decisions.
And because of this, I almost lost my life against Elsa. If it wasn't for my Instinct Skill being so overpowered, I would have been skewered and mutilated by my opponent.
And then Lady Emilia? I don't think I need to explain what would have happened to her.
I was simply too arrogant. No matter what, I had simply expected myself to adapt to King Arthur's body without fully understanding what it meant to fight like the King of Knights.
I had actually considered myself equal to the king. It was simply too outrageous, simply too audacious.
It was all well and good watching a battle to the death in anime, but the reality of the situation was completely different from my expectations.
A battle to the death was not a beautiful spectacle, it was hell.
As such, I needed to strengthen my resolve. Not just to be resolved to defend against Elsa, but the resolve to brutally kill my opponent and eliminate the threat to my Lady's life.
Of course, no matter how I strengthened my resolve, it would be impossible for me to change in a matter of moments, so what I actually needed to do was suppress that innocence of mine and fully embrace the inherent ruthlessness King Arthur was capable of.
Like the King back then, I needed to bottle up my emotions and bury them deep within the pits of my stomach, at least when in battle, so I could wield my sword without hesitation.
If I didn't want to die here that is.
Unfortunately, given my experience, I wasn't sure whether I was actually capable of doing something so ruthless, but I would certainly give it a try.
Even if it meant killing my 'self', I would kill Elsa here today.
After all, this was the king's forte.
I took a deep breath and closed my eyes. I imagined all the scenes of Lady Emilia being brutally mutilated by Elsa, her faint cries as she fell to the ground with a thud, blood spattering everywhere, and the fate that would befall the world after her death, and slowly but surely, something started to bubble within the pits of my stomach.
It was not a red-hot rage, but an incredibly still coldness. A coldness and tranquil state of mind that frightened even myself. Though it was leagues away from the void mind obtained by Musashi, I had at least managed to suppress my fear and cowardice, if not temporarily.
I gripped my sword tightly and readied my stance. Only instead of moving backwards, now I would move forwards.
The sheathe bounding the unfathomable power of Excalibur felt sharper than ever.
"Something about you has changed, Arthur, and I for one, absolutely love it." Elsa licked her lips amorously, her blood red lips shining beautifully like rubies as she stood raggedly beneath the moonlight.
Naturally, her stamina was nigh infinite, being thrown through a wall was not enough to bother her, she only had a few flesh wounds.
This was a woman who would even survive being bombarded by Reinhard's sword head on. Admittedly he was controlling his power desperately to not affect the area around the Loot House, but her stamina, endurance and durability was not to be underestimated.
In fact, her excitement towards me seemed to be growing exponentially, her body physically trembling with elation, causing the knives in her hand to rattle excitably.
I didn't respond with words, but with actions.
I stepped forward, and the ground beneath my foot was decimated, and in the next instant, faster than you could blink, I was already standing behind her, attacking from her blind spot.
My current speed could only be described as unreasonable, it completely surpassed what her eyes were capable of visibly processing.
But it had to be said that Elsa was even more inhuman and even more unreasonable than I could possibly have fathomed.
Despite the fact that my speed surpassed her perception, and I was attacking from her blind spot, she still managed to instinctively move forward, avoiding a fatal blow as my sword cut across her back.
The sheathe penetrated the skin, and the sensation of peeling her back open was transmitted through the sheathe, followed by the horrific, grotesque sound of rending flesh and cutting bones.
As my sword exited through the other side of her back, it carried a large amount of flesh with it, spattering across the floor as blood spurted out like a macabre crimson fountain.
It was an incredibly simple horizontal sword strike, but the power and force it contained was overwhelming. If it wasn't for her inhuman reactions, at least one of her lives would have been reaped.
But it turned out the one who received the most damage from the attack was none other than myself.
My body started to shake and tremble, and my legs started to wobble. The blood spattered all over my robes, painting them red, and immediately, I felt the lunch I had consumed earlier start to rise in my stomach.
Amazingly, I had managed to cut through my newly found resolve with a single swing of my sword.
Though I had intended to sever my emotions, ultimately, I was still the same naïve boy at heart. The blood and gore had thoroughly paralyzed me, and the haunting sensation of rending her flesh lingered freshly in my mind.
Elsa was a completely different monster entirely. Though I had just gouged her back open, she didn't look hurt or pained in the slightest, and if anything, the mutilation caused her growing excitement to elevate several notches, her face dyed bright red.
And of course, this excited hunter would not miss a single moment to strike, especially when I had just debuffed myself.
As I was paralyzed by my own squeamishness, she immediately made her counterattack, completely ignoring the fact her spine and ribcage were visible through her open wounds.
She too, wanted to brutally murder me. Both her blades shot towards me with a speed she had yet to display.
Perhaps the intense excitement, adrenaline and endorphins flowing through her veins had amped her, because in an instant, she was in front of me, one blade slashing towards my gut, one blade slashing towards my neck.
Her attacks were incomparably ruthless, and in my stunned state, I was completely unable to react, and my life was sure to be reaped in an instant.
At that moment, the cry of a dragon reverberated in my mind, like cold ice being poured over my body, and my Instinct immediately started to churn at full speed.
With a flick of my wrist, both of her blades were parried. Though the blades were only inches away from my flesh, I parried both of them individually with plenty of time to spare.
The moment Elsa felt the vibrations in her wrists, she was already moving, flipping towards the sides, and at the same time, my sword struck out.
It was only a simple downward strike, but it was a downward strike that had been practiced hundreds of thousands, or even millions of times throughout the life of King Arthur.
Whether it was speed or technique, the downward strike was completely flawless.
This was the muscle memory this body contained.
Nonetheless, Elsa was not the same. She actually flipped around my downward strike, leaving behind her hand in the process.
Her hand danced through the air like a cherry blossom petal swaying gently in the wind, the veins of her wrist exposed, her warm blood drenching my body and clothes.
The moment the warm, wet, sticky blood lathered itself over my skin and my clothes, I was immediately stunned, my body visibly trembling as I wrestled with my own internal organs to keep my lunch down, my knees wobbling as if they were made from jelly.
Without hesitation, her singular knife shot down towards my outstretched, blooded arms, looking to repay the favor in kind and reap both my forearms with a single strike.
However, even though I was being massively debilitated by my own squeamishness, I was no longer an opponent her knife could reach.
My Instinct spurred into action once again, and with a casual swing of my sword, I parried her knife aside, and with a second swing of my sword, I took her forearm from her elbow, the limb flying through the air.
The feeling of cutting through the flesh and bone was horrific, but I managed to stay on my feet, my body swaying with the nightly winds as I spoke through grit teeth, "Elsa, you've lost both your knives, submit peace-"
Before I could finish my sentence, her newly regenerated wrist reached out and grabbed the knife from her falling forearm, swinging it downward, trying to split me in half.
"Enough!" I let out a roar as my Magical Energy surged, parrying her knife blow, my sword moving fluidly like flowing water, cutting across her center.
Although she somehow managed to step back to avoid a fatal wound, her chest was still split open, her blood running down her black dress as she let out a cry.
"You're the absolute best, Arthur! I think I'm falling in love!" she let out a laugh as she regenerated her second hand and plucked her first knife from the hand on the floor.
"You just don't understand how a Bowel Hunter fights, Arthur!" she grinned as the two of us exchanged blows, darting around the garden at a speed that couldn't be seen or comprehended, leaving nothing but streaks of lightning in our wake.
"If you take my arms, I'll fight with my legs! If you take my legs, I'll fight with my teeth! If you take my teeth, I'll fight with my bones! And even if you take my bones, I'll still find a way to spill your guts, Arthur!"
"I said enough!" I let out a second roar as my Magical Energy erupted, instantly blasting her back to get her off me.
"Huff… huff…" having been given some space, I looked down at my own trembling, blooded gauntlets. My entire body soaked with her blood. Vague memories appeared in my mind, mountains of corpses towering to the sky, and my legs gave way beneath me, causing me to fall to the ground, almost eating a mouthful of dirt.
"You're mine, Arthur!" Elsa did not need to be told twice, she darted across the garden in an instant, her body morphing as gravity seemed to bend around her, her knives cutting down towards my neck, intending to remove my head from my body.
However, to me, she still seemed to be moving in slow motion. Despite my fragile, shaking body, I managed to spin around, my sword cutting outwards, intending to cut her body in half from the center.
But she was just too ridiculous with her reaction times. She had already jumped upwards before I even decided on my counterattack, and although she left behind both feet, she didn't seem to mind.
Blood spurted from her severed legs as she fell to the ground, but she rolled around, her knives spinning as she intended to cut my own feet from my legs.
Following her own moves, I jumped up in the air and easily avoided her blows as I gathered Magical Energy into my foot, stamping down towards her, intending to crush her beneath the weight of my boot.
My foot fell, and Magical Energy exploded outwards, uprooting the earth beneath me, sending large chunks of mud flying through the air, but Elsa had quickly regenerated her feet, managing to avoid the blow.
Dust clouds surrounded my vision, and naturally, Elsa was never one to let an opportunity like this pass. In an instant, she was behind me, attacking from my blind spot, intending to cut my back open as quickly and cleanly as possible.
However, I was growing used to her moves. Even without relying on Instinct, I had already predicted this attack of hers and span around, performing an outer moon crescent kick, the side of my booted foot making contact with her chin, causing her neck to emit a horrendous crack as she shot backwards like a bullet, ripping through the earth beneath her.
The force of my kick was nothing to scoff at. Achilles was so physically powerful that he could quite literally stop a gigantic, falling plane with his bare hands, and he only possessed B+ Rank strength, whereas my strength was A-Rank.
Though there were much stronger people than myself, like Reinhard, who could jump from the moon to the earth in an instant, Elsa was not one of these people, thus my kick wrought devastation upon her and the garden, creating a sweeping wave of wind that tore everything apart, including Elsa.
"And even that was not enough to kill you?!" I couldn't help but cry out, gritting my teeth. I had expected that breaking her neck would at least reap one of her lives, but it seemed that she had repositioned her body perfectly as my foot struck out to avoid the fatal impact, somehow managing to survive.
The pair of arms that had been blown off by my strike had already regenerated by the time she got up, and she clicked her neck back into place as she licked the blood that ran down from her nose, "You really are the best, Arthur, I think I'm getting addicted to you."
I was tired. I was really tired. This was not a physical tiredness, but a mental exhaustion. Though I was cutting through her again and again, again and again, why did it feel like I was the one who was being cut open?
Even without closing my eyes, all I could see was her severed limbs and blood spilling out from her. Despite being in the middle of the battle, I was thoroughly horrified.
I had nearly killed her with that kick, but Elsa, she just didn't know when to give up.
Seeing me standing there like a frail leaf in the wind, she immediately began her assault, launching at me with a speed impossible to describe. She had broken through her limits again, using me as a whetstone to repeatedly sharpen her fangs.
Though I had never met Garfiel and couldn't accurately assess his strength, if he was to fight the Elsa in front of me right now, let alone kill her, I'm really not sure he would leave that battle alive.
Nonetheless, despite her growing speed, my sword swung out ruthlessly, cutting horizontally with a golden slash, immediately cutting through her abdomen, and with a hint of poetic irony, her bowels started to seep out through the wound.
"Ah… ah…" she halted in her movements, her lust growing off the charts as she looked at me with pinkish eyes, "You're the first person that's let me see my own bowels like this… I've decided, Arthur. You're the one for me."
"Does that mean you submit?" I pointed my sword at her, the weapon in my hand visibly shaking as I stood there weakly.
"It's the opposite, Arthur." Elsa shook her head, "Originally, I really wanted to see your bowels, but now, I don't think I'll be able to live without seeing them."
Her words sparked an unreasonable amount of anger and frustration in me. I could no longer maintain the façade of a calm and infallible knight, right now, I was just a weak swordsman being tortured by the horrific entity before me. My hand shot out, and I punched her square in the nose, sending her flying back ten or twenty meters with a heavy thud, "How can you enjoy this, Elsa?! How can you find this entertaining?! This… this is hell, Elsa…!"
"Hell…?" Elsa laughed as she got back up, wiping the blood from her nose, "This is heaven, Arthur. Throughout my life, I've not had a more fun and exciting night than tonight. In truth, I wish this dance of ours could go on forever."
"Go on forever?! Quit joking, Elsa, this ends here and now! When I'm finished with you, there won't even be a body left to bury!" it was not a pretty sight, and if I was to look back on this moment in the future, I would probably feel regret and embarrassment.
Nonetheless, right now, I just didn't care. I only wanted this dreadful dance of death to end.
With weak, shaky hands, I swung my blade to clean the blood off my sheathe, the sheer strength of my swing scarring the earth behind me.
And with that, I raised my trembling arms, my Magical Energy erupting outward, creating a storm that devastated the earth around me for several meters as I gripped Excalibur tightly within my gauntleted hands.
I had become so disassociated with the scenery around me that I could hardly feel my own body, but this was an action that had been performed so many times that muscle memory alone was enough to finish this battle.
Elsa sensed the Magical Energy that was growing in my blade, and a serious look overtook her as she bent down like a spider, facing me from the ground.
"Your ability is to regenerate endlessly, I have a feeling that even if I kill you, you will simply come back from the dead, and as such, I have decided to reap all your lives with a single swing of my sword!" I bellowed out, gritting my teeth as my robes danced wildly with the magical energy in the air.
Considering the Mana Burst alone was capable of killing Heracles of all people several times with each swing of the sword, I would be incredibly, incredibly surprised if Elsa managed to survive this swing of my blade.
She let out a pleased moan as my Magical Energy continued to erupt, billowing around me, creating a miniature tornado of golden light that swirled around the garden.
"Oh… oh…" her cheeks grew redder and redder as she let out pleased moans, "What're you going to show me, Arthur?!"
"The swordplay of the Pendragon Family." I spoke back coldly as the titanic golden storm rampaged around me, illuminating the entirety of the garden, as well as a decent portion of the Noble District.
Then, Excalibur turned into a vacuum, greedily absorbing the portion of Magical Energy I had released, the sheathe starting to shine with a brilliant golden incandescence, like a vibrant star that lit up the night sky.
The magical energy gathered in my sword was so dense and heavy that I found myself quite literally sinking through the floor.
Although my Mana Burst couldn't compare to my altered self, who possessed A++ Rank Mana, and was causing mass destruction with every swing of her sword, it was still incredibly, incredibly powerful.
This was by no means the true release of Excalibur, but this Mana Burst… it wasn't a joke whatsoever.
The sword was like a jet turbine whirring above my head with endless funnels of destructive power ripping across the garden, my arms shaking as I desperately tried to contain the rampaging magical energy constantly erupting within it.
My inability to properly control the Magical Energy fully showcased my inexperience with the Holy Sword, and it was undoubtedly something I would have to work on in the future.
And it was safe to say that Elsa wasn't the type of person who would just stand there and let me nail her with Mana Burst.
Having sensed the destructive capabilities of my sword, she utilized her speed that was constantly growing, moving the quickest she had for the entire night, circling around me, clearly intending on making it as difficult as possible to actually hit her with the Mana Burst.
However, no matter how fast she moved, with this much Magical Energy pumping through my body, she appeared incomparably slow.
I raised my leg up and stomped down, causing the entire garden to fragment as my muscles exploded with strength, dragging the Sacred Sword through the air, causing the atmosphere to audibly screech as I unleashed the Mana Burst.
With the swing of my sword, it seemed as if time in this world had come to a halt. Elsa was in front of the mansion, frozen in place, and things fell deafly still, deafly silent.
In the next moment, a thunderous sound I didn't quite know how to describe echoed out, and like that, the entirety of the Noble Quarters were dyed with a blinding white light as the Magical Energy was unleashed from my sword, a golden crescent moon slicing through the earth, heading straight towards Elsa.
Though Elsa was in the middle of moving, she was still targeted by the sword, her speed and the speed of the Mana Burst seemingly existing on two separate dimensions.
The Mana Burst slammed into her side, and in one last display of inhumanity, she surpassed all her limits, blocking the blow with both of her knives as it pushed her through the earth, slamming through the walls of the Roswaal Guesthouse.
And with that, the volatile Magical Energy could no longer be contained, and a cataclysmic explosion occurred.
Golden light illuminated the interior of the guest house, and the ceiling was pierced as a twisting vortex of gold resembling DNA towered towards the stars, billowing upwards, parting the very clouds that hung overhead, splitting the night sky, dying the entirety of the Royal Capital gold.
The Roswaal Guesthouse was absolutely decimated with entire walls, ceilings and rooftops blasting out like shrapnel, rocketing across the garden.
An entire brick wall slammed towards me, but with a single swing of my sword, I sliced it in half, and it split either side of me.
I turned my gaze upward and looked at the pillar of golden light my sword had erected.
It towered over the capital for a brief few seconds before dispersing, ephemeral golden incandescence raining down on the capital.
Rain truly was the best way to describe it, the ethereal golden fragments pouring downwards, bathing the populace with magical energy, like a blessing from Od Laguna.
It was amazing that something could be simultaneously so destructive, yet so unbelievably beautiful.
The golden light was not something I would ever forget, and at the same time, I couldn't help but wonder, if a mere Mana Burst is so beautiful, then what would the actual release of the Noble Phantasm look like?
The immense shockwaves continued to blast outward, ripping apart the nearby roads, and before long, it finally settled down, allowing my gaze to fall on the remains of the Guesthouse.
"…"
Ultimately, in her last moments, it seemed that Elsa had the last laugh. Although she knew I was purposely trying to protect the building, she had placed herself in front of the Guesthouse just to spite me.
How exactly was I supposed to explain this to Lord Roswaal? I had not even met the man, but I already owed him hundreds or thousands of Holy Dragon coins, maybe even tens of thousands.
As I stood there, basking in the winds of my own creation, a voice echoed out from amidst the debris, causing my entire body to freeze, "Ahhhhh… you… really… are… the… best… Arthur…"
It was not a voice that could be mistaken for anyone else's.
This was the worst possible outcome. Not only had she not died, but she was now in a miserable half-dead state, leaving me no choice but to finish her off.
Blowing her away with Mana Burst was one thing, but having to personally put her down was another matter entirely.
I walked slowly towards her with heavy footsteps, looking down at the Bowel Hunter, my face grim.
Incredibly, she really didn't die from my blow, but all her lives were used up. She really didn't look human, lying on the floor, mutilated, but slowly regenerating, nonetheless.
Despite her horrendous state, the lustful, amorous look on her face was stronger than ever. Some things never changed.
Either way, despite her current state, I didn't intend to be merciful.
A second Mana Burst was unnecessary. Just stabbing her in the heart would be more than enough.
"You really don't give up, do you Elsa?" I spoke through grit teeth, "You're the most tenacious person I've ever met."
She just smiled at my words, responding weakly, "I'm glad… I brought that… cloak…" she laughed softly, gurgling on her own blood.
It was only then that I realized how Elsa managed to survive the Mana Burst. She had been wearing a cloak with Anti-Magic properties that I had completely forgotten about. Though it was nowhere near enough to negate the Mana Burst, it allowed her to survive by the skin of her teeth.
"Do it… Arthur…" she spoke in a faint voice, "I would be… honored… to be… your… first… kill."
The hands gripping around the hilt of my sword were shaking, but nonetheless, I knew what I had to do.
"My Apologies, Elsa. Please know that this brings me no joy whatsoever. Merely, I know how persistent you are. Your existence is a grave threat to my lady, and once I have vowed my sword to a Master, I intend to protect them no matter what. Thus, I have no choice." I didn't know whether I was speaking to her or speaking to myself.
Surrounded by endless devastation, I towered over her, my sword outstretched, ready to deliver the finishing blow.
I was not killing Elsa alone, but also my own innocence.
I raised my sword upward, holding it loosely with one hand, and just as I was about to swing it down, Elsa interrupted me.
"Can… you… do me… one… favor… Arthur…?" the lust in her eyes slowly dissipated, replaced with a look of sincerity I had not seen from her before.
"Making a final request of the man you tried so hard to kill, you're really bold, Elsa." I let out a heavy sigh, closing my eyes, "Very well, I'll hear you out."
"Meili… please… look after… Meili…"
An imagine appeared in my mind of Elsa's partner, and after some deliberation, I nodded my head, "I'll do what I can."
And with that, I swung my sword down, but as it was falling, a voice echoed throughout the clearing, "Sir Arthur!"
It was a clear voice that chimed like silver bells, and feeling the presence of my liege, my sword came to a halt for a second time. I knew I could not stain her mind with the image of her servant cutting through a defenseless opponent.
My gaze rolled towards Elsa who wore a victorious smirk on her face. Now I knew why she had made that final request from me. It seemed that her experienced triumphed over me once again, and her life had been spared.
Authors Notes:
Well, that has been Chapter 8 everyone! I really hope you enjoyed reading Arthur's first proper battle in this new world.
Honestly, this Arthur vs Elsa fight has been by far the most difficult portion of the story for me to write thus far, but I really hope I managed to deliver a fight you enjoyed reading!
Regarding the epilogue, it's actually a lot longer than expected, so I'll be splitting it into two chapters, Chapters 9 and 10.
As such, Arc 2 will now be starting with Chapter 11 as opposed to Chapter 10. Since Chapters 9 and 10 are significantly shorter than these two most recent chapters, I'll try and have them out quicker, but either way, the main conflict of Arc 1 has been resolved!
As always, thank you so much to everyone who has viewed, followed, favorited or reviewed this story! It makes me so so happy to see we've reached 250 followers, and I really can't thank you all enough! I really hope you all continue to enjoy the story!
Thank you everyone, take care!