All the royal candidates and knights watched the arena with interest in their eyes.
Only Emilia looked visibly tense.
"Don't worry, big sis. Big bro's gonna teach that knight a lesson," Felt declared with a cheeky grin, leaning forward excitedly.
Emilia forced a nervous smile.
"I just hope neither of them gets hurt too badly…"
"Oh my." Anastasia Hoshin covered her mouth with a playful smile. "You really believe your servant can hurt Julius? Don't worry. After he gets beaten up, I'll generously cover the medical expenses."
Despite her teasing tone, Anastasia's sharp eyes carefully observed Emilia's reaction.
Before Emilia could answer—
"What did ya say?!" Felt snapped immediately. "When that stuck-up knight gets beaten up, I'll tell Reinhard to cover his medical bills instead! You hear me?!"
Anastasia laughed lightly.
"What an uncouth bunch," Priscilla Barielle said coldly, hiding her mouth behind a crimson fan. "Remain silent and allow me to enjoy this spectacle."
Her crimson eyes narrowed slightly as they followed Subaru.
'Natsuki Subaru… was it? Let me see whether you are merely a man of cheap tricks… or something truly interesting.'
Nearby, Crusch Karsten calmly crossed her arms.
"Do not worry, Emilia-san. Wilhelm-dono evaluated your knight rather highly." Her sharp gaze remained fixed on the arena. "At the very least, he will not fall easily. He may even win."
The atmosphere changed instantly.
The Sword Demon's praise was not something given lightly. The other candidates began watching with sharper eyes.
But the majority of the spectators still laughed amongst themselves.
To them, this was merely a reckless brat about to learn his place.
Across the arena, Julius calmly rested one hand upon his sword.
'He has courage,' Julius admitted inwardly. 'And perhaps the qualities to become a respectable knight someday.'
His gaze hardened slightly.
'But he is far too reckless. I only hope he can forgive me for what I am about to do.'
Meanwhile—
'Man, I seriously don't wanna fight…'
Subaru tightened his grip around the practice sword.
'I really got baited that easily…'
His eyes drifted toward Emilia. She looked genuinely worried.
'Great. EMT became EMW. Emilia-tan maji worried…'
Subaru inhaled deeply and charged forward with a battle cry. The arena erupted into cheers. Subaru swung first.
Julius moved smoothly and blocked.
CLANG.
Their swords collided—
—and Subaru immediately realized the difference between them.
Julius's stance didn't budge even slightly. The knight's sword twisted elegantly.
Subaru's balance broke instantly.
WHAM!
The wooden blade slammed into Subaru's ribs hard enough to send him skidding across the arena floor.
Gasps echoed through the audience.
Subaru groaned painfully as dust scattered around him.
"That looked painful…"
"He has no technique."
Subaru clicked his tongue and pushed himself back up.
Then rushed forward again. This time he aimed lower. Julius stepped aside effortlessly.
Another deflection followed by brutal impact.
THUD.
Subaru crashed onto his back.
The candidates watched silently now.
Even Felt's grin had faded slightly.
"Why is big bro playing? He should have transformed from the beginning." she facepalmed.
Every movement Subaru made was being read perfectly. Julius wasn't overwhelming him with strength. He was dismantling him with pure skill.
Subaru attacked again stubbornly. Julius countered flawlessly.
The gap between amateur and master became painfully obvious to everyone watching.
Eventually Subaru staggered back to his feet once more, breathing heavily.
Bruises covered his body. His arms trembled from the repeated impacts.
"Oh?" Julius tilted his head slightly. "You got back up?"
His voice remained perfectly calm.
"You are more tenacious than I expected."
'Seems Wilhelm-san was right…' Subaru thought as he painfully pushed himself upright once again. 'I seriously need more real combat experience. People in this world are monsters.'
His ribs throbbed with pain. His arms felt numb from repeatedly blocking Julius's strikes.
But despite that Subaru grinned.
'Alright. Playtime's over.'
His eyes sharpened.
'Now it's hero time.'
"Hey, Julius!" Subaru shouted toward Julius.
"What is it?" he asked, controlling his irritation with visible effort.
Subaru rolled his sore shoulder before pointing at the practice sword in his hand.
"I know this is supposed to be some honorable knight duel and all… but honestly? I suck with swords." He shrugged shamelessly. "Can I fight using my own methods instead?"
Despite the bruises covering his body, Subaru's eyes burned with renewed vigor.
Murmurs immediately spread throughout the audience.
"What kind of excuse is that?"
"He accepted a sword duel despite not knowing swordsmanship?"
"Then what was he even doing this entire time?"
"Man, Julius picked an easy target to bully this time."
"I don't even know why he bothered."
Julius silently observed Subaru for a moment before speaking calmly.
"If you are uncomfortable using a sword, then use your own weapon." His gaze sharpened slightly. "I shall defeat you at your best."
Subaru grinned.
"Oh. Thanks."
Without hesitation, he threw the practice sword aside. The wooden blade clattered loudly across the arena floor.
"I'd advise you to use your real sword," Subaru warned casually. "Things are about to get serious."
Julius frowned slightly.
"That will not be necessary."
Subaru sighed.
"Don't blame me later."
The Omnitrix suddenly glowed bright green. The arena erupted into startled murmurs.
"What is that?!"
A brilliant flash swallowed Subaru completely. Many spectators instinctively shielded their eyes.
"It's here!!" Felt practically jumped from her seat in excitement. "Come on, big bro!"
When the light finally faded—
Silence fell over the entire arena.
Standing at the center of the battlefield was a strange green slime-like humanoid with a floating anti-gravity projector hovering above its head.
"GOOP!!"
Subaru struck a dramatic pose.
'Man… transformation announcements really are the coolest part.'
Julius's eyes widened for the first time since the duel began.
But Subaru didn't give him time to process it. Goop surged forward rapidly.
Julius immediately reacted, swinging his sword downward with refined precision, but the blade passed harmlessly through the slime-like body.
"What?!"
Before Julius could recover—
GOOP'S fist slammed directly into his face.
BAM!
Julius was sent flying backward across the arena.
Gasps exploded throughout the audience.
"He hit Julius?!"
Julius quickly flipped himself upright and landed cleanly several meters away.
Then he froze.
His eyes slowly lowered toward his sword. Only the hilt remained. The rest of the blade had completely melted away.
"…I see."
The remaining handle dissolved further before dripping uselessly onto the arena floor. Julius immediately discarded the ruined weapon.
Subaru crossed his gooey arms smugly.
"Didn't I tell you to use a real sword?" he said. "You're making this difficult for yourself."
The entire stadium had gone silent.
Even Anastasia's smile became less playful.
Crusch narrowed her eyes.
"…Acidic corrosion."
Emilia stared at Subaru in shock.
"He can do that too…?"
Nearby, several knights looked visibly disturbed.
"It seems…" Julius exhaled slowly as he unsheathed his actual knight sword. "I underestimated you."
The atmosphere instantly changed.
Julius vanished and reappeared before Subaru. Far faster than before.
His sword carved diagonally through the air—
—but completely missed.
Goop's body dissolved instantly into a puddle across the ground.
Julius's momentum carried him forward.
Then—
His footing slipped.
The slime shifted violently beneath him, destabilizing his balance completely.
"Tch—!"
The moment Julius fell the green slime surged upward violently. Goop wrapped around Julius's arms and legs like chains.
Julius gritted his teeth and struggled to move. But it was useless.
The more force he applied, the deeper the slime constricted around him.
"You're still struggling?" Goop tilted his head. "Man, knights are stubborn."
The slime suddenly stretched upward—
—and flung Julius violently toward the arena wall.
BAAAAM!!
The entire wall shook. Dust exploded outward from the impact.
Emilia gasped sharply. Several nobles stood from their seats in shock.
When the dust cleared—
Julius slowly rose from the cracked wall. A thin trail of blood ran from the corner of his mouth.
Though his composed expression remained intact, the slight twitch in his step betrayed the pain.
Subaru looked at him quietly for a moment.
"Give up already," he said. "I could've choked you unconscious earlier, but I held back."
His slime arm pointed toward Julius's sword.
The once-beautiful knight blade was now heavily corroded and partially melted.
Julius looked down at it silently. He understood immediately.
If Subaru had used that corrosive ability directly against his body instead of his weapon—
the injuries would have been severe.
Murmurs spread rapidly across the audience again.
"He showed mercy…?"
"Even after Julius humiliated him earlier?"
"That boy…"
Crusch's sharp eyes narrowed thoughtfully.
"He deliberately avoided lethal force."
Anastasia slowly smiled again.
"My, my… perhaps Emilia-san's knight is more dangerous than he appears."
Even several knights watching Julius began looking conflicted.
Subaru had every opportunity to brutalize Julius after gaining the advantage.
Instead, he restrained himself.
Only one person looked dissatisfied.
Priscilla clicked her tongue softly behind her fan.
"How boring," she muttered coldly. "He gained victory yet refused to crush his opponent completely."
Her crimson eyes narrowed at Subaru with faint disappointment.
"A man who hesitates at the moment of triumph lacks conviction."
Meanwhile—
Julius slowly straightened himself.
"It seems…" he said calmly while wiping blood from his mouth, "I must become serious as well."
Though outwardly composed, conflicting emotions churned within him.
Subaru had shown him mercy. And somehow that irritated him even more.
Six spirits began floating around Julius. The atmosphere in the arena changed instantly.
Subaru stiffened slightly.
"…Okay. That definitely looks important."
The spectators erupted into cheers at once.
"The Quasi Spirits!"
"Julius-sama is finally serious!"
"As expected of the Finest Knight!"
Julius calmly extended one hand. The pale-blue spirit drifted toward his sword, and frost rapidly spread across the blade, forming a sharp edge of ice around the weapon.
Cold mist rolled across the arena floor as he pointed the frozen sword toward Subaru.
"Now then," Julius said calmly, "let us continue properly."
Subaru rolled his shoulders and sighed dramatically.
"Oh, now this feels unfair."
The next instant, Julius vanished.
Wind exploded beneath his feet, propelling him forward at terrifying speed.
Goop barely shifted aside before the frozen blade cleaved through where his torso had been. The blade still slightly grazed him, and the ice coating the sword instantly froze portions of his slime body solid.
Subaru clicked his tongue.
"Tch!"
Before he could counterattack, a fire spirit launched flames toward him from behind. Goop flattened himself across the ground to avoid the blast, but Julius gave him no room to breathe.
His attacks became relentless.
Wind accelerated every movement. Fire cornered Subaru's mobility. Ice restricted Goop's regeneration while earth spirit constantly shifted the battlefield beneath him.
For the first time since the duel began, Subaru found himself completely on the defensive.
"Big bro's getting pushed back…" Felt muttered nervously.
Crusch narrowed her eyes as she observed the battle carefully.
"The spirits are compensating for Goop's unusual body."
Subaru barely dodged another frozen slash that split the arena floor apart behind him.
'Man… this guy's annoying.'
The moment Julius overextended slightly during a thrust, Goop surged upward like a tidal wave. Slime tendrils wrapped around Julius's arm and leg instantly.
"Gotcha!"
Subaru swung a fist toward Julius's face—
—but a wind spirit exploded around the knight, blasting him backward before the strike connected.
"Tsk."
Julius slid across the ground gracefully before immediately rushing in again.
Subaru grinned.
'Alright then.'
Green light exploded outward. Goop disappeared.
A smaller white alien with speaker-like features replaced him instantly.
"Echo Echo!"
The audience stirred in shock once more.
"He transformed again?!"
Subaru split apart immediately.
Two Echo Echos became four. Four became eight.
The arena suddenly filled with identical white aliens bouncing chaotically around.
"Skill issue, pretty boy!"
All eight opened their speaker mouths simultaneously.
"SONIC BOOM!"
BOOOOOOM!!
The sonic wave detonated across the arena. Several spectators covered their ears in pain as the shockwave slammed directly into Julius. His footing staggered violently, and the spirits around him scattered chaotically for a moment.
"Gah—!"
He fell onto his knees, blood leaking from his ears.
For the first time in the duel, Julius visibly lost composure as the soundwaves assaulted his senses. Subaru's clones immediately rushed forward.
"Alright! Combo time!"
Several Echo Echoes tackled Julius simultaneously while the others continued blasting sonic attacks from different directions. Julius gritted his teeth as the overlapping soundwaves disoriented him further.
The wind spirit cut the Echo Echoes clinging to him with wind blades. But new ones kept coming.
Then a blue spirit glowed brightly. Water enveloped Julius gently, washing over his body and calming his senses almost instantly.
'Healing?' Subaru realized immediately.
Before he could press the attack further, a dark-purple Yin spirit floated beside Julius. Its mana spread quietly around the knight's ears.
Julius's expression steadied completely.
Subaru froze.
"…Wait."
Another sonic blast exploded directly into Julius—
—but this time he barely reacted. He got pushed back, but his ears seemed fine.
"He turned off his hearing…" Crusch muttered in realization.
The crowd fell silent again as Julius calmly stepped forward through the sonic assault.
Wind spirit accelerated him while earth spirit reinforced the ground beneath his feet and set up stone walls to block the force of the sonic booms.
The vibrations still battered his body and distorted the arena floor, but the disorienting effect had vanished entirely.
Subaru's eyes widened.
'That's actually genius.'
Julius rushed through the storm of soundwaves and cut down several Echo Echo clones instantly. The remaining clones scattered rapidly as the battle intensified again.
Sonic waves shattered sections of the arena. Ice blades froze entire stretches of ground. Earthen walls crumbled. Wind magic launched Echo Echo clones across the battlefield while Subaru answered with relentless sonic bombardment.
Neither side could overwhelm the other anymore. Julius looked a little worse. But the constant healing of the water spirit and the enhancements of the Yang spirit kept him steady.
Even the candidates watched silently now. Anastasia's playful smile had disappeared completely, while Priscilla's eyes narrowed with growing interest. Emilia clasped her hands together anxiously as she watched Subaru pant heavily across the ruined battlefield.
'Man… this knight is cracked,' Subaru thought grimly.
Julius was breathing harder too now, yet his posture remained refined and elegant despite everything.
The Finest Knight of Lugunica.
Subaru slowly grinned.
"…Alright."
The Omnitrix pulsed violently.
"Be honored. You're officially the first guy I'm testing this on."
Green evolution energy erupted outward as every remaining Echo Echo clone froze in place before merging back together instantly. The atmosphere suddenly became heavy enough that even the spirits around Julius trembled uneasily.
"What now…?" Felt muttered.
Subaru's body began changing.
A tall, slender robotic humanoid alien with matte-blue armor-like skin and black stripes running across his body appeared in the arena. Roughly fifteen circular sonic discs resembling embedded speakers were fitted throughout his frame, radiating immense sonic energy.
His blocky mechanical limbs and sleek evolved appearance made him look less like a living creature and more like a walking weapon.
Raw power flooded the arena.
"ULTIMATE ECHO ECHO!"
Silence fell over the stadium.
Even Julius's composed expression finally cracked as overwhelming pressure radiated from Subaru's evolved form.
"What… is that…?" someone whispered from the audience.
Subaru slowly floated above the shattered arena floor.
"Sorry," he said with a grin, his mechanical voice echoing across the stadium. "But this fight's over."
Julius gritted his teeth.
'I need to finish this fast.'
The spirits started circling around him, covering him in rainbow-colored light.
He launched himself toward Subaru.
"Al Clauzeria!"
His sword started shining brightly in rainbow colors.
BOOOOOOOOM
The whole space filled with blinding light.
"Damn!! What firepower?! Surely that kid must have gone down, right?" a knight said, covering his eyes.
When the light cleared, everyone saw the scene clearly.
Julius dropped down to the ground, exhausted. Ultimate Echo Echo hadn't moved a millimeter from its spot.
The discs on its body had detached and surrounded it, emitting sonic waves that formed a barrier around it and protected it.
The disc-like speakers turned toward Julius.
The speakers fired simultaneously.
BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!!!
The arena exploded.
The sonic shockwave annihilated the battlefield between them instantly. Earth spirit desperately erected barriers around Julius, but they shattered almost immediately under the overwhelming force.
Wind spirit tried diverting the blast only to be blown away.
Julius crossed both arms defensively as the force smashed into him head-on.
BAAAAAAM!!
The stadium walls cracked violently. Several nobles nearly lost their footing as the entire arena shook beneath the pressure.
Julius was launched across the battlefield like a ragdoll, crashing through shattered stone before barely managing to stand again. Blood dripped from his mouth while his spirits flickered weakly around him.
And Subaru still wasn't done.
The discs multiplied.
The audience collectively froze.
"…He can clone THAT too?!"
"No way…"
Julius's eyes widened.
"Spirits! Defensive formation!"
The remaining spirits desperately gathered around him.
Then the combined sonic burst detonated.
BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!!!
This time there was no resistance.
The earth barriers vaporized instantly. The remaining spirits vanished completely beneath the overwhelming sonic force, and Julius himself was swallowed by the blast before being hurled violently into the shattered arena wall.
The impact echoed throughout the entire stadium.
Then everything became quiet.
Dust slowly settled across the destroyed battlefield while Julius remained embedded in the cracked wall, unconscious.
Across from him stood Ultimate Echo Echo unharmed.
No one spoke anymore.
The cheering had vanished.
So had the mockery.
Only stunned silence remained as everyone watching realized the same thing.
The bizarre boy they had mocked earlier…
…possessed monstrous power beyond reason.
'Oops… I overdid it. Hope he's okay.'
The moment that thought crossed his mind, the transformation flickered violently. In a burst of green light, Subaru returned to normal.
His legs immediately gave out beneath him. Every ounce of strength left his body at once.
"Ah."
Subaru barely managed that single sound before falling face-first onto the shattered arena floor.