The standoff was intense, as the royal couple, the trio and the army just stared eachotehr down.
"Who are you? How dare you interrupt the coming of age of my eldest child?" The King's voice could be heard resonating throughout the entire hall almost shaking the ground itself however his tone was still calm and calculated.
"Me? I am Arthur Marsh, though I am just simply a man who wishes to die a warrior, and so are my companions." Arthur retorted not losing any courage, with one swift motion he pulled his hood and short cape flying off revealing the sight of his horns which the army seemed to feel a little intimidated by however the King stood tall and unimpressed.
"Kill them all, leave none of the intruders alive." With the single command from the Queen, the small ocean of soldiers clashed against the trio like waves of steel.
The sound of clashing steel and the ripping flesh was like music to Yuri's young ears, a symphony of violence resonated within him as he watched the brutal scene, the once grand party hall was now no more than a pool of accumulating blood, the battle looked more of a orchestrated dance of death that stirred something dark and exhilarating Within Yuri as he watched the carnage unfold.
Arthur cut through his enemies like butter with a hot knife, M'Ur ripping apart the bodies of those who came close to him with his bear hands even going as far as using the soldiers live bodies as weapons flinging them around and Elric's skill with his staff as he used the metal ball on it's end to crush his foes, for a blind old man he moved smoother than water.
His skill with the glaive was gaping as with each swing he would slice through groups of enemies effortlessly as though it were second nature, and instinct in itself, his movements were efficient, precise, and deadly, leaving a trail of fallen soldiers in his wake.
M'Ur, was a demon in his own right, he was a force of raw brutality, with his bare hands he tore apart anyone foolish enough to come close, ripping through armor and flesh alike as if it were clay, his sheer brute strength was terrifying, using the very bodies of his enemies as weapons, flinging them around like ragdolls to decimate those around him, a unique fighting style one could say, even though he had a weapon he chose to rely purely on his own skills and body.
Then there was Elric, the blind old man whose mastery with his staff defied belief, the metal ball at the end of his staff swung with lethal accuracy, crushing his foes weak spots with a finesse that seemed almost impossible for someone his age, let alone someone without sight yet Elric moved smoother than water, his blindness rather than being a handicap, seemingly enhanced his awareness of the battlefield, turning him into a deadly instrument of war.
However like all things it had to come to a end, the soldiers slowly started to overwhelm them, what started as shallow cuts became deep wounds, the fatigue was starting to build up as well as the battle had gone on for far too long for Yuri to even count as he was so absorbed in the scene, the glossy black floor was now a giant puddle of blood with stacks of bodies on top of eachother, the white shining pillars were sprayed with the crimson red of violence as the King and Queen watched... silently, the death leaving them seemingly unimpressed.
.....
The massacre had ended, the trio was now kneeling on the ground in front of the King and Queen lined up one next to another tied with bindings made of mana as they're bodies were impaled with an endless number of spears and swords, blood dripping from every crevice and would.
"I do not need to grant you honorable deaths as warriors, however you have proven to me your might as a warrior." The King Xavier Abawi said with disdain clear in his tone as he looked at the mountain of corpses the three had accumulated. "And as a warrior myself I shall take in this show of strength and give you all a quick execution and put you out of your misery."
Arthur’s eyes locked onto the King’s, the intensity between the two of them crackling like electricity in the air, out of nowhere a slow, quiet laugh escaped Arthur’s lips, almost a whisper at first, but it quickly grew, spiraling into a full-blown maniacal laughter that echoed through the grand hall, the sound was unsettling to say the least, filled with a mix of madness and exhilaration, as if Arthur found the entire situation darkly amusing, his shitty personality opened up again, something that Yuri had seen a lot of.
"King and Queen, heed my words and pass them on to the other royalty." Arthur's voice boomed across the grand hall, his green eyes glowing with a wild, unhinged light, the intensity of his gaze matched only by the madness in his words. "JUST AS THE THREE SAINTESSES AND THE HERO WERE BORN SIX YEARS AGO, SO TOO WAS A MONSTER, ONE SO TERRIFYING THAT HE WOULD EVEN MAKE THE FIRST DEMON LORD SHAKE IN HIS BOOTS!!! HA HA HA!"
His laughter echoed like a thunderclap, reverberating off the onyx walls, this was the laughter of a man who had stared into the abyss and found delight in its horrors, a chilling sound that made the air around him feel heavy with dread, Arthur's proclamation hung in the air like a dark prophecy, a warning that the new age of heroes was not without its horrors.
Xavier and Husnyia's eyes narrowed, the King's long wild hair dragged in the wind as he approached Arthur, taking his glaive from one of the guards who had confiscated it. "What a wonderful weapon, too great for a demon such as yourself, and the handle, too thin for such thick hands, who's the original owner of this fine steel?" The King's eyes loomed over the glossy steel and its beautiful pearly blade edge as he twirled it around skilfully.
"The only woman I ever loved." Arthur's voice carried sorrow and disdain, his hurting could be felt even with just a view.
"I see..." The King whispered, his voice barely audible as he exhaled slowly, for a moment the fierce resolve in his eyes softened, revealing a flicker of remorse, a rare glimpse of the humanity that lay beneath his regal facade. "This monster you speak of... or better yet, this child of nightmares you speak of in such high regards, may I know his name before I proceed with your execution?"
His tone was calm, almost gentle, but there was an undeniable edge to it, a quiet promise of the consequences that would follow, the King stood tall, his striped hair framing a face that now bore the weight of the terrible knowledge Arthur had revealed as he now stood in front of arthur and his company.
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"Don't worry, King Xavier." Arthur replied, his gaze locking onto the King's once more, the wild flame of insanity that had blazed in his eyes moments ago had dimmed, replaced by a cold, eerie calm; however his tone was still a cocky one. "You will recognize him the moment you set your eyes upon him, his crimson blood eyes will burn the world to ash and his golden hair will weave a thread of chaos and destruction throughout the lands." Arthur paused, a ghost of a smile tugging at his lips. "But I suppose I can tell you one thing about his identity, he carries my last name, though we share no bond of blood."
The words hung in the air, heavy with meaning, Arthur’s declaration was a final revelation, a chilling clue to the identity of the monster he had foretold, in that moment King Xavier took in the gravity of the threat, not just as a king, but as a father and a protector of his people.
King Xavier simply nodded, with a swift and elegant motion, he wielded Arthur's glaive, the weapon cutting through the air with lethal precision, in a single, fluid strike, he slashed through the necks of the three men before him, the blade moving so effortlessly it was as if their flesh offered no resistance at all, their heads fell, the execution completed with a deadly grace that left the room in a stunned, eerie silence, the King stood tall, his expression unchanging, as the bodies crumpled to the ground, the finality of his action echoing in the stillness.
Yuri eyes gleamed form his hiding spot however there was... a strange calm in them, no emotion showing on his face, he simply retreated out of the castle, walking down the grand halls making as little noise as possible finally exiting through the gap he had entered in the gate, the full plaza was pretty much empty now as the civilians had ran and scattered and the guards all went inside the castle, he looked up to see that the sky was now pitch black with only the stars and deep blue moon to illuminate it, the rain had cleared as well, just how long did the massacre go on for?
The boy walked down the steady steps down towards the wide street as besides him laid lamps every few steps, unlike the normal ones on the streets which had a spiraling pole made of jet black metal these were implanted directly on the ground like spheres of white light placed on the ground with matt black iron cages fitting them, his blonde hair flowed freely in the wind out of his face, his gray scarf gracefully doing the same, each step he took down the stairs was silent almost as if he had no weight.
After reaching the streets he looked around, they seemed mostly empty despite their usual busyness and bustling, maybe it was the incident and people hid in they're homes or maybe they simply chose to stay the rest of the day inside during this celebration, either way the quietness did not bother him, in fact more than anything else it felt more freeing.
Looking up at the sky Yuri felt an emptiness in him. "What am I supposed to do now?" His hair flowed behind him, it felt more like an inconvenience rather than anything else, his feet changed they're course however despite this unexpected action Yuri did not resist it, letting his body wander where it felt like it wanted to go.
.....
Snapping out of his blank state Yuri found himself in front of the giant Lumina's Nectar Spring fountain, it's beauty remained unchanged from yesterday, the water still as clear as dreams perfectly reflecting in the sky and the statue on top remained as elegant as before and the surroundings were as lush as yesterday.
Suddenly he had a certain urge.
He unsheathed the midnight-colored blade, its dark edge gleaming ominously in the dim light and with deliberate precision, he raised the knife to his head, the cool blade grazing his scalp as he began to slice through his hair, each golden strand fell away effortlessly, the blade's sharpness making quick work of the once long locks of hair, as he cut his hair down to its base, the blade left behind a short and uniform leveled haircut.
A few nicks appeared on his scalp, tiny beads of blood welling up from the shallow cuts however he barely flinched at the sight, his focus unwavering as he continued the task with a methodical calmness looking in the reflection made by the still water, the blood mingled with the fallen hair in the basin of the fountain, when he was finished, he lowered the blade, the once-chaotic hair now reduced to barely a few centimeters tall, evenly cut, each drop of blood a silent testament to his resolve as it dripped in the pool of water.
"Healing." Yuri whispered, his voice barely audible as he chanted the spell, his hand hovered over his head, glowing with a soft, dim green light, the shallow cuts on his scalp began to close up, the magic knitting his skin back together seamlessly, leaving no scars behind.
Once the healing was complete, Yuri looked down into the basin of the fountain, the water reflected his expressionless face perfectly, now framed by his freshly cut hair, he stared at his new look for a moment, before scooping up some water with his hands, he washed his face and head rinsing away any lingering strands of hair or traces of blood, the cool water ran down his skin refreshing and cleansing it.
"Why is something so beautiful so deadly?" Yuri said whilst looking at the pristine and perfectly clear water, the strands of golden hair and blood seemingly being..... dissolved by the water as if it were lava, truly fascinating.
A sudden memory flashed through Yuri's mind, sharp and unbidden, one moment, he was staring at his reflection in the fountain's water; the next, he was plunged into a vivid recollection of his dream, the world becoming a pitch black, he saw Molly's head being severed as she called him a monster.
Before he could shake it off, another memory surged forward, it was Arthur's execution, the scene played out with startling precision, the clean slash of the glaive, the lifeless bodies crumpling to the ground, the two memories intertwined, overlapping in his mind, almost perfectly aligned in their brutality, the similarity was undeniable, the imagery merging into one horrific tableau: heads rolling, blood pooling, and the word monster echoing in his ears.
Yuri's breath caught, his expression remaining stoic even as his mind churned with the weight of these memories, no was it a dream or a prophecy?
He simply chose to shake his head, pushing the 'memories' to the back of his mind, there was no time to dwell on them now, he turned away from the fountain and made his way toward the city's gate, his steps quick and agile.
Exiting the city proved easier than he expected, the news of recent events hadn't spread this far yet, or if it had, the guards were too scattered and unprepared to act on it.
The main gate, which had been heavily guarded with eight soldiers when he and Arthur first entered the city, now had only three weary guards stationed there.
Yuri slipped past them with little effort, their lack of attention working in his favor and even if they had tried to stop him, they were spread too thin to be effective as he could kill them and escape anyways, the city receded behind him as he stepped beyond the gate, leaving the chaos within its walls behind him with a light heart and no regrets.
"Just you wait, Arthur," Yuri muttered to himself, a cruel and frightening determination burning in his eyes. "I will kill all who stand in my way and surpass you in every way, so watch me, you damn old man."
The proud city of Fang slowly receded into the background as Yuri continued down the road, the cobblestones gradually gave way to dirt, the path ahead uncertain but one he was determined to carve out with his own hands.