"I’ll personally remind you where your place is."

The colossal distance was rendered meaningless. No sound echoed, no trail of movement or sign crossed the terrain. Before the words had fully fallen, Atticus was already upon the king.

His blade drove forward in an absolute thrust.

The king’s intense gaze narrowed. Such speed...

Yet he released a derisive inward scoff. He waved a hand. The air flickered before him, and his shield, Durandal, materialized.

Blade met shield in a brilliant flash of light. Then Atticus’ blade tore through it like a hot knife through tofu. The king’s eyes flew wide, shock flashing clearly across his face.

His aspect granted weight to meaning. The more precious something was to him, the stronger it became. Durandal had remained by his side for centuries... they were inseparable... yet a mere blade had carved through it?

The king’s will flared. He shot to the side like lightning as the blade tore past him in roaring gales that ripped through the wasteland.

In the same breath, Atticus stomped against the ground. The earth shattered, dust and debris erupting upward. He twisted, his katana carving toward the king’s head.

The king’s brows sharpened. His blade, Rendal, left its sheath in the same instant. The two weapons collided with a force that sent fissures racing through the wasteland as radiant light flooded the battlefield.

Within the chaos, the king’s gaze flickered. Rendal was unlike Durandal.

The former had been with him since he first learned to walk. The weight he attached to the sword surpassed even that of his own children. Nothing should be capable of breaking through it.

Crack.

The king’s heart lurched. Fissures spread across the length of the sword. There was no doubt. It was about to shatter.

Rendal...

The king’s expression twisted with rage. This had gone on long enough.

"Release."

His will detonated. Golden brilliance erupted, tearing through the haze and flooding the battlefield in light. Amidst the fractured wasteland, the king stood like a blazing beacon.

In an instant, he directed every ounce of pressure toward Atticus. Whatever that weapon was... it didn’t matter. He was king. A peak Level Eight existence. A powerhouse worshipped by billions. Whereas this child... merely a low Level Seven.

He was going to remind the boy of his place.

Golden will crashed toward Atticus like a surging sea. A flicker crossed Atticus’ eyes, deep crimson blazing within them. Then crimson erupted from him, colliding head-on with the gold.

The two forces clashed in an intense brilliance that clawed into the heavens. The wasteland was instantly swallowed by crimson and gold, the two colors crashing endlessly against one another.

"This... what is this..."

The king’s eyes trembled. Deep crimson blazed around Atticus, not a single strand of hair out of place. The temperature surrounding him was so intense smoke curled from the burning air itself.

The full power of a peak Level Eight against a low Level Seven... yet he was still standing. Just what kind of monstrosity was he witnessing?

’I was played.’

Power like this did not appear from nowhere. It had been known. This entire battle had been arranged with the belief that this child could bridge the gap into Level Eight.

As the haze gradually cleared, the king suddenly felt the eyes of billions of his people upon him. His teeth clenched.

Regardless, with so much at stake, there was no way he could lose.

Golden light burned within the king’s gaze as he declared;

"Manifest."

He ignited in blinding brilliance that flooded the battlefield with light.

The air exploded against Atticus’ back as he was hurled backward. He twisted midair and regained his footing before calmly staring ahead. 𝓯𝙧𝙚𝒆𝙬𝙚𝒃𝙣𝙤𝒗𝓮𝓵.𝙘𝙤𝙢

Golden armor plates raced across the king’s body before locking into place. Ancient radiant armor encased his entire form. The king slowly raised an arm.

Instantly, an incalculable number of portals tore open across the sky. Weapons emerged from within their depths. Swords. Spears. Axes. Weapons of every shape and size. Each radiated immense pressure and weight.

Suddenly, the people of Ether Kingdom stepped forward.

BAM!

The wasteland trembled. Each person slammed a fist against their chest, staring toward their king with awe and reverence.

Their collective morale seemed to strengthen him further, his brilliance intensifying even more.

"I will show you the true power of a king."

The king vanished.

In the same breath, a sword vanished from one of the portals.

He appeared before Atticus in a streak of gold and destruction. The sword snapped into his grip as he raised it overhead before bringing it down like a collapsing star.

Atticus’ katana flashed upward to meet it. A violent explosion rippled out as the two collided, shattering the ground beneath them.

Fissures spread across the king’s sword in jagged bursts before it shattered apart. Yet the king didn’t stop.

He vanished again.

A spear snapped into his grip as he appeared behind Atticus, stomping forward and thrusting violently.

Atticus twisted unnaturally, his katana flashing out to meet the attack in another violent explosion. The spear shattered instantly.

Again.

The king vanished.

An axe flashed into his grip and carved downward, only to shatter against the katana once more.

Again.

And again.

Swords. Spears. Daggers. Nunchucks. The king attacked endlessly, weapons continuously flashing into his grasp as he unleashed attacks without pause.

Every collision ignited blinding light. Every clash unleashed violent shockwaves that swept through the wasteland and engulfed the armies in storms of force.

Atticus blocked every attack. Though the weapons shattered upon touching the life weapon, the cumulative force still pushed him back continuously.

The king’s speed had soared. His will had become sturdier than anything he had unleashed before. Every clash sent tremors rippling through Atticus’ will.

Like this... he was at a disadvantage.

Yet Atticus remained indifferent. The king was not the only one capable of wielding such power.

His eyes flared.

"Manifest."

His irises split between white and gold. As the king’s massive hammer plummeted, Atticus erupted.

The force slammed into the king and hurled him back. He regained his footing and immediately looked ahead.

A massive flaming silhouette clawed into the heavens. The temperature skyrocketed, the ground across the wasteland fusing into glass. Then the enormous figure rapidly shrank.

The king’s eyes narrowed grimly.