Arthur and Krax exchanged blows for the next few minutes in space.

Arthur steadied himself, golden Chi blazing around him like a miniature sun. Across from him, Vorthane Krax was covered in crimson energy, his aura streaming like fire across the void. For a brief moment, neither moved, their auras distorting the light around them, until both lunged forward at once.

Their fists collided against each other again.

Arthur gritted his teeth as Krax pressed into him, the force behind his opponent’s strikes were immense, he was taking hits which could level a mountain easily. Krax’s strength was overwhelming. Arthur, by comparison was much weaker which made his arms tremble slightly under the pressure.

But his face showed no fear, in fact his lips curled into a smirk under his helmet.

Krax snarled, “Are you already at your limit human?”

Arthur twisted his torso, letting a punch slide past his shoulder before slamming his knee into Krax’s abdomen. The Champion barely flinched, but the maneuver forced some distance. 

Krax continued, “If this is your limit,” he said evenly, “then I’m disappointed.”

Arthur didn’t reply to the jab. They moved again, their figures becoming a blur of motion, their bodies flickered in and out of visibility due to their high speed maneuver. Each impact of their clash caused a flash of silent explosion. 

They exchanged punches after punches, counters, and kicks, blow after blow struck faster than the ECHOs eyes could track even with their enhanced perception.

Arthur was slammed back, spinning wildly through the void, but he twisted his body mid-flight and pushed forward again, his fist crashing against Krax’s jaw. Krax reeled slightly, but there was no damage to his body as the crimson energy around him protected him.

Inside the Vanguard, Elena’s voice trembled as she watched from the observation deck. “This is insane… we won’t survive even a second against any of them.”

Leo folded his arms tightly, as his gaze tracked both Arthur’s and Krax’s blurred figure. “No… even with all of us together we won’t be able to put a scratch on them.”

Samir narrowed his eyes as he tried to follow their movement, muttered under his breath. “They are too fast to follow…”

Back in the battlefield, Krax noticed some abnormality as the fight dragged on.

At first, Arthur’s blows had felt much lighter. He was not surprised by Arthur’s regenerative ability as he himself was capable of that, but he noticed as time passed Arthur’s punches were getting stronger. He felt every time he overpowered Arthur, he was somehow growing stronger than before.

Krax blocked a hook with his forearm, sparks erupting between golden and crimson energy. The force behind Arthur’s strike forced him back half a step.

Krax’s expression hardened behind his helmet. “You… how are you doing this?”

Arthur’s breathing was steady and controlled, but his smirk widened. “You have to defeat me to know that.”

They clashed again, their movements accelerating. Krax swung a downward fist, Arthur crossed both arms to block, and the impact sent him hurtling miles down before he steadied himself. The Champion lunged again, but Arthur slipped under his punch and slammed an uppercut into his chin. Krax’s head snapped back, and for the first time his crimson aura flared wildly as though it was destabilized.

Krax retreated several hundred meters, hovering in the empty space with narrowed eyes. The crimson energy around him burned hotter, as his aura surging with malice.

“You need to die,” Krax muttered darkly. He now felt it would be too dangerous to keep Arthur alive, with his unknown ability to grow stronger during a fight, he would soon become uncontrollable even if he joined them now.

Arthur rolled his shoulders, as the nanobots in his armor tried to repair a gash across his chest. He raised a hand and beckoned. “What’s wrong? You wanted me to submit before, but now you want me to die.”

Krax’s glare sharpened. He flexed his hand, as his aura intensified.

“…No more games. I’ll end this quickly.”

Arthur narrowed his eyes, sensing the shift in Krax’s demeanor. His smirk faded, replaced by grim focus as his Chi flared brighter in response. The next phase of their battle was about to begin.

…

Krax raised one arm, and the crimson energy swirling around him condensed. It writhed like molten lava, thickening until it elongated into a spear of pure destructive energy. Its tip burned so brightly it left streaks of embers across space just by existing.

Arthur narrowed his eyes, he reached into his dimensional storage and drew his Element-M sword, its dark metallic blade vibrated in resonance as he channeled his Chi into it. The weapon’s edges glowed brilliant golden as it drank in his power.

The battlefield seemed to tense as both figures hovered in place, facing each other.

Both of them vanished from their place in a golden and crimson streak.

The space around them lit up as sword and spear collided in mid-space. The soundless clash rippled across the battlefield, a wave of force that made the closest battleships engage their shields. Sparks of gold and red scattered around them, streaking off into the darkness.

Arthur slashed in rapid arcs, each of his swings were precisely targeting Krax’s weak points, as his Chi blazed around the sword. Krax countered with sweeping thrusts, the crimson spear leaving trails of crimson flame that licked at Chi surrounding Arthur.

Arthur noticed the crimson energy Krax was using was trying to corrupt his Chi, so he was rapidly losing Chi as he had to use much more than Krax to prevent its corruption. For every unit of Chi he poured in, half of it was being eaten away just to prevent the corruption from spreading.

“You can actually resist my energy?” Krax noted between strikes, his voice dripping with contempt as he deflected a strike and countered with a jab. “No matter, its corruption is inevitable.”

Arthur’s blade intercepted the thrust, but his arm shook as Krax’s crimson energy pressed against him. His Chi defended him desperately, golden light turning into red as though being eaten away by the crimson energy. The corruption tried to worm its way in, and devour Arthur.

Arthur gritted his teeth, forcing more energy into his sword. “Tch…damn it…” Arthur felt he was going to lose all his Chi before he could defeat Krax.

He disengaged with a kick, the force throwing both back several hundred meters. Without pause, Krax hurled his spear like a bolt of lightning. Arthur brought his blade up and swung down, as Chi erupted outward into a crescent slash.

The two attacks met, and a thunderous bloom of gold and crimson fire lit up the space, shoving aside smaller ships like toys on a tide.

Arthur burst through the explosion, sword raised high, and swung down with enough force to split a mountain. Krax caught the strike with his bare hand, the spear reforming in his grip with a surge of crimson energy. Sparks danced violently between them, as golden and crimson energy fought against each other, each trying to overpower the other.

Arthur’s senses screamed warnings, his Chi reserves were draining faster than expected.

Krax noticed too., his chuckle echoed through the comms, in a dark and smug tone. “Struggling already? How long do you think you can last?”

Arthur shoved off, sending Krax spinning back, then thrust his sword forward. A golden beam erupted from its tip, tearing through space. Krax twirled his spear and answered in kind, crimson fire surging outward in a pillar.

The two beams slammed into each other, colliding between the fleets. The explosion that followed was so bright the people watching the fight from afar had to shield their eyes.

Arthur skidded back through the void, his armor rattling from the backlash. He hissed through clenched teeth, adjusting his breathing as he tried to regulate his Chi flow. ‘This isn’t sustainable… if I keep burning at this rate, I’ll be dry before I can even touch him.’

Krax stalked forward, crimson spear resting casually against his shoulder as if he wasn’t even trying. His voice carried a cold certainty. “You can’t win. Our god’s gift isn’t something you can resist. It will swallow you whole, just like it has swallowed countless before you.”

Arthur steadied his blade, golden Chi flared around him again. His ribs ached which regenerated in a second, and his reserves bled faster than he could replenish, but his eyes held firm. “Yeah? Then I’ll just have to figure out a way to break your so-called God’s gift.”

He sped forward again, golden light cutting through the space as Krax raised his spear to meet him.

The fight had only just begun.

…

On the side where the human fleet was located, the observation decks of several ships were filled with stunned silence. The entire fleet could see it, two figures tearing into each other in the void, their weapons leaving streaks of gold and crimson that lit the battlefield brighter than the suns behind them.

Inside the Vanguard, Elena pressed her gloved hand against the glass viewport, her hands tightening into fists. “It’s… it’s not even a fight. How can a person be this powerful, if not for Arthur we would be wiped out easily.” Her voice had awe and fear mixed in it.

Leo stood behind her, his arms crossed, though his jaw was rigid. His eyes stayed locked on Arthur’s golden figure as it clashed against Krax’s. “No… we still have a chance. If we properly utilize what Arthur taught us.”

“But,” Elena said, still looking outside at the ongoing fight. “It would take a lot of time to reach their level of strength. Do we have enough time?” Now anyone can figure out the Chimerians had been holding back all this time. If they have more people like the one fighting against Arthur then humanity is doomed.

Samir leaned forward in his chair, his dark brown eyes narrowing as he tracked the movements. The golden and red light reflected in his eyes. “We will overcome this together, like we have before.”

Elena shook her head, but didn’t say anything.

The three of them sat in silence, the rumble of the clash outside vibrating through the ship’s hull. Out there, in the battlefield, Arthur and Krax clashed once more.

…

On one of the UFE battleships, an officer muttered as he stared at the live feed. “What kind of monster… can fight like that?”

Another soldier crossed his arms, trying to mask his unease. “Forget about monsters. He’s the reason we’re even alive right now. Without him, that Chimerian would’ve cut us apart in seconds.” He said while pointing at Krax.

The commander of the ship sighed heavily, his knuckles tightening against the console. “And if he loses?” His question hung in the air like a guillotine, but no one answered.

…

On the Chimerian side, the crew inside the flagship were just as shaken. The crimson glow of their Champion painted the deck, but even their faith wavered as they saw Arthur’s golden light refuse to break.

A soldier spoke in a low voice, almost to himself. “…That human… he’s still standing against Lord Krax?”

“Impossible,” another hissed, baring his fangs. “Champions are blessed directly by our God. No mortal can…” He stopped when Arthur’s beam clashed evenly against Krax’s spear strike, the explosion washing crimson and gold across their vision.

The Chimerian commander tightened his claws against the armrest, his face pale beneath his hardened features. This is the first time for them to see someone capable of holding their ground against the Champion of their God, and that made them uneasy.

***

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