"My clothes are high-tier artefacts that provide resistance against magical attacks *cough*"
She explained to her foe. She had seen that he was surprised that she survived.
"You are the strongest the theocracy has ever had, so I should have expected as much… but let's wrap this up"
He announced while watching her heal. She had one more trump card left, and he wanted her to use it. Once it failed, he'd unleash his domain expansion and show her the foolishness of having attacked him.
Meanwhile, atop the trees nearby, the members of Blue Rose found themselves stunned and shocked.
"What the fuck what that? I thought he wasn't a mage!!"
Gagaran shouted in shock; seeing Arthur pull off what was clearly a magic attack not only shocked her but confused her and the rest of her team. Her body was floating upside-down.
"That was an intense release and eruption of magical power, and from what I could see, it didn't come from his sword"
Evileye uttered while thinking back to the time when Arthur told them about Excalibur. Remembering that she couldn't help but wonder if he lied back then. Her body was floating, as she had cast fly on herself, Gagaran, and Lakyus.
"Does that mean he's a magic caster?"
Tina asked while standing atop the peak of a nearby tree like the ninja she is; her gaze focused toward the direction of the battle.
"I don't know, since he fought with his sword, I thought he was a warrior"
Tia answered; however, unlike her sister, she held onto the tree as if giving it a bear hug.
"Clearly, that isn't the case; that was clearly a magic spell."
Evileye stated, and everyone agreed with her. However, Lakyus was silent; she was shocked and confused, much like the rest; however, she was silent because of worry.
"Even if he's the one that launched the attack, surviving that explosion is an entirely different story. Evileye, let's get close"
Lakyus explained before ordering Evileye to carry them towards the battlefield. They had actually retreated a bit too far away, so it would be difficult to see the full results of the explosion.
Back to Arthur and Zesshi. Their battle would now enter its final stage.
"Don't think you've won just yet!"
Zesshi exclaimed before she launched herself out of the massive crater, flew over Arthur, and landed a few meters away from him. The side of her body that had been burned had now healed, thanks to her Cleric class.
She looked at him with a small smirk. He didn't look any worse for wear; however, that last attack was certainly his trump card, and he most likely didn't have anything else. It didn't seem like it, but it was obvious he was putting up a front to make it seem he still had something left.
"People with healing abilities are always a problem"
Arthur said with a sigh. However, he could tell that she was tired, and her heavy breath was a good indicator of that.
After having said that, he then used the ruler's authority to call his blade back into his hand and took a fighting stance but didn't attack; he waited for her to make the first move.
For the most part, this fight is motivated by the desire for revenge. When he saw her again, he was angry, and he wanted to beat her so thoroughly to the point that when he looked at her, he would be satisfied.
However, as the fight continued, he was enjoying himself and was having fun. He didn't want to call himself a battle maniac, but he couldn't lie and say he didn't enjoy a good battle.
"You are the first person who will be seeing this. I wanted to use it on my father, but you are someone not to be underestimated."
She expressed to her opponent before she planted the butt of her scythe on the charred ground and held it with both hands.
However, before she activated the skill, there was a bit of hesitation in her, as she reconsidered her choice to continue.
If she does activate her ultimate skill and he does die, she won't be able to achieve her goal.
'Do I even want to?'
Doubts about her goal crept into her head once again, was it truly fair to herself and her possible child to dedicate their lives to killing the elf king? Wasn't there more to life than just revenge?
There was also the fact that even if Arthur survives her attack, he certainly won't be willing to do anything intimate with her. Clearly, this plan of hers was poorly thought out and made no sense.
With such thoughts in her head, Zessh quickly became unable to decide on what she wanted. She began to doubt the goal she had thought she wanted ever since her mother died.
"hmm? Do you need a minute?"
Arthur asked as he witnessed her face change from determined to fight to a solemn expression of uncertainty.
"I'm not sure I want to do this"
She blurted out as her eyes looked at the blackened dirt. Arthur, on the other hand, found himself confused with a bit of anger bubbling up just lightly.
"The fuck you mean?!"
"When I first attacked you in the planes, it was because of orders from my higher-ups. I had thought I had killed you but when I heard you survived I got excited"
She began and Arthur frowned, his anger rising as he heard her speak and witnessed the solemn expression on her face. She attacked him twice and now it looked like she was having second thoughts.
"I wanted–"
"Stop right there! You don't get to have a moment of reflection, absolutely not!"
He immediately interrupted her and once again stabbed Excalibur onto the ground as he prepared to activate his domain. He wasn't about to be denied his satisfaction.
"I know I have no right to say all this to you, but I can't help but think maybe my life has–
"Yeah, that's rough; I don't give a fuck!"
He interrupted her before he mimicked Gojo's hand sign, activating his domain expansion. If she wasn't going to use her trump card, then This battle was over; he did not care for any sentimental sob story she wanted to tell.
"Domain expansion: Torturous Avalon"
He uttered those words, and such words sent a shiver down Zesshi's spine, and fear crept into and quickly filled her heart.
She felt the explosion of mana erupt from Arthur and quickly flood the entire forest
'SHIT!'
She inwardly cursed herself for her own foolishness and arrogance. She hadn't thought he would be another trump card as she did; she thought the arrow would have been his most potent attack.
The space around her warped and changed before she found herself in an empty white space
"Don't beat yourself up, it's not like you lost because you didn't work hard enough, you lost simply because I'm a cheat existence"
He said before there was a flash of both white and gold, and Zesshi suddenly found herself trapped inside an unfamiliar space.
The space resembled a throne room but with white and gold marble walls, and the floor was made of gold as well. There was no ceiling, only an endless white abyss that revealed nothing. However, above her, she could see a sword pointing down at her threateningly.
Before her was an elevated golden throne, where Arthur was seated looking down upon her like a displeased king, ready to decree her execution. His overwhelming aura weighed down on her, but she withstood it, barely dropping into a kneeling position.
"Welcome to my domain, Brace yourself for pain and suffering that will be ingrained in you forever"
He announced, and Zesshi found herself listening without contesting; her instincts told her it was imperative to listen if she wanted to live.
...