Chapter 160: Merlin and Lionel

Sir Lancelot butted heads with another knight while glaring at each other. It was a knight from the round table that shared the title and power of Sir Lancelot. Lancelot also claimed that sir Lionel was his cousin, which he also called him as his brother. 

I didn't know much about the two of them, since this was my second meeting with the knights. And the two knight's relationship did not concern me, despite the battle forming at our front. Sir Lancelot even knew that this was the ripe time for my team to escape. Since we didn't have time to idle around, I led the charge and marked our route.

And when Sir Lionel hesitated to attack, we whispered among ourselves. We needed a plan if we wanted to leave this place alive. And we must think of something right now before Sir Lionel could launch his assault without thinking. 

Lanceot even whispered those words to me. "As soon as I give you my signal, your comrades and you shall scurry onwards that gate. There may be guards waiting for you out there, but I doubt there would be another official left inside."

"But be careful, Arthur," Sir Lancelot added, as he twitched his eyes. "Merlin, the court magician, could be here, waiting for you. Keep your eyes peeled for any magic tricks on your surroundings. I wish you luck."

After Lancelot had said those words, I immediately launched myself onwards. I swung my sword forward, while protecting myself using the same blade. My teammates followed close behind me as we disarmed every soldier obstructing our way. Merleen and Lilith conjured a shield that would protect our team from harm. I even had my shield, Aegis, with me in case something would happen.

And when Sir Lionel tried stopping our tracks, Sir Lancelot came to our rescue. Lanceot's sword blocked Lionel's attack, blocking his opponent entirely.

"GO, NOW!" Sir Lancelot shouted, as he shoved Sir Lionel at the opposite side.

A gust of wind came from Lancelot's sword as he swung it with immense strength! Sir Lancelot's force blew some soldiers away, leaving us with some room to spare. My system absorbed that skill, which later on turned into my own. But I doubted I could use that soon, since I didn't have the power to mimic that attack. 

And that space Lancelot created was enough for us to run away. It created a path, where the soldiers once stood before us. But after the gust Lancelot summoned, the road ahead of us drifted. 

But before we could leave this place entirely, I stopped and turned around. A flock of soldiers greeted my sight, with Sir Lancelot fighting against his former ally.

Even though we did nothing for him, Sir Lancelot was willing to sacrifice his life for our cause. But I disliked the idea, since I wanted to save everyone, including this man's life.

"Lilith, guide everyone away from this castle! I will help Sir Lancelot fight the soldiers!"

If Sir Lancelot was only fighting Sir Lionel, he could win that match. However, Sir Lionel was not alone on the battlefield. A group of soldiers supported his back and bombarded Sir Lanceot with their attacks. Since Lancelot was only one person, he couldn't defend himself against a hundred enemies.

And that was the part where I would help Sir Lancelot fight the army. I didn't know if we would win the battle. But it was a fight to save a knight who believed in our goal.

Lilith had a hesitant look on her face when she heard those sentences from me. After a few seconds, Lilith heeded my words. But that thought didn't happen when Fenrir joined the conversation.

"We're not leaving without you!" Fenrir shouted, as she leapt ahead of me and punched the soldier into oblivion.

Fortunately, the soldier Fenrir had attacked was still alive. My eyes caught the body twitching afterwards, which told me everything I needed to know. After landing her attack, Fenrir returned my gaze and gritted her teeth.

"You're supposed to be our leader! Lilith is our friend, but that doesn't mean she could replace your place when you die! That's not a noble cause! We still need you!"

Fenrir's words struck a nail in my heart as I listened to her words. I didn't mind giving my life to save Lilith and the others, since that was what heroes do. However, I didn't consider Fenrir's feelings and planned ahead without telling them.

"Are you sure you're okay with this?" I asked.

Everyone on my team nodded, and would fight with me to save Sir Lancelot. Although this may be a risky place, we were ready to save this knight's life. 

Thanks to my noble cause, my statistica power increased. My Excalibur recognised my goals and gave me its power to support me for this battle. But I didn't have any time to check my stats, since the battle would suddenly begin.

We couldn't gauge Sir Lionel's power, especially when the clash had already started. The only thing we knew about Lionel was his sword grippined in his hands. That blade didn't have anything special besides its sturdy material. There was nothing else we could do but prepare for the inevitable.

Sir Lancelot and Sir Lionel exchanged blows with immense speed and damage. My eyes couldn't follow Sir Lionel's speed, despite my powers streaming inside of me. 

Luckily, my urge to help Sir Lancelot was greater than ever before. I didn't want to stay idle and watch them fight while leaving me behind. And it looked like Sir Lancelot was on the losing side, with the wounds showing on his face.

As I checked my system, my statistical power rose. It was my first time to see my power reach its peak, which amplified my muscles. Normally, having excess power would lead to greater arcane capacity, considering it was the source of all power. 

However, since I was a knight, my muscles have strengthened. My skin and energy dialed to eleven, which enabled me to do things more than I could. My Excalibur also shone a bright light as it absorbed some of my power inside of me.

And that was enough to watch the fight at my fore. Sir Lionel found an opening and attempted to strike Lancelot's neck. But before he could perform any assault, I parried Lionel's attack and went in front of Sir Lancelot.

Lancelot's eyes widened as he finally noticed my presence before his orbs. He wanted to retort, but Sir Lancelot had nothing else to do but accept the situation.

"How can you guys be stubborn! I planned on sacrificing my life for your goal to create a new world! But you're here with me, with the chance of dying beside my corpse!" Lancelot yelled those words to me.

But I thought nothing out of those sentences, since Lancelot believed otherwise. I had experienced hideous mockery from my previous life. And those words Lancelot spewed meant nothing to my ear.

"If it weren't for my interference, you would probably be dead or badly injured by now!" I retorted. "And besides, how could I save everyone if I can't even save you! You're the only knight who believed in our cause. My team and I will return that favour!"

After our exchange, Sir Lancelot just curved his lips into a smile. That man also chuckled to himself and nodded beside me. He even let out a sigh of relief as Lancelot gripped his sword tighter in his hand.

But Sir Lionel had finally found his chance and striked us back. He used his sword and aimed at me, considering I was weaker than Lancelot. And Sir Lionel had the right guess about that. Compared to Sir Lancelot, I didn't have enough training wielding the sword. And even if I did, my sword would be no match against these two knights. Even though I had an Excalibur, it didn't give off any overpowered abilities.

Sir Lancelot had to protect my front and blocked Lionel's attack. However, Sir Lionel used that force and altered his blade over to Lancelot. Fortunately, Sir Lancelot dodged Lionel's attack and pulled me towards a safer place. But that didn't save him from taking some wounds after that brief fight. 

"You have a liability, Lancelot! You need to lose the boy to fight me! He's not going to help you!" Lionel shouted.

'Was helping Lancelot turned out to be a mistake?' I thought, while trundling backwards. 

My friends kept battling and fending over those soldiers at our rear. Even though Lilith and Merleen had superior magic, something blocked their projectiles. Upon looking above, a magic circle greeted our eyes. And that hovering runes was the panel that obstructed my friend's magic

"Did you need a hand, Sir Lionel? I have heard from your scribes that you need the mage's assistance," a man wearing a pointy witch hat chuckled to himself as he said those words. "I see that you even brought a mage on the battlefield!"