“Phillips,” Rem watched the ongoing development, and turned toward his mentee. “Try not to die, I will stop Melosov from turning the Three Disasters into the Seven Wonders of Hell.” Rem nodded to, Hikma. “Chronicler,” he crane at the meat tower, “do you have a handle on the babel wannabe?”

Hikma ignited the Symphony Blade, “Phillip,” he gave the boy a thumb-up, “take care of your girlfriend while we dealt with the big guys.”

“She is not my girlfriend!” Phillip ineffectually protested as two of his teachers dashed off in the opposite direction to handle the crisis.

Meanwhile, Penelope blushed like a tomato. Her head already left the body for her imaginary wedding days.

…

The following battle could be boiled up in one word, hectic.

Horizon Dawn pretty much split itself apart trying to handle Nereo Melosov. However, tackling all the simultaneous battle of titans that pretty much made the Hidden Vault Showdown a legend all at once would be too much of one man.

Instead, we shall look at this Armageddon from the most basic story known to mankind.

It was a romantic story of a boy saving his girl from an evil authority figure.

…

“Now, now, Penelope,” Duke Acrisius snarled at the girl conjuring a sword of ice. “I have wasted too much time with you.” The Duke sneered at the girl he couldn’t stop shivering. “Now, be a dear to uncle and died for my sake.”

Penelope mustered her courage and yelled, “I am not—”

But a hand appeared before her, causing her to stop dead in her track.

“Penny, you have faced enough,” Phillip drew his sword with his free hand. “You have nothing to prove to the heel.” The boy pointed the sword at the duke. “This is what will happen. I am going to beat you, and we will walk out of here, as your delusion crumbles into the background.”

Acrisius couldn’t help but laughed at this development.

Penny herself didn’t look confident in Phillip’s odds either, as far as she knew Phillips was still an orphan son as a merchant who was her emotional support. Meanwhile, Acrisius was…

“Young man,” The Duke began the round of bragging. “I am the man who held together. When my brother failed to hold himself together, it was I who resisted Frisnia and the old-fart in Starland. My name alone gathers the force of over a hundred-twenty thousands. When I declare my desire to rule this land, both Praetors flocked to me! I beat your little girlfriend at every engagement and took her prisoner! Even her precious men agreed in my superiority! Even now, my forces are dispersing your allies.” Acrisius pumped into his chest like a gorilla of testosterone. “And who are you to face me!?”

Acrisius’s speech wouldn’t be a stranger from the hammiest villain of the eighties action flick. Its very gregarious content was the reflection of the cultural belief in power over all else. However, Duke Acrisius, and many other like him, were the historical samples of those who face the Dawn and fell. The says of macho warrior yelling their greatness to the sky died when the like of Orwell Mehest rose to convince the mass, much less the overwhelming forces of the Horizon Dawn which mobilized to combat him and his ilk.

In response to his enemy’s red-meat fueled boast, Phillip Odysseus replied with what would become the Acropolisian staple, “Okay.” Phillip was unimpressed. “I am simply a simple man, but where I come from, they said boasting isn’t worth a damn against action.” Phillip lifted his arm in face of the challenged and wagged his hand. “Come on,” he swung his sword, “Let dance!”

Lightning erupted over the Phillip as the no-name charged toward Duke Acrisius.

…

It was the battle of the fable. A humble beginning came to challenge greatness for the sake of all he loved. It was the story that soon ingrained the seed of the nation, building the state where dream and freedom were sacred. For what was the point of power without heart, for the heart guided man's path toward true power without letting it wielder be distracted by distraction.

The battle between Odysseus and Acrisius illustrated this believed of Acropolis in its purest form

Acrisius swung his blade, sending the harrowing trailed of ice toward the boy. He aimed at such an angle that Phillip couldn’t dodge without harming Penelope. The duke was grinning, believing his victory was at hand with the advantage of hostage.

However, the boy expected this trick. He was trained in it, submerged in trickery during his trial. He did his research and knew exactly what Acrisius was capably off. He came prepared.

Phillip tossed a heat-grenade into the mist, countering the ice with a firebomb. The device touched the mist and exploded in the cloud of steams.

“What?” Acrisius mustered, but then he heard the sound hinting at the miserable direction the battle was about to head.

Bang! Bang!

Two high-velocity, lightning enhanced electromagnetic bullet pierced into Acrisius’s abdomen, forcing him to cough up blood and paralyzing him.

The Horizon Dawn came far from the day Melody disassembled her first firearm with curiosity filled eyes. The modern knight had adapted the art of gun-crafting and magic engineering. From the foundation of Aria Steel, mystical technology and Arcane, came a new type of weaponry. Arcana that adapted speed of the gun with the power of magic.

Phillip’s model was 4mm Dawn-Edge Handgun with a silencer. A lightning-type mage-killer, featured cast magic-crystal round of alchemical lightning-regent coated with protective magic-metal jacket, and operated on Mana released mechanism. Although the Mana released mechanism was indeed patented by Melody as the creator of magic gun, but, in acts championing Rem’s unwavering believe in potential of the common man to succeed without the intervention of corruptive forces like Orwell, the magic-crystal bullet that finally damage A-Ranker was something else. They were invention of brother-team of an alchemist and mechanic to impress Melody with their design. Rem himself took them to a patenting office and gave them a medal.

Acrisius was shot by the bullet of the commoner, proving that the day A-rankers were qualified as a commanding officially went to the ash heap of history. No one in Phantasia knew the precedent had been broken, and the everyman had the power to scratch the system without the need of an all powerful avenger.

Acrisius grunted from the unexpected injuries which caught him buy surprised. His ample END stats mitigated what would have been a critical wound, but the opening was created.

Phillip closed in, forcing the duke in a flurry of furious demolition of blades taught to him by Luxinna. Lightning coursed through his body, amplifying his skill as the [Dragon Reactor] in his Origin poured out concentrated electricity. Finally, the Mana forming Acrisius sword shattered from the precise overhead blow of the lightning blade.

Around them the valley quaked, ashes and rocks rumbled as the earth shifted and volcano exploded. Lighting fell from the sky in a testament of draconic range. The giant meat tower spewed the torches which burned the air. The valley shook from minor earthquakes as the combat escalated.

Phillip ignored the golden lighting and the smell of ozone which filled the air to pound his lightning cladded fist into Acrisius bullet wounds, bringing the duke down to his knees. Phillip attempted to knee the down duke with his knee, but Acrisius caught the attack and attempted to cast a freeze spell to shatter Phillip’s leg.

Normally, Acrisius close-range freezing-touch spell would have worked, but to prove how little the Dawn thought of Phantasian spell-casting, Phillip’s Aura dissipated his attempt.

What came next was utterly unexpected by Acrisius.

To be honest, who would have expected Phillip to drop his sword, grabbed Acrisius by the head and electrocuted him?

Not finished with his attack, Phillip made a gun gestured with his hand and cast an Arcane, “[Electro Lorde].”

Electric discharged centered on Acrisius exploded as Phillip’s blue-lightning pulsed from the Arcane, wrecking ever nerves in his body.

Charred and wracked with pain, Duke Acrisius fell to the ground and squirmed.

Penelope watched the one-side beating in awe. On her laps, the recently awakened Atlanta starred, jaw-dropped. Both of them barely comprehended how events turned out.

“Hey, Atlanta,” Penny said, watching Phillip drew his gun and checked the bullet. “How did Phillip get like that in a month? Did he sell his soul to a demon or something?”

Atlanta could barely answer, “I think they speak something about special experimental training. Alchemists where we came from said something about alchemy formula, doped exercise, and the librarian is filing the book called Mehest Adamakles revolution.” Atlante’s jaw dropped as she saw Phillip aimed his gun at Acrisius’ knee-cap. “They said Phillip signed to test-field that training, but I never imagine he would get this absurd.”

Bang! Bang!

Acrisius groaned in pain as the two rounds of magic-crystal bullet blasted his knee-cap.

“I recommend you sit this out,” Phillip warned. “The injury can fester, if you over-exert yourself.”

Acrisius could barely tolerate the insult, “Finished me, boy.”

“I want to,” Phillip said. “But I believe letting you live to see the consequence is a better punishment,” he turned away from the beaten man, “you can dream about having a martyr death. You started this entire mess to be a king. History would give you a positive footnote if you die in valiant effort. With this, you had to answer all your actions as a man instead of a symbol. I want to see how they record you after this humiliation now.”

Phillip walked away, ignoring the Acrisius’ groaning.

In the distance, Penny and Atlanta watched Phillip walked of victory.

“Atlanta,” Penny had a dangerous idea. “Should take up this special training?” the former Queen thought back about her terrifying captivity. “I think it can be really helpful.”

“Normally, I will recommend against that,” the former General answered. “But recent event convinced me you have a point.” Atlanta tried to explain Acropolis to Penny. “The refuge we are going to has this massive monument in its center.” Atlanta gulped. “It wrote ‘THE RIGHT TO BEAR ARM, SHALL NOT BE INFRINGED’ and below that are tons of quote about how self-defense is the best protection against tyranny, wimpy excuses tyrant used to steal people weapons and how arms-to-the-teeth society is the politest.”

“It sounds like rambling of a madman,” Penny said.

“I think so too,” Atlanta watched Phillip picked up his sword. “But I believe the madman might have a point.”

“You know what, I am going to sign-up,” Penny concluded. “It is available to the public, right?”

“Oh, you just need your name, face and accept special contract to defend the refuge as a body-able member of a Militia,” Atlanta replied. “Hell, they even give a good benefit.” She turned to her friend. “Can I join you too?”

“Yeah,” Penny shrugged. “Why not?”

Penny wasn’t kidding. After the Hidden Vault battle, she completed the special-force training with flying colors. Penelope Odysseus, as she was known later in life, was proven to be one of the worst political figures to kidnap. Most of her attackers ended in the hospital ward and her [Pyro Genesis] Arcane were legendary within a certain circle.

While how the Primal Arcane spread forced the Divine Fist and the Seven Continental Alliance to capitulate and reformat the entire spell-casting schools of Phantasia were the story of the future. Instead, the result of Rem brief ‘talked’ with the World Smartest Man had arrived.

And Dream received the worst result he expected.

…

Acrisius growled.

He dragged himself. He must rise to avenge his defeat. This humiliation couldn’t stand. He needed to get up and used the contract he received to avenge the defeat.

Sadly for the failure, karma wasn’t done with him just yet

The meat tower exploded with energy, blasting Acrisius into the far wall. Then the wall broke open as he flew into it, hammering him with extra humiliation. To top it off, Acrisius caught surreal sight of a masked man hanging from a three-meter tall mechanical mech emerging from the rubble and gaped.

Somehow, during Phillip’s battle with Acrisius, Rem got himself into a fight with a humongous robot. A baby between BattleTech and ED-209 out of the dad’s generation RoboCop movie. The wierdness of a superhero wrestling with a robot from dystopian future silently blew away Acrisius’ brain. He could barely react as the robot slammed into him, carried him into a cliff face at the opposite end, and buried him into it in a collision.

…

Phillip, Penelope and Atlanta were slack-jawed as the two-legged giant mech prided itself from the rock, spun toward them in a robotic manner and opened its limbs to reveal a very terrifying barrel.

“Get down,” Rem stumbled toward them and raised his hand.

Green twin beams of razor carved trace the path of heated destruction across the rock. Rem met the attack with Tutaminis. The high intensity beams broke against the knight of Dawn’s palm, spreading into several strands of destruction which carved trenches in the earth around the trio.

After what seemed like an eternity, the heated rays faded, but unlike the time he blocked normal attack, Rem fell to his knee, gasping for breath. His arms were numb from the strain and he was sweating.

Phillip watched in stunned silence. He had never seen one of his teach this exhausted before.

“What is that?” Phillip asked.

“Magus Sin Crystal Particle Canon,” Rem wheezed. “That bastard cracked the ultimate Anti-Mage weapon and made it radioactive,” he turned back to Phillip. “Whatever happens, don’t get close to the beam. Even exposure to it could be lethal.”

“Where did that thing come from?” Atlanta asked.

“From the fucking psychopath,” Rem yelled, recalling the meeting he barely survived. Ten out of ten, he would not repeat that again.

The robot backed open up and missiles began unloading from the launchers.

Rem’s [Clairvoyance] spelled the coming doom.

“Incoming!” Not even embarrassed, Rem telekinetically lifted the earth and shoved the trio into it for the fourth time that day, “Bunker out. We are dealing with a raining pin-missiles strike.”

“Wha—” Phillip began, but Rem promptly shove him into the holes.

…

The slaughtering rain of green energy bolts slammed down the ground like hail from space. It was cruel and efficient demolition that hit everyone equally. Each time the green fell, blood flew and cries emerged, painting the valley into a recipe of blood and gore. Some were lucky enough to find a shelter behind, most found themselves a bloody smear amongst the ruin that now resembled a bee-hive.

…

Inside the hole, Rem wondered how did it go so bloody wrong.