FAMILY ABOVE ALL: BATTLING AGAINST GODS

Arthur and Rita appeared once more, this time on a grassy field.

As they expected, their bodies immediately came to a stop when they appeared.

Arthur quickly shut his eyes and controlled his breathing, as he sought to replenish whatever mana he could with the little time he had. He couldn't help but relish in the feeling of playing around with a King even if it was only for a moment.

'Hehe.'

Rita on the other hand just kept still, not even bothering to break the constraint on herself this time. She had a conflicted look on her face.

A couple of breaths passed.

Sensing movement up ahead, Arthur opened his eyes as he looked at the fast-approaching king placidly.

The king simultaneously saw the two at the same time he was sensed.

He gazed at the serene look on Arthur's face from afar and uncontrollably, his anger started boiling within him.

This time though, he controlled his rage and instead turned to his daughter as he questioned:

"Girl, do you know what you have done?"

A few more breaths and the king would arrive at their location.

"Fa-Father I…" she was cut abruptly as she and Arthur simultaneously disappeared from the king's view.

Seeing this, three thick veins popped on the head of the king as he cursed under his breath.

"This bastard..."

Even as he felt like he would explode in fury, he sulked it up and continued to give chase.

But.

When he saw the two again, he felt his world turn around as he almost coughed blood from anger. He came to a quick stop a few hundred meters away from the duo.

"Boy, you are going too far," said the king with blood-red eyes.

There, by the side of his still daughter, he saw a boy with his back facing him, his knees bent, and his ass puffed out in his direction. His arms were raised by his sides, his elbows bent as he placed them in the form of a mantis.

He performed some kind of strange dance, and as he moved his head sideways in sync with his hands, his ass also moved along 'in and out'.

"Hahahahaha. My king, this is a dance that my people perform when paying respect to Royalty. Hope you enjoy it."

At the side, the princess could not help but shut her eyes tightly as she stopped herself from laughing. Even though it was her father who was being made fun of, she couldn't stop her shoulders from trembling slightly. When had her father the king ever been treated in such a manner?

Seeing the reaction of his own daughter, the king did not actually burst out in anger but instead collected himself. No matter what, his long experience wouldn't allow him to be toyed with by a mere child.

He stopped a few hundred meters from them and continued to watch Arthur dance with an indifferent gaze.

A few breaths passed.

Not receiving the reaction he expected, Arthur stopped his dance as he lost interest in continuing. He turned and faced the king.

"Boy, I acknowledge your strength and talent but that does not give you the right to be so disrespectful. If you don't have proper manners, even if you are so..."

"I do not need your moral talk. You are not my father. How I live my life has nothing to do with you." Arthur cut the king off, his voice turning cold. The King couldn't help but raise a brow when he saw the playful smile wiped away from the little's boy face, as a flame of anger burned in his eyes. It seemed he had touched upon a sensitive spot.

"Indeed. Surrender and let my daughter go. I will be lenient in my punishment if you do." The King decided to take a few steps back. A part of him also wanted to draw in such a talent into his Kingdom. Aside from his wife and probably his daughter, he had never met anyone with such immense potential.

"Haha," Arthur chuckled lightly before he spoke with an amused smile, "You can't even catch me yet you want to punish me?"

The King's eyebrows furrowed, "You are mistaken, boy. I have not attacked you once, because my daughter is beside you. Do not think for a second that I can't hurt you if I so wish to."

"Why don't you give it a try then?" retorted Arthur as he crossed his arms in front of his chest.

The frown on the King's face deepened. He was starting to find Arthur irritating. No matter how talented he might be, if he didn't have a good heart, then in his eyes, he didn't amount to much.

'Seems I need to teach him a little.'

A fierce glint flashed past the eyes of the king.

He lifted his right hand in Arthur's direction and soon after, a chilling air spread out.

"Since you are taking my kindness for granted, I have no choice but to show you what I can do."

Arthur's expression fell as he put on a grave face. The dangerous vibe he was feeling from the king told him he had underestimated the latter greatly. He thought he could match the king in prowess, but his senses that had brought him thus far were now warning him of the great threat before him.

Realizing that he had to run, he moved quickly in the direction of the princess as he tried to get hold of her to teleport away.

But.

A soft but firm hand landed on his shoulder, causing his body to flinch and come to a stop.

"That is enough," a sweet and pleasant feminine voice echoed out.

The king stopped his attack as he called out lovingly:

"Silvia."

"Darling, there is no need for you to act," continued Queen Silvia with an alluring voice.

'When did she appear behind me? I did not even feel her presence. As expected, this woman is far more terrifying than the king. Shit! I should have at least investigated this kingdom before acting out like that before them. I overestimated myself.'

All these thoughts went through his head in an instant as he berated himself inwardly for being too arrogant.

"Mother please, it is not his fault. I am the one that asked him to take me. If you want to punish someone, then punish me," Rita voiced out pleadingly.

"I know," said Queen Silvia as she continued:

"I am not against you leaving with him, after all, he won the tournament, so he is your-to-be husband. Neither am I angry about his behavior toward our kingdom. But..." her words trailed off before she continued, "For him to continuously mock your father, that I will not tolerate. Therefore he must be punished." Even though she seemed to be displeased by Arthur's actions, her voice did not reveal the slightest emotion of anger. Instead, it sounded soft and charming.

But to Arthur, It sounded more like the voice of the devil as he felt a chill down his spine. His senses were screaming at him.

'Shit!' that was the last thought that passed through his mind before...

"Time loop" Silvia called out lightly.

Rumble

The earth quaked and the sky shook, a testament to the reality-distorting power evoked by Queen Silvia.

The huge spherical golden sphere composed of numerous smaller circles; the magic cast by the king, was forcefully dispelled.

A bright golden light enveloped Arthur, and the king and princess were forced to close their eyes due to the intensity of the light.

Arthur lost control of his body; his mind disoriented, as his body moved in reverse to the point in time where he was staring at the king with his hand raised about to attack, and further back to when he danced and made fun of the king, his body replaying all of his previous actions.

Arriving at the point he was about to start dancing, his body stopped shortly before he started dancing once more. Time continued forward to the point where he was about to get hold of the princess and teleport before a fair hand stopped him in his path. And yet, time was once again reversed as retraced his previous actions all over again.

To the king and princess, it seemed like Arthur was repeating his previous actions continuously, though his figure appeared distorted. However, to Arthur who had no control of his body and whose mind was thrown in total disarray, it felt like hell.

"This will continue for three hours. Once he stops, you can continue on your journey," said Silvia.

The king and princess were not surprised by the power she displayed, after all, they knew this was nothing compared to the power she actually wields.

"Let us go, darling," Silvia said to the king before she turned into a golden streak that sped off into the distance.

The king seemed to want to say something but reluctantly nodded his head.

"Take care of yourself, Rita. You must return in three months, if not I will come find you myself." After saying that, he followed after his wife.

With her parent gone, Rita looked at Arthur who was stuck in a time loop, and could not help but sigh.

"What a mess!"

*****

AN: Add the novel as a favorite and rate it. Thank you.