Marvel: Impregnation System

"It's been a while, my little shadow~" Arthur's manifestation whispered, but for this being, the foe who had inflicted such trauma upon the Ebony Blade, there was only one name that truly mattered.

"Excalibur." The Ebony Blade muttered, the single word it scraped out in a cold tone with its hatred stretched thin over the tremor of dread it refused to show. 

The Ebony Blade looked upon everything it was not, gazing upon the gleaming standard it had never been allowed to reach.

Because from the moment it was forged, Merlyn had beaten the notion into the deepest marrow of its being: Excalibur was the light, the promise, and it would forever be its shadow. 

It was like a poison that had seeped so thoroughly into his psyche that even now, even after lifetimes drenched in blood and hatred, it could not help but measure itself against that unattainable brilliance.

And every time, it fell short.

In the quietest recesses of his mind, beneath the blood and hatred, lurked a whisper he could never silence.

'You will never be Excalibur, only its shadow.'

The fear that this was all he was ever meant to be: a dark reflection, cursed to forever chase the light while wallowing that it was supposed to be something it wasn't.

"I see you're still chained to that bloodline. How is that going for you?" Excalibur's voice rang with a serene, kingly resonance, but his thoughts on the cursed blade before him were anything but noble. 

There was disdain there which could be confused for a silent pity, or perhaps a judgment that ran deeper than steel.

"Fantastic actually." the Ebony Blade replied, its hollow voice echoing like laughter rattling through an empty crypt. 

"I finally found a wielder who might actually murder Merlyn." The Ebony Blade let out a dark chuckle that unsettled even the space around it. 

"Oh my little shadow, when you finally release your hate for murder-" Excalibur began, voice wrapped in a gentle lament that sounded too regal to carry scorn.

"How can I release such a thing when my purpose is to kill knoll-" The Ebony Blade rasped, its laughter now edged with a tired tone.

"Your purpose was to serve alongside me!" Excalibur's voice cracked, slicing through the hollow words with a righteous fury as he stepped forward.

Stopping at the barrier that split their beings but just enough to loom over it, its golden radiance spilling past and into the Ebony's blade threshold to loom over him. 

And to that subtle encroachment, the Ebony Blade actually flinched as its black aura recoiled like tendrils scorched by holy light, drawing tighter to Ricky's side of his consciousness.

"We have a fate that Merlyn assigned to us when he stuck me in that stone and pulled you from that asteroid." Excalibur continued, his voice low, almost mournful now as if being tired of saying the exact same thing over and over again.

"We serve as the light and the dark, humanity needs us-" Excalibur began, his golden aura flaring with the solemn conviction of a knight's creed.

"Humanity has never needed me!" the Ebony Blade roared, his voice splitting into a metallic shriek as red electricity pulsed around him like a tortured heartbeat.

"Centuries I spent under the ridicule of not only the world but my own wielders." The Ebony Blade spat, the words gnawed with anguish more than hatred as its aura coiled tighter, as if trying to clutch itself for comfort.

"Power comes with a price, yes, but you let them shape me into a curse!" the Ebony Blade hissed, looking genuinely wounded.

Its eye-slit seemed to darken, as though trying to hide that pain even from Excalibur.

But even Excalibur had a price since only those of truly pure souls could wield it. 

That was why it had only ever known a single true hand to grip its hilt. 

And perhaps, somewhere in that unspoken void, lay the root of a jealousy so old it was nearly forgotten.

"If driving your wielders to madness isn't a curse, then I must not be the sword I'm praised to be," Excalibur finally murmured, his golden glow dimming ever so slightly, like a knight lowering his head under the weight of his own contradiction.

"Maybe you aren't."

CLANG

"All cutting sword, my ass." Ricky muttered, springing back, teeth bared, only to hurl a psychic lance straight at the back of Arthur's head.

Arthur's golden eyes didn't so much as blink as he merely lowered his head, pivoted slightly, and swung Excalibur in a gentle arc.

The blade cleaved through the psychic construct like paper, its golden radiance reducing the attack to a harmless burst of dissipating energy.

"Ricky Luciano, I can tell you've hurt many." Arthur spoke solemnly, not even acknowledging that Ricky had just tried to kill him two seconds ago.

"My eyes of judgment can see all the corruption that is measured by my own moral compass, and I see only horrors." Arthur said, his voice echoing with a regal weight, then surprised Ricky by holding out his free hand. 

"But even I am blind to all the good a person can hold, but I still see some parts of you that shine brighter than the blackened parts." Arthur genuinely said, trying to get through to someone even like Ricky after everything he has done.

"You have the true makings of a hero, I can see it-"

"Jesus Christ, I'm going to throw up." Ricky sighed, shaking his head before catching sight of Morgana floating serenely in the air off in the distance.

"How did you put up with this guy for so long, Morgana?" Ricky called out, using the moment to stall as the gears in his mind began churning, quietly laying the foundation of a plan.

But Morgana was almost lost in that moment, her bitter heart snagged by something fragile and painful as she gazed upon the only person who ever truly loved her for who she was.

Her brother.

"Arthur-........i-is that really you?" Morgana breathed, her voice cracking despite the venom it usually carried.

Arthur's smile blossomed, bright enough to make the nearby undead recoil from its sheer warmth.

"It is, my beloved sister-" Arthur began, but then laughed softly, eyes crinkling with unrestrained affection.

"Or should I say, Queen Morgana." Arthur corrected himself, with a playful regal nod that confused nearly everyone present.

Except one, Merlyn.

"What?" Morgana laughed, thinking Arthur's words had to be some cruel jest but then she saw his earnest eyes that were so sincere it almost broke her composure.

"Did I perhaps say something wrong in my assumption that you're here to help me protect Camelot as its current ruler?" Arthur tilted his head, his brow furrowing, genuinely perplexed at the scene before him.

In his mind, it made perfect sense; why else would his sister appear before him if not to stand by his side?

"Aye, dick-for-brains, Morgana ain't the ruler of Camelot but that chode over there." Ricky's crude voice cut through the air like shattered glass as his frustration at not having finished Merlyn off already soured his patience, and it bled into every word.

Arthur blinked, then laughed, an almost boyish sound that echoed strangely amid the rubble.

"Now I am truly confused." Arthur said, his golden eyes glancing over at Merlyn with a baffled calm that seemed to say surely that's impossible.

"Merlyn, you heard my final words, right-"

"My king, please, we must deal with the attacker-"

"Actually, I'm just catching my breath over here, so you guys can just hash this out." Ricky laughed, gesturing towards Arthur while internally screaming at the ebony blade.

'WHY THE F*CK DIDN'T YOU MENTION YOU CAN'T CUT THROUGH THAT GODDAMN SWORD!' Ricky yelled in his mind, showing a toothy smile on the outside as the ebony artifacts sort of looked the other way.

'It is vastly complicated but in short, I was made not to oppose Excalibur but to-'

'How the hell are you supposed to kill that knull guy if you can't cut a sword, huh?!' Ricky asked the blade, a question that struck it to its very core, leaving it momentarily speechless and almost rigid.

'Great.' Ricky thought, glancing over at the tense reunion unfolding between brother and sister.

"Arthur, what did you mean when you called me Queen?" Morgana asked, hovering closer, eyes sharp with curiosity.

Before Arthur could answer, Merlyn stepped forward, ready to intervene.

"My king-"

"My final wish, when my soul was being dragged down by Necromon and I was cradled in Merlyn's arms, was that you would be my successor." Arthur spoke with unshakable certainty as his words struck like a thunderclap, shattering everything she thought she knew.

"What?" Morgana whispered, her voice trembling as her world crumbled beneath her at what she had done.

But as her eyes darted around, after what was just said, she regained herself after seeing that the soldiers of Camelot were all staring at her with that same persecution that had driven her out in the first place.

Even after what their promised king had just said.

"I-I wasn't a good king, at least not in my eyes." Arthur slowly lowered his head, his gaze fixed on Excalibur resting in his grip.

"I thought that if I ruled by example, others would follow but because of that belief, the kingdom fell into that battle on that fateful day." Arthur closed his eyes, recalling all the forces surrounding him, even his own race.

"I assumed too much in my people, and in myself, and it all collapsed around me." Arthur voiced what it was he had done wrong, having a long time to ponder.

"You were always better at understanding what needed to be done rather than what it would take to save everyone." Arthur then turned his gaze up, his golden eyes reflecting Morgana's shocked expression as he said those next words.

"That's why I chose you."

"I'm not the queen of Camelot." Morgana looked at Arthur, at what could have been.

"But I-"

"Merlyn never made me queen but killed my people and sealed me in my castle after I tried to overthrow his rule." Morgana spoke, biting her lip as Arthur simply stared to the side at Merlyn, trying to avert his gaze as the only one that mattered to him was his king.

Sniff

"What could've been," Morgana said with a bitter laugh, tears welling in her eyes. 

Arthur understood, and despite the weight of it all, he laughed in a hollow sound that echoed the void left by his absence.

In his absence, too much had shifted, too many fractures had deepened, and though hope still flickered, the scars were too unforgiving.

"It's not too late-"

"It is." Morgana simply stated, wiping her eyes since she had come too far to waver.

It was a brief reunion between brother and sister with eyes locked with a mixture of familial love and sorrow, yet divided by an unbridgeable chasm.

A line drawn by ideals, by silent condolences, by the sides they had chosen to stand upon.

One stood for Camelot, bound to Merlyn's vision for a king that was only Arthur Pendragon.

The other followed the attacker, Ricky, the wild force disrupting the order of the world.

Suddenly, Morgana's hands pulsed with vibrant green arcane energy, a desperate surge aimed at Arthur.

But as the spell hurtled toward the king, Arthur's lips curved into a knowing smile because Merlyn materialized before him, calm and composed, hands outstretched to intercept the attack.

"Dissipate." Merlyn whispered, and the green arcane energy dissolved into nothingness, vanishing like smoke in a breeze as his half-cut form hovered ominously in the air.

Looking at Merlyn, Ricky didn't even entertain the thought of trying to kill him again before Arthur stepped directly into his line of sight.

"Your battle is with me." Arthur declared heroically, brandishing Excalibur with both hands, the golden blade shimmering with divine light as Ricky simply rolled his eyes.

CRACK

Ricky didn't get a chance to throw out a quip before his form began to shift violently, muscles twisting and bones cracking as he reverted back into his dreadfiend state. 

Four spectral hands emerged from his back, each bound by chains that writhed like living tendrils in the air.

"Chastiefol, fifth form~" Ricky groaned through the transformation, his reshaped bones melding into deadly blades. 

Two of the ghostly arms commanded a bow, its string ready to fire, while the other two gripped his machete and glaive, weapons gleaming with eldritch energy and that of lighting.

"Increase." 

Boom

That single word suddenly erupted into a raging storm in the distance but on closer inspection, the tempest was composed entirely of countless tiny spears, each swirling with lethal intent.

Without a word, Ricky tilted his chin, and the storm rippled as every spearhead simultaneously shot outward in a deadly circular barrage aimed straight at Arthur.

But Ricky didn't focus on Arthur's reaction and instead, he lifted his body, watching with narrowed eyes. 

Arthur was swept back by the onslaught, yet, just as a spear lunged toward his stomach, his foot rose deliberately to meet it, halting the deadly projectile mid-penetration.

Dink

A faint metallic ping echoed as Arthur channeled his golden aura into the spear beneath his foot, using it as a springboard to vault upward. 

Scrunching his brows at this scene, Ricky started to control the storm of spears that was Chastiefol's configuration to impale the promised king.

But that effort was in vain.

All because Arthur bounced and ricocheted through the storm of speaks like a pinball, a dazzling trail of golden light spinning in his wake.

With each leap, he climbed higher, reaching the apex of the swirling spear storm Ricky had intended to trap him in. 

Then, with a sudden surge, Arthur vaulted over the storm and as all the spears pivoted sharply to follow, Arthur himself started to shine like a brilliant star, golden light radiating from his form.

Winding up Excalibur with flawless precision, he delivered a swing that drew through the air in a perfect arc that cleaved through the very heart of the storm. 

The spears below him fractured as if struck by divine force, the swirling tempest instantly cleaved apart.

From the ruptured eye of the storm, a powerful rush of golden wind roared outward, reverberating with the weight of a king's decree.

WHOOSH

Ricky squinted, feeling the relentless force of the spears pushing themselves aside as Arthur's feet landed firmly atop the stairs and before the castle's doors. 

The king's golden gaze locked onto Ricky's monstrous form, a green-tinged abomination that had defeated Merlyn moments ago and yet, his gaze was unwavering.

With deliberate grace, Arthur lowered his sword, the weight of his presence commanding the space between them.

"Come." Arthur issued his declaration as Ricky slowly smiled before bending his own knees.

"Gladly, but not cause you told me too." 

CLANG

Ricky smashed the Ebony Blade down onto Arthur, who calmly met the strike by placing Excalibur in its path. 

The two swords collided with a thunderous clash, sparks flying like miniature stars exploding in the night sky, their energies rippling outward in a brilliant, violent burst of red and gold.

"Arthur has never lost a duel of swords." Excalibur warned in a voice edged with certainty and from the opposite side, the Ebony Blade's gaze lifted.

"And Ricky has never lost his life."

The words made Excalibur's brows scrunch before their conversation was interrupted with Ricky's next actions.

Without hesitation, Ricky slammed down the Ebony Shield, forcing Arthur to spin to his right, narrowly evading the crushing blow as Ricky's sword followed swiftly, aiming a brutal strike at Arthur's back.

CLANG

Fourteen spears, conjured in perfect formation by Chastiefol, shot forward as each one was intercepted mid-flight by Arthur's swift strike of the sword before using the finished arc to slam into the ebony blade swinging at his back.

But Arthur didn't stop, he didn't even flinch, and in that same fluid motion, he dropped to his knees and leaned backward just as an arrow sliced through the air, narrowly missing its mark.

CLANG

CLANG

The storm bringer's glaive and the machete slammed down in a furious tandem strike against Excalibur, forcing Arthur to raise the legendary blade overhead just in time. 

Literally at that moment, Ricky's foot aimed at Arthur's head, wanting to crush his skull in one attack while constructs began to form at Ricky's side.

BAM

But as Arthur skidded backward, sparks and smoke curled not from his forehead but from the hilt of Excalibur where it absorbed the crushing blow. 

The force drove him sliding across the ancient stone floor of the castle as his long-awaited throne looming ahead, waiting for its rightful king.

The constructs fully formed around Ricky, psychic gatling guns humming to life as they began to ramp up with a shrieking whine. 

"I can already tell you're going to make this difficult." Ricky spat, gritting his teeth because even now, with countless barrels aimed at him and an onslaught of spears hurling towards him, Arthur stood there while making tiny, almost lazy adjustments. 

Shifting his footing by mere inches, tilting Excalibur's edge just so as the spears rained down on him.

Somehow, he blocked or evaded every single attack as if reading Ricky's monstrous form like an open book.

Clang

Clang

Arthur deflected two more lunging spears with perfect swipes of Excalibur, each clash ringing out with a divine resonance that hummed in the air.

Then, sensing the sudden shift in the air, he kicked off the ground and flipped backward just as Ricky's constructs fully materialized as those familiar psychic gatling guns locked into place above him.

BOOM

BOOM

BOOM

A shimmering trail of bullets carved itself into the castle as Ricky's psychic gatling guns relentlessly chased Arthur, pulverizing stone walls and pillars, but never quite catching him. 

The rounds could only claw at the king's shadow, always just a breath too slow.

Arthur's feet hammered along the floor, his golden aura sparking against the ancient stones as suddenly darted up the very walls that hung his tapestries.

Stained glass windows, once vibrant chronicles of his triumphs, shattered into dazzling shards under the withering gunfire that followed his trail.

And before the structure could collapse beneath him, Arthur bent his knees, muscles coiling, his form a tight knot of explosive might, ready to spring off after his feet graced the end of the paned glass.

Crack

The walls above the paned glass splintered under Arthur's launch, stone cracking like spiderwebs as he twisted in midair just as another arrow screamed past him, mere inches from his shoulder, before Ricky's instincts flared with violent alarm.

'What the hell-' Ricky's mind snapped, his eyes darting across the room to follow his instincts only to see Arthur already there, golden aura blazing, his body a comet of righteous power.

Immediately, Ricky sent dozens of Chastiefol's spears hurtling forth trying to impale him, but they merely shattered against Arthur's radiant swing.

All the spears that met his swing spun wildly in place as Arthur's feet finally graced the ground, his boots grinding across shattered stone before his eyes jerked up to meet Ricky's.

Arthur's gaze didn't waver and launched himself forward, golden aura surging around him as if propelling him even faster forward.

But instead of bracing or pulling back, Ricky's monstrous form wound up to swing the ebony blade.

Upon seeing this sub-par form, Arthur bent low and dove, sliding across the ground on his knees.

WHOOSH

Red electricity cracked the air overhead, the throne that would've once held Arthur sliced clean in two as Ricky's monstrous swing roared past the promised king's head. 

Even the stone wall behind it split apart, tearing open with a thunderous crack that sent debris cascading down like deadly hail.

But Arthur let gravity drag him just beneath it, lifting his head upwards along with his sword that was once lodged in mere stone.

CLANG

The ebony blade crashed against Excalibur, sparks of gold and red shrieking out yet neither flinched.

However it was then that the swordsmanship between the two of them showed as Arthur angled the holy sword downward, letting the blow ride along the edge to the ground. 

In that same breath, he dropped to one knee, pivoting sharply and driving himself under Ricky's towering guard.

'I can't dodge that-'

Ricky's mind barely had time to process the danger before Arthur twisted his entire body, unleashing an upward arc. 

Excalibur parted the very air with a golden shimmer before it began to carve its way into monstrous flesh, cutting through fur, muscle, and corruption alike.

SPALT

"ARGH!"

Ricky tore himself back, but not before Excalibur had left a brutal slash running from his midsection up to his neck. 

With a guttural grunt, he lashed out, booting Arthur square in the chest to hurl himself backward and force some distance between them.

Black blood gushed from the wound, splattering the ground where it sizzled and burned, its acidic bite eating into the stone. 

Ricky gritted his teeth, clawed hand clutching at the torn flesh as his monstrous muscles spasmed.

"I can feel your connection to the Netherworld, to the void." Arthur spoke solemnly, golden eyes shining with that same unwavering, gentle light that had once tried to wrap around Ricky's very soul.

WHOOSH

Then a green wave of sovereign aura came crashing down on Arthur, rippling the air with crushing force as Ricky's power surged in furious defiance to slam his will down onto him.

However, Arthur's soul had spent hundreds of years trapped within the grasp of Necromon, surrounded by horrors that would've devoured lesser men whole and not once did it ever flicker in its purity.

So when Ricky's sovereign will came crashing down on him like a tidal wave of choking green authority, Arthur simply stood there, unmoving. 

He was a king after all, and a king bowed to no one.

"It is a strong connection." Arthur said calmly, voice carrying that unbreakable calm as if he were commenting on the weather. 

"One that has allowed you to gain much power."

Ricky felt the ground quake beneath him as black tendrils of the void burst from his flesh, frantically working to stitch the wound shut. 

But then there was an occurrence.

For all the void's power and influence, Arthur's power acted as a fierce deterrent. 

Golden flakes of remnant light pulsed across the wound, slicing through the shadows as Ricky's relentless regeneration faltered, its furious adaptation struggling to resist a force it had never faced before. 

"But the power you've gained is too much in such little time; it has stagnated you." Arthur looked up, gripping Excalibur firmly as Ricky chuckled.

"Jack of all trades-" Ricky began, echoing something Merlyn had said earlier.

"Is a master of none." Arthur cut him off sharply, eyes steady and resolute as he saw not just the power but the confusion swirling within Ricky.

A man overwhelmed by strength, unsure where to focus it, that is how Arthur saw him.

"Oh yeah, you're a uh-..........dammit, I forgot what I was going to say." Ricky opened his mouth for a witty comeback but stopped, biting his lip in frustration.

"Whatever, eat sh*t dickbag!" Ricky yelled, lunging toward Arthur with his weapons in hand.

Arthur didn't even flinch as he swung Excalibur smoothly, a clean arc cutting through the air, meeting Ricky head-on with calm precision.

A shimmering barrier flickered to life before Arthur, but Excalibur sliced through it like a hot knife through butter. 

But Ricky grinned, almost as if expecting it as two more small barriers materialized just below the first.

Arthur's eyes widened mid-downswing, realizing too late that two additional barriers had sprung up under his elbows, halting his blade's momentum. 

Before he could react, Ricky's leg slammed hard into his stomach, driving the wind from his lungs.

BAM

Arthur's heels dragged against the floor, skidding as Ricky's smile widened, the space suddenly filling with thousands of small barriers that seemed to form into an intricate maze of shimmering walls meant to trap him. 

However Arthur simply lowered his stance, his eyes widening in sharp focus.

Whoosh

A pulse of golden energy surged through the throne room, bathing everything in a radiant light.

With a swift spin, Arthur launched himself into the air, his foot landing lightly on one of the barriers. 

Hundreds more rose to block his path, but he slipped through them with the fluid grace of finely tailored clothes, moving as if the maze itself obeyed his will, and cutting a path through.

Then, gathering momentum, Arthur swung Excalibur downward in a blazing arc.

CLANG

Another arrow slammed against Excalibur's gleaming edge, the golden aura around Arthur shimmering as he effortlessly deflected it, twisting his wrist so the arrow shattered into harmless splinters against the ground.

Then, in the blink of a mortal eye, Ricky was already there in monstrous form as his spectral arm hurled a glaive that blurred forward like a black comet.

But Arthur had already moved.

His foot pivoted one of Ricky's constructs, golden energy spiraling around his ankles, pulling him just aside as Excalibur flicked upward, its edge catching the glaive and knocking it skyward in a burst of light.

With the blade's redirection, Arthur lunged towards it then pushed off of the glaive and hurled himself towards the ground to narrowly miss the swing of the machete.

CLANG

Right as Arthur rolled on the ground, the ebony blade came next, cutting low toward Arthur's stomach with horrifying force. 

But in that heartbeat, Arthur's golden aura flared, Excalibur's tip already dropping as he angled his blade with the precision of a lifetime's mastery while meeting the strike at its strongest point to absorb and redirect the force, sliding the ebony blade harmlessly past his side.

It was then that his body coiled like a drawn bow and he exploded forward, Excalibur sweeping up in a tight arc aimed to simply slash Ricky like before.

CLANG

But when he jerked the ebony blade back into his gut to block another slice of his flesh, Arthur's leg swept across the ground as his intent showed to disrupt his monstrous stance, knocking him off balance. 

BAM

Ricky's monstrous body buckled as Arthur's strike forced his legs upward, tilting him unbalanced in midair. 

Before Ricky could yank himself away with his telekinesis, he saw Arthur seamlessly flow with the sword's upward arc and then, with a sudden jerk, Arthur pulled Excalibur back down in a crushing strike aimed to pin him in place.

Excalibur's hilt crashed into his gut with a devastating thrust that seemed to echo with the weight of every life Arthur had ever protected.

COUGH

Black blood bursted from Ricky's mouth as his claws twitched, the corrupted aura around him sputtering wildly.

Ricky's entire body seemed to convulse while Arthur's barely even shifted; his posture was regal, shoulders squared, eyes unwavering.

BOOM

Ricky form slammed into the ground as the stone beneath him cratered from the force, cracks racing out like spiderwebs. 

And for a heartbeat, there was silence as Arthur stood firm above his adversary, Excalibur's edge glowing as he turned its blade directly above his heart.

BOOM

An explosion of will-forged flame erupted from Ricky at that realization, a violent surge of green fire ripping up from the floor and crashing toward Arthur like a tidal wave.

But Arthur did not retreat.

Instead, he allowed the force to lift him like he did the storm of spears earlier, his golden aura flowing around him like a divine sail. 

The surge of flames carried him high into the air, all the way to the vaulted ceiling where Arthur twisted gracefully, Excalibur humming within his hand as he pulled it back ever so slightly.

With a single precise slash, he carved through the rushing fire.

But the cut didn't just part the fire; it sculpted it, bending the rushing currents to his will like Moses did to the red sea.

WHOOM

The redirected current exploded outwards, filling Ricky's line of sight with smoke only for his instincts and senses to flood his mind as Arthur bent his knees lightly, letting his boots kiss the ceiling before he launched himself back toward the ground.

'What the hell is happening!' Ricky yelled internally, instinctively slashing upward with the Ebony Blade but Arthur flipped forward with Excalibur, crushing Ricky's attempt to cut the distance between them in a fierce swing.

BOOM

It was at this moment the world slowed for Ricky at the oncoming descent of Arthur.

His Temporal Insight fractured the oncoming second into a thousand pieces as he felt every vibration in the air, every minor distortion of reality through his Echolocation of the Abyss.

Distorted visions of fate flashed through him as Arthur's blade arced down in a killing blow, Arthur's boot striking his skull, and Arthur standing over his corpse while mourning for his death.

Seeing his only option, Ricky's clawed feet scraped against the ground as he pivoted, twisting in an impossible contortion, his monstrous spine bending to avoid the worst of the blow.

Then, to cover the holes left from this abnormal position, he thrusted the ebony shield forward to cover the gaps and yet, even so.

Arthur was already there.

CLANG

Like a falling star, he landed, Excalibur crashing against the shield with a force that rattled Ricky's very bones.

For an instant Ricky's Sight Beyond the Veil showed nothing but blinding golden fractals, the sheer purity of Arthur's power searing across his perception, making it almost painful to look beyond.

HUFF

At that moment, Ricky inhaled a ghostly stream of white aura from the Chalice's mask, his monstrous chest rising and falling with the beat of his thumping heart.

His eyes, glazed with those screens littering his psyche and swirling him with endless possibilities of his fate.

WHOOSH

It was then that a thousand mirrored visions of the near-future stretched before him.

Showing him everything, all the paths where he lunged at Arthur with claws or weapons, where he tried to bleed him dry to buy time, and where he shattered the ground with Chastiefol or littered the air with constructs. 

Every one ended the same.

CRACK

CRACK

CRACK

Each screen was split by a single, impossibly clean golden arc. 

Excalibur carved through every potential path at once, like the sword was not just cutting the future.

It was deciding it.

Clawing back into true awareness, Ricky's monstrous breath came ragged, his chest heaving as he forced focus back into his eyes. 

They lit ablaze with brilliant green, shards of willpower burning away the smothering haze of dread.

In a last desperate gambit, he raised his claws and conjured a thousand miniature barriers, layered across Arthur's form, to halt his progression.

But Arthur's descending hands simply let go of Excalibur.

The blade seemed to breathe, weaving a golden trail as it twisted in midair and hurled itself toward Ricky in a flawless spinning arc.

SPLAT

A burning line of gold erupted across Ricky's back, black blood spraying in dark ropes as his body tensed as the agony tore through every monstrous nerve he had.

He barely twisted aside in time to keep it from cleaving through his spine, his corrupted holy fur bristling with warped radiance as he roared out in a fury of pain.

"ARGH!" Ricky's eyes were bloodshot behind the blackened void-like color, his mind spinning as he gazed at Arthur.

Conjuring anything he could, Ricky simply hurled everything at Arthur for just a second to breathe.

But before they could reach him, Excalibur spun back into Arthur's waiting hand before its touch caused the golden light to erupt around him as he slammed the sacred blade into the ground.

BOOM

The earth responded like it was a living extension of Arthur's will as the stone floor sprung upward, great slabs folding and rising to shield Arthur completely.

Ricky's attacks crushed the slabs of stone and nothing more, filling the room with dust and more debris before the biggest piece erupted. 

Behind this chunk of stone, Arthur's silhouette stood resolute, bathed in a storm of golden aura that rippled like a king's standard in the wind, utterly regal.

'This isn't f*cking working.' Ricky's thoughts snarled like a cornered beast, his mind racing as he shoved himself backward.

WHOOSH

It was then that the colossal chunk of stone that was meant to shield Arthur had split cleanly down the middle with a single effortless stroke, the two halves collapsing away to reveal the king advancing.

A system screen flared beside Ricky's head, glyphs and stats scrambling in panic as his eyes darted across it, desperate for an opening.

Time fractured as his black eyes snapped to the streak of gold barreling toward him as Arthur's blade swung down in a perfect, unstoppable arc.

BOOM

Green fire detonated beneath Ricky's feet as he blasted himself sideways with telekinetic force.

The air warped with a roar of pressure and heat that swallowed the space he'd occupied a heartbeat before. 

At the same instant, his mind lashed out as hsi telekinesis wrapped around every shattered fragment of stone and debris around them before hurling it all towards Arthur. 

Arthur's figure didn't even slow down with the debris crashing around him but instead, his golden aura surged even brighter.

Avoiding, slashing, and stepping over the spears, the psychic projectiles, and shards hurled at him, the master swordsman's face remained ever so calm with his eyes reflecting Ricky's form.

(Epic Item) Insightful Whistle: When blown, sheds insight onto the current situation in which you find yourself stuck in.

Was the item Ricky pulled out of the system as Arthur tried to close the distance, blew into it, and a sudden thought appeared in his mind.

'Do not attack Arthur.'

"What?" Ricky scoffed at the message, jumping into the air as Arthur slashed down at the spot he'd been before lifting himself up to continue the chase.

Throwing the whistle back into the system, Excalibur cleaved down once more onto him and narrowly missed as he started bouncing around the castle.

'I gotta do something, dammit, but what the hell do I do?' Ricky thought, his thoughts spirling under his relatively calm exterior.

Shadow Broker appeared at his side in that moment, neatly configuring his suit as though he were about to step into a boardroom rather than a battlefield. 

Opening his briefcase, he pulled out a thick stack of papers and with a cool precision, he adjusted his tie, selected a single sheet, and tore it cleanly in two.

BAM

BAM

BAM

The stone making up this castle built for the promised king splintered and rumbled from the force of the chase currently unfolding.

Gold and red auras surged, each seeking to collide, only to remain one step out of reach as Arthur's golden eyes were locked on Ricky's bouncing, erratic figure.

"Why can't you just let me have that piece of shit, huh?" Ricky said, trying to slowly get under Arthur's skin as he hurled a barrage of attacks as the promised king dodged, weaved, and sliced through them all.

"Merlyn will face his crimes-"

"Oh, give me a f*cking break, I can tell you're gonna let him off with a slap on the-"

"I will not!" Arthur yelled, halting his progress and looking at Ricky, who touched down onto the floor as his system screen appeared before Arthur as he scanned it relentlessly.

"I will not compromise, not for what he has done." Arthur proclaimed with a puffed chest, swinging his arm across his body as if to drive the point home.

"Uh huh." Ricky merely hummed, his eyes looking up and down the system but to Arthur, it looked to be as if he was judging him.

"Then what of you, what of your actions!" Arthur asked, pointing Excalibur at him as Ricky raised an eyebrow.

"How can you stomach the cruelty you inflict, how can you not care what the others see you as-" Arthur's expression twisted with hurt, trying to understand how Ricky could live with himself, only to hear his response.

"Because it's my advantage!" Ricky laughed, raising his voice as he looked at the man he could never be.

"It's my advantage to not care what people think of me." Ricky gestured to himself before spreading his arms out wide to show it all before Arthur.

"Because there is no right or wrong, there is no morality, and there is no truth with a capital f*cking T." Ricky firmly believed, pointing the Ebony Blade at him as if directing his point.

"It's all a construct, like the barriers I snap into existence, it's man-made." Ricky snapped his fingers, showing it to Arthur like an example.

"None of it matters except one thing: winning." Ricky revealed the very notion that made Arthur shake his head.

"What is winning in this case? Is it razing Camelot to the ground-"

"If that's what it takes, if destroying this place lets me win, then I'd do it in a heartbeat because that's the difference between you and me." Ricky gestured, shrugging his shoulders as if it was out of his hands

"The difference between us is vast but if our views are wide, then our gap in power is just as so," Arthur said, looking at Ricky, who was clearly stalling and he knew it too.

It was then that Ricky's instincts screamed at him as he readied himself.

"I've seen the threshold of your power, of your swordsmanship, and it is not enough." Arthur lunged forward, forcing Ricky's senses to lean backwards as the promised king spiraled toward him in a golden array.

Clink

"What you've put on display is nothing but strength, I can see that," Arthur said, almost admiringly, as his blade grazed Ricky's ebony armor while Ricky lunged back.

This clash between Arthur and Ricky might have unfolded very differently if Ricky weren't already worn thin from his brutal battle with Merlyn. 

His body was exhausted, his mind frayed, every movement demanding far more effort than it should have. 

Because although Ricky wasn't showing it, he was in tremendous pain. 

Even setting aside the searing mental backlash he still carried from his clash with Merlyn, Arthur cutting through his barriers cut him down to a psychic level. 

Each strike that tore through his barriers sent jolts of agony through his battered body. 

But he clenched his jaws, masked it beneath that monstrous calm, refusing to give Arthur the satisfaction of seeing him falter.

The raw power was still there and Arthur could see that plainly, but it was dulled by the weight of fatigue, his monstrous form running on the last fumes of will and rage. 

Had Ricky faced Arthur fresh, unburdened by the scars of his earlier fight, the tide of this battle might have looked far less certain.

Except, not to Arthur.

"Putting aside your clash with Merlyn, it makes no difference how many abilities or weapons you bring to bear against me," Arthur said coolly, his golden eyes of judgement never leaving Ricky. 

"If you cannot wield them properly, then it is all for nothing." Arthur punctuated his words by deftly deflecting three sudden attacks, his blade moving with effortless precision. 

Ricky lunged in a burst of savage speed, slamming his shield down where he expected Arthur to dodge so he could counterattack it.

BAM

However, Arthur lowered his shoulder, absorbing the blunt force of Ricky's shield since for all his talk, he couldn't avoid every attack from Ricky.

Even the promised king understood this crucial fact, and it was what propelled him backward just as Ricky prepared to cleave down on him that it was revealed what he was doing.

Arthur was essentially using Ricky's minor attacks to evade the truly dangerous ones.

That's why some of the attacks had trickled through up to this point and why Arthur suddenly lunged forward as Ricky's instincts screamed while the world seemed to slow around him.

In the next instant, Ricky slammed his ebony blade down into Excalibur, while Arthur tried to slide and counter with the same upward arc he had used before.

CLANG

The two swords clashed as Ricky winced, his wounds still struggling to heal against Arthur's entire composition, the very same forged to face beings from the void like Necormon, from whom Ricky draws some of his power.

Though his regeneration struggled to patch him up and his chronic adaptation fought to adjust to these power-halting strikes, it was simply not fast enough.

CLANG

CLANG

Excalibur and the Ebony Blade rang out in a constant stream of collisions as Ricky found himself in a conundrum. 

Though he could wait for his body to adapt and regenerate faster, he was draining his dreadfiend form.

This form sapped Ricky's magic reserves to such a large extent, which he could supplement by draining his foes' magic or stamina, but he couldn't land a decent blow on Arthur's flesh or break through the attacks that repelled his very existence.

Ricky needed more time but he didn't have a single second to spare.

"The truth is, you hide behind this appearance of a monster in physical form," Arthur said, hurling himself toward Ricky like a comet as he began slowly chipping away at him with each slash.

CLANG

The collision rang out, shaking Ricky to his very bones as he tried to counterattack, only for Arthur to move his sword in one fluid motion to intercept it.

"Putting up this veil of a claim, a name that you profess to the world as Ricky Lucaino." Arthur continued, pressing deeper into Ricky's defenses as he font flipped over the heavy attacks of Chastiefol.

"But there will come one blazing moment when you realize there was no monster, no Ricky Luciano." Arthur stated, winding himself into the air before raising his sword high above Ricky.

"There was merely you, you did this!" Arthur roared, his entire being roaring with golden energy as he sought to end it with the next strike.

"All this destruction happened because of you-"

"OH CRY ME A F*CKING RIVER!" Ricky roared, throwing away weapons as he lunged at Arthur and tackled him.

BAM

Arthur quickly changed his attack, using the momentum to slam his hilt into Ricky's snout. 

Blood sprayed from Ricky's nose but he simply smiled, revealing that his claws, which had always held the ebony shield and sword, had let go the moment he jumped.

"Why are you so f*cking instant on yapping about your stupid ideals." Ricky grunted, slamming his claws down as they dug into Arthur's very flesh.

Finally landing a flesh tearing hit on Arthur.

But when he did, Arthur pushed off Ricky's armor and backflipped all the way toward the ground.

"Both of us want and believe in totally different things, that's the entire reason we're fighting." Ricky muttered, sighing inwardly as he finally landed a blow on Arthur, whose regeneration didn't heal as easily as his own wounds to his relief.

"But it's never too late to change who you are!" Arthur professed, as Ricky felt like throwing up in his mouth.

"You actually disgust me." Ricky genuinely said, unable to contain his disgusted expression as Arthur smiled at him.

"And you me, but I still see hope within your actions." Arthur placed a hand over his heart, trying to reach Ricky even now, his voice almost gentle.

"Well, the only thing I see is your corpse following my actions."

While Arthur continued to speak, Naruto-style jutsu, outside the castle walls the two armies clashed head-on.

Merlyn, in his halfened state, floated to the side as Morgana looked at him with a broken expression, crumpled with various emotions, betrayal foremost among them.

"You had no right to hide that I was Camelot's rightful ruler-" Morgana said, her broken words trickling out as she wasn't crazy at all to assume this whole time that she was the rightful queen.

"Camelot's rightful ruler, was and always will be, Arthur." Merlyn firmly stated, finding no fault in what he had done to Morgana.

"You were merely a constellation prize that I refused to accept." Merlyn spoke, raising his gaze since Morgana as the ruler of Camelot was something he could never accept, in any reality.

"You don't understand-"

"No, Morgana, you don't understand." Merlyn clasped his hands together, his frantic smile horrifying Morgana more than any hatred or disdain he could show.

"You can't even begin to comprehend what it means to be a being like Arthur." Merlyn first said, trying to put it into words only to remember as he gestured towards her.

"You saw it, didn't you?" Merlyn asked, spreading out his hands at the golden light flashing in the distance.

"How pure his soul was after he came back?" Merlyn asked again, watching Morgana not understand as he spat out a small laugh.

"Hundreds of years spent within Necormon's grasp, the nethergod born from the shade of hunger, could not corrupt Arthur's soul to feed on!" Merlyn fanatically said, unable to believe how well Arthur turned out to resist that corruption for so long.

"Do you know what it takes, the will that must mansfiest, to hold off such a being for hundreds of years?" Merlyn genuinely asked, continuing to ask questions that he would answer before Morgana had a chance.

"You failed Merlyn-"

"NO, I SUCCEEDED!" Merlyn lashed out, watching Morgana's disheartened face.

"I made Arthur the perfect person to rule humanity, if only you and Gaea could see what I'm trying to create-"

"HAHAHAHAHAHA!" Merlyn interrupted himself by laughing hysterically, clutching his head before abruptly turning his back to Morgana.

"Can you even imagine what it was like being under Gaea's thumb, dressed as tutelage?" Merlyn's voice cracked with bitter contempt as arrows and spells whizzed past them, the clash of swords echoing from the battlefield beyond.

"How she left everything, even the things she could change, to fate?" Merlyn hovered closer to Morgana, eyes burning with feverish intensity.

"Letting everything run its course when she herself could influence these matters directly." Merlyn continued, his hate seeping out with every syllable of every word.

"HOW MANY CIVILIZATIONS FELL UNDER HER INCOMPETENCE!" Merlyn's voice rose above the chaos of clashing swords and distant cries as he fixed Morgana with a desperate, wild look.

"A-And-"

There was a second where Merlyn showed genuine sadness in his gaze before he covered it all up with a disgusted expression.

"And when Atlantis fell, sunk into the ocean under her gaze, I realized something." Merlyn's voice spoke with more conviction as the screams rattled in his head.

"I realized that while watching Atlantis on its last legs, watching humanity scramble to any island that wasn't drowning from the roaring seas while absorbing every wonder that had been created by those people." Merlyn madness spiraled, looking upon Moragna who couldn't even begin to understand what it was all for.

"Art, culture, and a coexistence between dinosaurs AND SHE LET IT DROWN, ALL OF IT!" Merlyn spat the words, his face twisting with rage and disbelief.

"THE PEOPLE, HER PEOPLE, BEGGED HER WHILE SHE WATCHED, ALL OF THE GODS WATCHED." Merlyn slammed a fist against his chest, his voice rising with bitter accusation.

"WATCHED AS THEIR BELIEVERS PRAYED TO THEM, ONLY FOR NOTHING TO COME!" Merlyn's eyes burned with fury as he stared into the distance, as if seeing the drowned world once more.

HUFF

Huff

"And you know what humanity did next?" Merlyn's voice dropped low, heavy with grim certainty.

"They didn't just die off but prayed to another, they prayed to the void." Merlyn glanced at Morgana, eyes sharp and unyielding.

"When they turned to the gods and were rejected, they turned to the beings THAT NEVER SHOULD HAVE BEEN ABLE TO ESCAPE!" Merlyn fists clenched as he spoke, anger boiling beneath the surface.

"They turned to Gaea's banished siblings, my father, AND DO YOU KNOW WHAT HAPPENED!" Merlyn asked, his voice seething as he clutched his head with madness looming within his eyes.

"THE DARK AGES!" Merlyn roared, his voice echoing over the chaos of battle around them.

"Vampires, werewolves, and all the beings that should've never graced Earth suddenly sprouted all across the world like weeds because of the gods' incompetence." Merlyn's voice was sharp, filled with bitter accusations at everything he had experienced.

"Because of one being's desire to follow a fate that could never be." Merlyn shook his head, eyes dark with frustration.

"Humans were supposed to be so much more, Gaea was supposed to make us so much more." Merlyn spoke with regret, looking upon humans as the greatest to encompass the term 'what if'.

"We were supposed to uplift everything around us, and now humanity has become parasites!" Merlyn revealed his views on the human race, thinking they were nothing but feeding off the world without giving it anything to offer.

"Feeding off all the power and resources thrown at us, but dying without the support to stand alone, we are weak!" Merlyn proclaimed to everyone who would listen and in doing so, swiped his hand across his body

"No more."

"So that's when I decided, Morgana, that someone had to do something." Merlyn's voice softened, a hint of resolve breaking through his fury.

"Something about 'fate', about civilizations burning, and about all humans."

"So I created someone, a being, a man, so that no matter what happened, no matter what tragedy, no matter what disaster, and no matter what befell Earth, humanity could turn to someone AND THEY WOULD NEVER TURN THEIR BACKS ON THEM!" Merlyn roared out what it all stemmed from, huffing to his very last breath as he adjusted his posture.

"I created Arthur to be the beacon of hope for humanity, so that it would never suffer again under Gaea's uncaring gaze."

Morgana was stunned as she watched and listened to Merlyn's words, his pure and unbridled belief that he had hidden since the last structure of Atlantis plummeted into the ocean.

It all poured out of him like a raging river, revealing the depths of his madness.

But no one could deny how his surroundings had shaped his perception.

"Do you even understand what it is like to have your divinity ripped out from you?" Merlyn suddenly shifted the conversation, wondering out loud towards Morgana.

"When I was born, Gaea sealed the part of me that held my father's blood and then when I was strong enough, ripped out the divinity born to me because it was my fate." Merlyn spoke, his eyes flashing black as Morgana remained silent.

"But she couldn't get rid of the traces of that connection."

"Half of my being is hollowed, and even if I wanted to be human, that tether to the void will stay with me until my soul extinguishes." Merlyn's identity crisis was on full display at this moment, always teetering towards where he belonged when no one group really accepted him.

"Pulling me closer into its grasp, just like it is with Ricky Luciano." Merlyn finally revealed where this was going, looking upon Morgana, who remained silent.

"And if you think you can't trust me, then why the hell would you trust someone exactly like me?"

"I shook hands with one devil to get back at another," Morgana said simply, already too far gone to look back, a slow smile creeping across her face.

"Then you shook the wrong hand-" Merlyn began, but before he could finish, a fist hurled toward them, the divinity within Asteiron's punch rippling the air around him.

Merlyn tried to teleport away from the blow, only for Morgana to analyze the spell he was attempting to conjure as the grand wizard had completely exhausted his powers to the void.

The only thing left was his magic, and Morgana was leveraging that against him because although she wasn't on his level, she was just as capable to some extent within the magical realm.

BOOM

Merlyn clenched his teeth, forced to quadruple-cast as Morgana dissipated three of the spells, which exploded between the bulldozing minotaur and him, sending Merlyn flying backward.

Asteiron plummeted toward him as Merlyn sent eight more spells, with Morgana evaporating seven of them.

The one that he managed to cast shot directly at Asteiron, only to bounce off his mighty hide and barrel toward Morgana.

She immediately tried to cast a defensive spell, summoning a barrier only for the spell to hit the barrier alongside her.

But then her body vanished, only to reappear in the exact spot where Merlyn had cast his spell while revealing too late that it hadn't been meant to harm her at all, but to switch their places.

Morgana's eyes widened in sudden horror as she found herself staring straight down the barrel of Asteiron's next punch, the maddened minotaur already driving his fist toward her with unstoppable force.

CRUNCH

Morgana's spells were crushed almost instantly as she immediately held out her hands, casting numerous defensive barriers before her, only for Asteiron to smash through them all. 

The maddening bull's red eyes flickered, realizing it was Morgana and not Merlyn before coming to a sudden stop.

BOOM

Stopping just before impact, the force of the punch alone sent a shockwave that slammed into Morgana's body, jerking her across the air like a ragdoll. 

Squeezing the wind out of her lungs, her body slammed backwards before spiraling into the distance as Merlyn began hurling spells at Asteiron.

CRUNCH

CRUNCH

However, Asteiron crushed every single spell, his berserking strength now rivaling Merlyn's demigod form and overpowering Merlyn's current state.

Tearing and ripping apart the arcane glyphs that sought to drown him in their mighty tide, the minotaur instead parted the very seas each and every time.

Pushed back, Merlyn appeared to be scrambling away, his injured figure drawing the attention of multiple heroes, each fighting with their lives on the line for his cause.

But the very moment they tried to be the heroes they were, stepping out of their way for another, there was always someone there to put them back in line.

BAM

A Captain Britain who broke ranks to assist Merlyn was immediately crushed into the earth by Bucephalus. 

His hooves came down like merciless hammers, shattering the hero's lower pelvis before kicking him back into another fleeing cluster of the Captain Britain Corps.

The Corps surged forward to bolster Merlyn's assault, only for Alexander to crash into their lines, hell-bent on tearing them from the fight and preventing anything except certain victory.

"RIGHT THERE, DRIVE FORWARD!" Alexander roared, commanding his legion to surge through the gap torn open by the reckless Captain Britain Corps who had fractured their own lines.

The undead spearmen immediately poured into the gap, with Boney somehow slipping into their ranks, eagerly trailing the horde as he hungrily sought to devour the souls of the Captain Britains.

But there was a reason for Alexander's urgency, a problem that had spurred this relentless push.

Though Ricky had entrusted him with command of the undead for his clash against Merlyn, granting him a completely loyal army at his fingertips, it was a force he could maneuver like chess pieces across the battlefield, systematically dismantling the enemy, piece by piece.

Yet a crack had formed in this perfect game of Alexander's.

"LANCELOT, WHAT ARE YOU DOING!" Alexander roared, his voice thunderous with command, invoking the might of the only Mythic undead Ricky had placed under his charge.

"I apologize, but I cannot fight any longer." Lancelot said solemnly, lowering his head as he fell to one knee before the flashes of gold and red that burned within the crumbling castle at the top of the stairs.

(Mythic Servant) Lancelot, the Cursed Paragon: Favorability: 100→0 (Uncommon Servant)

CLANG

"Lancelot has surrendered to his rightful king, push forward!" Sir Galahad shouted into the sky, his voice ringing into a towering form that surged through the ranks of the Round Table's army, bolstering their morale.

"Merlyn was right?" Mordred muttered, disbelief twisting across his face even as he swung his claws down, only to be met by Sir Gareth's blade intercepting the blow with a clash of steel and sparks.

"How can this be?" Mordred almost asked Sir Gareth, his former comrade gazing within his serpentine eyes for that slither of the man he had fought numerous battles with.

"Mordred, I can see it, there is still good in you," Sir Gareth grunted, narrowly avoiding the lash of Mordred's tail as he brought his sword down in a sweeping arc, its blade bathed in a golden aura drawn from the shared strength of the Round Table.

"I cannot-"

"No you can for I see a man who thinks he is lost but merely lost his way-"

"NO, I CANNOT CONTROL MYSELF!" Mordred screeched, swinging his claws wildly across his body as the other undead knights of the Round Table strained to resist the same dark compulsion.

This was precisely the problem Alexander faced. 

Ever since Arthur's revival, none of these undead truly wished to fight for Ricky any longer. 

Their hearts, or whatever semblance of hearts remained, ached not only to make peace with Arthur, but to serve him. 

For in their eyes, even beyond death, he was still their rightful king. 

All of them felt it, down to the marrow of their resurrected bones.

"FELLOW KNIGHTS, HEAR MY WORDS!" Sir Bors roared amidst the chaos, his voice cutting through the clangor of steel and screams of the dying.

Alexander's gaze snapped to him, narrowing as he watched as Lancelot, only moments before, had fallen to his knees before Sir Bors, bowing his head in silent reverence. 

A muscle twitched in Alexander's jaw as he issued a silent, forceful command to Lancelot—one meant to override loyalty with cold obedience.

"LANCELOT HAS SURRENDERED TO HIS KING, THE TRUE KING OF CAMELOT!" Sir Bors thundered, his devotion unmistakable as he called out over the clash of his embattled brothers.

"AND FOR THOSE STILL STRUGGLING WITH THEIR ACTIONS, KNOW THIS, IT IS NEVER TOO LATE TO REPENT FOR YOUR SINS!" Sir Bors urged, his eyes softening as they fell upon what Lancelot had become. 

Slowly, he extended his hand, offering a fragile mercy even amidst the carnage this fallen knight had ensued.

"Lancelot, I know we've had our differences, but hear me now." Sir Bors said, his eyes searched the hollow sockets of the knight before him, striving to see past the ruin, and to glimpse at the man he once knew, long before death had made him this.

"Will you join our fight for Arthur, for Camelot, and become once more the knight you swore yourself to be?" Sir Bors asked, his voice carrying a plea that cut through the din of battle.

All around them, the knights of the Round Table watched, struggling to fend off their own brethren that were still chained by the dark compulsions of Ricky's commands, thrashing in torment as their eyes lingered on this moment, hope flickering amidst the ruin.

But that was the problem in itself.

They were looking at what Lancelot used to be when in fact, this undead form was all that remained.

It's why although Lancelot could regulate how much of his power he expended, he still didn't have complete control over his own body.

No, when his favorability fell to zero, it simply meant he was reduced to the strength of an uncommon undead. 

It didn't mean he could defy Ricky, nor could he oppose the general placed over him, Alexander.

His will was own but his actions were bound, shackled by the very power that had stolen him from Merlyn's grasp, unable to break free no matter how desperately he might wish to.

That was why Lancelot's eyes widened just before he was forced to duck his head, hiding the turmoil flickering across his face.

It was the real reason Alexander's gaze swept across the battlefield, commanding Lancelot internally with a cold edge: not a single word was to pass his lips, and every action was to follow Alexander's command without question.

'Slowly raise your hand to grasp his, and as he pulls you to your feet, use his arm to steady yourself then stab him in the stomach with your sword.' Alexander commanded, his eyes fixed on the unfolding scene while Sir Bors shielded Lancelot from his line of sight.

Lancelot trembled as he reached out, gripping Sir Bors' hand while the knight tried to lift the undead warrior to his feet.

But as Lancelot steadied himself and stepped closer into Sir Bors' embrace, another truth revealed itself as he seized Arondight with a fierce grip.

Though Lancelot had limited his own power to that of an uncommon undead, his sword was held to no such restraint.

SPLAT

The legendary sword Arondight, cursed from Lancelot's revival and stained by the blood spilled when handed over to Ricky plunged deep into the Round Table knight, Sir Bors.

"SIR BORS!" Sir Tristan screeched, eyes wide as the blade of Arondight pierced through his comrade's back.

'Slash upwards.' Alexander commanded coldly, his gaze locked at the other undead round table knights.

At once, five other Round Table knights erupted in golden energy, surging toward Lancelot with righteous fury only for the legendary undead to hurl their bodies against the charge, throwing themselves into the fray to halt their advance.

"L-Lancelot?" Sir Bors stuttered, blood trickling from the corner of his mouth and staining his teeth as his body trembled in the undead's grasp as Lancelot was finally allowed to look up.

"I-I cannot control-" Lancelot's first words trembled from his lips, his eyes watering as black tears traced down his face. 

Splat

Then, with a sudden, violent jerk, he raised Arondight and drove the blade through Sir Bors, splitting his chest and head into two separate pieces.

Blood splattered across Lancelot's face, momentarily warming his otherwise cold, unfeeling body with the final, fading life of Sir Bors.

"NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!" Sir Galahad screamed, his voice raw with anguish as Sir Bors's lifeless body struck the ground.

Meanwhile, Alexander surveyed the battlefield like the general he was, coldly calculating his next move now that one problem had been solved, for the moment.

It was true that Camelot's forces, bolstered by the Starlight Citadel's Captain Britain Corps, were holding the line but that was to be expected.

This was a defensive battle, one designed not for the invader, but for the defenders of this marvelous city etched from myth.

Alexander's advantage, however, was time. 

Undead did not tire and they were far less susceptible to death than their living counterparts.

Although the Captain Britain Corps had originally overpowered and held back the legendary undead and the chimera, they were growing weary.

With the loss of their commander, King Britain, coupled with the heavy casualties among their cannon fodder, and now Sir Bors, the battle was unfolding exactly as Alexander intended.

But even so, his eyes weren't fixed on the undead, but on the most important pawn in this fight: the living.

All while the throne room was heating up, pushing closer to its breaking point.

CLANG

Ricky grimaced as Arthur's upward strike sent the ebony blade flying into the air as he prepared to capitalize on the sudden breach in his defenses, following the motion to slash but then Ricky's green eyes narrowed with sharp focus.

CLANG

Arthur, in the middle of his follow-through, was about to slash at Ricky's leg only to abruptly redirect himself as the ebony shield intercepted his trajectory.

Raw strength surged through Arthur, pushing him back as Ricky's snout emitted ragged, haggard breaths.

The exhaustion of the prolonged fight finally caught up with Ricky's stamina and magical reserves were seeping away, leaving him grasping at straws.

Yet even so, he began to understand the kind of fighter Arthur was, slowly deciphering the knight's patterns and tactics.

'Focus on us.' the Ebony Shield spoke within Ricky's mind, stepping forward with its sharp crew cut, its reflection of Ricky glowing in a cool blue hue.

'We cannot be cut by Excalibur like our elder sibling and although we cannot cut through all, we still have valuable properties.' The Ebony shield's voice continued, steady and resolute, as Arthur slowly reformed back into his sword form.

'.......' The Ebony Blade remained deathly silent, its gaze fixed coldly on the Ebony Shield, who side-eyed its eldest sibling before turning back to Ricky.

'I know we've had our differences, but trust your judgment.' The Ebony Shield said, puffing out its chest with quiet resolve. 

'I will take any blow and never falter in the face of it.'

These words glistened with hope but the shield expected scorn from Ricky which was why the shield braced itself, only for something surprising to happen instead.

'You're right.' Ricky's words echoed around his mind, making the ebony shield hesitate thinking it had misheard, only for Arthur to scrunch his eyebrows in subtle surprise.

Clang

Clang

Clang

The Ebony Blade clanged against the shattered floor of the castle as it was tossed aside, while the swirling array of blades that had followed Arthur like a plague suddenly coalesced into a spear, shooting straight into Ricky's hands.

The reason Ricky wielded the Ebony Blade was simple, it was a weapon that cut through everything.

The losing your mind part was something Ricky had struggled to grasp at first, a cost he had to understand intimately before he could wield the blade to its full limits alongside his sovereign will.

But this was different.

If the Ebony Blade couldn't cut through Excalibur, the very advantage that was supposed to give him the edge over Arthur, then he was better off broadening himself.

Realizing the blade was useless against both Excalibur and Arthur, Ricky made a swift, ruthless decision: he would completely revamp his approach to the fight.

However, the Ebony Blade remained deathly quiet, simply watching as Ricky lunged forward toward Arthur, Chastiefol gripped tightly in his right hand.

'Is my purpose even to defeat Knoll?' the Ebony Blade wondered, its thoughts echoing in the quiet of its own mind as it watched the battle rage on, now continuing without it.

This was the first time since the pact they'd made long ago, Ricky freeing it from the chains of his bloodline in exchange for its cooperation, that the Ebony Blade truly felt left behind.

'I suppose this is what I deserve.' The Ebony Blade thought, lowering its head and curling in on itself, a silent, brooding mass as Ricky wound up Chastiefol for his next strike.

WHOOSH

Throwing it with all his might, Ricky sent Chastiefol hurtling toward Arthur, who promptly rolled aside, but the moment he landed on his feet.

Ricky's dreadfiend form lunged at him.

BAM

Smashing the Ebony Shield against Excalibur, Ricky drove Arthur back, the king's eyes widening just as Chastiefol's spear erupted behind him in a blinding burst.

'Seventh form, Luminosity.'

However, the explosion wasn't of force, but of blinding light as a searing flash flooded the surroundings that overwhelmed the senses of all but its wielder.

Arthur's eyes squeezed shut against the sudden brilliance, and in that fleeting instant, Ricky's mind raced to seize the opening, a new plan already taking shape.

'Ebony Blade, listen, I threw you just for show and what I'm gonna do is pull you back at-'

'It's useless, I'm useless to cut through Excalibur.' The Ebony Blade spoke quietly within Ricky's mind, his fangs grinding at being denied as his blackened eyes radiated deeper will.

'FINE!' Ricky roared in his mind, pissed that the Ebony Blade wimped out on him as he yanked the machete out of his spectral arm.

CLANG

Arthur, even with his eyes squeezed shut against the sudden flashbang, blocked Ricky's machete strike as he pushed himself forward.

Yet urgency surged through Ricky's mind as he wound up another swing with the machete, feeling his magic reserves barely clinging to his draconic form.

'I can f*cking do this, all I need to do is get that attack off just like Merlyn!' Ricky hyped himself up, feeling his magic depleting by the second but pushing through the doubt. With fierce determination, he slammed the Ebony Shield down onto Arthur.

In that moment, he controlled Chastiefol to slam into Arthur's back as the promised king scrunched his eyes shut and immediately jerked his arms backward.

CLANG

Arthur lunged backward, pushing the sword behind his back without looking as the spear slammed against the blade only for a shadow to suddenly loom over him.

Grinning ear to ear beneath his horrific, monstrous guise, Ricky wound up his shield and slammed it down onto Arthur's face, realizing that the knight wouldn't block a blunt strike if Ricky simultaneously delivered a fatal shot.

CRACK

Blood splashed from Arthur's mouth almost instantly as the Ebony Shield crashed into his face, immediately dislocating his jaw.

Ricky's muscles tensed, his eyes manic with fury as he forced himself to push the attack further, following through relentlessly while Arthur spun wildly to regain his balance.

COUGH

Arthur heaved out a lungful of breath just as Ricky's follow-through threatened to slam him into the earth. 

But Ricky twisted sharply, driving his shin into Arthur's stomach with brutal force.

The king's body jerked upward, and even breathless, Arthur slashed awkwardly to the right as his body was flung into the air.

'THAT'S IT!' Ricky roared in his mind, bending his knees slightly before hurling himself upward with explosive force, the stone beneath him cracking from the impact.

Arthur's body slowly lifted into the air, his calm face turned toward the crumbling ceiling until his golden eyes suddenly flared, and he slashed downward with deadly precision.

CLANG

The swift golden arc Arthur slammed down instinctively was intercepted by the Ebony Shield, as Ricky poured every ounce of strength from this form into the swing.

Arthur's eyes widened at the force behind it, but Ricky smiled fiercely, his spectral arms commanding the spear. 

Alerted, Arthur jerked the hilt sideways, narrowly deflecting the incoming strike.

CLANG

The spear's tip slammed into the very end of the handle, sending sparks flying across Arthur's line of sight as time seemed to slow.

Within Arthur's golden eyes, the one that had thought it saw Ricky trying to kill him with his spectral hands widened in sudden realization, it wasn't the spear that was the real fatal strike.

But the bow.

Arthur's eyes glinted as the bow's special attack, the Apocalyptic Solar Convergence, slowly wound up behind Ricky's back, just peeking over his large shoulder that had hidden it all along.

The air around the steadily drawing arrow distorted, dark energy pulsing like a heartbeat before Arthur's golden gaze. 

Then, suddenly, Ricky's spectral hand holding the bow far behind him released its grip, unleashing the attack.

The only words that accompanied this devastating strike were Ricky's snobby taunt, dripping with confidence.

"Clench your teeth." 

The air rippled as Ricky unleashed the attack point-blank, the short distance between them shattered by the arrow hurtling toward Arthur.

Releasing his grip, Ricky's body was jerked forward alongside Arthur's and then suddenly, the impact exploded outward, Arthur's eyes engulfed in a blinding white light.

The sound of the blast finally tore through the eardrums of everyone nearby.

BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM

The castle walls shattered with a deafening roar, exploding outward in jagged fragments as the immense force of the attack tore through every barrier meant to contain it.

The very foundations trembled beneath the onslaught, and what had once stood as a proud, unyielding fortress now crumbled from Ricky's assault and opened the view to all of Camelot. 

Clouds of rubble billowed, swallowing corridors and halls, as the castle's silhouette fractured and dissolved into an open, heaping mess.

HUFF

HUFF

HUFF

Ricky's breath came ragged as his Dreadfiend Form fully receded, replaced now by the imposing silhouette of the Black Knight.

"Finally~" Ricky exhaled, eyes scanning his body as his wounds slowly began to stitch themselves closed and then, steadying himself, he lifted his gaze upward.

"C'mon just be dead, just be dead-"

Cough

"That was a valiant attack, along with the progression ramping towards it." Arthur's noble tone echoed as the smoke cleared, revealing his figure.

But instead of his knightly attire and the golden aura that once bathed him in regal light, he was now clad entirely in white.

Forced to unleash Excalibur's final form, the sword had become a living extension of his very being, adorning him not only with its legendary traits but also with overwhelming power and armor to match.

"F**************************ck~" Ricky groaned, releasing a long, drawn-out curse as frustration surged through him.

"Using blunt force attacks to your advantage, the very ones I used to counter your fatal strikes, was a clever insight." Arthur acknowledged, his voice calm and measured while replaying the events in his mind

"However, it was impossible from the start." Arthur simply said as if it was a pity, his entire form bursting in a white regal aura.

"When wielding the sword of Excalibur, its user becomes undefeatable." Arthur spoke with a grace unlike any other, as if fated, almost cursed, to succeed.

"But to withstand its power, one must train to the very pinnacle of human capability in swordsmanship." Arthur spoke of the grueling path he had to walk in order to wield Excalibur the way he did so now.

"I have spent my life wielding this sword, training until my skin tore, my muscles burned, and until I could swing no more." Arthur's grip tightened, turning his entire white armored form towards Ricky while lowering his helmet to reveal his face.

"I can say with certainty that I am a master of the sword." Arthur proclaimed, his golden eyes shimmering with a conviction like no other.

"And with a heavy heart, I must admit: a jack of all trades can never compare to a true master."

It was true since at this moment, only five people in the world could even hope to match Arthur weapon for weapon. 

And in Ricky's current state, facing Arthur in a proper sword duel was simply impossible.

To protect Camelot, Arthur would die for it.

However, it was those eight words that made Ricky's eyes widen, a sudden jolt striking through him like a lightning bolt.

Because it all hit Ricky at once.

'A jack of trades is a master of none.'

Because Ricky was many things, a clusterf*ck if you will, of powers, skills, and privileges all packed into one singular, lustful being: one man.

The man who was imperfect; the man who didn't deserve any of the things that were given to him; and the man who struggled when others wouldn't.

He was Ricky Luciano.

He stumbled, he fell, and he failed.

But through it all, he learned, just like in this moment, when he stared at Arthur with a fate-defying realization dawning in his eyes.

A generational break if you will.

It was then that the fight, the world, and the timeline all seemed to melt away from Ricky, leaving him standing alone before it all.

For everything that he was, RIcky was trying so hard to be what he wasn't.

That was the idea.

Gaining power, skills, and privileges all but rose him to prominence but shackled him in the process.

At that moment, the shackles loosened.

They loosened because Ricky suddenly realized what he truly was to the world, and to this fight.

Since there was a later part of that rhyme meant to discourage those who spread themselves too thin across many things.

A jack of all trades is a master of none.

This single sentiment pierced Ricky like a dagger, thrown at him repeatedly throughout the course of this fight and his time with the system.

But that dagger, the one meant to hurt him, was suddenly gripped by Ricky for he finally realized who he was.

For that proverb is incomplete and misleading, since no one ever utters the latter half. 

For the entire saying is: A jack of all trades is a master of none, but oftentimes better than a master of one.

And in that generational break, that fate-defying realization that washed over Ricky like a storm of clarity, he just laughed.

"Hahahahahahahahahaha~" Ricky let out a sickening cackle, blood streaking down his face as that laughter shattered everything he'd ever known and placed him before a reality not set by stone, but etched here and now.

The chisel that everyone else once held, used to carve what he was and what he would forever be, was suddenly snatched.

Now it rested firmly in his own grip, and for the first time, history itself was malleable to his will.

"HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!" Ricky only laughed harder, more black blood oozing from the corners of his mouth, because for all he had learned he was still ignorant to so much more.

This battle, this fight, it seemed to open up as Ricky saw it all clearly now.

Ricky was never meant to be a perfect swordsman, a flawless mage, or a peerless monster.

He was meant to be all of them at once and as such, none of them at the same time.

Imperfect. 

Unbalanced. 

Limitless.

And that was something no single master could ever hope to contain.

"Your crimes are nothing to laugh at-" 

"You think you're better than me because you play by the rules, huh?" Ricky suddenly laughed, locking eyes with Arthur and the judgment burning within them.

"Whose rules?" Ricky pressed, tossing out another question that made Arthur's brow tighten into a troubled frown at its implication.

"My life is my f*cking own." Ricky patted his chest, slowly walking backwards towards the broken paned glass that spoke of Arthur's victories.

"Have you even listen to a word I've said-"

"I don't give a sh*t about what you said, I'm Ricky Luciano." Ricky laughed, strolling backwards as Arthur squinted his eyes.

BAM

The glass pane behind him shattered, fragments raining down as Arthur's brow furrowed and then his eyes flew wide in alarm at what Ricky was about to do. 

Without hesitation, he darted forward, reaching for Ricky as the Black Knight let himself fall.

But Ricky simply twisted in midair, calling back the Ebony blade while jerking his body toward a cluster of Camelot's residents who were cowering nearby, those unfortunate enough not to have made it to shelter in time.

Because Ricky had been looking at this fight all wrong.

He had become so used to fighting people who were just like him.

WHOOSH

That he failed to grasp how to win against someone who was the exact opposite.

Splat

Until now.

"Your majesty!?" A citizen stammered, eyes wide as Arthur shielded the boy's body with his own as a small cut had appeared at his cheek while Ricky hovered in the sky, looking down.

"But you're not like me, you're willing to die for it," Ricky chuckled, as the meaning of this fight settled over him and what that inner whistle had been telling him all along. 

It was then that his eyes slid past Arthur, fixing instead on the terrified citizens the king was so desperate to protect.

"But I'm willing to kill for it." 

Author's Note: Ngl, I feel really off my game in terms of writing. Idk what it is but when I was writing this chapter and even the past chapters, it just never feels right. Sorry about the inconsistencies with my upload schedule but idk what's wrong with me.