The battlefield shook with every attack of the monsters. Dust plumed from ruptured earth, molten cracks glowed faintly from where the lion had stepped, it had scarred the ground, and the sky itself was covered with smoke and dust. Arthur stood at the center of the battlefield, his armor reflecting sunlight faintly beneath the haze, the sword in his hand vibrating as if eager to show its power to its master.

The five monsters fanned out around him, their eyes burning with fury. Then they finally attacked.

BOOOM!

The lion lunged at him first, its claws were like flaming scythes tearing through the ground. The serpent swooped low, its acidic breath spraying towards him. The centipede scuttled, hundreds of legs carrying it in a blur, while the gorilla slammed its fists into the ground, fissures racing outward like spiderwebs. Frost trailed the wolf, it dashed in from the side like a silver blur.

Arthur’s body tensed as lightning burst around him, covering his armor.

He raised his hand, a telekinetic wave spread outward like an invisible tsunami. For a brief instant, the five titans jerked mid-motion, their movements stuttering as though they’d slammed into invisible walls.

“Got you,” Arthur muttered, thrusting forward with the sword.

The blade cut a wide arc toward the lion. Golden energy surged outwards, colliding with its chest. The beast was blasted back, its mane scattering embers across the battlefield. But his hold on the monsters broke in the same instant, the others tearing free of his telekinetic grip with roars that rattled his skull.

Arthur cursed under his breath, rolling sideways as the serpent’s acid splattered where he stood. The ground hissed, melting into bubbling pits.

The centipede shrieked, its tail lashing. Arthur ducked low, but the barbed strike grazed across his shoulder. His armor started sizzling where venom touched the plating.

“Tch…damn bugs.”

The wolf slammed into him from the side, its claws raking across his chest. Arthur gritted his teeth seeing his armor was unable to defend him, but his body regenerated instantly, skin knitting itself back together even as he was hurled across the dirt. He crashed through a boulder and slid, sparks screeching from his armor. He thought, ‘I should make better armor after this.’

Arthur rose slowly, coughing and swatting away the dust. When the surrounding temperature shifted suddenly.

The wolf’s eyes glowed icy blue as frost bled outward, swallowing the battlefield in a white sheen. Shards of ice sprouted from the earth, the temperature plummeting until Arthur’s breath fogged.

At the same time, the gorilla slammed both fists into the ground. The earth heaved upward, walls of stone and jagged spikes enclosing the battlefield.

The serpent hissed, its crimson eyes glowing. Acidic mist rolled from its maw, turning the air itself corrosive.

The centipede shrieked as its domain unfurled, a poisonous miasma spilling from its body, clouds of green vapor choking the surroundings.

Arthur’s nose wrinkled, sweat beading his forehead despite the freezing air. “Perfect…”

The sword spirit’s voice appeared in his mind again. “Careful now, lad. They’re not playing anymore.”

The monsters had finally decided to use their domain, but since some of their domain was contradicting like the lion’s fire domain and the wolf’s ice domain, they made a tacit understanding among themselves to use only those that can be used without restricting the others.

Arthur increased his energy output as lightning arcs danced across his body, and he didn’t need to worry about the poison as his body had already adapted to it, though the acidic mist still caused his armor to start melting slowly. He swung his sword, golden slashes cutting through incoming acid blobs. He leapt sideways as the wolf pounced again, its claws freezing the ground in jagged spikes.

The gorilla lunged at him, its fists were like large boulders. Arthur brought the sword up, meeting the strike head-on.

KRAAANG!

The impact rattled his bones, but the sword absorbed half of the force. The other half still felt like being hit by a siege ram. Arthur’s heels carved trenches in the earth as he slid backward.

The serpent dived again, with its jaws wide open to devour him.

Arthur spun, slamming the edge of his blade into its face, lightning and the stored energy exploding on impact. 

BOOOOMMMMMMM!!

The serpent reeled back, its body smashing through stone spires and huge ice spikes. Acid sprayed wildly from its mouth, the droplets that fell on his armor burned holes into it. But there was a huge gash on half of its face. A huge amount of blood started to gush out as the monster appeared sluggish after the attack and was unable to properly move.

Arthur didn’t have the time to use this opportunity to kill it, as the wolf snapped at his leg from his back, but Arthur leapt upward, twisting mid-air. He used telekinesis again, seizing the beast’s snout and wrenching it sideways. It slammed into the centipede, sending both monsters sprawling across the ground from the impact.  

But a moment later, they roared, shaking off his telekinetic grip as though it were nothing.

Arthur landed, cuts lined his arms and chest, blood steaming as his body knit itself back together.

The sword spirit’s voice rumbled. “Not bad, boy. You’ve lasted longer than most would’ve. But these things aren’t holding back anymore. If you falter even once…”

Arthur spat blood to the side, wiping his mouth with the back of his gauntlet. “Then I’m dead. Yeah, I figured that part out.” His smirk returned. “Lucky for me, I don’t plan on dying.”

The lion roared then, flames surging so violently that even the wolf flinched showcasing its strength. It didn’t unleash its own domain, as if he did so then others wouldn’t be able to fight properly, but its rage made him forget everything and open his domain.

Arthur tightened his grip on the sword, his stance lowering. Lightning, Chi, and the sword’s golden glow wrapped around him in a violent storm.

…

The battlefield shuddered as the lion’s roar split the sky. Its mane flared creating a fire tornado around it, flame stretching upward until the sky itself seemed to ignite.

The four other monsters staggered back instinctively. The serpent hissed, its half-smashed face bubbling grotesquely. The centipede screeched, as steam rose from its armored body. Even the gorilla titan hesitated, shielding its face with a massive arm.

But the wolf suffered the most. Frost burst from its body in a desperate effort to resist the heat, but the lion’s flame burned hotter, steam erupting where the two forces met. Its howl was ragged, pained, the heat searing its fur.

Arthur squinted as the air distorted around him. His armor groaned, plates glowing red, then sagging like wax before hissing into molten slag.

“Great,” Arthur muttered, yanking at the latches and peeling the collapsing armor from his skin. It clattered into the boiling earth and vanished into molten sludge.

His clothes lasted even less. In the blink of an eye, they ignited and vaporized off his body. He sighed, exasperated, muttering under his breath, “Of course…”

Nanobots rippled across his frame in response, weaving into a simple black tunic and trousers made out of Alloy X. They clung snugly, resistant to the hellish heat.

Arthur glanced down at himself, his expression was flat. “…Better than streaking mid-fight.”

The sword spirit barked a laugh in his head. “Ha! Never thought one of my wielders would fight naked. You’re a funny one, boy.”

“Just shut up and help me not get roasted.”

The lion stomped forward, its roar detonated like a furnace bursting open.

FWOOM!

A wave of searing heat erupted from its body, the ground liquefying into bubbling magma. The forest surrounding the battlefield withered into ash, and the very air was screaming under the heat.

Arthur raised his sword, the golden glow sparking brighter against the heat. The firestorm rolled over him, blistering his skin in an instant. His flesh sizzled, charred black, then regenerated, steam hissing off his body as new skin knitted seamlessly.

The lion crouched low, then lunged forward. Its claws dragged trails of molten earth in their wake, leaving rivers of lava across the battlefield. Arthur darted sideways, lightning bursting from his feet. The lion twisted its head, its jaws started glowing before…

WHOOOOOSH!

A concentrated beam of fire erupted from its maw, hotter than the sun’s surface, spearing through the battlefield.

Arthur leapt high, the firebeam carving through where he had been a heartbeat earlier. Trees, stone in its path disintegrated instantly.

Arthur slashed downward midair, Chi and lightning surging through the blade. A golden arc cut through the beam, splitting it in two as it veered around him. Sparks of fire and lightning scattered across the skies.

The lion snarled, swinging its tail. The blazing appendage cracked like a whip, tearing through the air.

Arthur telekinetically shoved himself sideways, narrowly dodging the flaming strike as it carved a chasm into the ground.

The sword spirit chuckled. “Good instincts! But if you think this beast is done, you’re in for a surprise.”

“Yeah, I kinda figured.”

The lion’s mane ignited brighter, condensing into blazing orbs. One after another, they shot from its mane like meteors, each trailing a tail of fire.

Arthur swore under his breath, dashing across the battlefield. Meteors rained after him, detonating in chains of explosions. 

BOOOOM! BOOOOM! 

Lava sprayed everywhere, as pillars of fire rose with each impact.

Arthur swung his sword in a wide circle, golden slashes of energy cutting a few attacks mid-flight, detonating them before they reached him. He telekinetically shoved a few away, but the force of the attack was overwhelming.

Still, he pressed forward, weaving through the inferno.

“Too slow.” he muttered, as he leaped high, with his sword glowing brilliantly. He came down with a slash aimed at the lion’s head.

The lion raised its claw, catching the strike.

KRAAANG!

The impact rattled the battlefield. Arthur’s sword cut halfway through its talons before halting, sparks showering. The lion flared its energy, blasting him backward.

Arthur crashed into a molten ridge, his skin igniting instantly.

The lion leapt again at him. Arthur thrust his free hand outward, telekinesis locking onto the beast’s bulk. For a split second, the lion’s body lurched midair, as it slowed down.

Arthur jumped upward, holding the sword in both hands. He poured Chi and mana into it until the blade started to glow with golden energy.

“Eat this!”

He swung as a massive crescent of light collided with the lion’s chest mid-leap.

SHHHHKKKRRRRAAAAAAAANG!

The beast howled as the attack carved across its chest, flesh and fur was cut open as blood splattered on the ground.

The lion landed hard on the ground, heat radiating around its claws. It roared furiously, its body soaked in blood, but still it stood, unbroken.

Arthur panted, steam rising off his regenerating wounds. His body finally got used to the heat as it stopped burning anymore.

“You’re tough, but I like it.”

The lion’s flames surged even higher, fire twisting into a vortex around its body, forming a blazing storm. Its eyes burned, locked solely on him.

The battlefield had become a furnace, lava rivers, molten stone, pillars of fire, and at the center, Arthur and the lion locked in their deadly duel. The four other monsters didn’t dare to come near the two figures.

The onlookers could only stare in awe.

The dwarf gulped, his hands trembling. “…By the gods, if he survives this, his name will spread all around Thyrandel.” But the next second he and his group left the place fearing for their life.

***

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