When Elias realizes he's doomed, it's already too late. He tries to renounce the fight, but Arthur won't allow it, pinning him to the arena floor with brutal kicks.
*Bam* *Bam* *Bam* *Bam*
"ARRRRGH!"
Each painful strike is followed by a groan of agony, yet Arthur targets Elias's throat whenever he attempts to ask for help.
This scene shocks the surrounding nobles into a myriad of reactions.
"He's overpowering Young Master Isambard so effortlessly..."
"And that after we saw Elias defeat Oliver with similar ease... this can't be right!"
"How can he be so powerful as a Mystic Fighter?"
"Not just a genius, but he's also savage! He won't even let Young Master Isambard catch his breath..."
"Isn't this the same thing he did to Young Master Drummond? I think it's quite fair, actually."
"This isn't about fairness but how Dimitri will be furious and probably the Viscount too..."
"But neither can do anything; the boy is playing by the rules."
"Rules? They won't help him now..."
The nobles are divided. The family members of Josephine and their allies are clearly enjoying the show, though slightly worried about the consequences of Arthur's brutality.
The nobles from Emilio's family, Dmitri, and their allies are stunned, enraged, and concerned.
But the neutral nobles, especially some of the other wealthier and more influential families in the town, are unsure what to think.
"Such a brutal spectacle... I never thought I'd see such a thing in Josephine's house."
"Has she gone mad? All it would take is for that boy to do the same to Young Master Whittlee, and then war would be declared."
"This is already a war, but Josephine has orchestrated it so that even the Viscount can do nothing but watch..."
"I doubt he'll just watch this mysterious boy kill one of his most loyal servants."
"And what can he do? If he interferes in the youngs' tournament, he'll throw his own reputation and that of his family into the trash in front of everyone."
"Where is he, by the way?"
As everyone wonders where Emilio is while Arthur beats Elias to the point of beginning to disfigure his face, the Viscount appears behind Josephine and Aria. But his expression is not as before; there's no pride or confidence in his frightened eyes, only deep regret.
"You've gone too far! Lower your sword and apologize now!!" Emilio commands.
But Dmitri does not lower his sword. "What's wrong with you? We can't let this scum rise against us!"
Emilio doesn't need to look at Aria to feel her eyes on him like a wolf watching a helpless prey, her terrifying aura sending shivers down his spine.
"Dmitri, you fool!" Emilio tries his best to calm the situation, for the sake of his own life, of course. "We are in Madam Drummond's house, and you will respect her rules!"
On one side, Dmitri sees his wife trying to aid Anastasia, who cries tears of blood on the floor; on the other side, he has Arthur, holding Elias by the neck; his son's body convulses, foam and blood flowing from his mouth as the antidote in his veins loses strength.
This is undoubtedly the darkest day of Dmitri's life, and all he can think about is protecting his family, casting a pleading look at the Viscount. "Please, Emilio... they are going to kill my children!"
'It's better than them killing all of us,' Emilio keeps his thoughts to himself while he waves his head at Dmitri, also a pleading request.
'What the hell is happening?!' Dmitri imagines Josephine has cornered the Viscount somehow, but even that can't stop him now, not when his eldest son is about to die before his eyes.
"NO! I will not accept this!!" Dmitri tightly grips the hilt of his sword, a rare artifact. His eyes burn like flames, directed at Arthur.
Everyone can see what is about to happen next, especially Arthur. But he remains calm, holding the body of Elias, who takes his last breaths, having a good view of his family being destroyed.
"You will pay for this!!" Dmitri yells and leaps toward the arena, launching an attack with all his strength concentrated on his sword.
"Arthur!" Aria's calm voice echoes, and with a quick snap of her fingers, she causes Arthur's sword to fly from the table into his hand in less than a second.
He releases Elias and swiftly grabs the sword, readying his own attack. But how can the skills of someone whose Weapon Mastery is still at the Novice Rank compare to a Master Swordsman?
Dmitri's movement is full of flaws, his hands trembling and weak, holding his sword like a scared child.
Arthur, on the other hand, grips his vastly superior quality sword firmly, his eyes seeing through the movements of his enemy and his sword reacting instinctively as an extension of his body.
*Whoosh*
Arthur's blade glows with a dark light as he strikes--faster, more skilled, and far more lethally than Dmitri could ever manage.
*Clang* *Crack*
The sounds of Dmitri's sword clashing and then his body being sliced in two echoes, and all the nobles watching can hardly believe such a scene.
'So fast...' That is Dmitri's last thought as he stares at Arthur and feels the cold of death seeping into his body.
The upper half of Dmitri's body slumps and falls to the arena floor in a messy pool of blood and guts. But everyone's eyes are drawn upward to that wave of pure, shimmering dark energy that dissipates a few meters above Arthur.
Those who do not understand it are surprised and awestruck, but those who know what just occurred are the most shocked.
"He's a Swordmaster!"