Chapter 85: You just have to beat me
Arthur nodded, looking down at the furious young man without a single shred of hesitation as he said, "Yes."
His simple, direct answer cut through the darkness like a heavy weight, shutting down any hope that he might be persuaded by throwing a temper tantrum.
He continued speaking, his deep voice echoing with strong morality as he looked at Leon and said, "I’ve been watching... all the bloodshed you committed using the holy blade, and I’ve had enough!"
Leon held his ground, his face dark and unrepentant as he raised his chin to meet the king’s piercing golden gaze.
He scoffed lightly at the accusation, refusing to feel a single shred of guilt for his violent actions as he said, "All I did was slay my enemies."
Arthur sighed heavily, shaking his head with a look of disappointment.
"Excalibur isn’t meant to be used for selfish desires... it’s a holy blade. A blade meant to serve others except its owner."
The king’s definition of the sacred weapon was crystal clear—it was a tool of selflessness, meant to shield the defenseless and uphold true righteousness rather than act as a instrument for personal vengeance.
In Arthur’s eyes, using a legendary blade born of divinity to settle personal grudges was a complete perversion of its true purpose.
Leon clicked his tongue in deep disgust, entirely unimpressed by the king’s lectures and moral principles.
He gripped his sword tighter, his voice laced with venom as he said, "Holy or not... I’ll use it for whatever I want to."
Arthur’s eyes flashed with a strange, glint, the divine light within his pupils flaring momentarily as he stared at the stubborn boy.
"I’m still confused how Excalibur got into your hands in the first place..." he muttered, stroking his chin as he leaned back on his throat.
He genuinely found it perplexing that a weapon bound by purity and holiness had chosen to bind itself to a man whose heart was consumed by revenge.
There had to have been something within Leon that made Excalibur accept him in the first place, even if it wasn’t fully.
That something was what he couldn’t understand.
Leon’s eyes narrowed, strongly disagreeing with the king’s words.
"So you think I’m unworthy cause I use Excalibur for... selfish reasons? Why should I serve others with my power when they never served me with theirs?" he said.
His voice cracked with the painful weight of his past, remembering how he had been discarded, mocked, and left to rot by his own family and society when he was weak.
The idea that he was now obligated to play the selfless hero for a world that had offered him zero protection or kindness felt like an absurd, hypocritical slap in the face.
Arthur frowned deeply at the young man’s bitter outburst, the easygoing demeanor completely vanishing from his regal face as his expression turned strict and solemn.
He looked directly into Leon’s angry eyes, his voice resonating with conviction as he said, "Cause it’s the right thing to do. The strong fight for the weak, there’s no more noble cause in this world than that."
Leon scoffed loudly, shaking his head in disbelief as he stared at the man sitting on the golden throne.
"That sounds like bullshit to me... King Arthur." he said, the last two words carrying some sarcasm in them.
He looked down at the glowing blade in his hands, before glancing back up at the identical sword stabbed into the floor directly in front of Arthur.
The two weapons mirrored each other across the dark void, highlighting the strange connection binding him to the king.
Leon chuckled darkly, a sharp and confident sound breaking the heavy silence of the dark space.
He straightened his posture and looked directly into the king’s ethereal eyes, saying, "I feel there’s another way... a way to earn your acknowledgment apart from this ’noble bullshit’."
Arthur’s frown deepened visibly at the defiant challenge, his expression shifting from stern disappointment into a heavy, weary look.
He exhaled a long breath and sighed, saying, "Of course there is."
Leon’s eyes shone with excitement and renewed determination, his heart racing as he gripped the hilt of his weapon tighter.
He took a sharp step forward across the dark floor, his voice rising with eager anticipation as he said, "Then tell me!"
Arthur remained seated calmly on his grand throne, looking down at the aggressive young player with a faint, knowing smirk.
"You just have to beat me." he said, raising his chin slightly.
Leon was a bit surprised by the straightforwardness of the condition, his brows twitching slightly as he processed the unexpected terms.
He tightened his grip on his sword and said, "That’s all?"
It sounded almost too easy compared to the impossible moral ideals the king had been preaching just moments prior.
"Yes, you can also get out of this place if you beat me, too." Arthur said, nodding in confirmation.
The royal figure made it clear that defeating his projection was the only key to breaking the spiritual lock and returning to his physical body in the real world.
Leon didn’t hesitate after hearing the terms. He suddenly charged forward at full speed across the dark void, Excalibur lightning up with brilliant golden flames and crackling lightning.
"Then why didn’t you lead with that?!" he shouted. The sheer absurdity of having to listen to a long lecture when a simple battle would have sufficed pushed his fighting spirit to its max.
He swiftly swung his blade downwards with all his might.
A powerful crescent slash of concentrated fire and lightning tore off the edge of his weapon, screaming through the dark space as it surged directly towards Arthur.
He had expected Arthur to dodge or leap off the throne to evade the incoming divine attack, knowing the sheer destructive power of his own strike.
Instead, the king simply stood there and watched it approach, doing absolutely nothing until the massive crescent slash met him head-on, resulting in a powerful, blinding explosion that shook the entire void with deafening thunder.