[FMMIKA] Chapter 217: The Final Battle (I)

Another opponent had been eliminated.

Unlike the fearless and indomitable Lion King who relied on sheer power and constantly enhanced her abilities, Z was a different kind of invincibility.

The former had used flexibility to overcome strength, and the latter had used trickery. Artorius had managed to outmaneuver them both. However, he wondered if the next opponent would be as formidable.

Taking a deep breath, Artorius glanced at the other side of the battlefield.

The battle between XX and Ex.

Should he intervene and unite with the weaker side or just observe and wait quietly until one of them falls?

Artorius hoped to use his intelligence and wits to win the final battle of this family conflict with relative ease.

'Well, now all the defeated Mothers out there are probably praying for my victory. So my triumph is only natural...'

Not far from him, the battle between XX and Ex came to an end.

Without waiting for Artorius's united front and volunteers, XX and Ex had determined the victor.

This happened at the precise moment when Artorius held Z and confessed his affection for her. XX, feeling that the timing was right, launched a final assault on Ex.

XX and the Space Lion King fought with a lance and employed an assault tactic. However, unlike Lion King's headlong charge, XX focused on agility.

While XX weapon was also 'Rhongomyniad' it wasn't the clunky, less maneuverable lance with limited techniques but a more flexible combat lance with a form closer to a spear, capable of executing exquisite moves.

'Charge in, then finish this fight with my unmatched skills!' XX thought joyfully.

"Tricked." Ex muttered as she watched XX approaching.

When XX was only a few meters away from Ex and on the verge of reaching her, Ex, who had previously fired sword beam sporadically, as if running out of steam, suddenly restored her firepower like the beginning of the battle—or even surpassed it. A beam that could seemingly destroy a planet was aimed directly at XX.

Ex, as an experienced Artoria Species, had been preparing for this moment, executing a deceitful tactic just for this final blow. She was giving it her all.

This wasn't just 100% output; it was over 200%, aiming for a one-shot kill.

Her speed, strength, and timing were impeccable, and most importantly, at this range, even if XX tried to dodge, there was no escape.

"!!!"

Under Artorius's astonished gaze and amid the thunderous roar of the beam, XX's figure was engulfed by the light.

"..."

"Lost, huh..." Artorius murmured to himself.

Although, when the beam dissipated, XX surprisingly hadn't been eliminated. However, she had lost most of her fighting capability.

Her Aahvalon armor was in tatters, and even the enhanced undersuit beneath it was the same. It revealed her impressive body and some gruesome injuries.

"You're bluffing!?"

But the current XX didn't show painful expression or discomfort at all. Instead, she glared angrily at Ex, questioning her.

"You're too naive, XX-san. We are enemies, after all." Ex calmly replied. "To defeat the enemy, use tactics to trap them which make it easier to defeat them, isn't that only natural?"

Hearing her words, XX suddenly found herself at a loss for words.

"Anyway, goodbye, XX-san."

After saying this, Ex's sword pierced through XX's throat, who had been trying to make one last desperate attempt.

"Uhh...ugh..."

XX struggled for a moment, then seemed to give up.

In her final moments before being eliminated, XX turned her head in Artorius's direction.

With her armor in tatters and covered in wounds, XX resembled a fallen angel, showing Artorius a sorrowful smile.

That was the last memory she left for Artorius.

The sword pierced the neck, blood spurted high, and XX fell to the ground unwillingly, her body twitching a few times before disappearing, leaving Artorius to decipher her meaning.

The meaning of XX's sorrowful smile was clear—"It's all up to you."

At the same time, after defeating XX, Ex turned around and looked at Artorius.

"It's just us now, Artorius."

As Ex said this, she casually swung her sword.

There was actually no blood on it; anything that came close was vaporized by the heat and energy she emitted. It was just one of Ex's quirks.

"Yeah."

Artorius nodded, and after a brief moment of contemplation, he ultimately chose Excalibur. Gripping the sword with both hands, he took a fighting stance against Ex.

His response was a declaration of war against Ex and a promise to XX.

"You look pretty serious, Artorius."

Seeing Artorius with a serious expression, Ex briefly flashed a hint of appreciation in her eyes, but on the surface, she maintained her nonchalant demeanor.

After this round of dialogue, neither of them spoke further. They just stared at each other, their fighting spirit soaring. Suddenly, a gust of wind swept across the battlefield, causing the sand and stones to rustle.

At the same time, outside the bounded field, all the Artoria Species watched with bated breath, observing Artorius and Ex's standoff on the screen, their hearts filled with tension.

'Artorius, you must win.  If you lose, what will happen to me?'

Each one of them, regardless of their subspecies, silently prayed in their hearts simultaneously.

Under the silent prayers of the various Artoria Species, the momentum of Artorius and Ex had reached its peak.

In the next moment, two earth-shattering sword light beams clashed.

These two individuals, one possessing the 'Third Magic' and the other having 'Infinite Black Bean Paste', both possessed nearly limitless energy. They could fire beams endlessly, and after battling for so long, they remained full of vigor.

As soon as the light beam was fired, Artorius charged forward.

"Haaahhhhh!"

As if trying to slam the light beam into Ex's face directly with sheer force, Artorius roared furiously, charging forward like a wild beast, continuing to unleash the light beam.

At the same time, Ex did the same—charging forward without hesitation and continuing to fire the sword beam.

"!!!"

Although she didn't roar as Artorius did, her intense concentration, with widened eyes and a serious expression, and her tensed body, were terrifying enough—after all, she was a god being. She was a Space Artoria Pendragon, capable of shattering planets with her infinite power!

These two light beams were being squeezed forward like being pushed by two infinite hydraulic presses. To push forward with almost infinite energy, both Artorius and Ex needed nearly limitless strength.

In this sprint, the leading edges of the two light beams began to spread in all directions.

The sky and the earth were filled with intense light, energy tearing, devouring, and reacting violently to each other. Countless explosions erupted simultaneously, with deafening roars and an extremely high decibel level, almost shattering eardrums and internal organs.

But they ignored it.

Both Artorius and Ex completely ignored the intense pain, fighting with all their might.

At the same time, the ground beneath their feet began to crack. Unable to withstand their power, it was on the verge of complete collapse. In response, they both chose to fly before it shattered completely, continuing forward until their holy sword collided.

The two light beams, one silver-white and one black-purple, intertwine and merge together before erupting completely.

It was like a supernova explosion. In a thunderous tremor, amidst Gaia's cries, other Artoria Species outside the barrier exclaimed:

"What's going on?! The video feed got cut off!"

At that moment, Artorius and Ex's swords clashed.

In a simple slashing motion, both sides were fully focused, executing dozens of moves in an instant, trying to strike the blade into the opponent's body.

But before that, each had already anticipated the other's anticipation and then countered that anticipation, anticipating the anticipation of the anticipation.

In a split second, Artorius and Ex played off against each other, their spirits fully concentrated—yet the final result remained a draw!

Their swords ultimately collided, and at the same time, the intertwined magical energy reached a critical point.

Centered on Artorius and Ex, a violent explosion erupted, a terrifying force capable of destroying the Earth several times over, expanding geometrically. The energy was no longer a 'light beam' but more like a 'light sphere', rapidly bursting apart, akin to photon bullets.

Under this intense magical explosion, not only did Gaia tremble, but even the bounded field of the Artoria Species wavered, on the brink of destruction.

"Stabilize the bounded field quickly!" Shouted Lion King loudly.

Fortunately, there were many Artoria Species observing outside the barrier.

With the video feed disrupted and unable to see what was happening inside the bounded field, they were in a state of panic. Thankfully, Lion King reacted swiftly and issued orders.

The Artoria Species joined forces, quickly stabilizing the bounded field, relieving Gaia, and even making her feel that these Artoria Species weren't entirely bad.

"What's happening inside?"

"It's the battle between Ex and Artorius. Can you believe how massive the scale is?"

"Is Artorius okay, considering his strength...?"

Every Artoria Species was worried as they silently watched the bounded field and hoped their son would win.