*CLING*
What was before a battle on equal grounds had shifted into a one-sided assault. One side was trying to catch the other while the latter was trying to create distance and countering whenever they can.
Lamenter was completely stuck in that position and he couldn’t turn the tides again. Arthur’s sword was simply a weapon of mass destruction. In a matter of minutes, the training realm was turned into chaos with ice covering a massive area of it. The temperature of the place had dropped considerably due to it.
“Why are you running?” Arthur asked as he slashed his sword, sending Lamenter flying back with a screech. “Am I not a coward? Face me then.” He added as he approached Lamenter and kicked the spear at him. “Stand up, I’m not done.”
At this point, he could’ve killed Lamenter at any moment he wished for. But, he didn’t do it. Instead, each time he threw him down, Arthur would order him to stand up again coldly. The rage in his eyes didn’t subside at all even though he had dragged Lamenter across the entire arena.
“Stand up and fight!” Arthur repeated coldly. Never before did he feel this outraged. Even when Sora and the two dwarves were kidnapped, he didn’t feel this much anger boiling within him.
“Ugh… Cough, cough!” Lamenter slowly stood up as he wiped the blood off his face. “If you think doing this will make you feel any better, then that means deep down, you know what I said is the truth.”
“…” Arthur didn’t reply as he took a fighting stance.
“Even when you defeat me. You are not going to be able to get the idea out of your head. You know deep down that you’re afraid of me.” Lamenter said calmly as he smiled at Arthur. “I know more about you than you could ever imagine. I am aware of everything you do. You can’t escape my eyes.”
Lamenter’s entire goal was to simply get into Arthur’s head and make him lose his focus. He had already seen how easily he could manipulate Arthur with a few words. If he could make the target even more confused, it was all the better for his plans.
“Isn’t that a little bit too creepy?” Arthur asked as he rubbed his temples. “You sound like an obsessed stalker, which to be fair, you probably are a stalker.”
“…”
“The only thing you can do now is speak. But, when it comes to actual actions, you’re really falling short.”
Lamenter’s eyes flashed with a cold glint at the clear provocations. However, he still kept his calm as he sucked in a deep breath to keep his composure. The mind game was not an easy one.
‘I didn’t want to use this against him now. But… He doesn’t seem to be cracking that easily… Should I just do it now?’ Lamenter asked himself as he realized that Arthur was dashing toward him. He was aware that this fight wasn’t going to last that long and he had to quickly choose if he was going to ignore his initial plan or not.
*CLING*
The pressure of the battle fell on his shoulders again, far more intense than before. The Elemental Oblivion flared with a brighter light as the ice it created grew sharper, more versatile, and way harder to predict and dodge.
At the same time, Arthur seemed to be quickly figuring out how to use it efficiently with each passing second. He was still growing familiar with the sword and he was quickly getting the hang of it. Arthur had never felt this excited before when fighting.
Every move he made was beautiful. He felt as if he was an ice king, shaping worlds with each slash and stab. He felt invincible.
‘Iceborn… I love the name. It’s close to my name in some sense. I’m Silverborn and this is Iceborn.’ He thought to himself as he cut through Lamenter’s water barrier, sending him flying.
At this point, Arthur decided to end this fight. He had shown Lamenter the true difference between them and he had also beaten him up enough for what he said. He didn’t want to keep this going and waste his time.
So, he approached Lamenter and put his foot on his chest, pinning him to the ground. Staring down coldly.
“You better avoid me like the plague, bastard. If I see you again, you will regret it heavily.” He said. “It’s over.”
Then, Arthur was about to plunge the sword into Lamenter’s chest. However, at that moment, the latter spoke.
“Cough! Cough! Are you doing all of this for her?” He asked as he stared at Arthur.
“…” The boy frowned subtly.
“I can see it in your eyes. You were never angry because I called you a coward… You were angry that I called her a coward.” He said. “I commend your loyalty and care for Isla. She found one hell of a pawn.”
“…”
“Cough! That’s interesting. Very interesting. I can also see that you are completely unaware of what she has done. In fact, knowing Isla, she probably hasn’t told you a single thing about her past.” Lamenter said. “After all, she only tells people she actually trusts. You aren’t at that level, Arthur.”
“…”
The last sentence hit Arthur like a train. His eyes flicked with a weird glint as his grip on his sword released slightly. The world around him slowly turned into a blur as his only focus was Lamenter.
He knew that everything the young man might say was wrong. Still, even when he knew that it was wrong, it still hit him hard.
“You’ve thought that she trusted you. You thought she saw you as a dear friend. But, the truth is, Isla doesn’t see you that way. You’re extremely strong, Arthur. In her eyes, you’re the biggest investment she could ever make in the game. The money, the fame, the success. She wants you to bring her all of that and more on a silver plate.”
“Shut up,” Arthur yelled as he gripped his sword again. “Your mouth should be cut off.”
“Isla was never the person you thought she was. She’s as cunning as I am, if not more. She will use you and then throw you away. Think of the past, perhaps you will remember moments where she tried to hold on to you tightly, saying the sweetest words you could imagine about how great you are and how important you are to her. It was never because you’re a friend. It was because she was a coward who was ready to do anything to get to her goal and the people around her are simply playing into that small little act she was setting.”
“Shut up!!” Finally, Arthur snapped as he yelled loudly. His mind was in complete shambles.
Then, he plunged his sword into Lamenter’s heart. The latter’s eyes widened for a second before a wide, almost wicked smile appeared on his face.
“Ask her… About her past… And see… What she says…” He uttered slowly before Lamenter’s body exploded into small particles and vanished from sight.
[Ding!]
[You have defeated player ‘Lamenter’.]
[You have gained 80 points.]
Experience tales with empire
[Double Bonus detected!]
[You have gained 160 points.]
A series of notifications rang in Arthur’s head. However, the boy couldn’t care less about it. Instead, his mind was completely focused on what Lamenter said.
“He knows how to formulate a lie… That fucker.” He muttered under his breath as he tapped on the menu to log out. “A very meticulous lie.”
A//N: Don’t forget to give the book some golden tickets for good luck! :3