8 A 'Fight' With Artoria

"Artoria...are you sure you wish to do this? What did I say about pride--" Merlin's persuasion was cut off when Artoria snapped at him.

"Pride is not effecting my decision. I am dueling this man to show that I am not weak - that I can protect myself!" she gave a shout before tightening the straps that held her breastplate armor tightly against her small body.

I, on the other hand, lazily did some stretches. Though they may look lazy, I was using my superb control to fully warm up my muscles and to get my corrosive blood to flood through my veins to power my muscles.

Seeing that Artoria was ready, I stopped my stretched and put my hands in my pockets, "Don't you think you should draw your sword before we start, Artoria?" I asked with a nonchalant smile that hid behind it a tsunami of excitement and battle lust. Hearing what I said, Artoria's eyes lowed to my hands in my pockets before she huffed and held her hand where it was, holding her sword's hilt. "I'll make you pay for trying to match my arrogance, Artoria!" I gave a spirited shout before rushing toward the opponent in front of me.

I let the rage loose just like always but compared to two years ago, the rage was practically bitch by this point. It was controlled and followed my lead instead of the other way round.

I was in control. Not my rage.

The familiar burst of adrenaline fueled my speed as I accelerated even further. The ground beneath me crushed inward, sending hairline cracks throughout the ground below me, like a small, localized Earthquake.

Artoria, surprisingly, kept up with my speed, "Good reflexes and instincts~" I complimented as I arrived in front of her and she replied by trying to draw out her sword.

Emphasis on 'tried'.

I slammed my foot against the pommel of her sword, slamming it back into it's scabbard before I lifted my hand from pocket, my hand curled into a fist as my arm, seemingly without bones, whipped up to Artoria's face.

The elastic force of this move and the momentum it created--

*Crack!*

--Was like a whip but with the hardness of an iron-like fist behind it.

The first cracked against Artoria's face, a spurt of blood accompanying the hit as the air vacated the area around her face in a visible shockwave. But despite the force behind the hit and the bloody nose it gave her, Artoria only stepped back a single step which ignited my excitement even more.

I drew my fist back into my pocket before lifting my leg up again and bringing it down as an axe kick, seeing that Artoria's nose healed at a visible speed, only leaving the leftover blood.

Her eyes were teary - a normal reaction to having something hit your nose incredibly hard - but they were also full of rational calculation and courageous determination. Both things a good King should have, no doubt.

My axe kick blurred through the air, subtle shockwaves rippling off of it as it blasted forward.

A flash of metal entered my vision and my axe kick was stopped by a longsword that was quite magnificent-looking. Gold and blue, with carved inscriptions that I couldn't understand but could nonetheless tell that they were both important and beautiful-looking. But right now, I was more focused on the subtly shaking arms of Artoria, "Good arm strength...but not good enough!" I shouted before lifting my foot off the sword suddenly, making her efforts to push back work against her as an opening appeared.

Spinning around with momentum that practically came from no where, I span my foot around and into Artoria's stomach, and unlike the punch to the face, this attack too her feet off the ground as she flew backward.

I didn't give her a second to rest, however, as I burst forward after her.

Artoria wasn't one to wait patiently either as she slammed her sword into the ground below her, slowing herself to a stop before a blue energy poured out of her in a tsunami of energy.

Ah~ So it really is that Artoria, isn't it? Maybe I should do a little studying into Mana and Chi? Though I haven't been able to feel either inside of myself at all. Mana, I could understand. I'm part Fanalis and their unique physiology would lower my magical potential by quite a bit. But I should still look into it.

Can't get caught with my pants down, after all.

Suddenly, Artoria disappeared and appeared in front of me as a blue blur, I smiled matched her intensity with pure muscle power that shook the air around me. Magic vs physical power...I've always favored my muscles over magic, so I've gotta win, right?!

I send a fist to meet the sword, my arm muscles bulging obscenely as my veins bulged with them, looking like wiggling worms underneath my skin.

As the sword hit my fist, it actually cut through my skin but I only smiled wider and harder before it hit a second layer of...something else. The sound of metal hitting metal echoed throughout the battleground Merlin had made for our fight and I looked to Artoria who looked to my fist with an expression of shock.

Her mana flared and the force placed on her sword's edge went up but I easily matched, even pushing her sword back a little, "Fighting me with brute strength is a sure fire way to lose, Artoria. Adapt and think of another way!" I said before sending a high kick, hitting her chin and sending her flying up into the air while she was still in a stupor about her sword not cutting straight through my hand.

Why didn't it? Hello! Have you forgotten what Xenomorphs looked like or something? How they have an exoskeleton of extremely durable material? Ringing any bells?

Yeah? Well, instead of having that armor on the outside, my armor is under my skin. I skinned my arm once to see what it was - you know, out of curiosity - and I saw a sleek black, second layer of dense skin that had the same flexibility and pliability as skin but was as hard as steel.

What's it made of? How was it made? I have no clue. I just know that it doesn't impede my movement and it stops people from goring my stomach.

Well, other than Merlin it would seem. His magic tore right through it. Which brought me back to my earlier thoughts of maybe learning a bit of defense magic...maybe I could imbue my body with some anti-magic to defend against it?

Thoughts for another time.

Slamming my foot into the ground, a thick circle of ground popped into the air. Grabbing it the manhole cover-looking piece of earth, I looked up to see Artoria still flying up into the air in what, to me, looked like slow motion.

I did a few calculations, using my primitive skills and my stunning instincts to do a lot of guesswork as I threw the hard earth into the air.

Once I'd done that, I burst forth to where Artoria was finally reaching the apex of the mid-air arc I'd sent her on. Reaching just below her, I slammed my feet into the ground and blasted up right next to her. Using my momentum, I swung my right leg up and did a somersault before planting the kick right into her stomach, sending her down so suddenly I heard a pained yelp come from her mouth.

As she plummeted to the ground, I brought my leg back and while upside down, I straightened my body out, only to feel earth beneath my feet.

The earth I'd thrown up here, if you recall me doing that.

With control that was definitely supernatural in level, I defied gravity for a brief second before tensing all my muscles at once. Seeing Artoria use Mana Burst gave me an idea...if she can do that with Mana or magical power, why can't I do it with physical strength or muscle power?

Time slowed to a crawl as I focused my control on my muscles and my bones. I felt each of the muscle groups.

More.

I felt each band of muscle.

More!

I felt every strand of muscle. I felt the nerves sending connections to the muscles. The subtle contractions going throughout my whole body. I felt the way power was generated by the contractions.

And then I made the contractions work the way I wanted them to. To vibrate and pulse like a wave that only built up more momentum the longer it lasted.

If my muscles were the sea, then my bones were the land beneath it. The 'sea' shook as a small ripple gathered from all my muscles at once and the 'ground' shook as subtle shake began to gather from all my bones. I controlled it in such a way that each small movement I made was the product of hundreds of more contractions than usual, my entire muscular system working in tandem, the force being passed along each muscle fiber and being adding to the next and the next and the next. All building to a crescendo.

Ah~! What a funny feeling! Why didn't I try this out earlier?! Well, I didn't have the inspiration right in front of me...ah, whatever!

Thoughts tossed aside, I pressed off the earth platform not just with my feet but with my whole body. Muscle power concentrated until every action I committed was one of monstrous strength - I feel like I've breached into some mysterious realm!

Hahahaha! The realm of muscle power!

The earth below (or above, depending on how you look at it) my feet simply turned to powder at the strength I exerted on it and I blasted forward with such speed that I instantly overtook Artoria who was rocketing to the ground herself after my kick to her stomach. Once I hit the ground, the small cracks already present were knocked open into full-blow fissures. Parts of the earth rose and parts of it fell as the whole place began to shake.

Swiping out with my hand, I casually caught Artoria by the neck. Though in a way that wouldn't snap her neck from the sudden stop in movement.

She looked at me, blood dribbling from her mouth, nose and ears...yet she still glared at me with such resolve.

Her resolve was so great that despite her situation, she turned her sword to my abdomen and thrust forth. I didn't stop it and the sword cut through my skin before a sudden burst of power actually cut through the armor under my skin. It even went an inch into my abs but it was stopped by the dense muscle packed there.

Artoria tried to pull her sword free but I kept it there, gripping it with my muscles.

Laughing, I began speaking to the struggling Artoria, "You really didn't betray my expectations, Artoria...so much potential left untapped, it makes me excited for the future. I'll help you train in the future, yeah?" I asked and yet I didn't wait for an answer as I send a peculiar punch to her face.

Rapidly, and faster than the eye could see, I hit Artoria five times with differing force.

You see, you don't kill as many people as I have without picking up a few tricks. I'd say I have more knowledge of a humans internal anatomy and workings than most, if not all doctors on Earth right now. Meaning?

I knowing how to knock someone out quite easily. Those five hits rattled the brain and slammed it against the skull, all at different speeds and forces, confusing the brain and forcing it to go into a temporary stand-by mode. So, unconsciousness.

Slinging Artoria over my shoulder, I realized that her hand still hadn't let go of her sword's hilt.

"What a good foundation~" I mused to myself with a smile before I pulled the sword free from my stomach and carried her over to Merlin who was looking at me oddly. Like he was looking at a true beast. "What?" I asked and Merlin came out of his stupor.

"...Are you part-Giant--No, nevermind that! What was it you did toward the end of the 'spar'?" he asked, though I could tell from his somewhat angry body language that he wanted to use the word 'beatdown' but he restrained himself and explained what he meant, "There was some sort of fluctuation of energy around you when you came back down to the ground...what was that?"

"Oh, that?" I answered with a smile before handing Artoria back to him and gesturing to her, "I just copied that Mana skill she used during our fight. But instead of Mana, I used my muscle power instead. Pretty clever, right?" I gave a laugh before looking down at my subtly shaking arm, "Though, I'll be honest, it really takes a lot of energy out of me. Kinda hurts as well. Anyway, you got any food you can give me, old man?" I asked but didn't get an answer as Merlin mumbled to himself.

"Copying Mana Burst...with his muscles...m-my God..." he said before he robotically waved his hand and a table stocked with food and drinks appeared on the magically repaired ground.

I ignored his mumbling and began to stuff my face with food.

Nothing's better than some food and alcohol after a fight!