(Lol, I just realized just how misleading the title’s chapter is, don’t worry I’m not leaving anytime soon dear readers~)

 

For now (in order to speed things up), I’ll end this arc in these last couple of chapters starting with Arthur’s fight with Jack. The rest of the Knights’ fights don’t seem all that necessary in my opinion so this is how it is for now. I might make the chapters for each fight later on as an Omake but it seems unlikely… I’ll see…

 

~~~~

 

The sounds of clacking shoes were the only sounds that I could hear. Soon I would find my target and truly start my revenge…

 

Click- Clack-

 

‘...’

 

I’ve been basically dreaming for this moment to happen, yet, when I’m at my goal, my mind goes blank. How funny, the closer I get, the less I know.

 

‘...’

 

How should I kill her? Painfully? Quickly? 

 

…I don’t know…

 

Why do I even-

 

I shook my head. It doesn’t matter if I disapprove of my own actions up until this point, I’ve gone too far to give up at this point. I don’t deserve to.

 

Arthur had been silent all this time, his stone-cold facade still going strong.

 

If only those stupid Knightly traditions faded with time, would he have been able to do something rather than letting his friends die? But traditions aren’t something that is easily dying and if he said that he would interfere with their fights it would be demeaning to the efforts they put into protecting their cherished home.

 

I understand… to a point.

 

If most of your life had been for protecting and defending something yet there was a force that you are unable to get rid of… it would be humiliating.

 

…

 

I wonder… Had the Knights only been looking for a place to die with pride? Perhaps they wanted to sacrifice themselves to be relieved of their duties…

 

Some maybe… others maybe not so much…

 

…

 

I should give these thoughts another day to think about. I need to focus.

 

My thinking came to an end and my sight which was merely images before now came as actual reality.  The dark steps of the stairs were coming to an end…

 

Click- Clack-

 

Our footsteps overlapped, in sync. The end of the road was near.

 

“Ugh…”

 

Bright white light that reminded me of the facility entered my eyes.

 

“Welllcome, one and all!!!”

 

An annoying voice entered my ears. The type of voice that was expected from an announcer.

 

‘Where is this coming from?’

 

The loud voice was disorienting.

 

My eyes quickly adapted to the light and soon I found myself in a small arena.

 

“The finale, the end, what else is there to say!?”

 

“This is the final fight, the fight between the legendary King Arthur and the wicked Jack the Ripperrrr…!!!”

 

Boosh-!

 

Small fireworks and a cheer sound went off. Jack came from the other side, bowing toward the empty seats of the audience.

 

The stage was quiet without the loud disruptions and I got a good look at Jack. 

 

His face was back to normal, one that didn't make me think if I was questioning if I was dreaming or not.

 

“How did you like it? A grand introduction befitting a final boss, no?” Jack asked.

 

I couldn’t tell if he was asking us both or just Arthur.

 

“You. You don’t belong here, this is our fight, you have no place, your place is elsewhere. Go, she’s waiting…”

 

Jack stared at me, clearly trying to get rid of me for his ‘finale’... But Virus was waiting, huh?

 

I looked at Arthur but he only gave me a glance and a nod.

 

‘I guess this is where we depart, Arthur.’

 

I walked to one of the sides of the arena that led me into some sort of dark room…

 

…

 

‘Disgusting…’

 

There was a corpse here. I didn’t feel disgust from the corpse, rather at the man that was fighting Arthur. The corpse was rotting with insects sprawling over it, disrespecting it and pillaging its resting grounds.

 

‘...I’ll deal with this later.’

 

Heading further in, another set of stairs came into view.

 

…

 

‘Hah… Here I come…’

 

*

 

*

 

*

 

Arthur stared down who was once one if not the greatest Knight within his table. Lancelot… No…

 

Arthur shook his head, his proper name was Jack the Ripper, a notorious killer that drowned his country in drugs, weapons and despair.

 

“I will kill you for the sake of my people.”

 

Excalibur pointed at its next foe. The sword pulsed in an extreme emotion. Vengeance. 

 

How many previous leaders died because of Jack’s cunning and plans? More than one could fathom. It was a mystery to Arthur why the cycle had stopped and changed but this was his time to strike and end the misery of the wretched being.

 

“My~ That’s not quite a Knightly expression to make. You should be more like this.” Jack’s face was serious, his facade within the table came out. “Hahaha!”

 

“Stop stalling and fight, Jack the Ripper. I, Arthur Pendragon XXV shall slay you!” His face was filled with wrath.

 

Various clues had led him to believe that the man in front of him killed his father and the father before him… Just how many ‘Kings’ died because of this man?

 

“HAHAHA!!! YES!!! YEEESSSS!!! COME MY FINALE, MY GOD SHALL SEE MY GLORY ONCE MORE!!!”

 

His face was red and euphoric, heavy breathing and erratic eye twitches, the man had lost his mind to the impending fight.

 

Arthur’s jaw squeezed shut and rushed at Jack.

 

Clang-!

 

But even while lost in his euphoria, Jack still had enough power to repel Arthur’s heavy strike. Unrelenting, Arthur aimed with his ‘godly’ eyes at Jack, looking for any weaknesses made or spotted.

 

“Oh Arthur~ How many Kings do you think I’ve slain? How many tricks, plans, and exploits I’ve spoiled? You are nothing in the might of me! Jack the Ripper!”

 

Clang-!

 

Jack’s sword pressed onto Excalibur, its weight pushing Arthur towards the ground. Shifting his center of gravity, Arthur narrowly escaped the tight predicament.

 

‘...I’ve always been called a prodigy… but what is this…? This… gap…?’

 

It was as if a chasm had appeared between Jack and Arthur and he himself knew the disparity between them.

 

Not only that, but with hundreds’ of years worth of experience along with the sword style personally made by the original Lancealot… Could he even win…? Arthur’s eyes widened at the new conclusion he reached.

 

“Do you feel it? The overwhelming difference between the two of us? You’re nothing but a mere speck in my eyes.” Jack’s blushed face had a smile that seemed to reach his earlobes, taunting the King of England.

 

“Even if that may be… I have no other choice, the entirety of the United Kingdom rides on my shoulders. I will not allow your tyrannical and despair-inducing reign to last any longer!” 

 

Arthur held Excalibur and prepared for an attack.

 

Jack wildly swung his sword at Arthur, not allowing his move to be completed.

 

“I may be a clown but I am no fool. Understand this Arthur, I am the unforgiving plague, I am the curse that no one can rid of. The United Kingdom is my gods! No one else owns it whatsoever!!!”

 

Jack yelled delusional words, swinging his sword in unpredictable ways that contradicted his former style of fighting. That one of a noble and proud Knight into a disgraceful one.

 

‘As expected…’

 

Arthur just reaffirmed his beliefs on Jack. A crazy man with nothing inside his head except for ‘God’. He wouldn’t have thought the infamous murderer was a cult fanatic before he met him. But all respect – which was none – into the trash and plummeted into the ground.

 

“What are you thinking about?”

 

“!?”

 

Jack’s face which was somewhat far before was now just an inch away from him.

 

“Are you mocking me? Not even concentrating on your own fight? Did I overestimate you? I thought I had trained you enough to be somewhat of an opponent against me…”

 

Staring deep into Jack’s eyes, Arthur found unfathomable eeriness within them.

 

“So you use me as your plaything, if anything is that not more disrespectful to me?”

 

Arthur was losing the power struggle. The metal sliding off each other made loud screeching noises that would have made normal people cringe in uncomfortableness.

 

Backstep, parry, thrust, slash…

 

Slash, parry, backstep, slash, counter, stab, parry…

 

Each move was well thought out and coordinated. Arthur made the perfect decisions but not even perfection could beat experience and time that Jack had accumulated.

 

Clash-!

 

Orange sparks flew in the air, dissipating into the atmosphere.

 

Everything felt like it was on fire for Arthur, his body was warm… no… ‘hot’. His eyes were burning from overuse and the precise movements needed.

 

His so-called ‘perfect’ moves were starting to falter.

 

‘I haven't trained for over usage…’

 

Arthur could only curse for not thinking of this sooner. It had already been over half an hour since the battle first began and the seconds seemed to stretch into infinity.

 

Although he had been interrupted the first time, Arthur had already thrown and used a multitude of his various sword skills at Jack but the results were nil.

 

Every skill was either dodged, blocked, grazed or completely ignored.

 

Of course that didn’t mean his attacks had no effect, his surroundings were proof of that. The arena was in shambles, the spectator seats were ruined beyond repair.

 

Even though Arthur had no injuries and seemed to be on the higher ground due to that, he couldn’t help but think he was the one being hunted not the other way around.

 

Jack’s body was riddled with small bleeding wounds, his recent ‘addition’ was on his cheek. He wore an ever-present smile and blush.

 

“Is it my turn now?”

 

In this deadly cat and mouse game, Jack merely entertained Arthur in this past half-hour. 

 

Arthur already knew this, there was no other way Jack would have been able to dodge his numerous skills with such ease unless he had already faced the skills multiple times in the past already.

 

Not only that, but the strange mist helped Jack’s goals by concealing his location which at times made his moves to miss completely.

 

“How many Kings have you killed?”

 

Clash-!

 

Their swords collated once more.

 

“Kings? Oh, you mean those pitiful men who had no other purpose but to be a prisoner to their own country?”

 

Arthur’s grip on his sword tightened.

 

“Why fret over such useless topics? They were merely entertainment as you are now to me, and so will the future generations of ‘Kings’... Oh, though if I do kill you now you’ll be the last generation…”

 

Jack had all the time in the world. Why not take his time playing with his favorite toy when he was simply that much more experienced then the whelp in front of him?

 

‘...I need to make something new…’

 

Based on his own judgment, Arthur knew that previous Kings had all died in the hands of the man in front of him. That meant that every move recorded within the King's swordsmanship was of almost no use as he had faced a plethora of times before himself.

 

Now on the defending side and being almost used like a puppet, Arthur had less time to make another move.

 

Clash-!

 

Clang-!

 

His eyes could almost predict where Jack’s next move would be, yet with his body overloading and brain heating up, he could do nothing as his strength started falling.

 

“Is that all? My… To say I’m disappointed would be an understatement.”

 

Jack’s own blush started recessing.

 

Arthur felt as if his blood was boiling up, the extreme consequences for the overdrawn usage of his eyes and perfect movements.

 

It… was strange. Deep inside himself, Arthur could tell that his own hope of winning this battle was dying out, like a fire being extinguished. But on the other hand, another hope, one filled with his memories of his fellow Knights and the country he so desperately wished to keep safe filled him with a warm feeling.

 

It was different from his overused body that was inevitably slowly crumbling apart, piece by piece.

 

But no time left. He couldn’t harness this newfound strength.

 

“Hah…”

 

Jack was slowly walking to him. It seemed almost inevitable that he would die by his hands, since all past Kings had died this same exact way in some form or another, was it simply a curse that would drag him down to Hell?

 

Click- Clack-

 

Arthur's eyes brightened. Jack didn't hear it, it was simply to faint for him no matter how long he had been living for, a special privilege for the King, so to say.

 

“...It seems my luck hasn't ran out yet…”

 

Arthur muttered under his exhausted breath.

 

“Now what might you be rambling on about?”

 

Perhaps Jack had realized that this would be the final hit if landed, his blush came back like he was going to relish in his death.

 

“That.”

 

A knife soared through the air and Jack stopped his overhead swing and made more distance between his new assailant.

 

“You… HOW DARE YOU INTERRUPT OUR FIGHT!?” Jack's enraged voice rippled throughout the arena.

 

“...It's already been an hour, Arthur…” He said. Arthur couldn't help but notice that the ‘strings’ loosened even more… "What is taking you so long?”

 

Takahiro walked at a brisk pace to take out the knife stuck in the stone wall.

 

“...Takahiro, your ‘strings’ have unraveled.”

 

‘...He noticed even that…’

 

Takahiro 

 

“Have you gotten stronger?” Arthur asked Takahiro.

 

The knife traveled faster than anything Arthur had seen Takahiro do.

 

“...No… You could say it’s been more like I had been holding back instead…”

 

‘So he was originally this strong?’ Arthur thought. He originally came to the conclusion that Takahiro was simply that talented but if he was holding back it would make more logical sense.

 

“...Even though I came guns blazing, I still am tired from fighting Virus, I hope you have a solution to our problem, Arthur?”

 

Takahiro turned his head and at the heavily sweating Arthur.

 

“...Give me… ten- no, five minutes.”

 

He said, determined to complete his task at the very leasts.

 

“Five minutes…” Takahiro’s eyes squinted for a second before turning and facing the unstable Jack in front of him. “Got it, you better be ready by then Arthur.”

 

“Of course, when have I ever broken a promise? My pride and reputation as a King wouldn’t allow such disgrace.”

 

*

 

*

 

*

 

My body hurts.

 

‘That woman had quite a bit of tricks up her sleeve…’

 

Virus had truly drained me of my own stamina and mental strength…

 

For the first time ever since my body went into a comatose state, my third main ‘Petal’ within the White Daffodil was released.

 

Unlike my other plans, this petal would forever be gone as it is a one time use, unless I seal my memories again which was now unnecessary.

 

It was an experimental fighting style that incorporated everything I had learned then, Combat’s teachings, Stealth’s fundamentals… Everything.

 

It’s been almost six years since then and the fighting style fit me and my strength boosted almost exponentially. It was my trump card against those bastards and I used it…

 

…But there was no satisfaction, no pleasurable euphoria that seemed almost hand-in-hand with these types of stories, just an unknown feeling.

 

An indescribable feeling that was mixed with disgust and an empty void that made my heart grow cold.

 

‘Five minutes…’

 

‘[Flow, Iai]!’

 

My sword came alive as its trajectory was unknown, like the unpredictability of water.

 

Clang-!

 

Jack seemed to have a bit of trouble keeping up with my strength. Yet, when I saw even for a fraction of a moment when he went up against Arthur he was doing better, why?

 

My strength was now comparable to at least a weak Gold rank. 

 

‘That man…’

 

‘No… Don’t think about it for now…’

 

My mind wandered to a scarring moment just a few minutes prior right after my fight with Virus ended.

 

‘My focus needs to be on him!’

 

Two skills ran simultaneously, [Unihemispheric Functionality] and [Flow]. They worked in sync and synergized with each other allowing myself to force my body to go beyond what it was normally allowed to do.

 

Unless I was either to the brink of death, in complete and utter exhaustion, my body would keep moving no matter what.

 

“You… You ruined everything!!! My god… AH! My god…!!!”

 

Jack held his head and pulled on his hair so forcefully that more than a few strands of hair ripped off his scalp.

 

‘...Is his god…?’

 

“I’ll kill you…”

 

Jack’s body trembled, a disgusting sight comparable to a worm or an insect wriggling around.

 

Pssshhh-

 

A white mist, one like a cloud and unfit for a disgusting man like Jack, started spreading across the collapsing arena.

 

I swung my sword lightly more than a few times ‘capturing’ the air around myself and bending it to my own will.

 

‘[Flow, Shatter]!’

 

My knife had already turned into a katana and I thrusted it in front of me.

 

BOOM-!

 

Sharpened winds formed into a pillar and completely dispersed the mist.

 

“No more petty tricks, Jack.”

 

Jack stood stunned at what just happened. I could see wrath overtake his consciousness as he crazily ran to me.

 

I simply stood, time was up. You lose, Jack.

 

“[Arthur’s Legacy]”

 

The move was so well executed that it seemed like Arthur had practiced it many times before. But I knew for a fact that this was his first time doing the move.

 

Jack’s body started falling apart into tiny cubes.

 

‘?’

 

Almost as if the world itself was displeased with even his remains, the tiny cubes of flesh began to turn into ash then dissipated into the atmosphere.

 

‘...What a peaceful ending… for the both of them…’

 

Unknowingly, tears, small drops of water began to come out of my eyes. Yet it was not because of sadness, no. It was simply… liberating?

 

…It was peaceful.

 

“We have to hunt the other Suspects and Victims, Takahiro. Do you still have enough strength to keep fighting?”

 

I looked at Arthur and at my right arm. Even though I didn’t feel the pain now, my arm was without a doubt most likely extremely damaged.

 

“...I can only fight with my left arm… is that fine?”

 

I felt like I would be a hindrance if I went onto this ‘crusade’ with Arthur.

 

“You still have your legs, no?”

 

I gave a wry smirk.

 

“Let's go, we have to save your Knights after all.”

 

~~~~

 

Man I am so bad at writing fighting scenes (at least that’s what I think). I feel likeI repeated too many words…

 

Hm…

 

The Virus Vs Takahiro fight will be out as an Omake / Extra since I want to get this arc done and over with.

 

Next chapter is the end of the War arc.

 

Fun Fact (though it has nothing to do with Yozakura Family): The author of Becoming Professor Moriarty's Probability actually has a Danganronpa Fanfic which I find hilarious.

 

…

 

(Unedited)