Arthur began his chant.
Excalibur's blade ignited instantly, blazing with a dazzling golden radiance.
"This battle is a battle against one mightier than oneself!"
A voice like that of a spirit answered in response.
[Acknowledged.]
"This battle is not a battle that strays from the path of humanity!"
[Acknowledged.]
"This battle is not a battle waged against spirits!"
[Acknowledged.]
"This battle is a battle fought in fairness!"
[Acknowledged.]
"This battle is not a battle fought for selfish desire!"
[...]
The spirit's procedural voice seemed to pause.
Is... is that right?
Arthur: Yes, yes it is.
[...Acknowledged.]
Under Arthur's sovereign authority, the liberation proceeded smoothly.
He continued the chant until seven of the restraints had been released.
Excalibur bore thirteen restraints in total, but in practice, releasing seven was enough to unleash the holy sword's full power.
The blade erupted into a thunderous, resonant hum. The golden light grew ever more brilliant, and at last it transformed into an enormous pillar of radiance that shot straight into the heavens, casting Arthur's silhouette in light so pure he looked like a divine being.
The clouds above churned and roiled violently in the wake of that force.
Qian Wu had long since gone rigid. The moment he realized he was simply standing there waiting to die, the anticipation became unbearable agony.
Watching Arthur raise the sword to swing, he was on the verge of tears.
"Excalibur!"
A clear, sharp cry split the sky as Arthur swept the blade forward.
The holy sword unleashed a world-ending golden beam, like the breath of a star made manifest. The torrent of light rushed forward like a surging river of celestial fire, wrapped in sacred power, driving straight toward Qian Wu.
The phantom of his Behemoth martial soul let out a wretched, piercing wail the instant the beam made contact, then dimmed and retreated back into Qian Wu's body.
Qian Wu's eyes went wide. The golden engravings across his battle armor flickered violently in the sacred brilliance, as though they might shatter at any moment.
He poured every last ounce of soul power into resistance, but the force of the beam bore down on him with absolute dominance. He couldn't move so much as a fingertip. All he could do was watch helplessly as the golden flood swallowed him whole.
"Grandma..."
In that moment, Qian Wu thought he saw his long-deceased grandmother beckoning to him from somewhere far away.
The light cannon was on a direct course toward the spectator stands, and whether the soul guidance barrier there could hold was anyone's guess.
Su Wuyan had anticipated exactly this. She appeared between the beam and the stands in an instant, dispersing the residual shockwave from the sword's liberation.
Yali stood motionless for a moment, staring blankly at the beam of light. Only when she noticed that Qian Wu looked more or less dead did she snap back to her senses and remember she ought to go save him.
Her figure flashed, and she pulled Qian Wu free from the blast.
Su Wuyan redirected the excess energy upward, toward the sky.
The cloud cover above was torn completely apart. The golden beam punched through the heavens and left a long, luminous scar across the sky that lingered and refused to fade.
Every spectator surrounding the arena had fallen into a daze. The stands, moments ago alive with noise, had gone utterly silent.
All that remained was the deep, fading resonance left in the beam's wake, and the sound of rapid, unsteady breathing.
Tang Wulin, Xie Xie, and the others stood with their mouths hanging open, eyes wide with shock. Xie Xie managed a stunned murmur: "This... this is absolutely insane!"
Gu Yue, who had not competed, watched from the shadows, something unreadable stirring behind her eyes.
Inside the private box, Mu Ye's breathing had grown ragged. He finally understood why Su Wuyan had been so worried.
That power...
A tree that stands above the rest draws the wind that would cut it down.
And Arthur was no mere tree that stood above the rest. He was something else entirely, a singular, towering presence that dwarfed everything around him.
This wouldn't do. He needed to call for backup.
Right now.
Mu Ye grabbed his soul communication device and started dialing with fumbling hands.
Come on, pick up already.
Cai Yue'er was a half-step behind Yali in coming back to herself. She shot to her feet, every trace of composure stripped from her face, replaced by an incredulous, wide-eyed shock. "This is impossible! How can a Spirit Elder possess this kind of power?!"
"It simply can't be!"
"That boy must have something going on that we don't know about!"
Yali set Qian Wu down in a safe area and pressed her palm gently to his chest, a faint green life-glow spreading from her hand.
She let out a slow breath when she confirmed that his vitals were weak but not immediately life-threatening.
She turned to look at the center of the stage. Her dark green eyes were heavy with gravity and quiet curiosity. "That sacred power... what exactly is this child's martial soul..."
Arthur stood leaning against Excalibur, his legs trembling slightly, his face drained to the color of paper.
Releasing seven restraints at the Spirit Elder level had come at an enormous cost. His soul power was completely spent.
Every last drop.
Na'er took one look at him and, rather than showing the slightest concern, broke into pure delight.
She hurried to his side, small hands closing firmly around his arm, trying her best to look worried while failing completely to suppress her grin. "Arthur, are you alright?"
"Not alright," Arthur said, his voice barely above a whisper. "Slow down. Hold me steady."
There were so many people watching.
Arthur clearly wanted nothing more than to stand on his own two feet and savor his victory with some dignity.
"Oh?" Na'er tilted her head to one side and blinked those large violet eyes of hers.
What a gift from the heavens. She had been waiting for this for so long.
An Arthur completely without the strength to resist.
The hand supporting his arm quietly applied force.
The pressure was calibrated with extraordinary precision.
Arthur's body gave way immediately, and he slumped entirely against Na'er.
He looked up at her with an expression of genuine alarm, a bad feeling settling deep in his gut.
"No. Don't. Don't move."
"I don't want you to hold me anymore."
Na'er stuck out her tongue and, still smiling brightly, gathered Arthur into her arms.
In front of everyone, in such an utterly mortifying position, even Arthur could not endure it.
"How dare you!" His voice, weak as it was, carried real outrage. "You traitor. Are you trying to start a rebellion?!"
The ever-demure Na'er had chosen this moment to unveil the hidden side of herself that she had kept concealed for far too long.
An absolute outrage.
Tang Wulin and Xie Xie exchanged a look and burst out laughing. Xie Xie slapped his knee. "I knew it! Na'er's always acted so sweet and well-behaved, but on the inside, she's completely rotten!"
Arthur caught sight of Ye Xinglan and the others still standing frozen on the stage out of the corner of his eye, and his expression brightened at once. "Put me down. The match isn't over yet."
"We have more battles to fight."
"No, it's over," Na'er said casually, giving him a small, expertly aimed jostle that knocked loose the tiny amount of strength he had just barely recovered.
Then she fixed the remaining members of the opposing team with a look that could only be described as unfriendly.
Ye Xinglan and the others were technically still on the stage, but every last trace of fighting spirit had long since left them.
"Shrek Academy concedes." Yali's voice was cool and steady, carrying cleanly across the arena and into the referee's ears.
The referee blinked, then quickly recovered, raising his right hand high and announcing at the top of his voice:
"The match is over!"
"Skysea Alliance Grand Tournament, junior division, seven-person team event."
"The champion is Eastsea Academy!"
The moment the words landed, the entire arena erupted in a wave of cheering and applause that shook the rafters.
The crowd went wild. People were waving their arms in the air, jumping to their feet and shouting themselves hoarse. The awe that had struck them silent during Excalibur's liberation transformed in an instant into pure, fervent adoration for Arthur.
"Arthur! Arthur!"
"A Spirit Elder who took down a battle armor master, now that's what a real genius looks like!"
Ye Xinglan and the others descended from the stage looking as though they had just been granted a reprieve, their faces pale, their gazes toward Arthur layered with complicated feelings: shock, fear, and something more that words couldn't quite capture.
Class Zero gathered together to celebrate their victory.
Someone from the organizing committee came to photograph the champions.
They arranged themselves into position.
Tang Wulin and the others struck poses with the trophy. Gu Yue walked up as well and stood quietly among them.
Na'er didn't spare the trophy a single glance. She simply went on holding Arthur with that same cheerful grin on her face.
Arthur struggled.
"No, don't take it yet, don't take the photo right now!"
Click.