Against the World II: Transgression
Chapter 25: The Knight Templar, part 5
...—Eden—...
The covered area with the arena floor area of 900 square meters is not located underground. This Special Training Arena was right behind the Order 1 Knight Templar Headquarters. There were no transparent barrier barriers circling the arena floor. That's not necessary. The existing walls act directly as a barrier. Some of the pillars supporting the ceiling were also fitted with protective runes.
Arthur finds Merlin already standing in the middle of the arena as one of the staff says.
The woman stood with her eyes closed and both palms fused together, behind her hovering ten swords with their ends piercing forward. The ten glowing red-colored swords were spinning counterclockwise. At a glance, there was nothing dangerous about the swords other than the fact that they shimmered like they were being burned. But Arthur knew very well. The ten swords were not just ornaments.
“I've determined 20 of our strongest battalions to protect the city; the rest of the troops will leave Eden for the Forbidden Valley Ed periodically ten battalions per week.” Merlin said as he opened his eyelids, his pupils piercingly looking at the Saint. “The details have been instructed to the staff to deliver it to your desk as soon as they finish writing it.”
“That's fast,” comments Arthur ‒ he doesn't think he can determine which battalion will stay in the city. “Lantas, what do you want to leave a message to get me here as soon as I get back from Axellibra?”
“What kind of rhetorical question is that, Arthur?” Merlin instantly leaped backwards while releasing the union of his two palms. “Majulah. I want to test myself. The last time we fought, it was two years ago. I wonder how far I've progressed.”
Arthur's lips curved, in the blink of an eye he was already on the arena floor. “You're serious? I won't comfort you if you're going to cry for losing, yeah.”
The red hot laser shot off sharply in response to Arthur's slash, thinly past the left side of the Saint's head. The laser was fired by one of the ten swords spinning behind Merlin. The energy on the other nine swords increased, and a moment later all of them released a red laser following the previous one. And just like before, everything is thin from hitting Arthur's body.
The lasers didn't hit Arthur not because Arthur was avoiding him, but because Merlin was deliberately not targeting him.
Arthur reflexively glanced back, the ten lasers had made holes and melts in the wall. Three barriers also perforated, but the remaining seven survived—because those lasers did not come out. Just a second later, the protective runes were active, and instantaneous time manipulation occurred on the walls until the walls and barriers returned to their original state. Then Arthur returned his eyes to Merlin.
“Alright, Merlin, I won't hold back as you wish.” And not a second had passed after the sentence came out of his mouth, Arthur was already in front of Merlin with a sharp drifting left fist.
Sharp Merlin reflexes. Arthur's punch succeeded him pat with the back of the right hand. At the same time, the ten red swords shot out sharply. Arthur spontaneously leapt away, a wave of whitish blue lightning he shot out from both of his palms. The ten swords flashed waves of red lightning. Arthur's lightning was defeated in an instant.
However, before the fiery red lightning wave swept over Arthur, the Saint had already thrown himself dozens of meters into the air with both palms pointed at Merlin.
“Storming Lightning,” whispered Arthur, and instantly a thousand synergized lightning strikes shot out in blinding speed towards Merlin.
Unfortunately, just before all the lightning hit the target, Merlin's position had already been replaced by one of the—'s red swords and the red lightning spark instantly subdued all the lightning strikes.
Meanwhile, Merlin who had already swapped places with one of his swords instantly grasped two red swords and shot himself into the air trying to attack the Saint, while the remaining seven swords spread out to various sides of the arena.
The obsidian-like dark-black spear quickly materialized in Arthur's right hand, with a fitting timing fending off Merlin's sword swing.
“Great Lightning Explosion,” whispered Arthur, and Merlin instantly crashed down, but his position was quickly replaced by a red sword.
The moment he landed, Merlin was already before the Saint. “Twice Critical Slices!” exclaimed the woman along with swinging her two glowing red swords.
However, just before the two swords slashed at the target, the two swords shrank to the size of a needle. Unsurprised Merlin immediately switched positions with one of his swords, making Arthur's spear strike the sword. The sword did not bounce, it trembled on the spot while emitting lightning sparks.
Finding the sword obnoxious, Arthur instantly turned it to the size of dust. Not just the sword. All the remaining glowing red swords all shrunk to the size of dust. The same was true of the fire wave that Merlin slashed, its size becoming dust in an instant.
“Did I ever say that your [Size Manipulation] magic is annoying?” merlin asked, a hundred glowing red swords had already surrounded him in full care.
“I can say the same thing with your [Sword Creation],” reply Arthur while putting up his serious horses. “If it's just a normal sword, it doesn't matter. But the sword can attack and defend itself. And you can switch places with your sword. You don't deserve to say that my magic is annoying when your magic is also annoying.”
Merlin responds to Arthur's words by firing his swords. Arthur darted forward without paying any heed to all those swords. His magic quickly turned all the swords into dust-sized ones. Arthur arrived in front of Merlin in an instant, but his spear once again hit the red sword—Merlin had already disappeared again.
Shrinking the sword, Arthur revolved in place with thick lightning enveloping his body and spear. “Lancedragon Art: Longinus,” whispered Arthur with a spear piercing the empty air in front of him.
Instantly, everything in front of Arthur vanished in a bolt of concentrated lightning. The lightning that moved like a laser shot sharply at Merlin, but again Merlin had already moved with his sword. Unlike before, the red sword melted and vanished in a lightning strike, and the lightning continued to accelerate until it destroyed the eighth layer barrier.
“You want to kill me?!”
Merlin's voice shrieked tens of meters behind Arthur, causing him to turn around.
“...Not you asking me seriously?” Arthur refrained from showing any pain in the forehead. “I'm still mena—!”
Arthur snarled as suddenly a piercing red sword pierced through his left shoulder, and a moment later he grimaced as his body was filled with a streak of red lightning.
“The first lesson, Arthur, the battle was included in it cheating.” A smile of victory flourished on Merlin's lips. “Always remember that your opponent may be cheating. Fighting with a knight's soul is not necessary if it's bu—”
Merlin's speech spontaneously stopped as the arena floor cracked due to the pressure Arthur's body was exuding. The red sword that pierced his shoulder was no longer visible, nor were the lightning bolts vanished. All the swords that Merlin had hidden in many places in the arena also disappeared into the size of dust grains— which means the same as vanished. A whitish blue lightning then blared filled the room.
Merlin spontaneously stretched out his two hands creating a red sword after a red sword, but all of them disappeared just as quickly as the creation of another sword. No matter how quickly Merlin manifested his sword, they always disappeared just as quickly. Even as he manifested his destructive fire magic circle, all of the magic circles shrank and disappeared.
“Sit down, Merlin,” said Arthur with a flat expression—his lightning turned to a blackish blue. “Then say, ‘I'm guilty. I'm sorry. I'm not gonna cheat you anymore.’ Do that ten times while bowing your head full of regret. That way, I won't show you how I destroyed Ulbath Lancedragon without him being able to wince.”
…The fight of the day ended with Merlin sitting down apologizing, but in Merlin's heart swore he would make Arthur do what he is doing now.
...»»» End of Chapter 25 «««...