(I got a guy to get the proofreading done... for free.
He is getting advance chaps, I am getting the proofreading done. I have read it, everything that was talked between the characters is same. Only a few words here and there are added to make it more fluent.
Tell me how it is! If you like it, then I am officially hiring him.)
...
{ 3rd Pov }
"Thank you, Reina. If it weren't for your support, I'm pretty sure the Knights would've thrown
me out by now," Subaru said with a faint smile.
Reina gently took his hand "No matter what happens, I'll be always by your side" she said
softly.
He froze 'I-Is this a confession?' Subaru thought. But as he looked at Reina's gentle smile–
warm yet unreadable, he couldn't quite tell what she truly meant.
Meanwhile Reina was blushing inside her mind, her heart racing nuts due to her Divine
Protection. Her face said otherwise, seeing Subaru not reacting much to her small
confession, a quiet sadness stirred inside her heart.
'Whatever! I will do my best to make him fall in love with me!' she thought with determination.
"~Nyah~ You really did shock the whole crowd" Felix said as he entered the room and looked at Sword Saint holding Subaru's hand.
"I couldn't stand their stupidity, so I had to do that" With a quiet sigh, Subaru broke his grip as
he slowly pulled his hand away.
"You will make a bad knight~Nyah~" said Felix with a chuckle.
"Zero, you are here" Julius entered as he briefly scanned the three of them, before his eyes
fixated on Subaru's figure.
"What's the matter, oh finest of knights?" Subaru asked.
"What you did went against the very principles of Knighthood" Julius said, his tone cold and
unforgiving.
"Dude, I am not a Knight" Subaru shrugged, making him hesitate.
"But I can't overlook your audacity," he said, his glare sharp. "You proclaim yourself as Lady
Emilia's equal while being her bodyguard. Lord Roswaal took you in, and yet you nearly
tarnished their reputation."
"What do you want, Sir Julius?" Reina came in front of Subaru, shielding him.
" Hiding behind Miss Reina, is the proof of your cowardice?" Julius snickered.
Her hand went to the hilt of her sword, still sheathed at her side.
"Reina… move," Subaru said, his voice firm. At his words, she stepped aside, allowing him
to move forward.
"Do you want me to apologize to Nobility? Or the so-called Royal Knights?" he asked and
Julius trembled with barely able to contain his rage.
He unsheathed his sword and pointed at Subaru.
"I Julius Juukulius challenges you to a duel of honour!"
"I accept" he said and Reina shot a glare at Julius, but Subaru placed his hand on her
shoulder to calm her "Believe me" he murmured softly.
She sighed and nodded and said "I Believe in you, Zero"
Meanwhile this didn't go unnoticed by Felix whose eyes narrowed 'Nyah, are they lovers?'
Julius meanwhile couldn't understand why Miss Reina would support someone like Subaru
who was so arrogant.
Soon, they were in the stadium, with dozens of Royal Knights in the seats.
Julius grabbed a wooden sword and so did Subaru.
"I will act as a judge~Nyah~ Enhancing your body with using magic isn't allowed, using
magic isn't allowed, those are the rules!" Felix announced with a mischievous grin.
"Start!"
Julius and Subaru's body became a blur as they charged at each other, their bodies left
after-images as their swords clashed against each other in rapid fury, striking dozens of
times in the blink of an eye.
They stepped back, stopping their assault.
'He is strong and fast… his speed seems to be my match as well' Julius quickly realized how
strong Subaru was.
Subaru's current strength had doubled compared to before, and his speed had noticeably
increased.
He had already gauged that Julius' strength without any enhancement from mana was a little
bit stronger than he is, however his speed seemed to be slower.
'This is going to be tough, his sword skills far surpass mine' Subaru thought to himself
unaware that the knight in the stadium was starting in shock.
"W-what was that? They were so fast!"
"He m-matched Sir Julius? Impossible!"
"Sir Julius! Defeat that arrogant man for us!"
The Knights started cheering for Julius who smiled and declared "I won't lose to the likes of
you!"
However, a woman's loud cheer broke through their noise.
"Zeroooo! Beat that purple haired bastard black and blue!" it was none other than Reina.
The Knights froze, and so did Julius as Subaru looked at the Reina cheering for him, he
blushed slightly hearing her voice.
Subaru grinned and took a battle stance, Julius got on guard and ignored Reina's cheering.
*Boom*
A shockwave was released as Subaru broke through the sound barrier, unleashing
relentless strikes at Julius who fended his attacks off.
Their movement became a blur, the ground below them cracked as they clashed against
each other.
Thankfully their wooden sword was enchanted to be stronger than steel otherwise it would
have been destroyed long ago.
The battle continued to be a stalemate for a few seconds before the first hit landed on Julius,
who gritting his teeth in pain retaliated hitting Subaru.
Suddenly, out of nowhere, Julius's strength surged. With each strike, Subaru could feel the
difference—every blow was heavier, faster, more precise. He was stronger than before.
Reina's eyes widened as Subaru started and she muttered "Impossible! He isn't that strong!"
Felix grinned and said "~Nyah~After fighting nearly to death with Cecilus last time, his basic
abilities have increased greatly"
This was where Subaru and Reina predicted wrong.
Reina's voice flattered as the Knight's cheers became louder, she clenched her fists so hard
that blood started seeping out.
'It's my fault! I gave Zero the wrong details about Julius! It is happening because of my
mistake!' she blamed herself, unable to bear to see him beaten.
"A Knight fights for their Lord's honour!"
"A Knight respects their Lord!"
"A Knight never oversteps their boundaries!"
Julius roared with passion, each word hammered in by a strike as he unleashed a relentless
barrage driving his ideals into Subaru with every brutal blow.
Suddenly he stopped hitting Subaru and pointed his sword at Subaru who had bruised all
over his body.
Subaru almost fell on the ground and knelt.
"Surrender," Julius said with a smirk.
Subaru spat saliva mixed with blood on the ground with a broken tooth and started laughing.
The Royal Knights snickered.
"He was just talk after all"
"Why is he laughing? Did he go crazy?"
They conveniently ignored the fact that Subaru was in fact stronger than all of them except
Julius.
Subaru stood up and stared directly into Julius' yellow eyes.
"Mother fucker, I never said I was Knight and never would wanna become one" Subaru said
earning glares from the Knights.
"I admit, I can never be a good knight," Subaru admitted, earning smirks from the Knights.
However, the next moment he stared defiantly at the Knight "However, I will be a better
human than all of you fuckers."
His words enraged them. "Beat him, Julius!" one shouted.
A chill ran down Julius's spine—his instincts screamed danger. Without a second thought, he
stepped back, putting distance between himself and Subaru.
'W-What is that?' he stared at Subaru in disbelief as his body was covered in visible Aura.
"Take this! Oh Finest of Knights" Subaru's Shouted, his aura moved around him, enveloping
both him and his weapon in a powerful, radiant force.
Subaru also felt another surge of energy moving through his body… as he distanced himself.
The ground below him cracked and he vanished creating a shockwave.
His sword struck Julius diagonally, throwing him away like a cannonball.
Julius's ribs shattered, his spine snapping under the force, and his body was sent crashing
through the wall, hurtling away like a lifeless ragdoll.
Subaru stood frozen, his body completely drained after the final strike. He began to fall, his
strength failing him, but Reina was there to catch him just in time.
She grabbed his back making his entire body lean on her.
"You can rest now" she whispered gently in his ear and he closed his eyes, falling
unconscious.
Silence.
An uneasy silence permeated the room, while Felix ran through the broken wall to search for
her friend.
"I-Impossible! He cheated!"
"Yes! What was that? He obviously used magic!"
"Cheater! How dare he cheat!"
"Silence!" her cold voice shut them up, she took Subaru in a princess carry and looked at
them.
"Miss Reina! Why are you supporting that bastard?" a Knight demanded.
"First, he didn't cheat. I sensed no mana, whatever he used was no mana- something else
entirely" she said.
"A Divine Protection perhaps?" A knight raised his opinion.
"But it was decided no magic will be used!" Another Knight blamed Subaru.
"Nowhere in the rules it was stated he can't use Divine Protection, as long as Mana is not
used that satisfies the condition" she retorted, shutting them up.
They wanted to say, yell, but standing before them was the Sword Saint.
How are they supposed to go against a Monster like her?
Suddenly Felix entered carrying a bloody Julius on his back "This bastard! He nearly killed
him!"
Felix glared at Subaru however received a chill on his spine, as Reina glared at him.
She turned back and said "I am taking Zero to his quarters… You shall take Julius to his
quarters and explain everything to his master"
She left the stadium as the atmosphere thick with unspoken tension the Knights once
brimmed with pride now felt ashamed of their loss.
___
To be continued…
(A/N: Tell me how was the chap...)