Victory...?

Chapter 2 - Victory...?

Rom had many regrets in his life.

Failing to save his family during the war, to avenge his fallen brothers that stood by his side on the battlefield, and many, many more.

Yet, his greatest regret was not being able to protect the little girl that he considered the daughter he never had.

"Old man! Old man!"

He could see her crying in front of him. His wound was not fatal, but it was located in a dangerous place, his neck. He also had one on his gut –it was pretty deep – but thanks to his giant body his muscles were thicker thus it had not reached his intestine.

That damn bitch got him good alright. At first glance she looked gentle but her fangs clearly proved the opposite. It kinda reminded him of a poisonous snake.

A war veteran now weakly laying on the floor and succumbing to his injury. Bah! He really was rusty if a single woman could put him in this state.

No, not a woman… This bitch… There was no way she was human. He could accept her speed and flexibility, however the strength she used when she sliced his gut open was too much.

A magic user? No, it was not that simple. To possess such strength she would need to draw mana from the air, and he didn't see any sign of that. So it actually was raw strength, which meant she was not human.

Damn…

Had he kept his skills and training in pristine condition he sure as hell could have beat this bitch to a pulp. But he quitted. Because everywhere he could have used his skills, people would have treated him like dirt for being a giant.

Furthermore, he didn't want to. He may no longer hate humans as much as when he was young, but that didn't mean he liked them now.

"Oi! Old man! Stay with me! Old man!"

She was still crying. Her usual cheerful and mischievous grin replaced by an expression of pure sadness with tears falling from her red eyes.

He wanted to talk, he wanted to say it was okay, he wanted to say sorry for failing to protect her, he wanted to tell her to run… But only a gurgle of blood came out of his mouth.

Damn…

He could barely stay conscious now… He felt cold… He lost too much blood, his injury wasn't fatal but he would die from blood loss all the same.

He saw the bitch approach Felt and tried to snarl but he was too weak to do so. Terror was gripping his heart as he imagined what would happen to Felt.

No, no, she had to get out of here! She had a Divine Protection, she could escape! This woman was fast but when running Felt sure was faster! At least she could reach the main city and its safety.

He tried to tell her to run again, but he was getting weaker and weaker still, barely able to keep his eyes open.

He couldn't do anything…

It was just like when his brothers died in the war, he still couldn't do anything…

'If there is a God out there…Please…Save her…'

His prayer… was answered.

BANG!

An explosion like sound echoed in the old building as the door slammed –no. It was flung open. The door practically flew and crashed at the end of the house against the wall with enough force to create a spider web like crack.

Then someone entered.

If there was someone who was a "Knight in Shining Amor" then it was this guy. The sunlight shone on his armor, reflected in the whole room and making him look like he was shining himself. His blond golden hairs waving in the air and his green eyes glowing with power as sharp as a predator.

'She's safe…She's safe…'

That was his thoughts after seeing the knight enter the building. Rom felt at peace knowing his surrogate daughter –or granddaughter –would be safe. That bitch wouldn't harm her, she wouldn't touch her, she was safe, she was safe.

As darkness slowly consumed his vision, Rom allowed a smile to appear on his face.

Aaron stared at the horrifying scene in front of him with an impassive look. His green eyes briefly look toward the giant and the small girl before he turned fully to the most dangerous person in the room.

She was beautiful.

That couldn't be denied, she was like Emilia in this regard, like a porcelain doll. No… it was only at first glance that she could be mistook as a porcelain doll.

She stood over the injured giant and the girl, her long lustrous black hair trailed down to her back. The left part was tied and curled into a braid. Her black dress barely covered her body and was tight, showing her curved and well-endowed body. The black cape that was place over it only made her look more exotic.

She was beautiful… but she also looked very disturbing in Aaron opinion…

She was so beautiful that it made her look strange, inhuman somehow. This perfection was what made her flawed… It was almost like looking at your reflection in a mirror, it showed the shadow of someone that looked like you but at the same time was too good-looking to be you.

"Aaron, you're too f –" Emilia who entered after him cut herself with a gasp as her eyes finally caught the sight of the dying giant and the small girl.

"Oh my, it seems we have uninvited guests," spoke the killer in a gentle and cheerful voice like everything was normal. She turned to them, her face bearing a kind smile. "Why don't you two come in and join us?"

Emilia tensed at the obvious ominous offer, whereas Aaron was not showing any indication he even heard her, his eyes still focused on the Bowel Hunter.

He was afraid, make no mistake. For all his calm and uncaring demeanor, standing in front of the killer and seeing a giant laying with his gut open like a fish was more than enough for his heart to be gripped by terror.

But he knew he couldn't afford to be afraid. So he forced himself to stay calm… and took a step forward.

"This man may still be alive," spoke Aaron. "Emilia-dono, are you proficient in the healing arts?"

"Yes, I do."

"Then can you heal him?" asked Aaron. "I do not mean to order you, however right now the enemy we face is beyond our strength," he added, his eyes never leaving Elsa as if she would strike at any moment.

The killer though, only kept on smiling. One would mistake her for a benevolent and kind person by the way she smiled and looked at them. However the bloody dagger in her hand spoke otherwise.

Emilia appeared a bit offended at the blond words, "I can fight! I'm not defenseless and –"

"I never said you were," cut Aaron without facing her. "There is a wounded person here and it would be good if you could heal him. While doing so please observe the way the enemy fight before joining the battle."

Rather than worrying about himself Aaron was thinking about Emilia. If she died, things wouldn't be pretty. Whatever happened he didn't want to face an enraged Puck, superpowers or not the cat spirit was scary as hell!

Meanwhile Emilia seemed to get what he tried to convey, her slight anger demeanor was gone and replaced by grim understanding, "Very well then!"

Emilia then made her way to the injured party, keeping her eyes on Elsa who didn't even acknowledged her existence and was still smiling to Aaron.

"Are you done discussing your strategy?" asked Elsa cheerfully. "It's rude to make a lady wait," she said in an admonishing voice as she raised her dagger. "It is also quite dumb to speak your plan aloud when your enemy is standing in front of you."

"You're not the type of person who strike an opponent when they are talking," replied Aaron with a sniff. "At least not when the opponent has piqued your interest. No, you prefer to watch your prey struggle, to toy with them. I know what kind of person you are."

"Ohh, you seem to know me pretty well," said Elsa with a delightful and surprised voice. "Have we met somewhere? I'm pretty sure I would have remembered someone as handsome and cute as you," she continued sending a flirtatious wink. "Or, I have emptied the stomach of someone you know," she added with a wider grin.

"The latter fortunately." Aaron dryly spoke, and that someone was named Subaru. "Don't bother, you won't remember him, Bowel Hunter."

He heard a gasp from Felt, she probably recognized the nickname of the murderer in front of them.

"My, my, you know my title as well." Elsa giggle like a school girl. "Not surprising, as you seems to know my personality quite well."

She then twirled the dagger in her hand a little, her smile turning into a smirk. Then her closed eyes opened and it turned into a leer. "Shall we start then? I think you have done enough stalling."

"Indeed."

He only was stalling, the fastest Emilia could join the battle the better it was for him.

"Little girl! Your name is Felt, right?!" he yelled.

"A-Ah? Yes!"

"Go. Get out of here. Go search for help, if you are agile enough to hop from one building to another you can escape from her easily."

"What?! B-But –"

"If you don't, we are all going to die here! Go call for help! Now!" pressed Aaron.

The blonde girl looked unsure, her red eyes staring at the injured Rom currently under Emilia's treatment. The half-elf gave her a look and a nod, prompting the thief to turn to Aaron whose gaze was still remaining on Elsa.

Slowly, she gulped then stood shakily and nodded, "O-kay, o-kay. I-I will go get help."

She summoned her power, the blessing given to her at her birth. She felt the power of the wind surge inside her body and she dashed in the direction of the entrance, covering one meter in only one step and –

"I'm sorry but that is not something I can allow."

Elsa was there, just after one step the killer was already on Felt's side, her dagger raised and ready to be brought down with the intend to cut down the defenseless girl.

But in the same moment Aaron was there as well.

The wind. No. It was a gale. It came from Aaron's direction. Elsa saw it coming, however its speed far surpassed her expectations. She clearly did not think the armored man capable of attacking her like that. Therefore she was left open, got hit hard by the gale and was sent flying.

It was more like a hammer than a simple wind. It crashed upon her whole body with great force. It made her fly and crashed to the opposite wall, smashing furniture in the process.

This hammer was more than enough to catch Felt and Emilia attention. Their faces snapped in his direction and saw the knight holding… something.

The wind was dancing around him, blowing his hairs and making his sharp green eyes all the more visible. The wind was coming from something he was holding. This something was invisible. Nothing was in his hand, absolutely nothing, their eyes couldn't even fathom a form. However they knew there was something there, in his grip, they just couldn't see it.

While Felt was astonished by this mystery, Emilia was shocked for another reason.

As a person who delved into the spirit arts, she was quite sensitive to their presence. And at this moment she heard the lesser spirits near him singing.

They were singing in awe, happiness and joy.

Emilia never knew they could be so happy.

"What are you looking for?!" Aaron bark snapping Felt from her awe. "Go!"

"R-right!" Felt nodded shakily. "B-Be careful Onii-chan!" She yelled as she dashed through the entrance toward the center of the city.

Aaron took two steps forward, gripping the invisible sword tightly in preparation. His eyes were locked on where Elsa just crashed, his body tense in preparation of the next assault.

He was surprised that Elsa got hit in the first place. He knew she would move to intercept Felt, as she did the same in canon. So, when Felt was about to take her first step, he had already drown Excalibur and rushed in her direction.

'I managed to land a surprise attack, though I should have chop her head instead but…'

The force of the wind had disturbed his balance, so instead of his sword hitting her only the gale of wind was successful.

'Tsk, what's done is done. Now I better focus on the current situation."

As if answering his though, the black dressed woman chose this moment to blow away the pile of woods she had been buried under. She had dust and dirt all over her body, moreover a small line of crimson liquid could be seen slipping from her mouth –the only sign of her injured state.

"That's very interesting," she commented, her eyes now fully open and glued to the invisible object in his hand. "Such a unique weapon, to be invisible like that. What is it if I may ask? A sword?"

At this question Aaron couldn't help but smirk. Oh he knew there would be someone asking him this question when they first see Excalibur! He always wanted to use this line.

"Maybe," he said mysteriously raising Excalibur. "Maybe not. It could be an axe. Or not. Maybe I have something completely different, like a bow."

Ohh he felt pretty badass now! He managed to land a solid first hit on his enemy just like Saber when she faced Lancer, and now he also said the same line! God damn if that wasn't cool he didn't know what else was.

"A bit sarcastic, aren't we?" asked Elsa in a dry voice. "For a knight you clearly have a rude attitude."

"I'm not one yet, I'm still in training," retorted Aaron.

"Ah, then I don't think I will have to worry too much."

Then Elsa charged at him. She was fast! Even with his increased perception. Compared to the movement of the thugs in the city she was like a car rushing at him!

'Focus on her arms!'

His eyes immediately focused on the dagger that was a few feet away from reaching his face. He quickly brought up his sword and deflected the attack above his head. Then he swung it back vertically, however Elsa had already spun. Using his own force, she twisted and delivered a spinning kick that got deflected by the invisible blade before she swung her dagger again.

Aaron just had the time to pull his head back, the dagger only missing his eyes from a few inches, he even could feel the sharp wind following her blade. Quickly, he readjusted his grip on Excalibur and brought it back giving a horizontal slash. Unfortunately Elsa saw it coming and had already jumped back, skidding on the ground watching him keenly.

He felt his heart beating fast and loud almost like a drum. His breath had become a bit ragged but he was not that tired. No, instead he was nervous and afraid. Right now, what made him move was actually adrenaline rather than his own will.

'That was too close! If I didn't pull back my head…'

The battle would have been finished, in a very anticlimactic manner in fact. And he had quoted Saber! Gah, it would have been very embarrassing!

He was not given the chance to think further as Elsa launched herself at him once again but with an even faster speed this time. Zig-zagging around the room she came front the left and Aaron was not tricked. He quickly moved to the left, his eyes catching a glimpse from below and he swung his sword down, parrying the uppercut slash with no real problem.

Once again Elsa used the force of his attack as a fuel and flung herself above, spinning in the air as she extended one leg and sent it down toward Aaron's face. The blond haired man took one step back, once again having just the time to dodge the axe kick. As soon as Elsa landed she sprung forward and delivered another kick, this time catching Aaron unprepared. He managed to block the kick with his sword but the force of the attack made him stumble.

Not wasting this chance, Elsa moved her dagger to her right hand and swung it at Aaron's open right abdomen with strength. She was barely holding her glee finally able to gut her prey. However much to her surprise, instead of cutting his stomach open, her dagger screeched, clashing against the shining armor he was wearing. Several small sparks flew from the hit.

This was absurd! Her dagger was very sharp! It was made from one of the best material there was. With her unnatural strength, she could easily slice a tree in two! Indeed she had cut the old giant's club like it was made of paper!

Yet it did nothing but a scratch to this armor?!

She was brought out from her thought as she was forced to sidestep her enemy's vertical slash. She then quickly jumped away when he swung his sword in another horizontal slash. She backflipped once during her retreat, balanced herself and stare at the young man with a new glint in her eyes.

"My, my, what a great armor you have," she commented flippantly as her gaze was glued to the place her dagger hit.

Aaron winced as he brought his hand where her dagger struck him. There was a mark there, he could feel it. Inwardly he gulped, that was close. If it weren't for his armor, he would be dead by now…

Not to mention he could feel the blunt pain from that attack. His armor might have blocked the dagger but he could still feel the impact! Damn this woman, she was really strong! It was almost like being punched in the stomach directly!

"A knight in training huh? I guess you're not lying." Elsa twirled her dagger and sighed a bit while closing her eyes. "I'm a little disappointed. Here I was thinking I will have a good fight…"

Her eyes reopened and Aaron could see a sinister glint inside them.

"I guess you're nothing but an average man with a fancy equipment."

"Tsk."

Aaron clicked his tongue in irritation. As much as he hated to admit it, this couldn't be denied. Even with his increased speed and strength he couldn't keep up. None of his attacks landed and he was only able to block or dodge. And it came very close at several moments.

This wasn't good…

He glanced at Emilia and found the girl still busy healing Rom. Why was it so long?! In the anime she healed his bleeding neck in a very short time! Was it because the wound was more severe?!

Elsa rushed him again, this time from the right. Her dagger swinging with such a force that it created a small kinetic wave. Aaron quickly moved to block, but the woman suddenly paused in the middle of her swing, pulled back–allowing Aaron's attack to pass through only air– and at the next moment twisted her body and gave a downward slash straight at him. In panic Aaron quickly releases his two-handed grip and thrusted with his gauntlet to block.

Sounds of metal screeching resonated as the edge of the dagger dug into Aaron's gauntlet, preventing a hit to his face. Nevertheless the force was enough to make him lose his balance and Elsa took the opportunity to deliver her next attack. Her foot smashed into Aaron's armored chest and flung him backward and to the ground.

Aaron gritted his teeth, quickly trying to stand up. Fortunately the last kick did not hurt thanks to his armor. All the same it was clearly proof that without his armor he would already be dead with one less arm! This was not good, he was clearly loosing!

Meanwhile Elsa was smiling in delight, her violet eyes shining with arrogance as she waited for him. Waited for him to stand up. She no longer considered him a threat but rather only a novice. That made him angry for obvious reasons.

'Calm yourself Aaron, calm. Do not panic or get angry. Remember, you hold the bigger card here. As long as you stay calm it will be fine.'

He felt his body slowly relax, taking one deep breath and entering his stance once again. Ha had Excalibur and Saber's magical armor, so perhaps he also had her ability to… that meant…

He sought the energy inside of him, emptying his mind–his heart beating harder and harder.

Then he felt it, something flowing from inside himself, from the middle of his stomach precisely. Then it spread, it surged through his veins, flowing to every corner of his body.

And it felt great!

His hesitation was gone, hiw green eyes turned sharper somehow. He watched Elsa rushing at him–dagger in hand– with greater speed than ever before. It appeared that the vampire was still intent on playing with him.

She just made a big mistake.

With new power and energy flowing in his body, Aaron rushed forward to meet her.

Elsa was fast, to a normal human she would be a blur. A human would be able to see something but his body would not react in time. That was how fast she moved.

But Aaron was not only fast…He didn't become a blur like Elsa…

He became a flash.

The ground beneath him exploded in a crater, bursts of wind erupted from his back and his mana became visible trailing behind him as he moved.

It was Elsa's experience that saved her from being cleaved in two. She could only make one step forward before her target appeared in front of her with his invisible sword already in mid-swing. She saw it, barely, and knew at this moment there was no way of blocking his attack. It was too late for that.

Dodging was the only solution she had.

The sword came down and it did not only cut the ground. No, it came down not only with great force but also carrying the wind and magical energy contain inside it. The moment it met the floor, it made it explode, creating powerful bursts of wind spreading in all direction and knocking away everything close.

"Kya!"

Emilia was taken aback by the sudden explosion. She felt the burst of wind passing over her and almost lost her balance from its sheer power. She snapped her head in the direction of the battle and gaped for a second.

The place struck by Aaron…was totally destroyed… Only splinters of woods could be seen of the previous floor. The ground below had turned into a four foot size crater. The room which was already a mess from the clash of two powerful opponents, was now looking like a tornado had just appeared and destroyed everything.

Her gaze shifted to the wall a few meters away from Aaron. Or rather what remained of it. The force of his strike was enough to cut it down like it was made of paper. Granted, the warehouse was quite old but producing an attack capable of that was not a small feat.

She did not avoid that attack unscathed, the vampire could feel a sharp pain coming from her left forearm–injured by the invisible sword. Fresh red liquid spurting out like a fountain, the black dressed woman crashed onto the ground from the force of the explosion.

Meanwhile, Aaron was looking from his sword to the destroyed wall with a bewildered expression.

That…was clearly more than he expected. No, it blew all his expectations!

He knew what he just did. He felt it while using this new energy.

It was Mana Burst, a skill used to heighten the force of a strike or to guard by infusing magical energy and instantly expelling it. Simply put, it recreated the effect of a jet blast by expending large amounts of magical energy.

It was a skill that belonged to Saber, King Arthur, King of Knights, and his son, Mordred Pendragon.

And now, it was his as well.

He really wanted to jump in joy and began to make a silly dance. This was too much truthfully. For a simple man to have the skill of the legendary King Arthur.

It was The Man Dream!

He did not though. The urge was strong but he suppressed it with great effort. Now was not the time to rejoice, not in this dire situation.

Still…he couldn't resist to make a comment.

"What was that you were saying again about average man with a fancy equipment?" He asked sarcastically to the woman who…

Aaron blinked when he noticed the black haired woman kneeling on the ground, her right hand holding her injured left arm. Her whole body was trembling and her left fingers twitched in an uncontrollable manner.

His eyes narrowed as he turned to face her. What was wrong with her?

Before he could think more, the serial killer's head snapped up, her eyes attached to his form made Aaron's breath hitch.

Her eyes and face…

Her black eyes and beautiful doll-like face…

They were gone.

Instead he now faced red orbs glowing with an eerie light, teeth turned into fangs and a dark snarl. She looked more the part of a monster than a woman right now.

'What the he–'

He felt himself floating, he felt so light, so weightless. He felt so…high…is that his body down there?

…

Where was his head?

DUCK!

He didn't know what happened. It came too suddenly. Maybe it was someone shouting at him, simply his imagination or his instinct. Nonetheless he obeyed and dropped himself to the ground as fast as possible.

It was just in time as a black blur passed just above where his head was one moment ago.

JUMP RIGHT!

He followed this weird instinct again, sprung forward and to the right in time to avoid being turned to minced meat. Elsa's swinging dagger turned another part of the floor into splinters.

BLOCK!

Red eyes met emerald green. Aaron quickly raised his sword to block the dagger which was about to pierce his face. This time though, he did not manage to block perfectly and his body was flung backward because of Elsa's monstrous strength.

He crashed against the furniture and stolen good laying on the floor. How long he rolled on the ground, he didn't know but judging by how dizzy he felt it must have been long enough. A headache began to appear, he clutched his head trying his best to repel the dizziness invading his mind.

'Shit! What was that?! What the hell is-'

ABOVE!

He raised his face and sword as quickly as possible listening to whatever was screaming at him. Too late this time, the dagger was already very close to his face. Blocking was not possible, he instead tried to deflect it. That caused the tip of the blade to graze his cheek –deep enough for blood to show –making Aaron bit his lip to not scream in pain.

It hurt! God damn it, it hurt!

Something heavy smacked into his stomach. Aaron realized too late that it was Elsa sitting on top of him. Still in possession of her new appearance–blood red eyes and long fangs –she raised her dagger with murderous intent.

'SHIT!'

"DIE!"

With a snarl the vampire brought down her dagger toward his face.

His green eyes widened as he felt something clutch his heart that was beating far faster than usual. He saw the dagger coming down to end his life and–

BANG!

All of a sudden something smacked into the back of the vampire, knocking her away and saving him from a painful death.

"Whoa, that was a close one, right boy?"

Hovering not far away from his contractor was Puck. The cat spirit had both of his paws pointed in the direction of the armored man. His blue colored eyes twinkling with mischief while he watched Aaron slowly rise.

"Get back here boy! This woman is more dangerous than you think!" called Puck urgently.

Still dazed by his flirt with death, Aaron snapped out of his lethargic state. He briefly glance to the vampire now against the wall pushed by a massive block of ice before deciding to follow Puck's order.

"I would have been very grateful if you had come a few seconds earlier," Aaron dryly told the spirit.

"Well I can't manifest while Lia heal someone," replied Puck with a small glare. "I absorb mana from the surrounding area just by existing, this will cause disturbance in the healing process. It can be very dangerous bothering the healer."

"Aaron, are you okay?" Emilia asked standing at his side with a worried look. "You're injured."

He was very tempted to say 'thank you for pointing the obvious mistress' but held his tongue since he knew Emilia didn't deserve this.

"Yeah, she got me," he said instead, wincing because talking made him move his cheek. A lot of blood was pouring down and falling on the ground. It was hurting enough while standing still damn it!

"This woman… I thought she was human," commented Puck with wariness. "But with this feral features, red eyes and fangs…She is a vampire," he said in a grim voice. "This won't be easy."

As if on cue, the giant block of ice exploded with force. Seeing this, Puck wasted no time and summoned other ice-blocks and made them rained down on the vampire's supposed position.

A black blur shot through the white mist, avoiding all the icicles that where falling down like bullets. No longer was she wearing her coat, it was destroyed in the previous attack and left her only in her black skintight outfit. Her red eyes and monstrous face was also gone. She looked like a normal human once again.

Puck did not stop though, his paws moved toward Elsa position and icicles kept appearing from empty air, raining down on his target path.

Aaron couldn't help but be impressed. There were so many shards of ice, their spawn time was amazingly fast. In a way, it reminded the blond armored man of Gilgamesh's Gate of Babylon or EMIYA's Rain of Swords.

In the anime he never saw how powerful Puck was. Even in the novel it was rare to see him use his full power except when Emilia had died and he turned into his monster form. Even then, he only crushed the Archbishop of Sin–one of the most dangerous criminal in this World–almost like a kid kick a sand castle. This was way more spectacular.

'Well, if I compare it with the Nasuverse, Puck should be on even level with a Divine Beast.'

It was the highest rank a magical beast could attain. One that have even higher Magic Resistance than Saber who could tank spells from Age of Gods Magus. Aaron wouldn't be surprised if Puck was that strong. If not, Puck could at least be considered a Phantasmal Beast–which still was bad news in his opinion.

Elsa approached swiftly, zig-zagging on the floor, she hopped on the wall as if denying gravity, spun around, and ducked down to the floor so low that she looked like a crawling spider.

Such skill, such agility. There must have been over two hundred pieces of ice thrown at her, but other than the first attack–that caught her from behind–not even a single one found their mark. Watching the scene in anime and beholding it directly was clearly different. This was the real Elsa Granheirt, the real Bower Hunter at her best without holding back.

Now Aaron felt lucky she was toying with him before, enough that he was able to deliver a direct strike on her person.

'The sun…It is already the afternoon, but I don't think Puck will retreat soon. If we keep going like this we will won but…' noted Aaron as he stare at the sunlight through the hole in the wall.

Moreover Elsa condition was not the best, her left arm seemed to be hanging and barely moving. Aaron could have believed it to be useless if he had not seen it trembling slightly.

"Very agile and flexible, as expected from a vampire," commented Puck still launching the shards of ice.

"Praised by a spirit of your caliber, you are going to make me blush." Elsa chuckled while parrying the few icicles coming close to hitting her. "But if this is all you can do then I will kill you!"

And Aaron believed her. Despite the odd standing against her he had no doubt that Elsa could deliver another blow. He remembered that her healing ability was superb, to the point that she could still regenerate after being sliced in two. Heck she survived a point blank attack from Reinhard in canon!

Right now, time was not on their side. The longer the fight lasted, the better Elsa's condition would become.

'It seems I need to rejoin the fight,' thought Aaron as he raised Excalibur and prepared to dash over Elsa.

"On the contrary, I don't think you will kill anyone today."

Every people in the room paused when the new voice enter the fray. Puck who was launching ice shards, Elsa who was standing on top of an ice block and Aaron who already made one step forward. They all stopped moving. They turned to the entrance where the new voice came from and saw a certain red haired knight who was standing there with a smile.

"Checkmate," muttered Aaron with a grin as he stared at Reinhard.

"When I heard a girl screaming for help about the Bowel Hunter attacking her friends, I actually expected the worst," spoke Reinhard as he stepped inside the ruined warehouse.

"However I did not expect that the one needing help would be the killer herself. This is clearly a surprise." He chuckled, staring at Elsa's bloody lip, forehead and left arm. He then shifted his gaze toward Aaron and Emilia and smiled at them in a praising manner.

"Reinhard van Astrea."

Elsa beatific face turned into a frown. Any other day she would be delighted to see him or even to cross sword with him. But right now? In her current condition? No, this would end badly. And as much as she loved fighting, she valued her life a lot more.

Things were not looking good for her.

"Is it alright if I take over from here, Emilia-sama, Aaron, Puck-sama?" asked Reinhard as he glanced at the trio.

"Why not?" Puck shrugged as he dismissed all the icicles still in the air. "It mean I don't need to work."

"I don't mind either" agreed Emilia.

"Same here." Aaron nodded, he already fought enough in his opinion.

He felt very satisfied with this result actually, everything went smoothly–despite almost dying several times of course.

Is this how Subaru felt when he returned from death and shocked all his enemies thanks to his knowledge of the future? If yes, then it was very, very satisfying!

Reinhard smiled at them and gave a nod before turning to Elsa, "I suggest you surrender now."

Taking another step forward, "You're completely surrounded and also injured."

"Yes, things are obviously not looking good for me," agreed Elsa with a chuckle while holding her injured arm.

She looked very calm for someone cornered, "Boy, what's your name?" she asked looking at Aaron.

The blond knight quirked his eyebrows, "I fail to see why I should give my name to a dead woman."

"How rude of you to treat a lady like that." Elsa wrinkled her nose in disapproval. "You won't graduate into knighthood if you keep that behavior."

"I don't want to hear that from someone who enjoy the color of someone's intestine splattered on the ground while smiling and orgasming," replied Aaron dully. "That is a very unladylike behavior, so stop referring yourself as one."

"Touché," said Elsa with a smirk. "Well, then I will retreat. However know that this is not the last time you will see me, Aaron."

"You aren't going anywhere," interrupted Reinhard in a serious voice as he took a step forward.

"I won't be so sure…" purred Elsa as she pulled out something from her pocket and showed it to them.

"If you try to catch me, this will be destroyed."

It was an insignia… Not just a normal one but the Royal Insignia belonging to Emilia.

"That's!" Emilia let out a small gasp, instantly recognizing the badge.

"Without this you won't be considered a Royal Candidate little girl." Elsa smirk turned into a full grin.

"If you let me go I will return this. So, how about it?"

Reinhard and Aaron glared at the vampire, the former gentle look turned to anger while the latter was beyond rage.

He had her! He had her just where he wanted! They could kill her now, preventing her from coming in the future and becoming a troublesome enemy! She would be in Arc Four or Five after all!

And now she pulled this kind of shit?!

'This shouldn't have happened in the first place now that I think about it. If I remember Elsa goes to meet Felt in the afternoon! So why did she come early? What changed? Could it be I caused some anomaly? Reinhard appearance is also a bit later than it should have been.'

He must have made some kind of error. His original plan was actually to wait for Elsa to come and strike her down. However he didn't expect the killer to be there already when he arrived in the warehouse.

'Wait…In the first two loops Felt arrived in the afternoon because she was still trying to escape from Emilia. But here, she didn't have to since I accompanied Emilia around and… Could it be because of that?! Because she was early she decided to call Elsa earlier too?'

Well that was kind of shitty! God damn it! It was just a small mistake but it changed the result of this encounter! It was supposed to end with her dead or apprehended by Reinhard!

Damn it!

"How about it little lady?" asked Elsa to the silver half-elf. "What do you say?"

"I…I…" Emilia looked very troubled, it was clear she didn't want the woman to escape.

However the destruction of her insignia would cause too much trouble. People were already looking down on her due her being a half-elf. If they found out about the loss of her insignia, it would be one more reason to label her as an 'improper' King. Her chance to be crowned would be close to zero.

"Go," ordered Aaron, face solemn and filled with anger barely restrained. "Leave and drop the insignia."

"Aaron!" protested Emilia.

"Emilia-dono, you're a kind lady and despite lacking common sense you have the right heart to be King," commented Aaron. "You're what this country needs and it would be a shame to lose you because of this small occurrence."

Emilia bit her bottom lip and look even more conflicted. Her eyes showed that she clearly opposed this and yet she couldn't find her voice to say it aloud.

"Go, leave the insignia," repeated Aaron.

Hearing this, a satisfied look appeared on Elsa's face, "I knew you would see it my way."

"Well, at least from now on people will know that the infamous Bowel Hunter got chased away by a knight-in-training, some old giant and a little brat."

Elsa's eyes twitched in irritation and throw a glare at Aaron who was looking very smug. Reinhard smiled in amusement while Puck let out a snicker. Emilia seemed torn between amused and worried that Aaron kept provoking the serial killer.

"What? The story is written by the victors, and obviously we are the winners here," said Aaron when he noticed the vampire's glare.

"You bring shame to every knights with that way of thinking," said Elsa with an exasperated sight.

Seriously, this man would be better if he became a villain. He certainly had a good mindset for it.

"Still in training," replied Aaron in a smug and cheerful manner.

Briefly, he wondered about his sanity. They were just about to kill each other and yet… Right now he was bantering with her like they were old friends.

It was his own way of saying "Fuck You" to her, at least she didn't entirely get what she wanted. Let this be a lesson that showed he could be that petty.

Deciding she had joked enough, Elsa slowly put the insignia on the ground, her eyes remaining locked on the group. She then rose but not before placing her foot on top of the badge, ready to crush it if they made any movement toward her.

Her eyes shifted to one person of the group, one who obviously was the most inexperienced and yet managed to deal her more damage than anyone in years–ever since she became an assassin really. Her calm face was slowly replaced by a smiling one, yet this time it didn't look kind or gentle. Quite the opposite in fact.

It was filled with a sinister intent, a smile promising pain in the future.

"Next time… It will be different, boy," she said to the blond armored man. Her purple colored eyes shifted to crimson red glowing with ominous light.

In response to the threat, Aaron narrowed his eyes back and called the mana inside him. It burst out creating green electrical-like energy that cracked with power around him. The sudden outburst prompted Emilia to stumble away in surprise–even Puck who was hovering in the air showed a surprised face.

'The amount of mana I sense from him…' Puck appraised the blond in a new light. 'He is not an ordinary knight in training…'

"This is my line, old lady," responded Aaron in a cold way.

Elsa sinister smile turned into a grind, seeming happy that her prey chose to respond in such a way.

"Keep yourself safe boy, because you are mine."

She then rose her left arm that hung from her shoulder, showing an ugly scar. Ugly was too light a word though, it was safer to say that the injured arm looked deformed, grinded by something tough and unclean.

"My name is Elsa Granheirt, I will repay you for this scar you gave me, mark my words."

Then before the boy could retort, she jumped back, spinning in the air and run as fast as possible. It was a wise decision in Aaron's opinion, considering there was a chance they would chase after her. He would have if he had better control of his powers and was not wounded. For now, chasing her by himself would be suicidal.

"Well…" Reinhard broke the silence, clearing his throat. "That went pretty smoothly."

"No, it didn't." Aaron let out a sigh of disappointment and held his forehead.

"She managed to escape, this is clearly not smooth." He was really annoyed right now, this clearly soured his victory. "And it annoys me that it was my decision that allowed her to escape, I apologize for that Reinhard."

"No." The red haired man shook his head. "You did the right thing, I would have done the same choice if I were in your position."

"That doesn't change the fact that I just let an infamous and dangerous killer get away," replied Aaron while clicking his tongue in annoyance.

"Aaron, it's not your fault!" spoke Emilia with a strong voice. "It's mine! If only I didn't get my badge stolen, this–"

"Are you the one who let her get away?" cut Aaron with a quirked eyebrow.

"No, but it's my decision! If I had agreed to have my badge destroyed then…"

"I'm the one who pressured you to let her go Emilia-dono. Had I not, I'm sure you would have decided to capture her."

"You don't know that!"

"I know enough, we only met for a short time but I can tell you're a very passionate and kind person. You wouldn't have let her go and would have sacrificed yourself in the end."

"In my opinion." Reinhard step forward between the arguing do." Rather than trying to decide who's at fault, I think it would be better to be grateful that no one died. The Bowel Hunter usually leave someone dead whenever she strike, but we have no casualty here right?"

Hearing that, Emilia seemed relieved and accepting of the situation. Reinhard was right, rather than arguing about who was to blame, it would be better to focus on the present.

Aaron merely gave a stoic look to the red haired knight. It was a positive answer, a good one, but that didn't change the fact that they just let go a serial killer who had a high possibility of killing someone else tomorrow, maybe a whole family.

It was not something you could easily shrug off like that.

Well, it didn't really matter though, as long as it wasn't related to him in any way. Moreover Emilia stopped blaming herself so it was fine.

"I guess you're right in a way," agreed Emilia.

"Hn." simply grunted Aaron.

"Well, as things have already calmed down. I guess I might as well go back," commented Puck staring at the setting sun. "It's almost five in the afternoon."

"Thank you for the assistance Puck!" said Emilia gratefully.

"No problem!"

With that the cat spirit slowly became translucent and disappeared in motes of blue lights, leaving Emilia, Aaron, Reinhard and Felt who was looking from afar.

"You are…" began Emilia noticing the thief presence who flinched at being caught.

"H-Hi?" she greeted awkwardly waving her hand.

The glare Emilia sent her, undoubtedly told the blond thief that she made a very poor choice of words.

"You stole my insignia."

"I-I's hired! T-That crazy lady hired me to steal your insignia! But she attacked us at the moment of paying! I'm a victim too!"

"But unlike Emilia-dono you are a victim of your own mistake," butted in Aaron with a dry voice.

"You're working in the slum, you should know there is always a risk when dealing with the people around here."

The thief squirmed under the knight' stern gaze, not knowing how to respond to that line.

"Aaron, I think that was too harsh," said Emilia seeing Felt showing genuine regret. "I mean, sure she stole my insignia, but I think she regret it."

'Of course she do! She almost got killed! I would smack her on the head if she didn't feel any regret.' Aaron deadpanned in his mind.

He shook his head and sighed, "Well, I guess I can understand her situation. She doesn't live in a good environment and don't have many options. But what I was trying to say is, do not try to make excuses girl. When you are at fault, regret it and apologize. Understood?"

His words were still quite harsh but everyone could hear his voice softening, going from a chiding to a lecture.

"Yes." Felt bowed her head in acceptance. "I'm sorry I stole your insignia Onee-chan."

In response Emilia, smiled benevolently, "As long as you learn your lesson, then it's fine."

Felt only looked down and refused to meet the silver haired girl's eyes. Then her head snapped up as something crossed her mind.

"Wait! Old man Rom!"

"He's fine." Aaron was the one who answered, stepping aside to show the unconscious old man. "Emilia-dono has healed his injury."

"Uh-huh," nodded Emilia in a kind and reassuring manner. "I already healed his fatal injury, however he still need to rest a few days."

The wound was not fatal thankfully, it only caused him to bleed a lot. It seems the Bowel Hunter loved to see her prey die in a slow and agonizing way. That's probably why she avoided to kill him in instant.

Felt could feel her eyes starting to become wet as she saw the giant unconscious form. Almost an hour ago he was bleeding so much, and his usual warm body felt so cold. There was so much blood coming out of him. He was very close to death, she remembered when he was gurgling in his own blood and about to die. The thought of the old man dying instilled terror in her heart.

She knew he was old, he obviously looked like one and he did not even deny it. However she firmly believed that Rom was strong. For all his old appearance it was clear there was a fire burning in that old soul.

So it was very shocking to see him dying like that…

"Old man Rom..." she choked out as she grasped the giant hand gently, tears dripping from her eyes. They were the result of a mixture between sadness and happiness.

Reinhard, Emilia and Aaron watched the scene each one with their own feeling. The first two found it very touching and joyful, especially Emilia since she did not remember her own parent. When Puck unfroze her she did not remember anything except her name. It was kind of saddening to not know who you were.

She had created a bond with Puck though, and even if he was not her real parent, Emilia was happy to have him in her life. And this, this scene that she was currently seeing. It was a proof. It was similar. Felt was not a giant, she was only human, and yet she loved Rom so much. The old giant also clearly felt the same thing for her.

It was heartwarming to watch people not related by blood and from different species love each other like family members.

Meanwhile Aaron didn't know how to react to what was happening in front of him. When he watched Felt and Rom's death in the anime he barely felt anything other than shock and surprise. They were only fictional characters after all, so it was no use crying over them.

However seeing the real deal stand in front of him like this…

It made the man realize that he was now part of this World. This fictional place… And it brought a pang to his heart as he knew it would be a very long time before he could see his real family again. Re:Zero was not an anime showing joy and happiness.

No…It…What it was about…

Was tragedy.

He turned away from the scene and stared at the stars that slowly were becoming visible, the sun starting to set down and the moon replacing its place in the sky.

His mind wandered to what he just went through and he couldn't help but feel nervous and afraid recalling what he just did.

'Shit, shit, shit, shit, shit! I just provoked a crazy serial killer! By the Gods! What have I done?!'

He was pretty much panicking as he remembered his conversation with Elsa. He was very tempted to smash his head into a building to punish himself for acting this foolishly. He wanted to be subtle damnit! In what provoking a dangerous criminal was subtle? Gaaaah! Maybe his head was damaged from the beating Elsa gave him.

His panic slowly died down and turned to dread as he remembered just how many times he almost died today. Each attack Elsa managed to land on him were supposed to be instant kills. The only thing that saved him was his magical armor. Without it he would have really died in their first exchange.

'I'm….Weak…'

He had superior strength and speed. He was sure he was stronger and faster than Elsa since he could dodge her attack or block them even when she transformed. However the problem was laying in his skill. The vampire was right, he was only average at best.

He panicked easily and wasted too much energy, making himself open. He only dared to attack her openly once. Beside that he only defended, proof of his inferiority.

He only managed to land two solid strikes, and both of them were surprise attacks. The last one landed because she underestimated him. She knew he was unskilled since after their first exchange.

Re:Zero was an anime that related a story about tragedy. Just thinking about that made him clench his fists.

'Well, there's no way I am going to make this story become a tragedy! Not when I'm the one who stand in the middle of it! I have no intention to make it one!'

He survived on his first try against a superior enemy. Elsa Granhiert was someone who should not be messed with, one of the worst criminal and yet he did not just survived but sent her back with her tail between her…Butt? Legs? Bah, it was the same in his mind.

He could do this…Yes…He could…

But he needed to be careful from now on… Knowing things didn't always make him the winner after all.

"Aaron?"

The blond haired man turned, hearing a familiar gentle voice calling him.

"Yes? Emilia-dono?" he asked.

"You're injured." Emilia pointed to his bloody cheek. "Let me heal you."

Aaron only stared at her for a second before he tilted his head, giving a gesture of acceptance. The half-elf smiled and rose both of her palms.

"Are you sure you can heal me?" he asked. "I mean, you just healed that giant and also supported Puck when he faced Elsa."

"I never faced her directly, so I'm fine," responded Emilia. "True I'm a bit tired, but I will manage."

Aaron did not make any attempt to dissuade her anymore and only kept silent. At least he was being polite enough. He needed to make an impression on her, since Puck did not trust him it meant he had to work on his relation with her.

'Well... At least I managed to do better than Subaru... Though for some reason I feels like I am going to make things more complicated in the future but for now... I guess this is victory, albeit not one that I hoped for.'