Rom had many regrets in his life: failing to save his family during the war, avenging his fallen brothers who stood by his side on the battlefield, and many, many more. Yet, his greatest regret was not being able to protect the little girl he considered the daughter he never had.
"Old man! Old man!" He could see her crying in front of him. His wound was not fatal, but it was located in a dangerous place, his neck. He also had one on his gut – it was pretty deep – but thanks to his giant body, his muscles were thicker, thus it had not reached his intestine.
That damn bitch got him good alright. At first glance, she looked gentle, but her fangs clearly proved the opposite. It kinda reminded him of a poisonous snake.
A war veteran now weakly lying on the floor and succumbing to his injury. Bah! He really was rusty if a single woman could put him in this state.
No, not a woman… This bitch… There was no way she was human. He could accept her speed and flexibility; however, the strength she used when she sliced his gut open was too much.
A magic user? No, it was not that simple. To possess such strength, she would need to draw mana from the air, and he didn't see any sign of that. So it was actually raw strength, which meant she was not human.
Damn…
Had he kept his skills and training in pristine condition, he sure as hell could have beaten this bitch to a pulp. But he quit. Because everywhere he could have used his skills, people would have treated him like dirt for being a giant.
Furthermore, he didn't want to. He may no longer hate humans as much as when he was young, but that didn't mean he liked them now.
"Oi! Old man! Stay with me! Old man!" She was still crying. Her usual cheerful and mischievous grin was replaced by an expression of pure sadness with tears falling from her red eyes.
He wanted to talk, he wanted to say it was okay, he wanted to say sorry for failing to protect her, he wanted to tell her to run… But only a gurgle of blood came out of his mouth.
Damn…
He could barely stay conscious now… He felt cold… He lost too much blood; his injury wasn't fatal, but he would die from blood loss all the same.
He saw the bitch approach Felt and tried to snarl, but he was too weak to do so. Terror was gripping his heart as he imagined what would happen to Felt.
No, no, she had to get out of here! She had a Divine Protection, she could escape! This woman was fast, but when running, Felt sure was faster! At least she could reach the main city and its safety.
He tried to tell her to run again, but he was getting weaker and weaker still, barely able to keep his eyes open.
He couldn't do anything…
It was just like when his brothers died in the war; he still couldn't do anything…
'If there is a God out there… Please… Save her…'
His prayer… was answered.
BANG!
An explosion-like sound echoed in the old building as the door slammed – no, it was flung open. The door practically flew and crashed at the end of the house against the wall with enough force to shatter the wall as it was made of paper creating a huge hole there.
Then someone entered.
If there was someone who was a "Knight in Shining Armor," then it was this guy. The sunlight shone on his armor, reflecting in the whole room and making him look like he was shining himself. His golden blond hair waved in the air, and his green eyes glowed with power as sharp as a predator.
'She's safe… She's safe…'
That was his thought after seeing the knight enter the building. Rom felt at peace knowing his surrogate daughter – or granddaughter – would be safe. That bitch wouldn't harm her, she wouldn't touch her, she was safe, she was safe.
As darkness slowly consumed his vision, Rom allowed a smile to appear on his face.
Alex stared at the horrifying scene in front of him with an impassive look. His green eyes briefly looked toward the giant and the small girl before he turned fully to the most dangerous person in the room.
She was beautiful, more than the word itself could describe. She was stunning. That couldn't be denied; she was like Emilia in this regard, like a porcelain doll in a way. No, it was only at first glance that she could be mistaken as a porcelain doll.
She stood over the injured giant and the girl, her long lustrous black hair trailing down to her back. The left part was tied and curled into a braid. Her black dress barely covered her body and was tight, showing her curved and well-endowed body. The black cape that was placed over it only made her look more exotic.
She was beautiful… but she also looked very disturbing in Alex's opinion.
She was so beautiful that it made her look strange, inhuman somehow. This perfection was what made her flawed… It was almost like looking at your reflection in a mirror; it showed the shadow of someone that looked like you but at the same time was too good-looking to be you.
"Alex, you're too f –" Emilia, who entered after him, cut herself with a gasp as her eyes finally caught the sight of the dying giant and the small girl.
"Oh my, it seems we have uninvited guests," spoke the killer in a gentle and cheerful voice, as if everything was normal. She turned to them, her face bearing a kind smile. "Why don't you two come in and join us?"
Emilia tensed at the obvious ominous offer, whereas Alex was not showing any indication that he even heard her, his eyes still focused on the Bowel Hunter.
He was afraid, make no mistake. For all his calm and uncaring demeanor, standing in front of the killer and seeing a giant lying with his gut open like a fish was more than enough for his heart to be gripped by terror.
But he knew he couldn't afford to be afraid. So he forced himself to stay calm… and took a step forward.
"This man may still be alive," spoke Alex. "Emilia-san, are you proficient in the healing arts?"
"Yes, I am."
"Then can you heal him?" asked Alex. "I do not mean to order you; however, right now, the enemy we face is beyond our strength," he added, his eyes never leaving Elsa as if she would strike at any moment.
The killer, though, only kept on smiling. One would mistake her for a benevolent and kind person by the way she smiled and looked at them. However, the bloody dagger in her hand spoke otherwise.
Emilia appeared a bit offended at the blond's words, "I can fight! I'm not defenseless and –"
"I never said you were," cut Alex without facing her. "There is a wounded person here, and it would be good if you could heal him. While doing so, please observe the way the enemy fights before joining the battle."
Rather than worrying about himself, Alex was thinking about Emilia. If she died, things wouldn't be pretty. Whatever happened, he didn't want to face an enraged Puck, superpowers or not; the cat spirit was scary as hell!
Meanwhile, Emilia seemed to get what he tried to convey. Her slight anger demeanor was gone and replaced by grim understanding, "Very well then!"
Emilia then made her way to the injured party, keeping her eyes on Elsa, who didn't even acknowledge her existence and was still smiling at Alex.
"Are you done discussing your strategy?" asked Elsa cheerfully. "It's rude to make a lady wait," she said in an admonishing voice as she raised her dagger. "It is also quite dumb to speak your plan aloud when your enemy is standing in front of you."
"You're not the type of person who strikes an opponent when they are talking," replied Alex with a sniff. "At least not when the opponent has piqued your interest. No, you prefer to watch your prey struggle, to toy with them. I know what kind of person you are."
"Ohh, you seem to know me pretty well," said Elsa with a delightful and surprised voice. "Have we met somewhere? I'm pretty sure I would have remembered someone as handsome and cute as you," she continued, sending a flirtatious wink. "Or, I have emptied the stomach of someone you know," she added with a wider grin.
"The latter fortunately." Alex dryly spoke, and that someone was named Subaru. "Don't bother, you won't remember him, Bowel Hunter."
He heard a gasp from Felt; she probably recognized the nickname of the murderer in front of them.
"My, my, you know my title as well." Elsa giggled like a schoolgirl. "Not surprising, as you seem to know my personality quite well."
She then twirled the dagger in her hand a little, her smile turning into a smirk. Then her closed eyes opened, and it turned into a leer. "Shall we start then? I think you have done enough stalling."
"Indeed."
He only was stalling; the faster Emilia could join the battle, the better it was for him.
"Little girl! Your name is Felt, right?!" he yelled.
"A-Ah? Yes!"
"Go. Get out of here. Go search for help; if you are agile enough to hop from one building to another, you can escape from her easily."
"What?! B-But –"
"If you don't, we are all going to die here! Go call for help! Now!" pressed Alex.
The blonde girl looked unsure, her red eyes staring at the injured Rom, currently under Emilia's treatment. The half-elf gave her a look and a nod, prompting the thief to turn to Alex, whose gaze was still remaining on Elsa.
Slowly, she gulped, then stood shakily and nodded, "O-kay, o-kay. I-I will go get help."
She summoned her power, the blessing given to her at her birth. She felt the power of the wind surge inside her body, and she dashed in the direction of the entrance, covering one meter in only one step and –
"I'm sorry, but that is not something I can allow."
Elsa was there; just after one step, the killer was already on Felt's side, her dagger raised and ready to be brought down with the intent to cut down the defenseless girl.
But in the same moment, Alex was there as well.
The wind. No. It was a gale. It came from Alex's direction. Elsa saw it coming, however, its speed far surpassed her expectations. She clearly did not think the armored man was capable of attacking her like that. Therefore she was left open, got hit hard by the gale, and was sent flying.
It was more like a hammer than a simple wind. It crashed upon her whole body with great force. It made her fly and crash to the opposite wall, smashing furniture in the process.
This hammer was more than enough to catch Felt and Emilia's attention. Their faces snapped in his direction and saw the knight holding… something.
Thumb! Thumb!
With golden hair flowing like a radiant crown and piercing green eyes that held the depths of the jungles, Alex exuded an air of nobility that set him apart from others. In his current form, Felt and Emilia had to admit he looked more handsome than just a simple mortal. They could feel their hearts speed up as their cheeks grew red.
The wind was dancing around him, blowing his hair and making his sharp green eyes all the more visible. The wind was coming from something he was holding. This something was invisible. Nothing was in his hand, absolutely nothing; their eyes couldn't even fathom a form. However, they knew there was something there, in his grip, they just couldn't see it.
While Felt was astonished by this mystery, Emilia was shocked for another reason.
As a person who delved into the spirit arts, she was quite sensitive to their presence. At this moment, she heard the lesser spirits near him singing. They were singing in awe, happiness, and joy.
Emilia had never known they could be so happy or even capable of singing; this was truly astonishing for her. Coupled with the fact that he looked handsome while holding the invisible thing, the very air around him had changed.
"What are you looking for?!" Alex barked, snapping Felt from her awe. "Go!"
"R-right!" Felt nodded shakily. "B-Be careful, Onii-chan!" She yelled as she dashed through the entrance toward the center of the city.
Alex took two steps forward, gripping the invisible sword tightly in preparation. His eyes were locked on where Elsa had just crashed, his body tense, preparing for the next assault.
He was surprised that Elsa got hit in the first place. He knew she would move to intercept Felt, as she did the same in the original story. So, when Felt was about to take her first step, he had already drawn Excalibur and rushed in her direction.
'I managed to land a surprise attack, though I should have chopped her head instead but…'
The force of the wind had disturbed his balance, so instead of his sword hitting her, only the gale of wind was successful.
'Tsk, what's done is done. Now I better focus on the current situation.'
As if answering his thought, the black-dressed woman chose this moment to blow away the pile of woods she had been buried under. She had dust and dirt all over her body, and a small line of crimson liquid could be seen slipping from her mouth – the only sign of her injured state.
"That's very interesting," she commented, her eyes now fully open and glued to the invisible object in his hand. "Such a unique weapon, to be invisible like that. What is it if I may ask? A sword?"
At this question, Alex couldn't help but smirk. Oh, he knew there would be someone asking him this question when they first saw Excalibur! He had always wanted to use this line.
"Maybe," he said mysteriously, raising Excalibur. "Maybe not. It could be an axe. Or not. Maybe I have something completely different, like a bow."
Oh, he felt pretty badass now! He managed to land a solid first hit on his enemy just like Saber when she faced Lancer, and now he also said the same line! God damn, if that wasn't cool, he didn't know what else was.
"A bit sarcastic, aren't we?" asked Elsa in a dry voice. "For a knight, you clearly have a rude attitude."
"I'm not from these lands, and I'm still in training," retorted Alex.
"Ah, then I don't think I will have to worry too much."
Then Elsa charged at him again. She was fast! Even with his increased adaptive perception, compared to the movement of the thugs in the city, she was like a car rushing at him!
'Focus on her arms!'
His eyes immediately focused on the dagger that was a few feet away from reaching his face. He quickly brought up his sword and deflected the attack above his head. Then he swung it back vertically, but Elsa had already spun. Using her own force, she twisted and delivered a spinning kick that got deflected by the invisible blade before she swung her dagger again.
Alex just had the time to pull his head back, the dagger only missing his eyes by a few inches; he could even feel the sharp wind following her blade. Quickly, he readjusted his grip on Excalibur and brought it back, giving a horizontal slash. Unfortunately, Elsa saw it coming and had already jumped back, skidding on the ground, watching him keenly.
He felt his heart beating fast and loud, almost like a drum. His breath had become a bit ragged, but he was not that tired. No, instead, he was nervous and afraid. Right now, what made him move was actually adrenaline rather than his own will.
'That was too close! If I didn't pull back my head…'
The battle would have been finished, in a very anticlimactic manner, in fact. And he had quoted Saber! Gah, it would have been very embarrassing!
He was not given the chance to think further as Elsa launched herself at him once again, but with even faster speed this time. Zig-zagging around the room, she came from the left, and Alex was not tricked. He quickly moved to the left, his eyes catching a glimpse from below, and he swung his sword down, parrying the uppercut slash with no real problem.
Once again, Elsa used the force of his attack as fuel and flung herself above, spinning in the air as she extended one leg and sent it down toward Alex's face. The blond-haired man took one step back, once again having just the time to dodge the axe kick. As soon as Elsa landed, she sprung forward and delivered another kick, this time catching Alex unprepared. He managed to block the kick with his sword, but the force of the attack made him stumble.
Not wasting this chance, Elsa moved her dagger to her right hand and swung it at Alex's open right abdomen with strength. She was barely holding her glee, finally able to gut her prey.
*Clank*
However, much to her surprise, instead of cutting his stomach open, her dagger screeched, clashing against the shining armor he was wearing. Several small sparks flew from the hit.
This was absurd! Her dagger was very sharp! It was made from one of the best materials there was. With her unnatural strength, she could easily slice a tree in two! Indeed, she had cut the old giant's club like it was made of paper!
Yet it did nothing, not even a scratch to this armor?!
She was brought out from her thoughts as she was forced to sidestep her enemy's vertical slash. She then quickly jumped away when he swung his sword in another horizontal slash. She backflipped once during her retreat, balanced herself, and stared at the young man with a new glint in her eyes.
"My, my, what great armor you have," she commented flippantly as her gaze was glued to the place where her dagger hit.
Alex winced as he brought his hand to where her dagger struck him. Even though there wasn't even a mark there, it was hard to tell where she hit, but he could feel it. Inwardly, he gulped; that was close. If it weren't for his armor, he would be dead by now…
Not to mention, he could feel the blunt pain from that attack. His armor might have blocked the dagger, but he could still feel the impact! Damn this woman, she was really strong! It was almost like being punched in the stomach directly!
"A knight in training huh? I guess you're not lying." Elsa twirled her dagger and sighed a bit while closing her eyes. "I'm a little disappointed. Here I was thinking I would have a good fight…"
Her eyes reopened, and Alex could see a sinister glint in them.
"I guess you're nothing but an average man with fancy equipment."
"Tsk."
Alex clicked his tongue in irritation. As much as he hated to admit it, this couldn't be denied. Even with his increased speed and strength, he couldn't keep up. None of his attacks landed, and he was only able to block or dodge. And it came very close at several moments.
This wasn't good…
He glanced at Emilia and found the girl still busy healing Rom. Why was it taking so long?! In the anime, she healed his bleeding neck in a very short time! Was it because the wound was more severe?!
Elsa rushed him again, this time from the right. Her dagger swung with such force that it created a small kinetic wave. Alex quickly moved to block, but the woman suddenly paused in the middle of her swing, pulled back, allowing Alex's attack to pass through only air, and at the next moment twisted her body and gave a downward slash straight at him. In panic, Alex quickly released his two-handed grip and thrust with his gauntlet to block.
Sounds of two metals colliding resonated as the edge of the dagger dug into Alex's gauntlet, preventing a hit to his face. Nevertheless, the force was enough to make him lose his balance, and Elsa took the opportunity to deliver her next attack. Her foot smashed into Alex's armored chest and flung him backward and to the ground.
Alex gritted his teeth, quickly trying to stand up. Fortunately, the last kick did not hurt thanks to his armor. All the same, it was clear proof that without his armor, he would already be dead with one less arm! This was not good; he was clearly losing!
Meanwhile, Elsa was smiling in delight, her violet eyes shining with arrogance as she waited for him. Waited for him to stand up. She no longer considered him a threat but rather only a novice. That made him angry for obvious reasons.
'Calm yourself, Alex, calm. Do not panic or get angry. Remember, you hold the bigger card here. As long as you stay calm, it will be fine.'
He felt his body slowly relax, taking one deep breath and entering his stance once again. Ha had Excalibur and Saber's magical armor, all his stats, so perhaps he also had his ability to… that meant…
He sought the energy inside of him, emptying his mind–his heart beating harder and harder.
Then he felt it, something flowing from inside himself, from the middle of his stomach precisely. Then it spread, surging through his veins, flowing to every corner of his body.
And it felt great!
His hesitation was gone, his green eyes turned sharper somehow. He watched Elsa rushing at him–dagger in hand– with greater speed than ever before. It appeared that the vampire was still intent on playing with him.
She just made a big mistake.
With new power and energy flowing in his body, Alex rushed forward to meet her.
Elsa was fast, to a normal human, she would be a blur. A human would be able to see something, but his body would not react in time. That was how fast she moved.
But Alex was not only fast… He didn't become a blur like Elsa… But a blur even she couldn't see.
He became a flash.
The ground beneath him exploded in a crater, bursts of wind erupted from his back, and his mana became visible, trailing behind him as he moved.
It was Elsa's experience that saved her from being cleaved in two. She could only make one step forward before her target appeared in front of her, with his invisible sword already in mid-swing. She saw it, barely, and knew at this moment there was no way of blocking his attack. It was too late for that.
Dodging was the only solution she had.
The sword came down, and it did not only cut the ground. No, it came down not only with great force but also carrying the wind and magical energy contained inside it. The moment it met the floor, it made it explode, creating powerful bursts of wind spreading in all directions and knocking away everything close.
"Kya!"
Emilia was taken aback by the sudden explosion. She felt the burst of wind passing over her and almost lost her balance from its sheer power. She snapped her head in the direction of the battle and gaped for a second.
The place struck by Alex… was totally destroyed… Only splinters of wood could be seen on the previous floor. The ground below had turned into a four-foot-size crater. The room, which was already a mess from the clash of two powerful opponents, now looked like a tornado had just passed through it, leaving behind a trail of destruction.
Her gaze shifted to the wall a few meters away from Alex. Or rather, what remained of it. The force of his strike was enough to cut it down like it was made of paper. Granted, the warehouse was quite old, but producing an attack capable of that was not a small feat.
She did not avoid that attack unscathed; the vampire could feel a sharp pain coming from her left forearm–injured by the invisible sword. Fresh red liquid was spurting out like a fountain; the black-dressed woman crashed onto the ground from the force of the explosion. While she looked at her hand and was shocked to see it wasn't healing.
And the pain she was feeling was much more severe then a wound of this calibre would usually do. As if she was cut by something that was made to inflict much more pain than it usually does.
In fact, it was so painful that Elsa gritted her teeth and bit her tongue to control herself from screaming. As she frowned. As every fibre in her body trembled from pain.
Meanwhile, Alex was looking from his sword to the destroyed wall with a bewildered expression.
That… was clearly more than he expected. No, it blew all his expectations!
He knew what he just did. He felt it while using this new energy.
It was Mana Burst, a skill used to heighten the force of a strike or to guard by infusing magical energy and instantly expelling it. Simply put, it recreated the effect of a jet blast by expanding large amounts of magical energy.
It was a skill that belonged to Saber, King Arthur, the King of Knights, and his son, Mordred Pendragon.
And now, it was his as well.
He really wanted to jump in joy and begin to make a silly dance. This was too much, truthfully. For a simple man to have the skill of the legendary King Arthur.
It was The Man's Dream!
He did not, though. The urge was strong, but he suppressed it with great effort. Now was not the time to rejoice, not in this dire situation.
As he also knew what he did was nowhere near anything real Arthur could do. Two can't even be compared. He could have done much more than that just using his normal strength.
After all, he now had all the stats of Arthur Pendragon—all of them were straight A's and A+s.
It's just that he could hardly make use of it, it's a situation of adaptation, and at his current level, he could hardly adapt to it.
It's like if you are transmigrated into the body of an adult Superman. Or more accurately, if your body suddenly gained the power of Superman.
You wouldn't have any control of the strength, speed, and your heat vision. You wouldn't be able to use the power Superman could use or how he uses it, breaking things and not putting enough strength to move something.
Alex was in the same situation, it was just less than that where his mind is trying to adapt but doing at the speed of a Turtle. Slow yet still trying.
Still… he couldn't resist making a comment.
"What was that you were saying again about an average man with fancy equipment?" He asked sarcastically to the woman who…
Alex blinked when he noticed the black-haired woman kneeling on the ground, her right hand holding her injured left arm. Her whole body was trembling, and her left fingers twitched in an uncontrollable manner.
His eyes narrowed as he turned to face her. What was wrong with her?
Before he could think more, the serial killer's head snapped up, her eyes attached to his form, made Alex's breath hitch.
Her eyes and face…
Her black eyes and beautiful doll-like face…
They were gone.
Instead, he now faced red orbs glowing with an eerie light, teeth turned into fangs, and a dark snarl. She looked more the part of a monster than a woman right now.
'What the he–'
He felt himself floating, he felt so light, so weightless. He felt so… high… is that his body down there?