I was a Nerfed Hero in Another World

"He who strikes first wins….But the one who strikes last ends the battle."

That quote lingered inside my head before the battle could begin. The two competitors glared at each other's eyes while sheathing their swords from the scabbards. Lilith couldn't use any magic, which was her only advantage against King Arthur. But despite that thought, my heart believed she would win the battle.

The knights and soldiers watching the fight placed their bets on King Arthur. Some bastards slammed the pack of money on the table and bet on Lilith. They hoped she could win the battle too against their ruler of these kingdoms. They thought of this battle as a game while our lives were on the line. 

However, there was nothing I could do to stop these animals from entertaining themselves. Because if Lilith wins this match, every one of them would join the alliance.

Lilith made the first strike as she lunged forward, aiming for the man's sides. King Arthur swayed backwards and parried Lilith's attack, forcing her to retreat, too. The two repeatedly danced as the two competitors clinked their swords, resounding through the room.

But after five minutes of battle, none of them had the upper hand. It felt like a game of chess where the two participants had equal footing, waiting for the other to make a mistake.

"You are a demonic princess indeed! No one has ever lasted from fighting me than you."

"Spare me the compliments, King Arthur. The fight's not over."

"Indeed."

After the pair's exchange, Lilith dashed towards the tables and used it as a trampoline. Since King Arthur didn't say anything about it, Lilith used her environment to her advantage. 

The demonic girl leapt from the board and swung her sword as if it was the last one Lilith would from her life….And unfortunately, that event happened. 

When Lilith used the high ground to her advantage, that left her some openings. Jumping from the board and onto the opponent was a risky move that could win or lose the clash. And Lilith ended up losing the fight when King Arthur finally made his move.

That armoured man ducked his head and clasped Lilith's Excalibur using his hand. King Arthur manipulated Lilith's attack, forcing her to strike the nearby chair. And that assault led to her demise.

"It's over," said King Arthur, as he had the last laugh.

But before King Arthur made his strike, I came onward and blocked his attack. 

"ENOUGH! You already won…..Killing her was not an option!" I shouted, with King Arthur's blade pressed against mine.

Instead of running away, I protected Lilith from her inevitable death. Although King Arthur planned on taking her alive, that strike was enough to catch me off guard. My team and I didn't want to lose her. How could we run away if we saw our friend getting killed by our enemies in front of us? 

No human could have escaped, knowing that their comrade would die. If I couldn't save one person, how could I call myself a hero?

"I know….That's why I made you move. Knights of the Round Table! Seize our guests and put them in the dungeon! Princess Lilith would be in a separate cell!" King Arthur yelled, as he retracted his sword to his scabbard.

Fenrir and the others wanted to fight, but I raised my hands and surrendered. I told them that we should accept our defeat and go as these knights told. 

All those knights went in our direction and shackled us with their locks. Those chains drained our strength and arcane, which made our appendages wobbly like noodles. Our eyes constantly fell on the ground, with our consciousness fighting back the urge to sleep. Despite our chivalrous efforts, we slowly succumbed to our sleep.

And I was the last to close my eyes, since I wanted to know where we would go. But King Arthur noticed me, who was still fighting back my drowsiness. I also wanted to protect my friends if these scumbags planned on harassing them. Luckily, these knights remained respectful as they escorted us towards the uncharted hallways..

"I commend you, Arthur. Even though those chains absorb your mana, you still remain vigilant on your surroundings. No wonder the sword chose you to become its wielder…..Too bad you're corrupted by the mind of that wretch," King Arthur mumbled in front of me.

"She's not a wretch! And I am not corrupted!" I growled, while still fighting off my urge to sleep. "You're the one who's clouded with your own thoughts, thinking that you're doing the right thing...But you're not! We're offering an alliance to save everyone from the famine. But you ordered our imprisonment because of your wicked ideals...

King Arthur flashed me a grin as he gave me his reply, "If you really think that way, you're no other than any fool I've fought. You see, I saved my people from those demons and monsters. And I dictated the civilians to save the fields and grow crops out of thin land. For many years, I protected every village and kingdom surrounding Camelot. But monsters you call individuals did nothing but wreck havoc on my land."

"Take a closer look, Arthur. Can't you see the difference between demons and humans? Besides their humanoid figure, those creatures have more arcane than us. And they could live a longer life than us mere humans," King Arthur said, as he angled my face towards Lilith's shape. "Throughout generations, those demons slaughtered my people like pigs in a sty. You have no idea how it feels like to lose the village you swore to protect, Arthur. And because of that, you are no king. You and I are two different versions…..Because I've watched you throughout your first years living in this world….apart from yours."

My mind sent me thousands of exclamations and question marks after hearing King Arthur's words. I didn't know why King Arthur said those sentences to me….Except if he was the one who called me a fool when I first arrived in Magique.

"You….You're the talking dude inside my head?! You're the one who keeps saying that I am not worthy to become a hero?!" 

King Arthur threw countless negative remarks at me when I first landed on this world. He was the one who judged me for who I was and pulled me to my abyss. 

Despite those hindered words, I rose back and became the man I was today. But after all this time, King Arthur was the one who told me those pessimistic comments.

"I've seen you grow. And I have seen you fall, Arthur. When the world wanted me to disappear, you emerged across the skies and fell on my land. But when you walked on this terrain, you did nothing to help those villagers. Your cowardness brought you to your own demise and carved you to who you are right now. But that doesn't mean you're mature and became a hero. If you compare my works and yours, you'd fall flat on the ground," King Arthur continued his insults as he waved his hands to the knights. "I am sick of your little gimmicks, Arthur. But I would like to thank you for giving me more power than I should. With this system of yours, I could enhance every spell inside of me. And I could even give to these knights who lacked power!"

The system was the power that belonged to me. It was the only thing that kept me alive, since I continuously outgrow everyone. My team also had that system, which made them overpowered compared to our enemies. I also gave my system to the mercenaries, who I trusted. But that didn't account for this situation, since none of them appeared inside this room.

But if King Arthur, who had no power-ups, defeated Lilith…..How could we defeat him if he has the system now? 

I didn't know the answer, since my mind and body had finally given up. The last thing I saw was the knights dragging me elsewhere, far away from the throne room. King Arthur showed me a glimpse of his system, with the screen greeting my eyes. 

It was what King Arthur had mentioned. He was currently level on, like the rest of all players who had the system. It would take him days to level up and earn some power from that system. But if King Arthur successfully grabbed some titles, he would be an unstoppable force that we could never fight against. 

Lilith also shut her eyes and fell asleep, together with the rest of my comrades. "I'm sorry...that I dragged you into this."

I shook my head and weakly replied, "No….At least we tried."

Despite my weary eyes, I forced them open and studied my surroundings. Even if my orbs resigned, my ears took their place. My mind marked every sound that echoed inside this room, hoping that I could hear them soon.