Ares stomped the ground hard, shaking the earth, and lightning-fast he lunged toward Arthur and Diana, his swords ready to shred.
Diana instinctively raised her shield—but Arthur… was not so lucky.
"ARTHUR!!!" Diana's desperate scream cut through the air just as the blade pierced Arthur's body with horrifying ease.
"Don't take it personally, kid…" Ares said with unnervingly calm composure as he pulled the bloodied sword out and drove it back in brutally.
With his other blade, he struck Arthur's chest mercilessly, slicing flesh as easily as paper.
Arthur stared down in horror.
His abdomen lay torn open, blood gushing like a profane fountain.
He collapsed backward, coughing up blood, the light of life already fading from his gaze.
The attack had been too swift. Neither his instincts nor his spider-sense had warned him in time.
"RAAAHHH!" Diana roared in pain and fury, launching herself at Ares with desperate ferocity.
Tears streamed down her face. To her, Arthur was already dead—and that hurt her more than the looming defeat.
"Don't grieve, Diana. Soon, you'll join him." Ares murmured coldly.
"HRRAAH!!" She struck again, disregarding his words with murderous instinct.
"Hmph." Ares caught her fist with one hand and flung her like a projectile toward a stack of explosive barrels.
BOOOOMM!!
---
Meanwhile...
Arthur lay on the ground, blood pouring as he clutched his grotesque wound.
(Damn... I'm losing blood too fast... Good thing I saved some senzu beans this time…) he thought, fighting against unconsciousness while fishing in the system menu.
Crack.
Explosions echoed behind him, and Diana's distant screams filled the air. With nearly superhuman effort, Arthur managed to chew the magical bean.
His wounds began healing at an unnatural pace.
"Uff… That was too close…" he murmured, staggering to his feet.
He ate a second bean just to be safe, and as his body returned to normal, he began thinking of how to defeat Ares—just in time to be struck by something flying toward him:
BANG!
It was Diana—wounded, covered in cuts and bruises.
"Arthur...? But how…?" she whispered, stunned.
"It doesn't matter now, Diana. We have a plague to exterminate." Arthur responded coldly, his eyes fixed on the war god now floating toward them.
"I admit, I'm impressed by your resilience... How would you feel about joining me?" Ares offered, interest glinting in his eyes.
Arthur let out a sharp, condescending smile and helped Diana to her feet with a disdainful gesture.
"I'm afraid I must disappoint you… I have no interest in a pathetic cause led by a failed relic." he said, addressing Ares as one would swat a bothersome insect—uncharacteristic of his usual restraint, but his anger clouded caution.
"Then die." Ares charged in fury. But before he could strike, Diana stepped in front of Arthur, shielding him.
Time seemed to slow instantly for Arthur.
(This fool...) Arthur growled inwardly, pulling Diana out of the blade's path.
Without hesitation, he activated a special system card he'd been saving for a much more opportune moment.
(Let's hope it's a useful character…) he thought as he used the Random Character Card.
Time froze entirely.
A downpour of memories hit him like a tidal wave.
His hair turned platinum blonde. His eyes became crimson-red. Scarlet marks appeared across his torso, arms, and back.
Ares hesitated for a moment at Arthur's sudden transformation.
"So you've awakened your divine heritage." murmured the god, taking involuntary steps back with a serious expression.
"Yes…and yet you still dare to bark before me, dog of war?" Arthur snapped, snapping his fingers.
Portals opened around Ares. From them emerged golden chains that snaked around the god's limbs, binding him like a condemned criminal.
"What is this?" Ares demanded, struggling as his godly power couldn't break the chains.
"Arrrgghhh!" he groaned as the chains tightened, wrenching his limbs beyond their limits.
"What are these chains?!" he roared.
Arthur watched with a king's bored gaze as the court jester faltered on his final joke.
"Since you're about to die...I suppose I may as well savor one last glimpse of truth." Arthur said, each word dripping contempt.
"These are the Chains of Heaven: Enkidu. Named for the one who was once my friend."
"Free me from these chains!!" Ares roared.
"Arthur...?" Diana murmured, stunned. Everything had shifted in seconds—one moment they were being tortured by Ares, the next Ares was bound in golden chains.
She could hardly comprehend.
"I must admit, you Amazons got lucky. Too lucky, perhaps. You've secured the help of a demigod capable of imprisoning a god..." Ares spat venom.
Arthur smiled faintly.
"What can I say? I just remembered some very interesting things from my past."
He then turned to Diana.
"Diana... I think it's time for you to fulfill your role."
"Yes, but...I don't have a sword…" she replied, looking at her empty hands.
Arthur snapped his fingers again. A portal opened above his hand, releasing a magnificent sword with an ethereal green glow.
"Here. It's yours now." he said, casually handing over the blade.
"This sword…?" Diana asked, staring at the weapon.
"It's called Durandal. Honestly, it'll look far better in your hands than it ever did in mine." Arthur said with calm assurance.
Diana stepped toward Ares, Durandal in hand.
"I am Diana of Themyscira…"
"And I am finally fulfilling my duty…" She then plunged the sword into Ares's chest.
Ares felt the blade pierce his heart.
As he lost consciousness, Ares glared at Arthur and Diana in fury, swearing to make them pay one day.
As he looked at them, his body turned to ash and was carried away by the wind.
Diana smiled, relieved to have fulfilled her duty. Her heart eased and her eyes shone. She turned and found Arthur watching her with a smile. Without thought, she ran into his arms and pressed him in a passionate kiss. Her arms wound around his neck, pulling him in.
Arthur responded immediately, holding her tightly as if the world no longer mattered.
But then… the world stopped.
Literally.
Sound ceased. Wind froze mid-air. Everything—absolutely everything—stopped.
All except Arthur.
His eyes widened as he realized Diana wasn't blinking. Her breath had frozen mid-sigh. He scanned the scene around him, instinctively on guard.
Then two figures appeared before him, like they'd leapt straight out of a cartoon into reality.
The first was a short man, barely five-foot tall, with wild white hair timing like a mad scientist's. His face resembled a mischievous gnome who'd just pulled a prank. He wore gaudy purple-and-orange clothes, and a hat floated above his head as if defying physics. His expression was pure annoyance.
"But that's not fair!" he shouted, gesturing like an angry magician in a failing circus.
Beside him, another tiny figure laughed uncontrollably. This one was even stranger: a miniature boy in a Batman costume—except instead of a bat symbol, he sported a black lightning bolt on his chest. His eyes glowed with childlike delight.
"You lost, Mxy!" he shouted, cackling like a kid offered a gigantic lollipop.
"Lost! A bet is a bet, and you know it!"
"Oh, shut up, Bat-Mite!" snarled the first.
"I told you he wouldn't do it! That he wouldn't break this world's narrative rules!" He crossed his arms and pouted his cheeks. "But no! He had to gain a new power and defeat Ares! Do you know how long I spent making that idiot stronger?!" he roared.
"Get stronger!? So you were still cheating!?" Mini-Batman shouted back.
Arthur blinked, frowning, pointing at the two, still trying to process everything.
"…Who the hell are you?"
The two stared at each other. Silence. Then, simultaneously, they took a step back, eyes wide.
"Wait…" Mister Mxyzptlk said, tilting his head. "He's moving?!"
"He's talking, Mxy! T-A-L-K-I-N-G! Even with us controlling reality!" Bat-Mite yelled, jumping with joy like a fan meeting their hero.
"But that's impossible!" exclaimed Mxyzptlk, spinning upside-down midair.
"Not even Superman can do that without a special writer's note!"
They began circling Arthur, scrutinizing him like a rare insect.
"Maybe he's too special for this universe…" whispered Bat-Mite. "Or maybe… he has potential."
"Potential? Pfft! He's not even a DC character—he's from another universe!" Mxyzptlk retorted, still sulking.
But then the mischievous gnome grinned wickedly.
"Wait. I have an idea…"
He whispered something into Bat-Mite's pointed ear. Bat-Mite's eyes lit up with childlike enthusiasm.
"Really?! That? Oh, this is gonna be so fun!"
Before Arthur could react, the two raised their hands. Chaotic energy swirled around them, warping space–time itself.
"Wait, what are you doing?!" Arthur asked, stepping back.
"Just a little narrative adjustment, hero!" Bat-Mite winked.
"Goodbye forever, boy from another universe!" yelled Mxyzptlk in a theatrical flourish.
In the blink of an eye, Arthur was enveloped by a burst of light. His body went limp, eyes closed, and he fell unconscious. Time outside remained frozen.
Then... he disappeared.
Only Diana remained, lips still touching the space where Arthur once stood—frozen in a moment that should never have been interrupted.
Moments later, time resumed. To Diana's horror and despair, Arthur was gone.
The world seemed paused again, everything around her destroyed. After a moment of stunned stillness, Diana thought of something and touched the necklace around her neck.
Realizing it was intact, her eyes turned red; thankfully, he was safe.
Arthur had explained that this necklace held a special power—it could show if the necklace's partner was still alive.
She dropped gently to the ground, gazing up at the starry sky above.
"We will meet again, Arthur… I know we will…"
---
Some days later, back in Themyscira…
Diana informed Hippolyta of the news: she had defeated Ares, but Arthur had vanished.
Hippolyta was surprised—but then, as if remembering something, she retrieved a small box and handed it to Diana.
She said it was something Arthur had left with her to give Diana if he never returned.
Diana opened the box slowly. Inside lay a ring and a small note that read:
For the beautiful Diana Prince.
---
(End of Chapter)
"Hmph. If you really want to be useful, then entertain me, try to throw those pathetic power stones at me. Let's see if even your insolence can amuse a king."