/// Recap ///
"What do you know about hell, Kezzes? Nothing…! But worry not, I'll show you one. Let us play in the depths of hell." Arthur said as a golden light engulfed him.
/// 3rd Person POV ///
Arthur reached from his armor relic as black scales started to form all around his body, covering him to his neck. Two horns sprouted from the side of his head moving down and then upwards. An expanding golden light shone between his scales.
Just as Kezzes was deciphering what caused the sudden rise in aether fluctuation, the mana started to tremble too as Arthur activated realm heart.
(A/n yeah they look the same now.)
His hair turned white and golden runes ran all over his body. Letting out a deep breath, Arthur narrowed his eyes as he continued to observe Kezzes. Something about him felt off.
Arthur conjured an aetheric sword in his hand as it started to produce a slight humming sound. The next moment he leaped off and arrived in front of Kezzes. Both of them engaged in a flurry of strikes. Blow for a blow and wound for a wound.
Arthur's superior swordsmanship was helping him but it wasn't enough. He wasn't here to put up a fight. The real purpose was to defeat him and it just felt like he couldn't do it. He gritted his teeth at the negativity flowing in his mind as he burst stepped toward him.
He saw an opening in his movement and Arthur looked for the aetheric pathway that led to his opening. He disappeared in thin air and then appeared again, bringing his sword down in a horizontal slash. The aetheric sword no more than a purple blur was brought down on him with all the force he could muster.
Just as he swung his sword his eyes widened. He couldn't believe the spectacle in front of him. He had not only missed his target but had also lost his sword hand. His hand went hurling beyond the lofty clouds as he continued to look at his arm that fell on the battlefield where Regis kept fighting, barely clinging to his life.
A metallic taste filled Arthur's mouth, as he felt his lower being cut by his teeth he bit it to suppress the need to scream from the excruciating pain of the loss of a limb. His aether started to rush from his core to his right hand and his lost hand started to grow back.
New bones grew, first the humerus followed by radius and ulna, sets of carpal and metacarpal bones in the hand, and digits in the fingers. Tendons and muscles started to grow, veins and arteries flowing down the arm, and just like that the whole arm grew back in front of Kezzes in a matter of a few seconds. His careless facade was replaced by a shocked expression.
"I see. You still have a few tricks up your sleeve. That's aether, right? But that exceptional aether art. It's Myre. Isn't it?" Kezzes asked with an unamused expression like it was the most natural thing remaining unfazed.
"...…."
- Flashback to the time when they went to Euphotus -
/// Arthur Leywin POV ///
I finished my daily training with Kordri. It's really hard to not kill him every time he comes at you with the intent to kill. Even today I almost killed him as he delivered a jab at my blind spot which I deliberately left open.
It would've raised quite a lot of suspicion if the best hand-to-hand combatant was unable to land a hit on a lesser. So I just grit my teeth and let him kill me now and then.
However, Cecelia isn't so modest. She'd knock the living hell out of him whenever she gets the chance with mana attacks.
Since my days with Kordri ended, just like the original timeline, I was sent to the damned forest to hunt, while Cecelia was sent to where Nico was getting trained.
I took my time as I did in the original timeline. Now and then I could feel Windsom's presence over me. To avoid any suspicion and to bring my plan into action I needed to avoid trouble for now.
I hunted the bear and ruined my legs miserably while cutting my aether reserves to not go to my wounds. As expected I was brought to the same shabby hut. Prying my eyes open I woke up and sat immediately.
"Looks like you're totally fine. But tell me, child.. are you doing it on purpose.?" An old woman asked as her gaze remained plastered over my healing leg and her jaw about to drop.
"Oh, you mean this?" I asked innocently as I conjured an aetheric sword and changed its shape into different weapons. Her eyes widened even more.
"But how——"
"You don't have to wear this 'old hag' mask in front of me, Myre." I cut her off as I felt my expression change. I released a bit of my aetheric intent and let it wash over her as her breathing became ragged. She stumbled as she gripped the frame of the door to aid her to at least stand.
I finally withdrew my intent as I saw her fall on her back. She sat back up as she took a full breath in. She looked at me with weary eyes as I witnessed her wrinkled skin turn into that of an unblemished and young one.
"Better," I said as I stood up from my bed. Taking out a centuries-old bottle of wine from my dimensional rune, I sat on the edge of the bed. I motioned for her to sit right by my side. She wanted to reject it but she had already understood the difference between our power levels.
Without uttering a single world she sat beside me with practiced grace. Taking a seat beside me I could feel her heart pounding rapidly. I removed the cork from the bottle as I poured it into a goblet and offered it to her.
"...."
"Don't worry, I can kill you at any moment without anyone knowing. You and I both know I don't need to rely on petty methods like this." I said with a light chuckle as I offered the goblet once again to her.
She looked at it for a moment but accepted it. Taking the goblet away she twirled it in a circular motion. She brought the goblet to her lips as she took a sip. Suddenly she let out a cough.
"Oh sorry. Did I forget to mention? It's really old. Maybe as old as you, so don't rush it." I said as I poured a drink for myself.
She glared at me while I raised a brow,
"Rude. You don't have to mention a lady's age." She said with a bit of anger.
"You're hardly a lady now, Myre," I said with an amused face causing her to giggle.
"What?" I asked.
"Nothing. It's just that it's been centuries since anyone talked to me like that. So.... What is it you want to talk about?" She asked as she stopped giggling. Her face was as stern as a rock.
"You seem to catch on well," I said.
"Why won't I? And from what I can speculate it's about my husband isn't it?" She asked.
"Mhmm. It is." I paused for a second as I stood up and took a huge sip. I licked my lips, savoring its taste as it produced a burning sensation down my throat.
"I don't know how you came to know about him or his doings. I also don't know what you're about to offer. But from what I can see you have the power to back up your claim for demands. So what do you want from me?" She asked as she flipped one foot over the other and sat cross-legged, her body resting against her hand which she placed behind her on the bed, sitting in a comfortable position.
"You don't need to know much. Just gather the asuras that are against him. Lord Theystes might be one of them. I need you to gather them and carry them into the battlefield and help my weapon, Regis."
I explained all the specifics to her. After a little negotiation, we agreed and a deal was set.
/// 3rd Person POV ///
"I see. You still have a few tricks up your sleeve. That's aether, right? But that exceptional aether art. It's Myre. Isn't it?" Kezzes asked with an unamused expression like it was the most natural thing remaining unfazed.
"You seem to be taking this quite well." Arthur spat as he repositioned himself into a fighting stance again. He noticed the aether around him and started to inspect it.
"Quite easy to deduce actually. She's always been against my methods from the very start. I can also predict you have rebel asuras at your disposal whenever that weapon gets in danger." He replied.
"You know quite a lot." Arthur comprehended a little of what had happened earlier. He god-stepped behind him as he swung his sword at an imperceivable speed. Suddenly he felt his sword vibrate and then he missed, AGAIN.
"My turn then," Kezzes said without turning back as he jolted his head a little to the side. Looking at Arthur in the corner of his eyes he let out a small smirk as he bent his body at an impossible angle as he kicked Arthur straight in the face.
His face got kicked in as a loud crunch indicating a broken nose echoed. Arthur was sent stumbling back a few yards. Just as he jolted his head to regain consciousness Kezzes was already in front of him. Coalescing his hand with a phenomenal amount of mana he punched Arthur. He responded with an aetheric punch of his own.
Their fists met as a huge crater formed in the ground below where they were flying. They punched once again as another one formed. Both of them engaged in a barrage of relentless kicks and punches sending tremors throughout the ground as multiple craters continued to form.
Arthur was done with his appraisal as he blocked a punch from him instead of dodging it. Blocking it with his arm sent a jolt of pain throughout his arm but he clenched his jaw and endured it.
Arthur was finally understanding why his strikes were not hitting and why his attacks were reaching him with double the power he was originally supposed to have.
'Time Haste'
A simple yet very effective aether art which belongs to the edict of aevum. Arthur conjured an aetheric sword and plunged it in the form of a stab. Kezzes's eyes widened as this time he dodged the attack.
Everything fell in place for him now. His off-timing and swings getting past their targets. Kezzes was forcefully accelerating Arthur's sword. When swung in a horizontal or vertical slash, in order for it to be successful it has to be swung with perfect coordination of your body and mind's calculation.
However it is disturbed if your sword's speed were to suddenly increase just before it could make contact. By throwing Arthur's trajectory and speed off-balance, Kezzes was able to put up a fight against the superior swordsmanship of Arthur.
(E/n No better swordsman joke?)
(A/n fuck off.)
Arthur changed his sword shape from a western styled sword to a katana. The hilt elongated as the blade grew in size too. Gripping the hilt by both hands Arthur swung the sword once again in a downward curve.
"Fool." Kezzes muttered as aether clung to him. He attached the aether around his arms and accelerated its speed.
However Kezzes overlooked one important factor. His eyes widened as he saw Arthur's sword just in front of his chest, instead of being thrown off-balance.
"How..?"
A katana requires two hands to handle it. By pushing the hilt with the right hand and pulling with the left, force is applied. Arthur knew that Kezzes would increase the speed of his arms to disrupt the timing. So he didn't swing the sword. Instead he just brought his arms downward. Hence his strike was not cancelled.
Just his stance changed from a high-stance to medium-stance. A smirk formed on his face as he held the sword pointing at his chest.
"You should think things through first." Arthur said as he pulled his left hand on the hilt making the sword swing as it left a screeching sound. The sword entered his skin, piercing and slashing it. His sword cut so deep that it was just a few centimetres shy of slashing him into two. Blood gushed out from his chest as his robes got stained with his life blood.
However, there was an eerie feeling that crept up Arthur's spine. He looked at Kezzes and spotted a smile over his face. Arthur's eyes widened as he looked at his wound recovering.
"Do you think that traitor is the only one with Vivum arts?" He asked as he stood straight, not one bit affected by the deep wound that almost cut him into two pieces.
His mana levels suddenly skyrocketed, and his intent was let loose. The environment darkened visibly.
"Let's not hold back anymore. You might've gotten weak after so many violations of fate but you might still have some fight left in you. Entertain me, even for a little time." Kezzes said as his mana levels continued to rise with every passing second.
However Arthur was exhausted. This fight was out of his imagination. He was low on mana and even more on aether. It wasn't enough. His aether reserves weren't enough to power even a single god-rune. It was painful to admit but he didn't hold enough power to defeat him. He closed his eyes as he remembered the faces of his family.
His mom, dad, Ellie, Caera and even their unborn child.
"Yes, it's for them."
He took in a deep breath as he opened his eyes. The colours returned to the world as he deactivated Realmheart and his relic armour.
"Giving up already?" Kezzes asked, floating calmly without being threatened.
Arthur didn't reply as he continued to take in the beautiful blue sky. The sun shining right in front of him gave a shooting effect to his eyes.
"Regis." He said out loud but it came out as a whisper.
Regis looked up, his face covered in blood and his eyes widened.
'No, no, no. Please, not that.' He pleaded internally.
"Undo the seal."
His guilty and sad voice ringed in Regis's ears as a hurricane of emotions flooded him.