Everyone is focusing in the middle of the arena. The Round is about to start.
The runes in the coliseum walls ignited like veins of molten fire. The ground split open, shaking the arena with a deafening
BOOM!
From the human side of the battlefield, the gate of iron and smoke creaked wide.
A sharp, echoing CLANG rang out. Hoofbeats.
The audience gasped as a horse of snow-white marble and living flame stormed onto the sand. Its hooves struck sparks with every step, its eyes burning like twin suns. Upon its back sat a man who radiated command as naturally as he breathed.
His armor gleamed bronze and gold, scarred yet immortal, like he had fought a thousand wars and conquered them all. Across his shoulders flowed a crimson cloak, whipping violently in the storming wind. In his hand, he carried a weapon unlike any other: a great spear ending in a sharp U-shaped blade, curved like the horns of a god. Its edges shimmered as though it could slice through heaven itself.
His gaze swept across the coliseum with a calm, unflinching, unshaken by the monstrous crowd.
Alexander the Great had arrived.
The fairy crowd erupted in screeches and mocking howls, yet some fell silent, unsettled by his sheer presence. Among the scattered humans in the stands, tears welled in their eyes.
"He's real… He's really here…" whispered one man, clenching his chest.
"Our king of kings…" sobbed another, dropping to his knees.
Up in the human VIP platform, Noah's breath caught in his throat. His legs trembled.
"He looks… unstoppable."
Lucianne pressed a hand to her mouth, eyes wide. For the first time since this nightmare began, she dared to hope.
Across the arena, Hans Grimm laughed so loud it rattled glass.
"A conqueror, eh? How fitting! Let's see how long your empire lasts, little human!"
Leo's golden eyes flickered with something sharper than disdain. He is interested.
After the fiery entrance of the human champions, they are ready for whoever this True King is…
The coliseum dimmed. The light of the runes darkened, leaving the arena cloaked in shadow. Then a second gate yawned open, carved from obsidian, mist spilling out like living fog.
From the darkness came the sound of a single clang. Then another. Then another. Each step echoing like the tolling of a divine bell.
And then he appeared.
A man draped in silver bluish-armor polished to a holy shine, engraved with crosses and dragons. A mantle of deep sapphire rested on his shoulders, trailing behind him like night itself. In his right hand, he carried a sword that needed no introduction, with its blade gleamed with pure light, as though forged from the morning star itself.
Excalibur.
The crowd of fairy creatures shrieked with ecstasy. "Arthur! Arthur! The True King!" they roared, pounding the stands, shaking the coliseum with their frenzy.
Arthur's gaze was steady, noble, but beneath his calm eyes burned an indomitable fire. He raised Excalibur high. The blade caught the light of the runes and sent it bursting into the heavens, scattering the shadows like fleeing demons.
For a moment, the arena bowed beneath his presence. Even monsters who hungered for human blood quieted in reverence.
Noah and Lucianne froze. Their hearts pounded as realization sank in.
"No…" Noah whispered.
Lucianne's hands tightened on the railing, knuckles pale.
"They gave us… Arthur."
Across the arena, Hans Grimm stood from his throne, spreading his arms wide with theatrical flourish.
"BEHOLD! The once and eternal king! The True King of Tales! KING ARTHUR!"
Even Leo's stern façade cracked, the faintest curve of a smile on his lips.
"…Now this will be worth it."
The two legends faced one another across the blood-stained sand.
Alexander sat tall upon his warhorse, his U-shaped spear gleaming.
Arthur stood with Excalibur raised, his mantle billowing with divine wind.
The coliseum quaked as history and myth locked eyes.
The first clash of humanity and fairy tale had begun.
The arena lights flared once more, but this time not for the fighters.
Instead, a peculiar figure pranced into the very center of the coliseum. He was small, crooked, and dressed in a jester-like suit of mismatched gold and green. His grin stretched unnaturally wide, and in his claw-like hands he held a long staff topped with a cracked crystal. His voice slithered into every corner of the world, amplified by the enchantments of the Grimm Brothers.
"LADIES AND GENTLECREATURES! HUMANS, MONSTERS, AND THOSE WHO FEED ON DREAMS!" the announcer screeched, twirling his staff as sparks danced across the sky.
"I am your delightful, dazzling, devilish host RUMPELSTILTSKIN! Welcome you to the FIRST ROUND of the Tournament of Fate!"
The crowd of fairy creatures erupted in a frenzy of shrieks, howls, and laughter. The scattered humans who dared to watch from hidden corners of the world felt their throats tighten with dread.
Rumpelstiltskin spun on his heel, first pointing to Alexander.
"On the side of those poor, fragile humans… we have the man who bent the world beneath his banner! The rider of storms! The lion of conquest! He is THE GREAT CONQUEROR, ALEXANDER!"
The human audience roared with what little hope they could muster, some weeping at hearing his name echo through the skies.
Then Rumpel turned sharply toward Arthur, bending into a mock bow with a wicked giggle.
"And on the glorious side of tales eternal… the once and future sovereign, blessed by heaven, crowned by legend, wielding the blade that never breaks! Raise your trembling voices for THE TRUE KING, ARTHUR!"
The fairy crowd nearly tore the arena apart in their frenzy, chanting Arthur's name as though it were divine scripture.
Rumpelstiltskin's grin widened to its breaking point as he raised his staff high.
"Two worlds… two champions… and only one victor! So sharpen your claws, swallow your prayers, and clutch your throats because this-"
He spun in a blur, jabbing his staff toward the heavens.
"-IS WHERE FATE IS DECIDED!"
The crystal atop his staff pulsed, and his voice shook the arena as he began the countdown:
"THREE!"
The runes in the walls blazed crimson.
"TWO!"
The ground shuddered, air thick with magic.
"ONE!"
The world held its breath.
"FIIIIIIIGHT!"
The coliseum exploded with noise. The audience, human and fairy alike, braced for the crash of steel.
But it did not come.
Instead the arena filled with silence.
Alexander, mounted on his horse, lowered his spear into position but did not charge. His eyes narrowed, studying Arthur with the precision of a tactician who saw battlefields in every breath.
Arthur raised Excalibur, its divine glow steady as his heartbeat. He, too, remained still, regal and unshaken, measuring the man before him.
Two legends. Two kings. Neither willing to waste the opening move.
The crowd roared in confusion, then hushed again as realization dawned…
This was not hesitation.
This was war at its highest level.
Up in the VIP section, Hans Grimm slammed his fist on the armrest, growling, "Why don't they strike!? The people want BLOOD!"
Leo only smirked. "Patience, brother. Kings do not swing blindly. They wait for the perfect moment."
Noah's hands were clammy against the railing. Lucianne leaned forward, whispering, "They're… they're testing each other."
Alexander's calm voice echoed in her mind, from the night before: Every war is won not with the first charge, but with the first decision.
And down in the arena, the world watched as silence stretched thin, ready to snap.
Alexander slowly pulled the reins of his blazing steed. The horse pawed at the sand, fire still sparking from its hooves, unwilling to leave. But Alexander dismounted with calm precision, planting his boots firmly into the arena. He placed a hand on the beast's neck, whispering softly in Greek.
"You've carried me across the world. But this battle… is mine alone. Wait for me, outside the lines."
The horse neighed, tossing its mane of light, before trotting back toward the edge of the battlefield, vanishing into smoke beyond the arena gates.
The coliseum gasped. Even the fairy crowd stirred with curiosity.
Arthur's voice carried across the sand, noble and steady.
"You show respect to your companion. That, at least, marks you as a true conqueror."
Alexander's lips curved into a faint smirk as he rested his spear against his shoulder.
"And you… are no pretenders. The way you hold that blade, it speaks. You've borne the weight of a crown."
Arthur's eyes narrowed. "And yet, only one king may stand when this ends."
Alexander chuckled, his voice deep and unyielding.
"Then let us decide it as kings should by steel."
For a heartbeat, silence ruled. The crowd leaned forward.
Then… both men charged.
Arthur's sapphire mantle billowed behind him as Excalibur roared to life, its radiant blade trailing arcs of holy light with every swing.
Alexander lowered his sarissa, its unique U-shaped blade gleaming like the horns of a bull, the shaft whistling as it cut the air. His steps thundered, every movement honed from decades of battlefields.
And then—
CLAAAAAANG!
Steel collided. Sparks erupted like lightning across the arena. The ground beneath their feet cracked under the sheer force of the impact.
The fairy creatures shrieked and howled, stomping their claws against the stands in frenzied rhythm. Humans hidden across the world, watching from forbidden broadcasts, gasped and cried out at the sight.
Excalibur pressed downward, radiant and unyielding.
Alexander's sarissa locked against it, his muscles taut, his eyes locked on Arthur's like a predator testing prey.
Rumpelstiltskin practically danced at the center circle, spinning in place with his crooked staff.
"YES! YES! BLOOD AND GLORY, CLASH OF KINGS! Alexander swings his infernal spear, and Arthur parries with heaven's own steel! Who shall bend? Who shall BREAK?!"
The two legends broke apart, sand exploding between them.
Arthur lunged again, Excalibur sweeping in a brilliant horizontal arc. Alexander twisted his spear in a perfect counter-rotation, the U-shaped blade catching the swing and sliding it off, sparks flying.
With a roar, Alexander spun the sarissa and thrust, the twin-pronged tip darting like a serpent's strike toward Arthur's chest.
Arthur twisted his wrist, Excalibur deflecting it with divine precision. The sheer force rattled through his arm, but he did not falter. Instead, he answered with a vertical strike, blade glowing brighter as it sought to cleave through Alexander's guard.
Alexander caught it, knees bending with the impact, then shoved Arthur back with brute strength.
Both fighters slid across the sand, dust rising in storm clouds around them.
Up in the VIP, Hans Grimm was on his feet, roaring with laughter.
"Yes! Tear each other apart! Show the world that kings are nothing but killers dressed in crowns!"
Leo, however, leaned forward, eyes glinting.
"Not just killers. Strategists. They're both probing, testing defenses. This battle will not end quickly."
On the human side, Noah clutched the railing so hard his knuckles turned white.
"They're… they're equals," he whispered.
Lucianne's voice trembled with awe. "No… they're monsters in human form."
Back on the battlefield, Alexander raised his spear, twirling it in his grip, his smirk sharp as a blade.
Arthur adjusted Excalibur, lowering into stance, eyes locked with unwavering resolve.
The first blows had been struck.
But the real war had only just begun.