Chapter 10 - 010: Outcome of The Bet

Blood splashed everywhere and a lifeless body falls to the ground... or so that's what happened in some people's head.

The knife breaks the barrier but there is no one standing behind the barrier, there is a sound from his left side but instead looking at the source of the sound Arthur leaps up to the sky and throws three knives to his left side.

The sound of metal and ice being shattered is heard not far away from where he stood before, from where he heard the sound from his left side before Arthur see Emilia standing on top of a tree made out of ice with her palm open aiming at Arthur who landing smoothly on the ground.

Her long silver hair flapped in a warm wind. Her violet eyes were imbued with a powerful will. Her beauty was so great that none who witnessed it could ever forget. Her outward appearance was enough to draw the eyes of others several times over, but Arthur didn't have time to enjoy this beautiful view because at the same time he lands on the ground Emilia launch another attack.

The sky was covered in the pale glow of absolute zero, the pale light danced violently, the frigid air spawned fine fragments of ice, reflecting the light to create a fantastic sight—a phenomenon known as diamond dust. The light wildly dancing in the sky cracked open, and a surge of mana froze water droplets in the atmosphere, this created a total of four sharp, icy spears that she launched in an instant.

"Break" Seeing the incoming icy spears Arthur didn't even move a single step from where he is standing but he clasps his hand once and the four icy spears that Emilia hurled to his direction is break and scatter as diamond dust.

"How can that be..." even if she is taken aback by that sudden development Emilia didn't just stand there but as Emilia murmured, the ground tapped by her tiptoes was being dyed white.

Centered on Emilia, the frost covering the ground spread farther turning it into frozen earth for a twenty-yard radius around her in the blink of an eye. It was a familiar sensation under her soles. Influenced as she was by the forest she had been born and raised in, gliding on ice was second nature to her.

Experience living in frozen forests for many years and her bloodline makes her very nimble and her movement is very smooth and fast, gliding over the ice Emilia was running circles around the Arthur to throw off his aim.

"This is little tricky if I want to win this battle without using all of my cards but still convince her" Taking out Kusanagi Sword Arthur close his eyes and channeling lightning element to the sword and wait patiently for an opening

"If you're won't move then just stay still there as long as you can" The instant Puck made this statement, thick walls of ice rose up surrounding Arthur on four sides, his path of escape blocked leaving him completely defenseless.

Immediately, the icy walls let out a creak as they shot spikes from the surfaces within, there was nowhere to run, a lethal attack without any forewarning. Prey struck squarely would be impaled inside the walls, frozen to the last drop of its flowing blood and shattered.

It was an attack that embodied the innocent cruelty under Puck's adorable surface. But—

A bellow rose from inside the icy encirclement and the next instant, the icy walls broke into smithereens with a high-pitched sound. The ice-turned-shards twinkled as Arthur still standing in his place, unharmed.

"Puck, do you know how he can standing unscathed under such barrages of attack?" Emilia leap out and make a space between her and Arthur who still standing there with a sword in his right hand

"No, there is lightning imbued into his sword and when he swiped his sword from left to the right, the lightning is come out of the sword and destroyed anything that coming to his way"

'But there is not even a sliver of mana being used by him in the area, this is also divine protection? Except for that, there is no other possibility, but if that's also divine protection, how much divine protection he has? This is slightly interesting'

What Puck thinking is in line with what Beatrice thinking, she is watching the fight from the window of the fourth floor.

"Vollachia's Blue Thunder?" Roswaal who is watching from one of room in the mansion with the twin maid squinting his eyes but soon he shakes his head "That's certainly Iiimposible, riiight? That fellow is very prideful. Buut with his existence at her side, this is a good thing? Or a bad thing?"

Ram and Rem didn't speak and didn't interfere with their lord monologues, but there is a certain thing they understand if Emilia-sama knight is a very strong person.

"Maybeeee it was a goood thing, if she can become a queen with his help then my goal will be achieved at that time" even if he speaks alone Roswaal never avert his eyes from the fight between Arthur and Emilia, his yellow left eye glistening with unnatural colors. From his observation, there is a possibility if what Arthur uses in battle is some type of divine protection because with his yellow eyes he can't see magic being used.

'Divine protection of ice, lightning, and it seems he has some affinity with space because he can teleport and the sword that appears out of nowhere, it seems like he is an incomplete version of sword saint. Interesting'

...

The fight still continues with Emilia use all kinds of tactics she can think and Arthur in defensive positions but if this fight is watched from different angles it seems like Arthur is a teacher who is training his student. All of the ice crystals that Emilia launched is destroyed by the arc of lightning that coming out of the Kusanagi Sword.

"Well, are you finish? If you are, then this is my turn" Arthur didn't keep downward but his aim is at Emilia's direction as if the sword can pierce her from where he is standing

"It's bad!" Puck who is sensing the upcoming menace gathers a large amount of mana and wants to create a barrier.

But before Puck can complete it Emilia who release icy mist that surrounds herself with purpose of giving her a warning if there is an attack or person that comes to her, is being destroyed, her face stiffened for the first time in the battle, sword piercing trough Emilia's head without give her a chance to dodge at all and silence descends on the battlefield.

"How..." several meters away from her previous place Emilia and Puck is looking at the ice statue made by Puck with the light had been fine-tuned to create a false Emilia that looked just like the real thing still standing there unscathed

"There is no way for me to lay my weapon on you even if that's just a fake" before Emilia can understand with the situation around her, there is a black sheath rest on her shoulder and Arthur's voice is heard from behind

There is two Arthur on the battlefield, the one who is standing in front of the fake Emilia with a sword more than ten centimeters away from the fake Emilia's head, and the other one is Arthur who is standing behind Emilia with a black sheath on his left hand, that he put on Emilia's shoulder.

But when everyone looks back at Arthur who stood in front of fake Emilia, Arthur's body is blurring and vanish from there and there is just one Arthur left, and that's the one who stands behind Emilia.

"With this, I was the winner of this bet, right?" Arthur put away the Kusanagi Sword and ask Emilia lightly with a little smile on his face

"How? Since when?" Emilia is very confuse so her word is not very clear but Arthur can understand what she wants to know

"From the moment I move, I feel Puck gathering the ice element in the air but his purpose is not for creating a barrier so I can detect the change between you and the ice statue. And lastly I predict how long you can leap back without much preparation and I move faster than you to this place to end this battle, I'm not watching you moving around and gliding on the ice surface because of how beautiful you're but I'm calculating the distance you can cover with your feet"

'Well, if I must be honest my hearts skip a beat there but there is no way I will say it out aloud'

The reason Arthur can move to Emilia's back is not that he uses Hiraishin no Jutsu but because he tests new magic that he acquired after last night he spends 4.800 system points to upgrade The Brain of Lightning Lord modification to level seven and open new magic, Lightning Lord Incarnation.

Lightning Lord Incarnation: Completely transform the user body into a lightning element, in this form user will immune to any physical attack and acquire the lightning attribute.

(Note: at the current stage of modification the recommended duration for using this magic is one minute without any side effects to the user)

"As Puck said before, you're really strong. Can you spar with me another time?" Emilia, despite her loss she still asking Arthur with a cheerful smile

"We need to ask permission from Roswaal first" Arthur answer with a little smile and look at the surrounding, the beautiful garden nearly overturned by their battle

"Ooohh, if you want to ask my permission I hope you doing it before the battle" Roswaal comes out of the mansion followed by Ram and Rem "But you didn't need to worry because this little mess is not hard for me, I can restore it easily. You two can spar in the backyard as much as you want but please don't demolish the mansion"

"Thank you, Roswaal"

"You're welcome, Emilia-sama. Buuuut I must remind you, you'll a future queen so you mustn't neglect your study. Well, now let's prepare for the knighthood ceremony" Roswaal turnaround and going back to the mansion without waiting for Emilia's answer

"Well, let's go Arthur" it seems Emilia is didn't mind with Roswaal who is leaving without waiting for her answer, instead she take Arthur's hand and drag him to the mansion

Looking to the slender hand that held his hand Arthur wondering inside his heart 'This is what people said as friendship being born after a fight?'