Arthur maintained an eerie calmness as he raised the gun. The air grew heavy with tension as he took aim at the next black knight, his determination etched onto his face.
The knight stammered, his voice quivering as fear coursed through him. "W…wait…I don't even…"
In that heart-pounding moment, a deafening gunshot shattered the silence. The metallic echo reverberated through the area as the bullet found its mark.
The knight's helm and skull exploded in a gruesome display of violence, a fountain of crimson painting the nearby tapestries before he crumpled to the cold, unforgiving stone floor.
"Damn it! Attack! Don't hold anything back!" A desperate cry ripped through the air, one of the remaining knights drawing his sword with trembling hands. His eyes, wide with terror, flickered to his fallen comrade, a stark reminder of the relentless peril they faced.
The area crackled with palpable tension as the remaining knights, fueled by desperation and a surge of dark magic, surrounded Arthur. Their weapons gleamed ominously in the torchlight, a deadly symphony of steel.
Arthur pivoted gracefully, each movement deliberate as he aimed his gun at his adversaries. Time seemed to slow as his finger tightened on the trigger, and the first shot rang out.
It was a relentless slaughter. The knights, their faces twisted in agony and fury, charged in unison, but they fell like dominos before they could reach their target.
Arthur's shots were precise and unforgiving, their heads bursting in crimson eruptions as they closed in, unable to withstand the lethal precision of his aim.
Amidst the chaos, a chilling twist of fate unfolded. One of the black knights, realizing the futility of their advance, seized a comrade by the neck, using him as a macabre shield. The unfortunate ally's eyes widened in terror as he found himself thrust into the line of fire.
The village quivered with the cacophony of chaos, echoing the knight's desperate cry as he clung to his grisly human shield.
His heart raced, the rush of adrenaline surging through his veins as he felt the wind brush against his face, a cruel reminder of his precarious situation.
Arthur dispatched the last knight in front of him with ruthless efficiency. His gun, a harbinger of doom, roared to life once more, extinguishing the life of his foe without hesitation.
Yet, as he turned his steely gaze toward the next adversary, his keen observation caught a chilling tableau.
The knight, undeterred by the gruesome fate of his comrade, charged with reckless abandon. His stolen shield, a fellow warrior's life now a gruesome buffer, offered a grotesque but potentially lifesaving barrier.
A wry smile touched Arthur's lips as he muttered softly, almost lost in the din of battle. "Sacrifice your friend for survival… quite the move," he remarked, his voice carrying a hint of admiration for the knight's desperate ingenuity.
Amidst the relentless barrage of gunfire, Arthur remained an unyielding force. The echoes of his shots reverberated through the village like ominous thunderclaps, drowning out even the pained screams of the human shield.
The bullet struck the makeshift barrier with a resounding thud, leaving the knight behind it unharmed. A maelstrom of agony contorted the features of the human shield, his cries a haunting chorus in the midst of the chaos.
However, in the midst of this gruesome theater, the knight bore a sinister grin, a flicker of triumph in his eyes. He recognized the success of his desperate plan, a glimmer of hope in a seemingly hopeless situation.
As the human shield's anguished screams filled the air, the knights executed a daring maneuver.
With precision born of desperation, they flung their unfortunate comrade forward like a grotesque decoy, his body hurtling through the air.
Simultaneously, they veered to the right, their armored forms flashing in the dim torchlight, and then leaped toward Arthur, determination etched into every fiber of their beings.
Arthur's calm demeanor concealed a quick and calculated mind. With a deft motion, he slapped the human shield aside using his gun, sending the unfortunate warrior tumbling to the left, his cries of pain fading into the chaos.
Above him, the knight descended with manic laughter, a vengeful specter seeking retribution. His sword shimmered with an ethereal blizzard, an icy tempest swirling around the blade as he prepared to deliver a fatal blow.
"Hahahah!" The knight's voice echoed through the chamber, filled with a dark, triumphant fervor. "I finally got you,... Die, bastard!" he roared, his sword poised to strike, the biting cold of his magic frosting the air.
But in a sudden twist of fate, just as the blade was about to descend upon Arthur, the knight's expression shifted from maniacal glee to stark disbelief. His body froze in mid-air, suspended by an unseen force.
"What in the…" Panic crept into his voice as he scanned his surroundings, bewildered. His eyes widened as he discovered the source of his predicament—multiple intricate magic circles adorned around him, their arcane symbols glowing with an otherworldly light.
Chains snaked out from each circle, wrapping around his limbs, rendering him helpless, a puppet ensnared by unseen strings.
"That was quite the display you put out, can't say I hate it." Arthur spoke, looking directly at the knight who was now trembling in fear.
The knight's sword was only mere inches away from Arthur's face, but even with that, he couldn't move a muscle, even if he wanted to.
The knight's voice trembled as he pleaded in a hushed tone, "P…please, spare me... You are clearly stronger than I am… I beg you, please reconsider taking my life."
Arthur regarded him with an unwavering gaze, his expression unreadable. "Didn't you just kill your fellow men?" he questioned, his voice laced with a hint of incredulity.
The knight stammered, his nervousness palpable. "I... I just wanted to survive, you get that, right? There was no other way for me to get close to you," he explained, desperation etched across his face.
Arthur, not having any of it, slowly raised his gun and aimed it at the knight's forehead before he spoke.
"Tell you what… I'll let you leave here with your head intact if you can answer this question…" Arthur uttered, his cold eyes drilling into the Knight's as he uttered, "Name ten mangas".