If you Like this story! Check out my other stories! Solo leveling in Westeros.
&
If you wish to read more or simply support me than check out my patreon at
"https://www.patreon.com/FrenzyAren"
You can Get Access to 3 More Chapters OR 7 More Chapters if you want !
/-\
The red knight Igris didn't say a word. His eyes twin glows of burning crimson locked with Arthur's, unblinking.
Then came the notification. .
[SYSTEM]
[Defeat The Blood-Red Commander Igris.]
[Restriction in effect: All skills sealed. All passive augmentations suppressed. Only sword and raw talent permitted.]
[Prove that your skill and talent surpass that of the Red Knight.]
Arthur blinked once. "You've got to be kidding me…"
A flick of his wrist summoned nothing. He tried Speed Step nothing. Ruler's Authority not even a flicker.
He glanced back up at Igris. The knight hadn't moved… but somehow, Arthur could feel it, he knew. Igris knew he was fighting without his full powers.
"Cheeky bastard, but I kind of expected this." Arthur muttered.
Then Igris moved.
Fast.
The red knight shot forward, blade swinging in a perfect horizontal arc. Arthur barely raised his Demon King Longsword in time steel shrieked as the two weapons clashed, sparks exploding from the contact.
Arthur skidded back, boots scraping across the ground. He grunted, more impressed than hurt.
"Hey, this doesn't mean it's gonna be easy for you." Arthur said, brushing dust from his cloak. "If anything, this is just... perfect for me."
Igris charged again. Their blades met with a flurry of strikes Arthur parried low, twisted, and slid back as Igris swung down like a guillotine. The sheer force of it cracked the floor tiles.
Arthur grinned, rolling his shoulder.
"At this point, dear knight," he said, circling to the left, "my body is used to the thrill of the fight. I don't need my full powers. My swordsmanship alone will best yours."
No answer. Just the hiss of metal, and the sharp exhale of a fighter ready to kill.
They collided again.
Arthur ducked under a diagonal slash and countered with a swift reverse cut aimed at Igris's exposed flank. The red knight pivoted mid-swing and deflected it with the flat of his blade his reaction sharp, clinical.
Arthur followed through with a feint,left foot forward, sword rising high, then slashing low at the last second.
Clang!
Igris met him head-on.
The impact forced them apart again, both combatants landing on opposite ends of the room. Their swords shimmered, blades catching the ambient red and violet glow like fire under glass.
Arthur exhaled slowly.
This was no ordinary test. The system had made this fight against a professional, not a monster or a demon, but a true skilled swordsman.
And that made this fight personal for Arthur.
How would he fare with just his swordsmanship. A question he asked himself now.
The throne room's silence shattered again steel sang, boots thundered, and two warriors carved lines of swords through the stone, fire, and dust.
It was a duel of raw skill, stone cracked beneath their feet from the last exchange, tiles fractured like glass spiderwebs. Neither of them moved at first two warriors, swords still humming with the aftershock of impact. Smoke drifted from Arthur's shoulder, his cloak sliced in places. Across from him, Igris stood tall, unmoving, his blood-red armor scratched faintly.
They had exchanged a dozen clashes already none decisive. And yet neither of them looked tired.
Arthur spun his sword once and set his stance again, "First time I fight someone with actual finesse." he muttered, more to himself than Igris. "You've got power in those hits... brute power."
Igris, as always, remained silent.
But he surged forward again.
The moment his armored boot struck the floor, the stone cracked like thunder. He moved like a charging comet blade outstretched. Arthur met him halfway, steel colliding against steel in a screeching sound. Sparks exploded between them as they clashed, shoulder to shoulder now, their swords locked.
Arthur twisted, pivoted on his heel, then raised his leg and kicked Igris across the breastplate with thunderous force. The red knight barely staggered he took the blow, then slammed his gauntleted fist into Arthur's ribs.
CRACK.
Arthur grunted, air stolen from his lungs as he slid backward, skidding across the ground. He coughed once, eyes wide.
"He might hit like Doom…" he muttered. "Maybe harder."
Igris didn't waste time. He came in again this time low, feinting a horizontal swing before suddenly flipping the blade in a reverse grip and slamming the pommel toward Arthur's face.
Arthur ducked just in time. His hand reached up and gripped Igris's forearm mid-strike.
"Gotcha."
He twisted.
The armor creaked, but Igris shifted with him, adapting mid-motion bringing a knee up into Arthur's side.
WHAM.
Arthur caught the leg under his arm.
"Okay… fine," he exhaled through grit teeth. "You want it this way?"
He threw Igris off-balance with a roll, kicking up and flipping the knight off him. The knight landed in a heavy crouch but didn't rise immediately.
Arthur rose slowly to his full height, Demon King Longsword pulsing faintly in his grip. Lightning traced the blade's edges in crackling blue arcs.
He tilted his head, smiling.
"Sword skills aren't restricted, it seems."
With a sudden spark, the blade roared to life lightning coiling up and down the steel like a summoned storm.
Igris rushed forward. So did Arthur.
Their blades met again, but this time it was different.
Arthur struck high then low then spun mid-swing and brought the lightning-imbued blade in a brutal arc aimed at Igris's side.
Igris blocked barely. But the jolt of electricity surged through the knight's armor, staggering him for half a second.
That was all Arthur needed.
He swept the leg low and sharp. Igris jumped.
But Arthur anticipated it.
He threw himself into the air after him fists clenched, blade forgotten for a heartbeat as he punched Igris mid-air with a lightning-cloaked left hand, sending the knight crashing through one of the pillars like a meteor.
Stone rained down. Dust choked the throne room.
Arthur landed, rolled once, and immediately raised his sword in defense. Igris was already coming out of the rubble.
"Damn," Arthur muttered, wiping blood from his chin. "I could've killed quite a number of strong enemies with just that…"
They clashed again not just with blades this time.
Arthur weaved under a great horizontal swing, then headbutted Igris with a clang that echoed like a bell toll. Igris reeled, only for Arthur to twist his body and deliver a spinning roundhouse kick that actually knocked the red knight down.
But he didn't stay down.
Igris launched himself up like a revenant, grabbing Arthur by the throat in a rare grapple.
Arthur's eyes flashed blue.
He raised his sword and stabbed it down into Igris's leg with vicious precision.
The room went still.
A crack of energy surged through the red knight's body as he staggered, clutching his wounded leg. He didn't fall but he bent slightly, chest rising and falling.
Arthur stepped back.
"Told you…" he growled between breaths. "My swordsmanship… alone… would best yours."
His grip tightened around the hilt. Igris's blade hung slightly lower now.
Still, no words. No sound from the red knight.
But his stance shifted.
He acknowledged it.
But then he stood fully upright.
And something changed.
A pulse of red mana exploded outward from the knight's body a violent aura, His cape, tattered from earlier blows, now fluttered like a red banner summoned by his rage.
His eyes ignited.
Burned.
Twin infernos of rage and honor long buried in silence now blazed, locked solely onto Arthur.
The gravity in the room had just doubled.
Arthur's breath slowed but he didn't recoil.
"So," he whispered, eyes narrowing in fascination. "You were holding back too."
His aura expanded, dark crimson lightning arcing through the air. The mere presence of him now made the place suffocating, armors shattered along the perimeter of the throne room, and the stone archways groaned under the sheer weight of his killing intent.
And yet… Arthur smiled.
"Truly impressive mana," he murmured, adjusting his stance, sword still crackling with lightning, his grip firm.
"You've finally shown your fangs, red knight. I knew you were much stronger than that."
He could feel it now the weight of Igris's blade from across the room. It felt heavy, even though Arthur isn't the one wielding it. The duel had turned real. No longer a test.
Arthur's eyes lit up with blue fire his pupils narrowing as his soul burned with adrenaline. He drew in a long breath, shoulders rising and falling as he lowered his center of gravity, every muscle in his body aligning with the edge of his blade.
"You're angry…"
"Good."
"I want to see everything you've got before I make you mine."
He spun his sword once slowly. Lightning coursed over the hilt, over his fingers, up his forearm, pulsing like a heartbeat synced with his rising thrill.
Then he raised the blade in salute, eyes locked on Igris's blazing red silhouette, and said with a grin curling across his lips:
"I can't wait… to add you to the collection."
The throne room shuddered as Igris began to walk each step louder than the last, no haste in them. Just controlled fury and knightly grace.
And Arthur… laughed joyously.
"This is what I live for."
/-\
If you Like this story! Check out my other stories! Solo leveling in Westeros.
&
If you wish to read more or simply support me than check out my patreon at
"https://www.patreon.com/FrenzyAren"
You can Get Access to 3 More Chapters OR 7 More Chapters if you want