Artorius vs Space Lion King (I)

"Keep dodging!" 

In reality, there was no need for anyone to give the order. Seeing the incoming light beam from the alliance army, anyone with half a brain knew they had to dodge.

The accuracy of this light beam was even lower than the second one mainly because Artorius, as the commander, was absent. They couldn't unite perfectly without him.

The alliance army understood this. Continuing like this would only waste their magical energy without achieving any results.

"Dammit, let me take command from here, everyone—"

The Artorias who understood this point naturally wanted to find a solution. So, some Artorias stepped up, ready to become the commander, replacing Artorius. 

However, as mentioned before—You're an Artoria, and I'm also an Artoria, so why should I listen to you?

As a result, all the Artorias who wanted to become commanders were ignored by the rest.

In this situation, continuing with the light beam bombardment would truly be a waste of magical energy.

'Then it's our turn.'

Artorius thought with his eyes glittering. At the same time, the five god-level Artorias including him also launched their light beams at the alliance army—only to be nullified by the defensive bounded field.

"Avalon?!"

"And Lord Camelot!"

While not every Artorias possessed the scabbard of Avalon, some of them had it, and even more had the massive shield of Lord Camelot, just like Mash.

With these defenses stacked together, not even gods could break through.

Under the barrage of light beams, the formation remained unbroken. After both sides confirmed that the beam attack was ineffective, the battle moved on to the next stage.

Since the alliance army couldn't choose a commander, they decided to fight the way they used to.

"Hold the line!"

"Charge!"

In the next second, about half of the Artorias chose to stand their ground and defend, while the other half charged towards Artorius and his group.

These Artorias really lacked coordination.

The delinquent Alter Artorias from the Dark Rounds and the righteous Knight Artorias from the Order of Avalon were like two completely different people.

One was rebellious, while the other upheld the spirit of a knight. One was passionate; the other was rational. One embodied evil; the other represented justice. One didn't have 'Ahoge'; the other had.

In fact, apart from their Artoria Faces, their love for Artorius, and their big appetites, they had almost nothing in common.

These two vastly different choices threw the alliance army into chaos.

"Why don't you charge with us?!" Some Artorias complained.

"Why don't you defend with us?" Other Artorias grumbled.

The once orderly and disciplined alliance crumbled instantly. Due to accumulated tensions and Artorius's absence, they descended into chaos and began infighting.

Watching her subordinates perform so poorly was deeply embarrassing for Space Lion King.

In contrast, the Heroines reacted quickly.

X, XX, Ex, and Z, the four strongest Heroines, all cheered and rushed toward the alliance army.

At the same time, the dozen or so Heroines who had joined the alliance army switched sides gleefully without hesitation.

"Sorry~" A Heroine chuckled, not hesitating to stab her own teammates in the back.

The alliance army plunged into chaos.

"We can charge now." Space Lion King said with some resignation, preparing to launch an attack. But before she could do so—

*Clang!*

She blocked a swing coming from the side. When she turned her head to the assailant, it was Artorius wielding his Rhongomyniad.

"Sorry, Mother, but it seems like you're becoming a bigger threat now." Artorius said while grinning. "The Heroines can handle the alliance army. Which means—"

Holy lance met with holy lance. Naturally, the Cosmic Rhongomyniad of Space Lion King surpassed his. However, due to the distance between Earth and the Sapphire Galaxy, his Rhongomyniad could still go toe-to-toe with hers.

The lances weaved together passionately.

"Looks like you underestimated me!" Space Lion King exclaimed.

*Whoosh—*

The next moment, a terrifying machine, exuding cold malice, appeared beside Space Lion King.

It was a purely mechanical entity, silver in color, with a metallic texture, and it resembled a mechanical warhorse.

Under Artorius's astonished gaze, Space Lion King mounted the horse, and the mechanical steed spread its wings like a pegasus, charging toward him at speeds exceeding Mach 20.

"What the heck?!"

It was Space Lion King on her mount—Pegasus Stallion V!

A fusion of human and horse, truly unparalleled! Combining her cavalry charge, lance technique, and Cosmic Rhongomyniad, this attack was enough to kill gods!

"This was the true strength of Space Lion King, Grand Master of the Order of Avalon, who roamed the galaxy like a lion!"

'Is it even possible to fight her?!' Artorius's heart skipped a beat.

Whether it was commanding the army in battle, appearing before everyone with the dignity of a king, inspiring awe in her subordinates, or charging on the battlefield to personally slay the enemy.

Space Lion King was perfect, absolute, invincible.

'Am I going to lose?!'

Artorius thought with frustration while doing his utmost to dodge and narrowly avoid her attack!

"You truly are my child, to be able to dodge such an absolute attack." Space Lion King praised him, but for Artorius, it was thunderous applause. "Then let's try this move!"

With those words, she launched a second charge.

'Is it over?! Am I not her match?!'

As Space Lion King charged towards him again, Artorius thought about many things in just an instant.

'When it comes to spear or lance techniques, I'm slightly inferior to her. But my swordsmanship is superior to her. And when it comes to magecraft, I might even be a bit stronger than her.'

'Though my experience is lacking, my techniques and strengths aren't far behind her. But in this situation, it's completely useless!'

'What should I do? What the fuck should I do?!'

Space Lion King's second attack was faster and deadlier than the first, striking with even greater speed and force.

This time, it wasn't just Mach 20; it was nearly faster than the speed of light—something that should only be achievable by spaceships.

In contrast to the previous attack, Artorius could neither see nor react to this one in time. He couldn't even dodge, let alone block.

In martial arts, speed conquers all. He now understood this truth.

'Pegasus charge, just like Medusa. But the difference is enormous!"

Artorius didn't just stand there without reacting or without counterattacking. Facing the oncoming Space Lion King at breakneck speed, he made a quick decision and fired a light beam attack with all his might.

But it was utterly useless.

Her charge surpassed the power of his light beam. Her Rhongomyniad pierced through the light like nothing.

It was as if sharp scissors cut through fabric, he even heard the sound of tearing.

Suddenly, he felt intense pain in his left arm. The pain was so sharp and unbearable that he couldn't divert his attention to other things.

'This pain... how long has it been since I felt this much pain?'

Artorius's thoughts wandered uncontrollably. Since obtaining Avalon and the Third Magic, he rarely suffered such severe injuries.

The last time he felt pain like this was when he dueled Clovis of the Franks. At that time, Clovis, with the blessing of fate, had injured him with all his might in a berserk state.

But even that pain couldn't compare to what Space Lion King inflicted on him.

During his one-on-one battle with her, Every Artoria Species around them were busy massacring each other.

'It seems like I miscalculated. Maybe I shouldn't have started the fight with her so early.... but it's too late to regret now.'

"Surrender, Artorius."

As Artorius thought like that, Space Lion King halted her warhorse.

Due to the unstoppable inertia, she had to continue advancing through the sky for quite a while after hitting him before turning back.

"That last attack could have eliminated you directly." Space Lion King said with a serious tone.

"Then why you didn't? Maternal love, compassion, or something else?"

Artorius said calmly as his injuries were healing more slowly than usual, probably due to her Cosmic Rhongomyniad. The effects were suppressing his recovery speed.

"If it were any other Artoria Species, perhaps. But you're different, I don't believe that you would let personal feelings interfere when you're in a serious battle."

Artorius continued to speak calmly.

"You are the most composed and mature Artoria Species. The embodiment of a true king. It's hard to imagine you letting personal emotions cloud your judgment during an important battle like this."

"Indeed... I showed mercy because I'm considering what comes after the battle." Space Lion King spoke with a calm tone, stating the obvious. "I will definitely win this battle. Although it may seem like a farce, once this battle is over, I will become the head of the Pendragon. From this point on, you've done well, Artorius."

"..."

Because it was a case of 'might makes right', Artorius didn't feel particularly unwilling when she assumed leadership.

But...

"But, I still need your help." Space Lion King continued. "I need you to help me unite the Pendragon. I need your assistance in pacifying those headstrong sisters of mine. Even though they lost the battle, it doesn't mean they'll necessarily accept defeat and my leadership. To solidify the Pendragon as a whole, it will require more effort."

"That's why..."

Space Lion King extended her hand to Artorius.

"Be my right-hand man, Artorius. I will grant you the position of vice head. I promise you a position where you are second to none and above all others. Let's work together to make the Pendragon thrive. What do you say?"

"..."

Different from the unreliable big sister XX, different from the silly and childish X, and even different from Z who was more like a schemer than a leader, as well as Ex who had little leadership and just went with the flow.

Compared to those Artorias, Space Lion King was indeed the most reliable and best choice. Of course, excluding Artorius himself.

"I see... You've already thought this far ahead? Even considering the issues of post-battle... As expected of you!" Artorius said through gritted teeth.

"You've done well, even surpassing me, my son."

Watching Artorius's wounds gradually heal, Space Lion King seemed ready to make one final effort.

"From a family harmony perspective, you've succeeded. The next steps are up to me—"

"No!" Artorius forcefully interrupted her. "The issue of family harmony might be resolved, but my personal issues aren't! My ambitions, my aspirations, my desires!"

"Under my command, you can still achieve greatness, my son."

"That's not the same!" Artorius yelled. "You know it, I am an Emperor! I will never give up!"

"..."

"So, that's your answer..."

After a moment of silence, Space Lion King responded and raised her holy lance.

"Your ambitious spirit is quite admirable. However, if your strength doesn't match it, it becomes the meaningless lament of a defeated loser, Artorius."

She urged her steed backward, creating some distance.

"So be it! Once I win this battle and you've calmed down, we can discuss again, Artorius."

"One final charge!"

"To defeat you!"

With those words, Space Lion King turned into light.