Two minutes later.
The next moments became a blur, one-sided and merciless.
Jeanne tried to stand her ground, summoning half a dozen holy swords in the air around her.
She parried the first few strikes with graceful form, but it didn't matter.
Arthur's swing came down like a sledgehammer.
Excalibur Ruler crashed against her guard, not with speed, but with overwhelming, suffocating force.
Each hit caused her feet to slide back as her wrists screamed in protest.
Sparks flew as her holy blades were snapped mid-air, shattering like glass against the unyielding might of Excalibur Ruler.
Arthur ducked low and swept her feet with the flat of the blade.
She cried out as she crashed to the ground, her back hitting the ground with a loud crack.
But Arthur didn't press the attack because he was already turning.
Behind him, Siegfried rushed forward, three Demon Swords glowing in his hands: Balmung, Nothung, and Tyrfing.
Their auras danced wildly, trailing behind him like comet tails of chaos and destruction.
He slashed.
Arthur blocked it without looking.
He tilted Excalibur Ruler over his shoulder and caught all three Demon Swords at once.
The force shook the ground, but Arthur's stance never broke.
"Still too slow, dumbass."
Arthur muttered as he shoved back hard, throwing Siegfried off balance.
Then came the counter.
In one flowing motion, Arthur turned, deflected a strike with a flick of his wrist, and cracked the flat side of Excalibur Ruler directly across Siegfried's face.
The sound echoed like a thunderclap.
Siegfried was sent flying, skidding across the stone with a groan.
He rolled once, twice, and landed in a painful sprawl near Jeanne.
Arthur turned calmly, twirling the sword once with his fingers before pointing it at the two fallen prodigies.
The spectators were silent.
Shock painted their faces, mouths agape, fingers trembling.
This wasn't a battle.
This was an execution.
"This... this can't be real..."
"Those two are our top trainees. The youngest prodigies in the Church..."
"How is a Devil holding a Holy Sword?!"
"No, worse... how is he winning?"
Ewald smirked as he leaned back on a pillar, arms crossed.
"Looks like I'm winning our little wager, Griselda."
Griselda narrowed her eyes, hiding the tension in her throat.
"Don't count your coins just yet."
Back on the battlefield, Arthur stood at the center, spinning Excalibur Ruler casually in one hand like a fidget spinner.
It hummed with holy light, but to Arthur, it felt no heavier than a stick.
He looked at the two who now knelt across from him, cut, bruised, and panting.
Their clothes were torn, blood staining their uniforms, eyes still burning with defiance but dulled by exhaustion.
Arthur tilted his head slightly, pity flashing in his eyes.
"You two lovebirds need a timeout?"
He asked sincerely.
"I mean, I don't mind. I can wait while you catch your breath."
The tone wasn't mocking, and that's what made it worse.
Siegfried clenched his fists and his teeth ground together.
That look of pity... that sympathy from an enemy... it boiled in his blood more than any flesh wound.
Jeanne stared at the dirt, chest heaving.
She felt every inch of her body scream with pain, but it wasn't the worst part.
The worst part was... he wasn't even trying.
Siegfried turned to his partner.
"Jeanne… Let's do the thing."
Jeanne's head snapped toward him.
"Sieg... Are you serious?"
"We don't have many options here at the moment."
He pulled her up, gripping her forearm tightly.
"I hate to admit it, but this guy's a monster, metaphorically and literally. He's outclassing us in every way and he's still holding back."
Jeanne searched his eyes and found no arrogance there, just frustration and acceptance.
"If we're going to end this, we have to use it. Now or never. What do you say?"
Siegfried said, voice low but firm.
There was a long pause.
Then she nodded.
"Okay. Let's do it... Together."
They stepped back and looked at each other with shared resolve.
Arthur raised a brow, twirling Excalibur once more.
"Ahem! Sorry to interrupt your deeply intimate moment between boyfriend and girlfriend. But unless that's your plan to make me die of boredom, I suggest we keep this moving."
He said, waving lazily.
The two blinked, realizing how close they were, faces mere inches apart.
Siegfried turned crimson and stepped away.
"C-Can't you just shut the fuck up for even one second?!"
Jeanne coughed awkwardly, face flushed.
"A-Apologies. Let's... continue."
Siegfried exhaled, steadying himself, then pointed a sword at Arthur.
"For a hybrid. You're strong. I'm man enough to admit that much."
Arthur smirked.
"I do love a good compliment."
Jeanne looks at him with determination.
"But we're not going down that easily."
From the sidelines, Griselda smiled and nodded.
"Here it comes."
"... shit."
Ewald said.
Jeanne and Siegfried raised their weapons to the sky and shouted in unison.
"Balance Breaker!" x2
A bright light consumed the battlefield.
Arthur squinted as the power flared like a flashbang, gold and silver light interwoven.
Energy twisted like a vortex, forcing the crowd to shield their eyes or turn away.
Arthur, however, stood tall, eyes wide with interest, a grin tugging at his lips.
When the light faded, his gaze sharpened.
Siegfried stood tall with behind him sprouted four silver draconic arms, each one gripping a Demon Sword.
Combined with his own hands, he now wielded six blades, each crackling with demonic power.
"Chaos Edge Asura Ravage!"
He roared, his body radiating killing intent.
Jeanne stood atop a massive metallic dragon, its body formed of blades and armor plates.
The beast snarled, shifting with a mechanical growl as it loomed over the battlefield.
Her rapier glowed with golden light, her armor now sleeker, reinforced.
"Stake Victim Dragoon!"
She cried, voice proud and commanding.
The spectators could only stare.
A dragon made of blades and a six-armed demon with swords.
Two prodigies shining like their namesake.
Arthur smiled a slow, vicious smile.
His grip tightened around Excalibur Ruler.
"Finally. Now we're getting somewhere."
He took a step forward.
His aura flared with restrained excitement, his green eyes blazing with challenge and bloodlust.
The battlefield had fallen into a tense silence.
On one side, Arthur stood grinning and ready, Excalibur Ruler resting against his shoulder like it weighed nothing at all.
On the other, Jeanne stood atop her take Victim Dragoon, bright aura shimmering like wildfire, while beside her Siegfried radiated violent intensity, six Demon Swords in hand around him.
The very air between them crackled with raw power, the sheer pressure warping the stone beneath their feet.
And then Jeanne broke the silence, her voice echoing through the ruined battlefield.
"You should be honored. The number of people who've seen our Balance Breakers and lived could be counted on one hand."
She said, eyes narrowing, and smiled coldly.
"And none of them were ever around long enough to tell the tale."
Siegfried raised one of his swords, Gram, pulsing with the hatred of dragons and gods, and pointed it directly at Arthur.
"In these forms, even if we were facing an Ultimate-Class enemy, as long as we're together, our enemies stood no chance. Because of that..."
He then shouted confidently.
"We're fucking [Title Card]!"
Arthur's grin slowly faded.
He blinked once, then tilted his head.
"…You're what?"
Siegfried, frowning at the lack of expected fear or awe, repeated it louder.
"I said... we're fucking [Title Card]!"
Arthur stared at him.
His brow slowly knit together.
Then he recoiled slightly, as if something deeply unpleasant had just brushed past him.
"…Dude, what the fuck?"
Arthur said, a hint of disgust in his tone.
"You said that… in front of a crowd? And with your girlfriend standing right next to you?"
Siegfried's eyes went wide.
"Wha-what the hell are you talking about?!"
Arthur raised a hand and made a vague circular gesture toward him.
"You literally just screamed to the heavens, 'We're fucking [Title Card]!' Like...dude. You're proud of that? Did you even ask the guy for consent? Did you at the very least take it slow and steady?"
"What the hell are you talking about!?"
Siegfried snapped, visibly confused now.
"I said we're fucking [Title Card]! Like unbeatable or unstoppable! What's wrong with that sentence!?"
Arthur shook his head, disappointed.
"Sieg, my guy… I'm not judging. If you're swinging both ways, that's cool. Love wins, and all that."
He gestured vaguely at Jeanne.
"But in front of her? And in public? There are kids here watching, you know."
Jeanne blinked in confusion from atop her dragon.
"Wait, what?"
Even the dragon made a confused metallic rumbling noise.
Siegfried looked back and forth between them, his expression growing more unhinged by the second.
"What the fuck is happening right now?!"
Arthur just stared solemnly at him, as if mourning the decency of mankind.
"At the very least, be gentle with the guy, man. He's been through a lot of shit."
He muttered with a sigh.
"What guy!? There is no guy! What the fuck are you talking about!?"
Siegfried yelled.
Arthur clapped his hands together mockingly.
"And now you're trying to pretend he doesn't exist. Wow. First, you ravage the poor man, then you toss him aside like a dirty cum sock. Real classy."
Jeanne leaned down from her dragon and whispered.
"…What is going on?"
The dragon growled in confusion, its blade-lined jaw creaking like iron hinges.
Siegfried, fully flushed and fuming, pointed an accusing sword at Arthur.
"Why are you talking to me like I'm some kind of registered sex offender?!"
Arthur raised his hands in a calm gesture.
"Hey, hey! I'm just saying, I'm not here to kink shame."
The entire crowd had gone dead silent.
The reason was because no one, not the veteran exorcists, not the trainees, not even the Archangel that was spectating high above the clouds, had the faintest idea what was going on anymore.
One exorcist leaned to another.
"…Are they fighting or flirting?"
"Is he being serious?"
"I think… maybe?"
Near the edge of the field, Ewald scratched the back of his head and leaned toward Griselda.
"Do you understand what's happening right now?"
Griselda stared at the trio, deadpan.
"I spaced out 10 seconds ago."
Arthur took a few slow steps forward, dragging the tip of Excalibur Ruler across the ground.
Then he gave Siegfried a long, pitying look.
"You poor bastard. Even I wouldn't announce my relationship status in the middle of a crowd. And I have the self-awareness of a rock."
He said with a soft sigh.
Siegfried gritted his teeth, now red-faced for multiple reasons.
"I'm not in a relationship! I'm not sleeping with anyone! Jeanne and I are not a couple! I didn't confess to anything weird!"
Arthur nodded seriously.
"Sure, sure. That's what they all say until the court date rolls around."
"I'M GOING TO FUCKING KILL YOU!!!"
Siegfried's aura flared wildly, his silver arms vibrating with fury as his Demon Swords shrieked with power.
Jeanne rubbed her temples, clearly regretting everything that led to this moment.
"Can we please just go back to fighting now?"
She muttered.
Arthur tilted his head toward her, genuinely curious.
"You sure? I mean, you've seen the signs. He's got issues."
She groaned.
"Yes. I know. But he is still my one and only partner."
Arthur cracked his neck and spun his sword once.
"Well, alright then. Just figured we'd get the therapy session out of the way before I beat you both senseless again."
And with that, the tension snapped back into place.
DxD
The clash continued with the roar of steel and divine energy echoing through the shattered plaza.
Arthur, weaving between deadly arcs of metal, gracefully ducked under one Holy Sword, then swatted aside another using the flat of Excalibur Ruler.
His steps were light, balanced, yet precise, each motion barely grazing fatal strikes as Siegfried came at him like a whirlwind of blades.
Six Demon Swords slashed with unrelenting speed, glowing with demonic energy.
Sparks flew from every clash, the impact shaking the air itself.
Arthur's expression remained composed.
He spun around just in time to see Jeanne's towering blade-dragon inhale deeply, its maw glowing with a holy fire that distorted the space around it.
"Tch."
Arthur turned back to Siegfried and feigned a slash to the chest.
As Siegfried instinctively raised all six swords to block it, Arthur ducked low and drove his boot hard between the man's legs.
A sickening thunk rang out, followed by an audible gasp from the crowd.
Siegfried's eyes bulged as he dropped to his knees with a strangled groan.
The pain hit him like a divine judgment from God.
His Demon Swords clattered slightly from his grip as his body trembled in agony.
A collective wince washed over the male portion of the crowd.
Even Ewald, normally calm and composed, flinched and reflexively covered his own crotch, his voice slightly high-pitched.
"Sweet merciful Christ…"
Arthur didn't waste the moment.
He grabbed Siegfried by the collar and hurled him like a human projectile directly into the incoming holy dragon fire.
"Return to sender!"
Siegfried's body vanished in a fiery explosion that shook the earth.
Blinding light and holy heat washed over the battlefield as rubble flew in every direction.
Arthur backflipped away as a rain of glowing swords descended from above, each one like a meteor shower.
Jeanne dove into the fray with dual rapiers, blades humming in harmony.
Their weapons clashed mid-air, and for the first time, Arthur was pushed back.
He landed with a slide, eyes narrowed in genuine intrigue.
"Well now, I didn't expect you to keep up."
Their blades danced, the sound of their strikes creating a percussive rhythm as fast as a drumline.
Arthur parried her precise thrusts, but her footwork and tempo had improved since their first exchange.
She was adapting but she was no Mahoraga.
"Impressive. Not bad for a-"
A deafening roar interrupted him as the dust cleared, and from the center of the crater, Siegfried emerged.
He was burned, battered, and bruised.
But now absolutely furious.
"YOU FUCKING BASTAAAAARD!!!"
He screamed as he raised Gram high, and from its glowing tip, a beam of pure destructive energy surged toward Arthur.
The air screamed as the demonic power raced forward like an erupting volcano.
Arthur was ready to dodge... until he felt his legs bound.
He looked down, and holy blades pierced the earth and wrapped around his ankles, locking him in place.
Jeanne had already dodged.
Arthur looked up and gave a dry smile just as the beam hit.
A searing explosion rocked the battlefield again, this time even more massive than the dragon's breath.
Dust and smoke consumed the arena and debris flew like shrapnel.
Everyone held their breath.
Jeanne landed beside Siegfried, panting.
"…Did we get him?"
Siegfried asked.
They looked ahead as the smoke churned… then was violently blown away.
Arthur stood in the center of a broken crater, Excalibur Ruler held defensively across his body, the blade cracked but intact.
His jacket was torn, his face a bit bloodied, and a burn scorched across his side but he was still standing and smiling.
Jeanne took a step back, unnerved.
"Apparently… it wasn't enough."
"Here it comes!"
She shouted to her dragon.
The beast charged with renewed fury, claws glowing with holy fire.
It slammed them down upon Arthur with the force of a meteor.
He raised Excalibur Ruler to block, but the beast was stronger now.
Its momentum broke through his guard and sent him skidding backwards, his boots carving trenches in the ground.
He rebounded, but his grip was loose.
The Holy Sword was knocked from his hand, landing several meters away.
Before he could recover it, a ring of holy swords rose from the ground around it, and his path.
Siegfried stood between Arthur and his Holy Sword, eyes wild, mouth curled into a savage grin.
All six Demon Swords around him pointed at Arthur's chest.
"You're not getting past me."
He surged forward in a blur of movement, all six blades attacking in a deadly ballet.
Arthur dodged with elegant footwork, weaving between the blows, but the barrage was endless.
He threw a punch, then another, striking Siegfried's ribs, shoulder, and even his chin, yet the man didn't stop.
Jeanne joined in behind Arthur, her rapiers moving like twin lightning bolts, forcing him to turn and block from both sides.
He was now on the defensive.
The crowd erupted in cheers as their heroes pushed him back.
Beside Ewald, Griselda had her arms folded and a smug smile on her lips.
"That's 50,000 euros, Ewald."
"Don't count your eggs before they hatch, Griselda."
On the battlefield, Arthur had accumulated wounds now, nothing too severe, but the pain was starting to register.
Cuts lined his arms, a bruise formed on his cheek, and his breathing had quickened.
Yet even now… he smiled.
He raised his thumb and wiped away the blood from his lip.
"Heh. It's been a while since someone besides me managed to make me bleed."
He murmured.
Siegfried sneered.
"You're not so tough now, are you?"
Arthur looked at him with something between amusement and pride.
"Congratulations, you two. You're officially the first power couple to ever wound me."
He said as he cracked his neck.
"WE'RE NOT DATING!!"
Jeanne and Siegfried yelled at the same time.
Arthur chuckled.
"Hey. You could've fooled me."
He took a deep breath and rolled his shoulders.
"And since you've both survived this long, I suppose it's only fair…"
His eyes suddenly sharpened and his smile vanished.
"…That I stop holding back."
The temperature dropped as if the pressure of some great ancient beast had been unleashed.
The ground beneath Arthur cracked as the wind itself seemed to retreat.
Everyone watching, spectators, fighters, even the dragon, shuddered.
Then Arthur whispered two words.
"Boosted Gear."
A red light pulsed from within his chest, then surged down his arms.
A brilliant glow exploded from his hands as a pair of red, draconic gauntlets materialized.
The green jewels embedded on the back of each gauntlet pulsed.
All sound died for a second.
Then...
"Impossible…"
"It's the Boosted Gear."
"A Longinus… that's a Longinus!"
"One of the Thirteen Sacred Gears that can kill gods…"
"Who is he?"
"Is he even a Devil? Or something else…?"
Siegfried and Jeanne both took an instinctive step back.
Their instincts screamed.
Ewald grinned, the light from the gauntlets reflected in his eyes.
He turned toward Griselda.
"Now the real battle begins."
DxD
Hello readers!
Comment down below which one is better:
A.) Sundowner: I'm Fucking invincible!
B.) Anissa: I'm fucking Invincible!
Thank you everyone and see you later!