The Phoenix's Maiden

The Battle for the Crystal (Part Five)

Before Amaterasu’s fall, Arthur and Chigumo showed their new forms to each other. The young knight managed to execute showing off his Thunder Excalibur, a newly found form of Arthur thanks to his rigorous training that the goddess has given her and Chigumo’s new demon form that gave him control over other spider demons. They walked in circles both are wary of each other’s capabilities, Chigumo is intelligent enough to not underestimate his opponent and so is Arthur.

“Such coward,” Chigumo took the first move by taunting the young knight but Arthur is not fazed even by little bit by the demon’s taunting.

“You’re the one to talk,” he chuckled while he is on his guard with his sword. “It’s ironic how such a big mouthed chicken managed to taunt a warrior,” he insulted Chigumo and that seems to have an effect towards the demon.

“Tch,” the demon was ticked off by the young knight. “Let’s see if you can say that after you experience this,” the taunt by Arthur was very effective as he will also take the initiative to attack. “Aphrodite’s demise!” he produced a large amount of sticky silk on his hands and he threw it hard towards Arthur. The young knight managed to evade the attack thanks to his Thunder Excalibur. Excalibur’s attributes do not just give elemental properties to the sword but also the holder of the sword.

Fire Excalibur, it gives Arthur strength and power with his attacks, that helps him to defeat enemies with powerful blows. It cannot be executed with just a flaming sword alone, it requires more strength from the holder and to make up with that, the additional strength was given from the fire attribute.

Aqua Excalibur, perfect for mass attack and with Arthur’s creative mind he can execute this with ease but also affects him in the process, but to make up with that, when in this element, Arthur heals up much faster so he can recover from the damage that he deals to himself but continuous damage that the healing can’t keep up with it, is its weakness.

Finally, his new found form, the Thunder Excalibur, it’s still a mystery what Arthur can do with it but one thing is for sure, this element gives him more agility and speed like a lightning but he does not have a complete mastery over it like the Aqua Excalibur. He used this bonus speed to evade Chigumo’s attack.

“He’s fast,” Chigumo whispered to himself when he saw the young knight avoided his attack with ease. “Coward!” he shouted because just by looking at Arthur, the young knight is getting in the demon’s nerves.

“You’re not just a chicken huh, but dumb as well,” he continued on demolishing the demon’s mental strength. When Arthur saw how the demon is planning to take him down, he decided to not attack him head on because once he do it will be all over for him and he does not want that to happen. He will try to destroy his morale, piece by piece until he loses himself and do a reckless move. That is his cue to attack.

“You think so?” the demon said calmly. “Thanks for reminding me,” he smiled and the demon calmed himself down. The young knight was very surprised with the response of the demon. The young knight is starting to question himself if his plan is still effective. In the end he decided to stick with his plan to observe the demon from afar and evade his attacks. “Thank you for reminding me that I still have my underlings with me,” he said and Arthur also noticed the spider demons surrounding them. They are focused on each other that they forgot that there are others with them.

“Oh shoot, change of plans,” he whispered to himself.

“Attack,” Chigumo shouted pointing his finger towards Arthur. The spider demons began to rush to Arthur and the young knight was left with no choice but to execute an AOE (Area of Effect) spell that will wipe them out in an instant. The young knight assumed that these demons are weak that he can kill them with one strike but the only problem is their insane amount of number. Large spells can exhaust the young knight quickly and it takes time for him to recover his lost aura.

“With your wrath I shall cleanse the impure, Constellation Big Dipper: Zeus’s Death Bed,” he stabbed his sword on the ground and he produced static lightning that is visible to the eye. That static lightning soon crawled towards the demon spiders around him and spread until all of them was toast and charred black by the lightning. Chigumo is far from the reach of his move.

“Impressive boy,” Chigumo remarked after seeing his move, he hates to admit it but he is quite terrified with Arthur’s lightning. He’s thinking what he had could been if he did not back off earlier when the knight unleashed that attack.

“There’s more coming,” he told the demon and immediately pulls out his sword and points it towards Chigumo. “Send the strongest men you’ve got coward,” he bluffed and he wishes that the demon does not bite hook because more of that attack will completely exhaust him.

“You!” Chigumo was enraged and charges towards the young knight. Arthur smiled because everything went to plan and he prepares himself for another attack, he treated the sword like a baseball bat, and he sees the demon as a baseball ball that is flying towards him.

“Those who are not worthy shall be judged, Constellation Taurus: Thunder Clap,” when Chigumo is about to lunge at him he swings the sword charged with electricity that cuts the demon in half and also electrocuted to death or that’s what the young knight thought. The body is still moving because of the electrocution and he watches Chigumo being restrained by his attack. Moments later the body stopped moving and the young knight was so relieved that everything is over.

He turned his back on the demon to exit the hut, so that he can be safe when the goddess rained down her fire later on to obliterate the enemy’s camp.

“BWAHAHAHAHAHA,” he heard a maniacal laugh from behind him and he immediately tun around to see what is happening. His eyes widened as he saw Chigumo’s body that’s been cut in half, pulling each other while his eyes are stuck to Arthur. “You really think that is enough to kill me? You fool!” he provoked the young knight. “You really are arrogant as they say,” he continues to provoke him while his body regenerates.

Arthur does not plan to let Chigumo completely recover as he charges towards him and he will use one of his powerful attacks to reduce the demon to ashes. “Quick as lightning, Constellation Cassiopeia: Dance of the Lightning God,” the lightning starts to crawl all over his body this time and as the lightning consumes Arthur, he reaches insane amount of speed that shocked the demon. He disappeared into thin air and Chigumo frantically looks all over the place to find the knight that has disappeared into thin air.

“COME BACK COWARD!” he shouted as he failed to locate Arthur around him but he doesn’t know that Arthur is just circling around him with great speed leaving only trail of lightning to gain momentum.

When he reached his peak, he started to s***h the demon into pieces, leaving him paralyzed with every s***h that he inflicts towards the demon. He then turned into a barrage of lightning slashes evading Chigumo’s web cutting him into pieces. The demon can’t do a thing but to back off but even that is not enough to escape the knight. His demise is inevitable and all he can do is watch himself sliced bit by bit.

“Fool,” Arthur whispered into the demon’s ear and slashed his neck. Arthur returned from being visible again, but the fallen head of Chigumo did not completely fall to the ground as it reconnected again to his body but he noticed that his body is degrading gradually.

He had the idea that like him regeneration is one of his exhausting abilities. This battle turned into battle of endurance and the one who lasts longer in the battle will be victorious. No one knows who will win but both sides are doing their utmost best to defeat their enemy.

Arthur catches his breath as he is starting to feel the toll of Thunder Excalibur to his body. He plans to use his powerful move turning Chigumo into ashes that is beyond of his regeneration’s reach, but Arthur is not the only one thinking of finishing the enemy in his next move. Chigumo has left with no choice but to use his final transformation to defeat the young knight. He plans to use this as his final card but he is pushed into corner and his only hope lies in this form.

The land began to tremble as Chigumo’s body began to form mutilated muscles all over his body. Giant spider legs suddenly pop out of his body and his body transformed, into a giant spider like creature but gigantic bat like wings also popped out of its back. It growled when his transformation is finished.

“You just made yourself bigger, really? That’s your plan?” he asked the demon in disbelief.

“Prepare to meet your demise,” the demon ignored his questions and his voice was hoarse and his words are almost unrecognizable. Chigumo began to spread his sticky webs all over the place and then he just hurled a large boulder to Arthur which he just cuts in half easily but, when he cuts the boulder, he was surprised that Chigumo is charging towards him. He was almost by its jaw but he just jumped in time to evade the attack.

Mid air the giant spider demon flapped its wings to create strong gusts of wind to throw him off balance and a barrage of attack using his giant spider legs that pierced through the rocks. Arthur was hit by one of his legs cutting his arm.

This is bad, he thought. He needs to use his final move before Chigumo crush him to death. While dodging Chigumo’s attack, Arthur threw his sword upwards and began to chant a prayer. A range attack where he uses his raw aura without the Excalibur.

“Swap,” suddenly the sword and Arthur switched places, Chigumo hits the Excalibur to the ground, instead of Arthur. Elemental change is Arthur’s natural power and the sword is just the limiter of his power. Without the sword he can unleash powerful uncontrolled attacks, its where he got his nickname the arrogant knight.

“Constellation Taurus: Thor’s Judgement,” his eyes sparked and the skies above him began to form to thunderclouds, he raised one of his hands to command the lightning. He slammed his hand to the ground which pulled a powerful lightning that strikes Chigumo and it continues until the demon was turned into ashes, but the young knight has no idea what he just did.

He interrupted the dance ritual of the goddess rendering her unconscious as she was caught with the powerful lightning. Arthur released the lightning upon seeing the demon defeated and lied down to the ground exhausted from their fight.

-The Phoenix’s Maiden-