Chapter 358 - Utterance, A Single

Without having to do anything yet, he could feel it: the power that came with Heaven-Earth Disconnect. Through his veins, he could sense the flow of his blood; its heat, the speed in which it flowed, and the life it carried. It was the same for the rest of his body--it was under his complete control; the same with his mind--under the effects of his ability, he was able to unify himself towards the path of victory. 

It's different this time; I feel in control, Ren thought, with this, I can defeat him. 

"Come on, King. You aren't scared now that things are looking more difficult for you, are you?" 

Ren pointed Belus towards King Arthur, who stood in silence as his cobalt plume fluttered behind his helm, holding his treasured blade upright as its steel engraved with a forgotten language illuminated with mysticism. 

--Of course, what he said wasn't the case as the unfettered king was suddenly in front of him without so much as a single fluctuation of his breathing to telegraph his movements. 

I can see you, king! Ren thought. 

Despite the speed that King Arthur used to close the distance with speed that far exceeded what Iris could spectate, Ren saw it and was ready; clashing blades as he brought Belus over his shoulder, slashing it to halt the pathway of Excalibur. 

"...!"

Ren was left surprised; though he predicted the assault and countered with impeccable timing, the strength behind the strike caused his sword-wielding arm to flail back as the force from the king's sword strike sent a viscous air carving through the surrounding marble. 

Jumping back to catch himself, the golden-eyed man rolled his shoulder a bit before settling back into a normal stance. 

...Did I not use enough strength? Did I underestimate him? The power behind that strike was different from the earlier ones; is that sword really amping him up that much? Ren thought. 

"Manjushri." 

Ren muttered quietly, commanding the seraphic, golden flames to coil around the length of his steel. 

It doesn't matter; I'll finish him right now, he thought. 

This time, once he moved, the king responded instead of simply waiting to retaliate; for the first time since their meeting, a dance finally began. 

Dashing with a speed that made it impossible for the young woman spectating to witness, Ren vanished just as he drew near to the king, reappearing as he ran along one of the colossal pillars, leaping from it as he soared above the head of the silent king. 

Swinging his blade despite the enchanted steel being far from reaching the form of the armor-clad knight, his assault reached King Arthur as the air howled beneath the birthing of golden flames. 

The karmic flames descended upon the king, crashing into him and unleashing a powerful impact against the ground that caved in the title the knight stood upon. 

"The weight of his karma"--it was the power behind Manjushri, something Ren utilized to its fullest. 

Even engulfed in the heavenly inferno that enacted karmic justice, a single brush of the revered, gilded blade dissipated the flames as King Arthur remained undamaged, still standing tall in his royal territory as his azure, four-split cape fluttered behind him. 

Landing back down on the ground, Ren witnessed this unforeseen durability from the king--now inhibiting caution. 

A strike of Manjushri didn't do anything? Maybe under that armor, he's hurt, but it's hard to tell, Ren thought. 

As his thoughts occurred while standing in the battlefield that encroached on divinity, the shadow of the king loomed over him before the blinding glow of his legendary blade shined down upon the young man like the morning star. 

Even still, fear wasn't something that existed in an enlightened one's mind; no anxiety bore itself into existence as his next actions came even more naturally than the intake of oxygen. 

Through enlightenment, many pathways opened to alleviate the stress of battle; his senses were heightened to a divine level--allowing him a glimpse into that which has not yet come, his thinking was accelerated to such a degree that he was able to decipher and break down each and every detail of the swiftest actions. 

Of such an ability, his confidence was only natural. 

With a simple spin of his body, he moved out of the range of Excalibur's strike as the divine blade rent the somber, blood-stained marble--sending a visceral slice of wind that carved through the bodies of the already deceased that were laid out in the chamber. 

--Another swift strike came, though it was just as far from reaching Ren as he leaned back to avoid sharpness and heat. 

You can't reach me now, King, he thought. 

Even as he believed this, his certainty was challenged as his precognitive abilities were nearly overtaken by an unforeseen flash of steel--only narrowly spinning himself around the mythical edge of the sword as the heat brushed his chest. 

It was a thrust of the blade; a movement from King Arthur that somehow surpassed his foresight in its speed. 

He retaliated with a strike of Manjushri, sending the flames of judgment towards the king, who avoided their touch as he rapidly paced backwards, leaving a vast space between the combatants as the grandiose chamber of death and royalty fell silent. 

"Ren…! I--"

"Don't! I told you--I've got this handled." 

Ren's shouted words halted Iris, knowing she likely planned to do something reckless the moment she would lower har barrier. 

Now more than ever, he was certain this foe was far too much to risk having Iris around if she truly didn't possess the Pact of Undying. 

Pushing forward, a singular step replicated the effect of shadow step simply with raw speed as he aimed himself directly in front of the king, keeping his body low as he didn't swing his blade, but instead sent his palm towards the abdomen protected by ivory armor. 

One touch; that's all I need, he thought. 

In a twisted sense of retribution, his touch was evaded by King Arthur pivoting off of his foot, spinning around as he now held the advantage; holding his blade up in the air to prepare for a strike. 

...That's my move. He mimicked me? You're not much for words, but you've got some attitude, don't you? Ren thought. 

Flipping backwards with elegance, Ren avoided the overhead strike that erupted in a geyser of seraphic light that desecrated the flooring. 

In that case, I'll stop holding out on you! He thought. 

Rushing forward, he baited out a swing from the king, evading it with blinding speed as he retaliated with a burst of Manjushri directly to King Arthur's abdomen. Allowing his flame-clad blade to directly hit, the golden flames roared out with a volatile release, knocking the king back--but Ren didn't let up. 

Witnessing Ren's rush, Iris couldn't help but be captivated, yearning for the young man's victory as her heart thudded against her chest. 

He's doing it...he can win...! She thought. 

Evading the length of Excalibur, Ren danced around it with catlike grace; each dodge allowed him to counter with a swift strike of karmic flames, allowing him to overwhelm King Arthur with a flurry of strikes. Finally breaking through the king's poise, he reared his blade back, coating it completely in his karmic flames before unleashing a long distance slash that directly impacted the knight. 

As the king caught himself, rolling back onto his feet, the golden-eyed young man drenched in enlightenment was already halfway through another swing. 

"Manjushri." 

--Invoking its indifferent, divine attribute again, he sent the karmic flames directly against King Arthur's side, knocking the knight into one of the colossal pillars as a cloud of dust released from the impact. 

As the fog of sediment settled, the king dropped from the pillar, landing on his heavy, metal boots with a thud that echoed from the acoustic marble. Though the armor of the revered knight was dented, burned, and scratched heavily, Ren didn't feel any triumph yet. 

The strength of Manjushri changes from person-to-person; the more bad karma they possess, the stronger the judgment of the flames will become. Against Asterius, the flames devoured that beast without fail...but...I should've expected different from someone revered as a hero, even if he is a shell of that tale, Ren thought. 

Though, the sound of cracking as if something was breaking apart, filled the room as Ren narrowed his eyes--watching as the helmet veiling the king's head fell apart, falling onto the ground in chunks of metal. 

"Huh…" 

Ren was left speechless as the face of his opponent was finally revealed to him; despite his tales being as ancient as they come, the silent king bore a face of a man in his early prime. His sunset gold tufts still bore some vigor, but their color was partially drained as his roots sat at a pale white. 

Though his eyes were a natural emerald, the life in them had vanquished; his skin was pale and lifeless, and his lips were sewn shut--a silence forced onto his being. 

At first glance, it seemed the hollow king's skin was pale as snow was free of any lasting damage, but crimson spurted from his ears as he fell to one knee. 

I see, Ren thought, Manjushri doesn't specialize in exterior damage, but mainly targets the spirit...I guess that also translated to internal damage. Maybe he isn't as invincible as I thought. 

Even as blood trickled from his ears, the expression present on King Arthur's face was unmoving as he stabbed Excalibur into the marble, gripping the handle tighter. 

For the first time, the gaze of the king landed directly on Ren, piercing him with those soulless, emerald eyes.

--At least, that's how they should've appeared; for some reason, Ren recognized a glow returning to the king's gaze as if embers, as weak as they were, had been alight. 

Reaching with his free hand, the king grabbed the loose thread at one end of his mouth, pulling it as the black string unraveled from the flesh of his lips. 

Gross, Ren thought. 

Removing the thread that sewed his mouth shut, King Arthur's scarred lips parted as a single word finally fell from their dreadful silence. 

"Avalon." 

--A single utterance, yet that one word alone extended over the throne room a pulsation that shifted the reality around them.