Close Call

Even the Butterfly Sword Gang was shocked, but quickly recovered as they changed their fight formation to meet the speed of Arthur.

In a couple of minutes, the battle had changed format, going from a long-distance battle to close combat.

It was a show of strength, speed, skill, and battle awareness, which was really entertaining for those watching as both sides were giving their all.

One man against three, but he was still able to hold his ground.

These were the topics of discussion going on around the space, but for Rhaegar, he had a different opinion. Been a veteran of the sword to an extent, he could pick out a few things from the battle, especially the fact that Arthur was able to keep up thanks to his keen battle awareness and mastery of the sword.

But that wasn't all. Arthur, for some reason, always knew where to strike to either divert, redirect, reduce, or cancel out a powerful attack that was detrimental to him.

At first, he thought it was luck, but the longer he watched, the more shocked he became. Arthur wasn't just holding his ground, his tactics involved using their own strength against them until he wore them out.

On the other hand, it seemed the Butterfly Sword Gang had noticed this too and quickly readjusted their formation once again.

The giant guy hacked at Arthur, missing by a hair's length at the last minute with the amazing maneuver Arthur did, only for him to fall into the trap set by the elemental. If not for his quick wit, he would have been exploded to pieces the second he escaped the giant's attack.

Too bad, this was also within their expectations. In fact, they had been playing and pushing Arthur all along to this point where he would have nowhere else to turn.

Because the moment Arthur escaped the explosive fireball aimed at the spot he had maneuvered to while evading the giant's attack, he landed on an ice trap that instantly froze his feet in place.

Not ready to lose the chance to end it all and claim victory, all three members of the giant used their most powerful and deadly skills, all aimed at Arthur.

Powerful frost energy shot out from the elf girl, heading towards Arthur like an energy ball, while the giant's sword glowed even more brightly than it had ever glowed during the battle as he made a diagonal slash aimed at Arthur.

The green eerie energy on his sword shot out in an arc shape, heading towards Arthur, while the elemental lady used a supernova skill, shooting a fireball with heat intensity so high that it threatened to burn the very space it flew past. Everyone watched on in bewilderment as all attacks hit the X mark square and fair.

The combination of energy and explosive reactions created a mushroom-like explosion, destroying everything and anything it came in contact with. The ruined buildings and all were not safe from its wrath.

If the giant race guy hadn't stabbed his huge sword into the ground, using one of its active skill, energy force fields to protect himself and his teammates, they wouldn't have survived the aftermath of their own attack.

Silence permeated the whole place, both the spectator's space and Rhaegar, who held his breath. His heart beat hard against his chest, wondering if this was the end.

All that remained was a large crater, with the three members of the Butterfly Sword Gang standing in the center. The energy forcefield had protected them, but just barely. They were breathing heavily, and their armor was damaged. They had underestimated the power of their own attack, and their opponent had forced their hand. It had nearly cost them their lives. If Mike had been even a second slower to act, they would have perished alongside their enemy.

Just then, they heard a voice that almost stole their very soul away. "Not bad," said the voice. "But I've still got some tricks up my sleeve too." They turned to see their opponent standing there, unscathed, some distance away from everything.

Back at the spectators' space, Rhaegar refused to take this as the end. He couldn't believe that the person he wanted to make his rival would be defeated so easily. His eyes darted through the entire battlefield view, the dust slowly settling.

Thanks to his enhanced sight due to his reptilian pupils, he was able to see a bit clearer, even though the dust hadn't fully settled yet. His heart raced as he scanned the battlefield, seeing no sign of his supposed rival.

Just when he was about to give up and accept the fact as is, he noticed one of the ghouls breaking out from the rubble. This wasn't supposed to happen if the opponent was dead.

Once a necromancer dies, all his minions are instantly vanquished. Soon, following behind the first ghoul, another one climbed out from under a destroyed building.

To his greatest surprise, instead of the third ghoul, a hand clad in dark shimmering armor emerged from the rubbles. He couldn't understand what was going on here. It was at that moment the dust fully dissipated, revealing the spot where Arthur once stood, along with the Butterfly Sword gang members. They may not have noticed it immediately, but he was certain what had happened.

The pieces of armor scattered within the crater weren't the same as the ones the opponent had worn before. It was an exact copy of the armor the ghoul wore, if his guess was right. He must have swapped bodies with one of his minions at the last minute.

At the thought of this, Rhaegar was impressed, to say the least. He had never seen anyone use their ability in such a creative and effective way. It was clear that this guy was a worthy opponent, and Rhaegar was determined to find a way to defeat him.

True to what Rhaegar had deduced, Arthur had switched places with one of his minions, crawling out of the rubbles as he stood there in all his glory.

At the same time, those in the spectators' space who witnessed this and had heard his statement couldn't help but break into a frenzy of discussion, awe, and respect.

But the opposite was the case for the Butterfly Sword gang members when they heard the voice. Before Mike could turn to the direction of the voice, two energy arrows had pierced him in quick succession. One aimed at his head and the other at his heart, killing him instantly.

His figure faded away, turning into light particles while his members received the notification of one of their members' death.

The same thing happened to the elemental lady too, to put it simply. Arthur had fired four arrows in quick succession, all hitting the target at the determined spot. This left just the elf girl, who obviously wasn't in a good shape to fight.

Arthur, confident in his new position, smirked as he prepared for the final showdown. He knew he had the advantage now, with two of the Butterfly Sword Gang members taken care of.

The elf girl, now left alone, glanced around nervously, her previous arrogance fading away. She seemed to realize that she was up against a formidable opponent.

The crowd watched in anticipation, their excitement palpable. They could sense that the battle was reaching its climax, and they were eager to see who would emerge victorious.

Arthur wasted no time and launched himself at the elf girl with an incredible speed. He effortlessly dodged her attacks, countering with precise strikes of his own. His sword danced in the air, leaving a trail of gleaming arcs.

The elf girl tried her best to defend, but she was clearly outmatched. Her movements became more desperate as Arthur steadily gained the upper hand.

With a final, powerful thrust, Arthur pierced through the elf girl's defenses, bringing her to her knees. The crowd erupted in cheers as they witnessed Arthur's victory.

Rhaegar, too, couldn't help but feel a mixture of admiration and envy for Arthur's skills. He knew he had witnessed something extraordinary today, and he couldn't wait to face Arthur in battle one day.

With everything settling once again, Arthur stood victorious amidst the wreckage. He had proven himself to be a formidable warrior, earning the respect of both the crowd and his opponents.

But little did he know, this victory was just the beginning of his journey. There were many more battles to come, and Rhaegar eagerly awaited the day when their paths would cross once again.

Arthur came over along with the other two ghouls, encircling her. "Any last words?" Arthur asked.

She start raining cussing at him, but was abruptly interrupted by the brutal hacks and stabs from the ghoul before her figure dissipated too.

Announcing Arthur as the winner of the match, the spectators had different reactions to Arthur's way of dealing with the elf. But all in all, one thing was made clear – this guy is extremely cold and brutal.

There was a shocked silence in the spectators' space as they watched Arthur's cold and brutal victory. Some were horrified, some were impressed, and some were simply speechless.

But all of them were in awe of Arthur's skill and cunning.