Chapter 99 - Party Crashers

Two Hours after the collapse of the Northern Empire, a giant spacecraft found itself in the skies of the southern empire.

Arthur, who had recovered most of his energy and let his body rest, summoned Celestia while looking at a certain direction.

'They're late'

He was thinking of the subordinates he had on Girex, who were supposed to come over the moment he arrived.

'Maybe I should give them a pay cut.'

With thoughts like that, he jumped from the space craft, down into the capital city below him.

The city was in a festive mood as the empire was having a party to send off the soldiers who were to be the vanguard of their attack on Girex.

There was currently a party going on in the imposing castle at the centre of the capital city.

A party Arthur decided to crash, both figuratively and literally.

***SHATTER!!!!!

The glass roof of the ball room shattered as Arthur landed in the room, surprising all those within it.

They were stunned and stopped whatever they were doing, the ones who were dancing stopped, the ones playing music stopped, the ones who were serving food and drinks stopped.

Even the secret lovers who were meeting in the corner of the hall stopped what they were doing and turned to look at the person who just broke through the roof.

Arthur, ignored most of these stunned gazes and looked at the one sitting on the throne in front of him. He then spoke in a cold voice.

"Two humans, master realm, caught and killed near the rift two weeks ago.

I have come to collect the debt in blood."

As he spoke, an absurd amount of magic energy that the great mages in the hall had never sensed, poured out from his body.

It was then that the knights recovered from their shock and surrounded Arthur with weapons drawn.

"Fools."

With that one word, Arthur's hand moved, not many noticed the semi-transparent blade in his hand, thus they were slow to react. 

**PLOP!

The heads of the Knights who surrounded Arthur, fell of their necks one after the other.

For an intermediate stage grandmaster like Arthur, half-baked intermediate stage masters like them could be killed with eyes closed.

It was then, that the rest of the people in the ball finally accepted the fact that a boy who looked no more than 14, broke in through the roof of the building and murdered a group of knights at a barely perceptible speed.

"Aaahhh!"

"H-he k-k-killed t-them!"

"Help!!!"

"Knights!!! What at you fools doing?"

"EEeEEKK!"

"R-run!"

Screams and exclamations of various kinds resounded across the hall as the aristocrats and other attendees of the ball scrambled for the exit.

A few other Knights and great mages attacked Arthur but a barrier of darkness appeared and absorbed all their magic and aura.

"Your highness, allow me to handle these fools."

"Hmm"

Arthur nodded at Lute's words and walked towards the emperor who had been watching everything with calm eyes.

'He may have more energy than me but he is definitely a stage lower, if so there is now way that I, the great Ursan, can lose.'

The emperor, Ursan looked at Arthur and spoke.

"He called you 'your highness'. Are you a prince of one of those backwater nations of the east? 

Although i don't know how you managed to make it this far, you would pay for this great disrespect."

He stood up from his throne and flared his aura, showing off his superior stage with a proud look on his face.

Arthur however ignored him and cut down the knights who threw themselves at him in the name of protecting their emperor.

Finally, the Inferior stage grandmasters arrived and attacked Arthur all at once.

'Tsk....killing them would be easy but at the cost of a lot of energy.'

"Hold on a second."

He rose his hand and formed a silver multi layered barrier of Aura, one that blocked the combined attacks of the inferior stage grandmaster's much to their shock.

He then looked towards Lute who was toying with the great mages and asked.

"Did you bring energy potions?"

"Yes, your highness, I brought ones for aura and magic."

Arthur nodded and the grandmasters who attacked him felt their bloods boil.

The boy who looked no more than a child In his early teens blocked all their attacks without even looking at them, they felt the pride and prestige they had built up over the years had shattered.

While Arthur was thinking about how he was going to distribute the limited energy he could use across the several inferior stage grandmasters, Ursan had used a requip artifact to put on his armor and summoned his trusty halberd.

"Enough. I'll take over from here."

Ursan, garbed in leather armor and a halberd leaning on his shoulder, stepped forward.

The inferior stage Grandmasters did not want to but they kept quiet and backed off without complaint. After all, the man had far greater authority than they did, he was the Emperor.

"So? What hole did you crawl out from, tell me so I can send your corpse back to it."

Arthur just stared at him silently without answering, Ursan was slightly ticked off at this but he held it in, he did not want to appear to be enraged at the actions of a kid.

'He is one of a strange kid, he is most likely a devil, there's his absurd amount of energy too, and more importantly, that human he brought with him is obviously toying with the mages. 

However, he seems to take orders from the kid so of I hold him hostage, the human would stop.

I also won't lose any more men.'

Ursan was arrogant, but wasn't completely stupid, he knew that Arthur and Lute most likely did not come alone.

This was evidenced by the fact that some of his generals were not present yet and far less soldiers came over after Arthur's commotion.

'The kid most likely brought other forces with him, enough to hold back my army.

He is not to be underestimated.'

"You're pretty strong for a mere kid."

Ursan spoke to him informally, as if he were speaking to a subordinate.

"I'm not 'pretty' strong. I'm really strong." Arthur knew just how strong he was.

"Really? Then let's have a match!"

Ursan did not want Arthur killing any of his men, he also wanted to use Arthur as a hostage to make Lute stop playing with the mages behind him.

Hearing Ursan's question, Arthur looked around with a raised eyebrow.

"One-on-one?" he asked.

"One-on-one." Ursan nodded his head.

"I'd rather not."

He had as many as twenty inferior stage grandmasters here and yet, he still had the gall to ask for a one on one fight? What a joke.

'He might just get them to attack me together if he seems to be losing, although Lute will prevent that, I'd rather not take any chances.

Besides, if he knows I tortured and killed a dozen of his generals, he would definitely not dare suggest this.

Most importantly, I just killed his brother.'

"What?"

"You're too weak, so come at me all at once!" Arthur said provokingly. He then gestured for them to attack him once more. 

'I'm weak!?'

***GRR!

Ursan gritted his teeth. He felt unpleasant, as if he'd been slapped across the face.

"I'll grind you to dust!" Ursan rushed at him like an angry bear!

Ursan rushed at Arthur head-on.

Arthur's eyes gleamed. 

'I'm taking him down at full power.'

He'd show him the result of messing with him!

He'd show him the result of daring to murder his subordinate.

Arthur flared his aura and activated body strengthening magic, golden energy spread everywhere, doubling all of his abilities.

Then...

Ursan had gotten right in front of him, and swung downwards with his halberd.

**SWISH!

The halberd's axe head cleaved through the air, falling upon the crown of Arthur's head.

Arthur didn't just sit there and take it. He immediately countered with his semi-transparent blade, Celestia.

**WHOOSH!

Both sword and halberd clashed in between their wielders.

**CLANG!

Neither side was pushed back. Their power was even. 

'I used magic to double my strength, yet we're still even. Seems this guy isn't all talk.'

'Mm. To think he'd be as strong as I am! Damn devil kid!'

**BANG!

The two fell back simultaneously and then clashed once more.

***WHOOSH, WHOOSH, WHOOSH!

The two repeatedly swung their respective weapons, aiming for the other's vitals.

They continued to unleash a brutal sequence of attacks!

Amidst that, Arthur started to gain the upper hand. 

'Although he isn't all talk, he still isn't strong enough to warrant me going all out. And here I thought I could go full power on him'

While having those thoughts, Arthur pressed his offensive, forcing Ursan on the defensive and slowly pushing him back.

'I'm being pushed back?' Ursan's eyes became wild. 

"Don't make me laugh!"