Garden Of The Abyss

"Ren…!"

Iris' warning came a moment too late, but it was futile either way--what came was something that could not be accounted for.

Even if his attack was blocked, he still had the advantage, able to use his entire body to press against the blade as the knight only had his singular, turned back arm--yet such logic was thrown to the wind as a single movement of the towering king's arm flung the young man back.

Finding his feet lifted from the ground below and the figure becoming smaller below him, Ren was launched into the air by the simple movement--perplexed by the result that came from minimal effort.

...I suspected it, but experiencing it is something else; this guy is in a whole different realm of strength from Asterius! Ren thought, it's not just that: his intuition is off the charts...he read me like a book.

Landing back down on his feet with a huff, he looked up to see the guardian had remained in the same spot. He could see the azure-haired girl standing in the same spot as they had entered, holding a fearful look in her trembling eyes.

"Iris!"

Yelling out to her, he was unsure if his words reached her as she remained standing with her hands out as if readying a spell, but nothing came.

After witnessing the futility of her companion's assault, fear stretched itself across her skin as she was unable to gather her thoughts into palpable actions. Her shocked stance was shaken as the eyeless gaze of the knight fell on her, a gaze that sat behind a veil of the king's helmet.

She's frozen...I have to do something! Ren thought.

Seeing the state of the girl, he rushed back towards the hollow king with haste despite every fiber of his being urging otherwise, sending himself forward with a powerful kick, his blade held tightly in his grip.

"Dunkel: Slicer!"

Swinging his blade with a dozen meters of space between him and his foe, he yelled out as he sent a slice of darkness hurling towards the unnamed king.

...Wait, he thought.

After acting in haste, he realized something about the trajectory of his launched attack, watching the line of visceral darkness travel forward towards the stationary being clad in steel.

If he dodges...it'll hit her. What am I doing…? he thought.

Perhaps by some miracle in his mind, he witnessed the nameless king turn back once more to face him, swiping his borrowed blade without any urgency as he vanquished the slice of darkness as if it were merely a passing wind.

It was disheartening; an ache to his spirit as he witnessed the futility of his magic once more, but he was just thankful the worst didn't come from it.

Now the nameless king faced towards him, his gaze being felt behind the obscuring element of his silver helmet, dressed with cobalt plume, it was that look and stance that told the young man, "come"--a challenge issued.

I can't fall here, not to my own doubt. That's what Purgatory is all about isn't it…? Keep fighting, even if you don't stand a chance...keep fighting, Ren told himself.

Overpowering his trembling body by flexing all of his muscles at once, he filled himself with whatever faint fighting spirit he had left before pushing forward, launching towards the knight. But, he didn't bring himself into a head-on clash, instead opting to use a shadow step, manifesting onto one of the towering pillars as he ran up his length despite the qualms of gravity trying to pull him back down.

With another swift step into the shadows, he placed himself atop the seraphic ceiling, amongst the colorful glass as he looked down directly upon the floor guardian.

...I'll use everything I have, even if I haven't mastered it yet--that's the type of battle this is! He thought.

Sticking his hand down towards the nameless king who brought his wordless gaze up to him, he shouted, "Araphel: Black Lock!"

Following his incantation, four sable walls manifested around the king into a confined space, reaching up to the ceiling as the armor-clad foe was left trapped within the dark, compact room.

Falling down from the high ceiling, he trailed his longsword along the dark prison before reaching the ground with a heavy thud, but a perfect landing as his steel nicked the form of the nameless king.

For the first time, the towering, hollow king faltered as he stumbled slightly--a long, prominent cut ingrained into the opalescent ivory clad around his left arm.

That's right, you didn't predict this one, did you? Ren thought, "Black Lock" is a one-way barrier! Which means I can freely attack you while you can't do a damn thing about it!

Pursuing his advantage, he continued to slash at the confined king, dancing around the sides of the barrier to keep his foe on his toes. Even as he had the complete advantage, it was still incredibly difficult to get past his daunting armor--but he chipped away at it rapidly with his barrage of slashes.

As the nameless king attempted to counter the incoming strikes from Belus with his own, the moment he raised his blade, an unseen force pushed down against him as if a boulder fell upon his shoulders, sinking his boots into the tile flooring below.

Surprised again, aren't you? Any retaliation within Black Lock is met with a hefty response of gravity, Ren thought.

Even so, the crowned knight pushed on within his claustrophobic space, swinging his arm forth as he fought against the edge of Belus, though still greatly slowed by his personally-experienced gravitational field.

I can do this, I can win…! Ren thought.

Witnessing the turn of tides, Iris was agasp at the sight; the white-haired young man danced around the nameless king's focus using shadow steps, vanishing from side-to-side before leaving another strike upon the heavenly armor.

What am I doing…? Am I just going to succumb to fear, over and over again? What did I come here for…? I can fight…! I can! Iris thought.

Honing her eyes, she placed her hands forward, pointing them towards the trapped king, "Hyperion: Origin Radiance!"

Feeling the incoming assistance from his companion, Ren dodged out of the way as the condensed beam of melting radiance crashed against the guardian trapped within the black prison with a scorching hiss.

Before Ren could even hope for a good outcome, something strange happened; the pillar of flaming light that had engulfed the black cage had begun to scatter, parting and being pushed back by an unseen force.

"What's going on?"

Ren asked, standing next to Iris with his blade still readied, watching the unorthodox retaliation to the spell.

"...I don't know…"

Answering slowly as she processed the unforeseen repel of her attack, an answer came for both of them as the spell that seemed born from the Sun's heat itself was scattered in full, revealing the nameless king once more.

It was a luminescence that surpassed even the shine of the neighboring star; just slightly, the ivory-clad knight drew the blade situated at his hip--but the blade itself shined with such divine radiance that it was impossible to see its true form.

Shining into the hollow throne room that had been filled with death and nothingness, the seraphic glow somehow felt warm, but dreadful at the same time as its light melted away the prison of darkness, scattering any maledictions that came for the nameless king.

That blade...Ren thought.

As the heavenly luminescence finally began to dull, the form of the blade was finally revealed to his eyes, witnessing its gilded handle, embroidered with a triangular array of azure gems, sat in the middle of the hilt.

Almost as lavish, the sheath resembled a scaled-down wing of a cobalt dragon, guarding the immaculate steel. Finally seeing this, his mind finally pieced everything together; "Camlann", the knights, the blade--it all fit together in his mind.

"I know who we're fighting now…"

Ren muttered to the young woman standing beside them as they watched the tall, wordless king settle his partly drawn blade back into its home.

"Who?..."

Responding as she looked at him, Iris' eyes caught the realization that embedded itself into the white of the young man's eyes before his lips slowly parted.

"King Arthur."

As if hearing the name being uttered, the name-given knight turned its eyeless gaze to the young man as his four-parted cape cascaded down atop his pearlescent armor.

It was that proud stance, standing tall with his head held high, wielding the sword he held with an experienced, masterful grip--the hollow king cherished the recollection of his true name.

A proclamation of war was invoked between the Weltwanderers and Camlann; a war against a dragon, a demonic knight, and a forgotten king. On all fronts, battles were invoked that could not be undone by anything less than the death of one side.

The hardest challenge in Purgatory so far has only just begun.