Sole deposits the sword in his chest and switches the dial on his watch to revert him to his original form.

--- Chapter 141 ---

The captured members of Elune are escorted into a lavish castle home. They stood in the center of a throne room. It was decorated with lavish tapestries, pottery, and all things expensive. Most of the room was encased with gold. In the room also stood the head and champions of the four noble houses, and an older male wizard dressed in beautiful blue robes.

Arthur: So, why did you cause chaos in my kingdom.

Red: We came to rescue a friend.

Arthur: I see, so what should we do with you.

Uncle: Throw them in jail! Those scum broke into my house, and attacked us!

Arthur: I see, that would be the reasonable answer. How dull of an ending.

Arthur begins to walk back to his throne.

Red: Hey!

Arthur turns his head to look at Red.

Red: Fight me! Mono e mono!

Arthur’s eyes become wildly intrigued, as a confused smile forms across his face.

Arthur: Are you serious?!

Red: Dead serious.

Arthur: You lost to me but a moment ago from one punch, yet you have the bravery to challenge me?

Red: I was out of mana, and exhausted. Now that I’m recharged, I can take you.

Arthur begins to break out into laughter.

Arthur: Is that so?

Red: It is.

Uncle: My lord, you can’t be serious about accepting his foolish request-

Arthur: Enough Warren.

Her uncle is silenced.

Red: If I win, you have to let me and my friends go. Including Luna.

Arthur: And what do I get if I win?

Red: I- I don’t know.

Arthur looks Red up and down. He smirks and points at the golden band around Red’s neck.

Arthur: If I win, I get your pendant.

Red’s eyes grow wide with confliction.

Red: I- I can’t.

Arthur: And why’s that? Family heirloom? Don’t care.

Red grits his teeth at the king’s audacity.

Arthur: Now, we are bargaining for all your friend’s freedom. Put that up as your bet, or we have no deal.

Red lowers his head.

Red: Fine.

Luna: Red don’t!

Arthur: Just know, you broke the law in MY kingdom, and I will punish you.

Red: Ok.

***

A few hours later, a stadium is set. A large limestone colosseum for special occasions such as this. The stands are full of knights, and true patriots of Camelot. In box seating, the Nobles sit, prepared to watch this fight. Luna sits in the box seating with golden shackles. On the opposing side, several cages sit housing the members of Elune. Shackled in magical cuffs that deny them access to their arcanas. Red walks out of an archway, bars closing behind. The crowd boo’s at him. Eventually, King Arthur himself joins the battlefield.

Arthur: let us hope you can provide me a modicum of entertainment.

Suddenly, a bang rings throughout the stadium, signifying the battle has commenced. Reds insignia creates two blades, as well as some light armor. He runs in, slashing his blades at the king, but Arthur effortlessly backstabs, distancing himself from the blows. A shimmer begins to form from Arthur. A massive fist comes hurling at Red. Red blocks it, but it still sends him flying back, as if there was no resistance. Red get’s up and continuously throws himself at Arthur, using his many tricks, from his dragon fire techniques to dragon fist feast. He uses almost every mode he knows, but Arthur remains untouched. Repeatedly throwing these golden fists, and Red can’t do anything about it.

Arthur: Seriously, I knew I would win, but if you knew you were this weak, you should have just taken your sentence like a man.

Arthur says in a laugh.

Red: I… I got them all into this mess. I convinced them to come with me. I couldn’t just let them suffer for something I did. I’m trying… to redeem myself.

Arthur: How stoic, HA!

Red’s desperation amusing Arthur.

Red: I won’t let them suffer for my own mistakes. I won’t. That’s not what a mage would do. And I’m a mage. A knight. A hero!

Red begins running in toward Arthur. Arthur’s amusement turns to disgust.

Arthur: What did you just say? You? A knight? A hero? Don’t make me laugh! Look around us! You are surrounded by the knights of Camelot. Men who have spent their lives, dedicating their lives to the blade and a code of honor. And you would insult such a title by putting them at your level?

Red looks around at the knights in the stand, seeing them visibly enraged by his statement.

Arthur: I would call myself many things. A king, a conqueror, even a god. But never, would I call myself a knight. My knights give their all for their kingdom, training each and every day. I haven’t put even near half the time into training my sword skills as them. And don’t even get me started on a ‘hero’. The only ones worth such a title are those who save this kingdom, this world from evil. What greater have you slain to deserve such a title?

Red holds his blades, quivering from Arthurs aura. Arthur raises his hand into the air, golden particles form, and congregate, taking the shape of a wooden sword.

Arthur: This, is for my honorable knights!

The knights roar with excitement, proud for the king they serve. Arthur runs in at incomprehensible speed, rapidly hitting Red with the wooden sword. Red, bruised and bleeding all over his body, runs in to attack Arthur. A golden fist comes from Arthur’s stomach, punching Red in the gut. Red leans over, winded, and Arthur raises his right foot and smashes it into the back of Red’s head. Red collapses, and Arthur pushes Red’s face deeper into the dirt.

Arthur: You are irredeemably weak.

Arthur removes his foot and begins to walk away, the sword shimmers and fades to nothing.

Arthur: If we continue, you will surely die.

Red wrenches himself out of the ground. Red runs toward Arthur

Arthur: Aeon, Lotus barrage.

Sprouting from Arthurs back, a golden phantom lotus bulb. The flower begins to bloom, revealing a nestled seed pod of what looks like yellow balls. But suddenly, these balls launch toward him on golden strings, each ball forming into a fist. They barrage Red, sending him flying back again. The fists return as the bulb closes and dissipates. Red, still determined to win throws himself aimlessly back at Arthur. He jumps up, both fists turning into dragon fist feast, but two arms outstretch and grab Red’s arms. They squeeze and crush Red’s arms. Red yells out in pain. Elune watches on, helpless in the situation, and doomed to watch Red be repeatedly beaten. The arms dissipate, and Red falls to the floor. Red stumbles back to his feet, clenching his sword in his teeth. Teetering on the brink of collapse, he stumbles forward.

Arthur: Seriously. Sigh. Surely there must be limits to which one can sink.

On final fist comes from his body, punching him into the ground, and four swords materialize and launch into each of his four limbs.

Arthur: This fights over.

Arthur begins to walk away. Up in the cages, Elias, Ame, Hiro, and Sole are furious. Ame attempts to use her arcana to flood the cuffs with mana. Some green lines appear on them but are quickly thwarted.

Ame: I don’t have enough mana to break these things!

Hiro: Let’s think, this has to be a way out of this cell. Hmm-

Hiro begins listing off ideas, but something clicks in Ame’s head.

Ame: I got it!

Hiro: Huh?

Ame throws herself into Hiro.

Ame: I can use yours!

Hiro: What?!

Green lines start to form on Hiro, as he begins to vibrate. Ame’s handcuffs gain lines all over them, as the chains snap. She snaps the rest of their cuffs and then grabs the bars. The energy flows through them as she snaps free two bars. They rush downward and leap into the ring. The knights and champions stand up. Arthur tilts his head to the side, looking at them. He raises his hand, signaling them to halt.

Arthur: You wish to avenge your friend?

Hiro walks over to Red and grabs for the blades to set him free, but before he can, he notices several blades flying towards him, so he jumps back to safety.

Arthur: Don’t ignore me when I’m talking to you, mongrel.

Ame wielding the bars points them at Arthur.

Ame: What you did, I can’t forgive you!

Arthur: That’s funny, I don’t remember asking for forgiveness. Because I don’t regret it.

Ame gets an angry look on her face, and they all run in.

Arthur: Aeon, barrage.

The lotus forms again, sending thousands of fists at them, sending them all flying. The lotus closes, and they all recompose themselves. Sole lifts his arm and turns the watch. His body takes in the light and forms into the same figure he was when he fought Dantarian. Elias and Hiro summons their weapons, and Ame reinforces the rods she is holding. They all run in. Arthur is surprised by Sole’s speed but somehow manages to dodge the initial blow. Elias follows up, releasing a flurry of blows, that Arthur, yet again, dodges. Ame stabs her rods forward, Arthur dodges backward but finds Hiro coming from behind to slash. Arthur disappears for a moment, then reappears above them, twisting his body and kicking them both away. He looks at them.

Arthur: I see, so that’s your level. It’s certainly not bad, but it’s not good either.

He snaps his fingers, and several golden gates appear, and from them, a thin gold string circles through the air, before suddenly they snap-tight, binding the empowered Sole.

Sole: You think such a thin chain can bind me?

Arthur: I do.

Sole begins to struggle, the chains refusing to let him go.

Sole: What are they?

Arthur: This is an artifact known as Gleipnir.

Some of the chains form in his hands.

Arthur: These held a powerful wolf god in ages past known as Fenrir. Nothing can break these chains, and the stronger the one bound is, the stronger they are.

Sole continuous to twist and pull, hoping something will give, but nothing does. Elias runs in, stabbing his blades forward, but Arthur dodges to the right. The lotus once again sprouts on his back, but instead of the seed pod, a golden-skinned humanoid rests within. The humanoid falls out of it, and the lotus severs from Arthurs back and absorbs into the humanoid.

Arthur: Aeon, Alter.

It looks up at Elias.

Arthur: You can take care of him while I have fun with these two.

Arthur Walks forward and looks at Ame.

Arthur: So, your a Misasaki aren’t you?

Ame: I am.

Arthur: How interesting, I’ve heard a lot about your people and who they are. Or, who they WERE.

Ame looks even more furious than before. She begins to run in, but before she can, two swords appear from behind Arthur, and they fly towards her. She deflects them with the rods.

Arthur: Extraordinary. MMFE can give ordinary materials such strength. It is even capable of turning weak bars into things that can withstand my blades. However, I also know that MMFE forces mana into objects, which causes them to heat up at intense rates. That’s why your clan created a special metal that can withstand it. But it was taken from you when you were imprisoned.

Hiro runs in and attacks, but two blades manifest and block them. The blades begin to swing on their own, forcing Hiro back into the defensive. As the blades become interlocked, both try to overcome the others force. A third blade manifests in front of him, stabbing toward him. He jumps back but feels a blade impale him. He looks down at the blade through him. He had been tricked into jumping right into it. Several blades form and impale him before they all dissipate. Hiro is covered in deep wounds, he begins to lose consciousness. He reaches for Red, but a blade forms and stabs into his hand.

Arthur: Now, where were we. Let’s put your MMFE to the test, shall we?

Several blades form behind Arthur. All different shapes, sizes, and designs. They all barrel toward Ame. She swats them away with her rods, which are slowly starting to heat up and glow. After a bit, the blades stop forming momentarily.

Arthur: Not bad, not bad. But here’s the real test.

A large and thick spear forms above him. It rockets toward her, and she blocks it using both rods. The spear keeps pushing, and even more green lines form in the rod, causing it to heat up to an excruciating temperature. Her hands are burning, she is pushing back with all of her force. In a battle of will, the first to give would lose. She pushes back, but suddenly, her rods snap. Now that she lost focus, the rods begin to melt into molten Iron, burning her skin. The spear lodged itself in her chest, and multiple other weapons fire at her, all impaling into her. She falls over unconscious.

***

Elias looks at his golden opponent. Gripping his blades, he runs in. He slashes at it, but it leaps back and punches him in the face. It begins to repeatedly punch him, combo after combo. Luckily, he manages to get away from him. He takes a stance, and as he does, he dashes, leaping to the side and managing to cut its arm off. He lands and prepares, but he sees this ethereal energy reconnect the severed arm. He Leaps into the air and goes to plunge his swords into his back. But forming from its back is the Lotus, and it uses “Aeon, Barrage”. But Elias thought ahead, using Amaterasu’s ability. Amaterasu, his white blade, and Tsukuyomi, the black one, share a similar ability. When placed in light and darkness respectively, they are able to move on their own through space without having to be thrown. Amaterasu swiftly cuts through the stalks of “Aeon, barrage”, effectively nullifying its attack. He stabs Tsukuyomi into its back. He pulls the blade out and takes a few steps back. It turns to face him, and the wound heals on its own. Elias holds his hand out, and Amaterasu cuts through its shoulder and lands in Elias’s hand. Amaterasu glows and lifts Elias in the air to simulate flight. It pulls him in at fast speeds as he flyby slashes it. It lifts its hand back and punches Elias out of the air.

Alter: Infinite, Aeon.

The alter speaks, and from its fingertips, more hands sprout. Fingers grow from it, and from those fingers, more hands sprout. This sight instills slight madness into Elias as he can’t comprehend this impossibility, and his reality momentarily shatters around him as the hands expand impossibly to infinity. Alter closes the original fist, causing all the hands to collapse around him, and shrink it all to a black orb about three feet in diameter. The orb cracks and explodes, sending and wounded Elias flying into the air. Amaterasu slices through Alter’s arm again and saves Elias from the fall. He lands and allows Amaterasu to float on its own.

Elias: Exceed.

Tsukuyomi changes into a more exalted and larger blade, about the size of a long sword. He grips it with both hands. He runs in toward Alter, slashing upward, once again severing its left arm, and Amaterasu severs the right. He steps behind it, and pivots, using both blades to sever the legs. He swings Tsukuyomi one last time, cutting off the head. Its body parts were strewn about the area, and that essence began to form again as it attempts to reattach its limbs.

Elias: Splinter.

Amaterasu forms into many very small blades, and they spin around cutting off the essence as it forms. He walks towards the chest and slashes it upwards. The golden body disperses, leaving only a small golden ball, that he lifts his blade further and shatters. As the orb shatters, the Alter completely disappears.

Elias: That’s what I thought… It has a core.

He begins to unbutton his white button-up shirt. He takes it off and reveals his Master seal on his chest. It has the shape of a seven-pointed star. On the front of his shoulders is two more seals, and he has several seals across his stomach.

Elias: Master seal, first point, release.

The top point of the star glows. The glow sinks down to the middle of the star and emerges from the body. It wraps around his body like a cocoon, and as it disperses, it leaves his body healed.

Tsukuyomi returns to its normal state with the dispersal of dark smog, and all the blades of Amaterasu reform into the normal state. He walks over to Arthur.

***

Arthur: Oh, you were able to beat Alter? Impressive.

Elias: What you said about knights, I agree.

Arthur: Hm?

Elias: I understand dedicating your life to your blade. My brother Hiro was born with incredible visual powers, and Sole was born with his insignia. Me? All I have is my blades. So I understand how aggravating it is to have it undermined by someone. Compared to my brothers, I was born unlucky. I was a prodigy, and then Sole showed up, and my little brother awakened his visual prowess, and all I had was stript from me. I have mastered the blade, yet am constantly outshined. I understand what he said was enraging, and disrespectful to the knights of your kingdom. However, the way you conduct your “righteous punishment” is nothing but!

Arthur: You mongrel.

Elias: Knights are of honor, yet you showed none. You tried to uphold your knight’s honor, by incessantly beating a child. You, sir, are no king, but a spoiled kid born with incredible power.

Arthur looks enraged by Elias’s words. However, he calms himself and smiles at Elias.

Arthur: You talk high and mighty, yet have nothing to show for it. Taking the moral high ground, yet the reason for our combat was you breaking the law.

Elias: Nothing to show for it? I am Elias Sataro. Son of the Sataro clan leader. S rank member of Elune, and in the process of ranking up to SS. Out of those here, I have the highest combat rating of 896,652. Though I’m never pushed far enough to show it. You have injured my allies, and damaged the Sataro name, Arthur Pendragon of Camelot, I will defeat you.