TBATE-ALLIANCE

Chapter 25

3rd Person POV

Everyone's heads snapped toward the booming voice, with Arthur's, Sylvie's, Aya's, Varay's, and Olfred's eyes widening in surprise. Their gazes fixed on a heavy-set figure descending slowly, with their hands clasped to the small of their backs. His blood-red eyes were narrowed and fixed on Arthur, seeing him as the greatest threat among the five.

"Scythe Nicht," Sameer called out, looking at Nicht nonchalantly. "Decided to interfere?"

With an expressionless face, Nicht's gaze remained on Arthur, "I do not mean to interrupt your fun, Sameer. However," His eyes left Arthur, looking at Sylvie and the lances. "This is an opportunity we cannot let escape. To destroy these lances here would secure our impending victory over Dicathen."

Arthur scoffed, which gained Nicht's and Sameer's attention, "You act like your arrival had decided the fate of this battle."

Nicht chuckled and gave a wicked grin, "Hasn't it? You, the boy wonder, had trouble taking down Sameer. So how do you think you will fair against both of us?"

"You act like we don't have the numbers!" Olfred yelled, stepping forward. "The two of you against all of us, I think those are good odds," Olfred boasted.

"Quiet, insect," Nicht snapped. Olfred's eyes narrowed on Nicht. "You're nothing but an ant to be stepped on."

Olfred gritted his teeth, "We'll see about that!"

Olfred raised his arms, covering himself in magma armor, before conjuring a ball of magma in front of him. Nicht sighed in annoyance and casually waved his hand. Olfred stepped forward to fire the magma ball at Nicht when he suddenly went wide-eyed as the gravity around him increased exponentially. Olfred's body slammed to the ground, cracking the earth beneath him and breaking his magma armor apart. His eyes went wide as petechia formed in his eyes from suffocating from the immense pressure.

"Olfred!" Arthur called out wide-eyed and concerned, seeing Olfred on the floor.

Arthur's head snapped toward Nicht with gritted teeth and godstepped behind him. Arthur lifted despair in the air, coating it in frost fire, and swung it down vertically toward Nicht's head. Nicht blinked, and a powerful force shot out from him, striking Arthur. Arthur's scale armor cracked from the force, his body shook with some bones breaking, he coughed up some blood from the capillaries in his lungs bursting, and he flew back at an unimaginable velocity before crashing into the earth. A mushroom-shaped cloud of dust appeared from where Arthur landed, covering the human-sized crater he created.

Olfred gasped for air as Nicht's attack canceled when he focused on Arthur. Varay, Aya, and Sylvie's heads all shot toward where Arthur landed. Aya and Sylvie's eyes widened in concern.

"Arthur!" Aya called out.

"Papa!" Sylvie yelled.

They were about to move forward when Arthur suddenly godstepped beside them. Their heads flicked to Arthur to see streaks of blood coming out of his eyes and the corner of his mouth. His armor was cracked, and he was wobbling. Arthur stumbled forward, falling to his left knee, bracing himself with despair, which he had stabbed into the ground.

"You're alive," Nicht chuckled with a slight grin. "Impressive."

"Arthur!" Aya called out, kneeling beside him and grabbing him.

"P-papa!!" Sylvie cried out, with worried tears in her eyes, never seeing Arthur in such a state.

"I-I'm," Arthur coughed up some blood. He closed his eyes, seeming to be in concentration. Nicht's eyes narrowed on Arthur in curiosity, seeing an amethyst energy begin to swirl around his body as Arthur activated his vivum and aevum runes. The aether washed over his body, repairing the cracks in his armor and healing his injuries. After a few seconds, the energy dissipated, and his eyes shot open. He looked up to Nicht with a glare and spoke angrily, "I'm fine."