The battlefield had gone silent.
The massive weight of Arthur's aura smothered the atmosphere, and the crowd now stood in frozen silence, their words caught in their throats.
Siegfried and Jeanne stared across the rubble at Arthur, unmoving.
The Boosted Gear glowed on his arms, Siegfried gulped in caution, and Jeanne gripped her rapiers tightly, sweat forming on her brow.
It wasn't just the sight of the Longinus, it was the way Arthur stood there...
Menacingly!
They recalled in their lessons of what the 13 Longinus are capable of, that even the most inexperienced of Longinus users, when pushed to their limits, could leave nations in ruin.
Now facing an opponent with a Longinus, they felt the raw, absolute potential that could wipe cities off the map.
But Arthur wasn't inexperienced; he was in control, and that was what made it so terrifying.
Neither side moved, even the spectators were too nervous to breathe.
Griselda's expression hardened, Xenovia stirred in her arms, and Ewald's eyes were narrowed.
Arthur's voice cut through the silence.
"Jeanne Arc... Siegfried... If you fail to defeat me here… then I'll come for them next."
He tilted his head slightly toward the crowd, voice as cold as his emerald eyes.
It was a bluff.... but no one could tell.
Just as Siegfried opened his mouth to respond.
[BOOST!]
Arthur was gone from sight, only to reappear with a fist rocketing into Siegfried's chin, sending him flying into the air like a missile.
Before the sound of the impact had even faded.
[BOOST!]
Arthur appeared above Siegfried, his heel crashing down in a brutal axe kick.
The force was immense.
Siegfried plummeted like a comet, crashing into the ground with such force that a crater erupted beneath him, and the ground quaked from the impact.
Even the spectators flinched from the sheer violence of it.
"Jesus Christ…"
"The power of a Longinus..."
"Are they... gonna lose?"
Jeanne gasped, barely able to process what had just happened, but she snapped out of her daze and raised her hand.
"S-Stake Victim Dragoon!"
The dragon lunged forward, wings flaring as it breathed holy fire and shot blades of divine light at the suspended Arthur.
But he vanished again.
[BOOST!]
This time, he reappeared above the dragon's head, then slammed both feet down.
The beast's skull exploded under the strike, its body slamming into the earth.
Arthur then grabbed its tail, spun once, twice, and then hurled the entire behemoth at its creator.
"Shit-!"
Jeanne unknowingly cursed, crossed her rapiers, and was immediately slammed by the dragon's collapsing mass.
She skidded across the field, legs buckling beneath the sheer weight.
Before she could gather her strength again, Arthur sprinted forward, his boots cracking the earth beneath every step.
As Jeanne struggled to stay standing under the body of her dragon.
Arthur leapt, spun, and kicked the carcass directly into her.
The dragon's body smashed into her fully now, bones cracking, air torn from her lungs as she was driven into the floor.
Her dragon vanished in particles of holy light.
Arthur landed atop the crater, one foot balanced lightly as he turned.
He turned and caught Gram in his claws and stared at Siegfried, bleeding and barely standing.
Then the other four swords came, all of them slashing forward.
Arthur raised his other gauntlet, blocking each blade in turn with brutal precision.
He stepped in, grabbed Siegfried by the collar and kneed him in the gut so hard his body bent, eyes bulging.
Arthur spun behind him, one foot sweeping out Siegfried's legs.
Before Siegfried could fall, Arthur seized his four dragon arms and pulled.
"AHHH!"
The scream that escaped Siegfried's throat was painful.
"Still think you're fucking [Title Card]?"
Then Arthur German suplexed him into the earth, leaving Siegfried limp and in pain.
Jeanne coughed, pushing herself up, blood trailing down her lip.
She raised her swords on instinct, but Arthur appeared before her with that same cold stare.
Out of desperation, she summoned a hail of swords, all raining down toward him in a glorious final strike.
Arthur didn't flinch.
[BOOST!]
Red aura exploded from his body.
The swords shattered mid-air, crushed by the sheer force of his presence.
The pressure knocked the wind out of the crowd, some even toppling to the ground.
Jeanne could only widen her eyes as Arthur reached out, his clawed gauntlet grabbing her by the breastplate, and headbutted her cleanly in the forehead.
Her body went limp, eyes rolling back.
Arthur let her go, and she crumpled to the ground unconscious.
"Stay down or I'll knock your teeth in. I don't care if you're a girl."
Arthur stood tall amidst the ruin.
His boots crunched over stone and steel as he walked toward the crowd, Excalibur Ruler flying into his outstretched hand.
The sword pulsed in sync with the Boosted Gear.
He said nothing as he is now focused on them.
Each step made the crowd recoil in unease.
Griselda held Xenovia closer.
"Ewald.."
But Ewald stopped her.
"Don't. Trust me, I know what I'm doing."
Arthur was halfway to the crowd.
Then...
"… W-We're not done yet… prick..."
Arthur stopped.
He looked back.
Siegfried was still conscious somehow, with one knee down and barely holding himself up with Gram.
Jeanne, too, had woken up, both hands gripping her rapiers like crutches.
Jeanne looked up, eyes burning with defiance.
"Y-You may be stronger than us… but we won't let you hurt these people."
Arthur stared then spoke.
"Your efforts are worthless. Why waste your strength knowing that the outcome will be the same? What you two are doing is nothing but insanity."
Siegfried winced as he fell back on one knee.
He coughed, spitting blood onto the ground.
"Maybe you're right... Maybe we're both crazy… But that doesn't mean we'll let you do whatever the fuck you want."
Arthur's eyes narrowed.
"Oh really?"
[BOOST!]
In the blink of an eye, he was in front of them.
His left gauntlet seized Jeanne by the throat, lifting her effortlessly off the ground.
His right boot pressed down on Siegfried's throat, pinning him there like a cockroach.
They both gasped, struggling.
Arthur's eyes gleamed with merciless cold.
"You think you can stop me? You two?"
He leaned in closer.
"Who decided that?"
As Arthur tightened his grip on Jeanne's throat and pressed down harder on Siegfried's windpipe, both warriors squirmed in pain, barely clinging to consciousness.
Their faces were pale, breaths shallow, eyes fluttering.
They could feel the strength leaving them second by second.
But just before their vision could fade...
*Fwoosh!*
A laser sound rang out.
Arthur's instincts flared.
He tilted his head to the side just in time as a beam of light streaked past his cheek, narrowly missing his head.
The energy seared the air, slicing a smoking line into the ground far behind him.
Arthur immediately let go of Jeanne and lifted his foot from Siegfried's throat, releasing them both.
They dropped like rag dolls, coughing, choking, barely moving.
Arthur turned his head, eyes narrowing.
The crowd that had once cowered in fearful awe was now different.
Dozens of exorcists, some still trembling, had formed a defensive line.
Their swords and guns were all aimed at Arthur.
Individually, they were nothing to Arthur, even together they were pathetic.
Some stood firm, faces etched with resolve.
Others looked like they'd rather be anywhere else.
But all of them, in spite of their fear, stood their ground.
One of them, a younger man with short blond hair, shouted with quivering defiance.
"Leave the two alone, Devil!"
"Yeah! Those two still have a future!"
"We'll die before you hurt those lovebirds!"
"Umm... I don't really-"
"Shut up, Meg!"
Arthur paused.
His brow furrowed.
"…You do know they weren't dating, right?"
A few exorcists blinked and some exchanged glances.
"Wait, really?"
"Then what's with all the arguing and dramatic moments?"
"I thought it was a tsundere thing."
Arthur sighed, dragging a hand down his face.
"You people need to get out more."
The exorcists began surrounding him, weapons glowing brighter, their formation tightening.
They were aware they were weak against Arthur, and they were not of the Ultimate Class.
But they were determined, united, and fuelled by purpose, foolish or not.
One of them, the older man from earlier who had watched Arthur silently from the crowd, stepped forward with a raised blade.
"Even if we fall here, we'll stop you from hurting those kids. We're not just going to stand back while you go too far."
Behind them, Siegfried pushed himself to his elbows, coughing violently.
Jeanne, still woozy, managed to lift her head with effort.
They both looked on with widened eyes as their comrades risked their lives to protect them.
"Idiots…"
Jeanne whispered under her breath.
"Those fucking dumbasses..."
Siegfried muttered.
Arthur looked around at the surrounding soldiers and let out a short breath.
"If that is your choice, then alright. It's your funerals."
He raised Excalibur Ruler in one hand.
[TRANSFER!]
The Holy Sword glowed brightly from the transferred boost, radiating with holy energy that covered the entire area.
Arthur's feet shifted into a stance, one arm lowered, blade pointed forward.
The exorcists tensed, fingers tightening on their triggers and hilts.
"Arthur~"
Then a sweet, melodic voice drifted down from the sky.
It was light and gentle, but Arthur froze as he was familiar with that tone.
A soft, radiant glow descended from above as a single figure gently floated down from the sky, her long golden hair shone from her halo, her white and gold robes shimmered, and her 12 angelic wings stretched wide and graceful.
"Arthur, what are you doing being mean to your comrades?"
Gabriel said, landing gracefully on the ruined field with her hands on her hips and a slight pout on her lips.
The entire battlefield fell into stunned silence.
The exorcists dropped their weapons or forgot they were even holding them.
Gabriel stepped forward, she put her hands on her hips, and looked at him with the ferocity of a puppy
"What do you have to say for yourself, young man?"
Arthur blinked twice, his face blanked as he had no idea what to say.
In his silence, Ddraig's voice echoed in Arthur's mind.
(Well… it was nice knowing you, Arthur.)
Arthur's eye twitched slightly.
(Shut it.)
(No, seriously. It was an honor. I'll miss you buddy.)
(Fuck off.)
DxD
Hello readers!
I need more Power Stones to be motivated!
Thank you everyone and see you later!