Up to this point, Arthur had been holding back. The mirth of combat was a sweetness he rarely got to bask in after all. Beyond that selfish desire also was the simple fact that he had not needed to give it his all prior to this moment.
He had to admit it though— They had successfully forced him into a defensive position.
BANG!
An orb of white electric frenzy shot forth, its target his skull. At the same time, two lethal swords swung down upon him. One horizontally from his back, the other vertically on his side. Then Dominic faced him directly, his hulking body restraining Arthur's sword of bone.
The result… A bloody mess.
Arthur managed to tilt his head away, the orb of electric fury only grazing past him. However, that simple touch eviscerated his left ear, and sent scorching currents to fry half of his face. The two falling swords struck true, yet their cuts were shallow. A result of Arthur creating three new layers of skin upon the estimated areas of contact. By mimicking the molecular structure of carbon fiber, his skin was not easily pierced, even by the might of their vibrating swords.
Dominic's powerful blows followed shortly after the swords. Arthur made no special efforts to dodge or block, relying solely upon his durability to manage the blow's aftermath.
Once more Arthur had come out standing from an all encompassing assault. Bloodier now than he was prior to it. The Red Tiger's impressive coordination efforts made it difficult for him to retaliate. He could not continue like this.
While spirituality was potent energy, it could be spent up through its applications. Of course, some techniques like exaggeration which sees it transform into imaginary matter does cause it to diminish faster. Arthur was using a considerable amount of it to enhance his healing factor to a level where he was recovering his injuries faster than the Red Tigers could capitalize upon it.
Yet that would not win him this fight…
Arthur commended the Red Tigers silently, their unified stance a far more formidable force than what he had expected from a group which brandished the label of a 'gang'.
As he dodged yet another unified assault, Arthur at last stopped holding back.
Immediately, the lab's temperature began to drop and the scattered tables began to tremble. At the same time, Arthur's lips curled up once more…
*****
BANG!
BANG!
BANG!
Unleashing a myriad of shots forth from behind the attacking line, three Red Tiger members desperately tried to steady their aim despite the anguish they were experiencing. Much of their flesh was charred, and their bodies still twitched occasionally from the trauma such a powerful electric current caused.
Yet they ignored the pain and continued the assault.
However, it was as they did that something truly unsettling occurred. The equipment and steel tables all began to tremble. Worst yet, so did the very weapons that they held. Then all the steel alloy suddenly shot towards a center point, colliding with each other before rapidly compressing.
The sight alone brought utter dread to the Red Tiger's hearts. What followed was no better.
The cluster of alloy and steel hanging upon the air began to reshape itself, soon splitting into numerous blades of jagged steel. The Red Tiger's instinctively paused to observe the new threat, even those at the front of their assault.
The steel blades then moved towards their forger, Arthur Cole. Hovering around him at a steady speed. Arthur's glowing blue gaze flashed for a moment and from his body bolts of electric frenzy exited and jumped onto the blades.
So occupied was everyone upon this sight that no one registered the second danger. The lab was being cooled, with numerous specific spots of its ceiling already dropping to below zero temperatures. From those points the moisture of the flowing air was extracted, briefly flashing as liquid water before immediately freezing into spikes of ice.
Apprehension appeared within the expressions of everyone present, yet they could not retreat.
Dominic was the first to act, with a deep growl he dashed forth toward Arthur's position, uncaring of the hovering jagged swords of steel. A lack of regard which he paid for in blood.
The blades moved, cutting past Dominic's hulking body like paper. The dancing currents on their surface jumped onto his flesh and scorched it fully. Dominic's face contorted and his assault immediately halted as he tried to retreat but it was too late, the blades only slashed at his body at first, before shifting towards his head.
Dominic's eyes flashed with fear as he realized that his head was about to suffer a rain of lethal blows. Before he could do anything to defend himself Arthur was already on him. His blade of bone falling down like the reaper's scythe.
The cybernetic armor wearing Red Tigers tried to rush to Dominic's aid, however their feets were suddenly frozen under a layer of ice. Moreover, the hanging spikes of ice began raining down like small javalines.
Blood splattered forth in all directions, the disarmed Red Tigers dying helplessly. Along with their final cries was the distinct sound of a skull being torn open, followed by a loud thud.
Dominic's hulking body had fallen, now a corpse sprawled in the alloy ground.
Arthur watched Dominic's corpse twitch atop a pool of his own blood before turning his focus not upon the remaining two Red Tigers, but at a knelt figure in the corner of the lab.
"So you just let him die to give yourself some extra time to recover? You do know that without him your chances of winning just fell drastically."
He said.
Wilson Francis too stared upon Dominic's corpse for a moment, before standing at last. His body was still steaming slightly, however all signs of the received attack were already gone.
"Couldn't be helped, that hit was rather cruel."
Wilson said.
"But it wasn't just me that he died for…"
Pointing at the remaining Red Tigers with his chin, Wilson continued.
"He died for them as well."
Seeing their boss back on his feet ignited the remaining Red Tiger's fighting spirit as they immediately began to equip themselves with another set of forged weaponry.
Arthur chuckled.
"Leave it to a leader to make death sound so noble— What a farce… Death is always ugly, and meaningless."
It was as he said such that the door to the lab slid open once more, and a different figure stepped forth. Kenneth Blake had arrived at last.
Arthur spared the new esper a disdainful glare before sighing. His sword of bone then retracted, steadily transforming back into a proper hand.
"I'm tired of playing with lightning, if this fight must continue then how about we turn it more scorching?"
Saying nothing more, Arthur did a hand motion. Immediately the swords paired up with each other as they circled him, then in a surprising sight they began clashing against each other. The clashing caused metallic crackles to echo within the lab.
While the Red Tigers were confused by such an action, Wilson was not. His brows furrowed.
"Really now…"
He was unable to finish his words as in the next instant the sparks caused by the clashing of swords were exploited by the Third Stage Esper, using them to summon forth raging flames upon this small battlefield.