I was a Nerfed Hero in Another World

The sounds of swords clashing together echoed throughout the hallway. I didn't know why, but my Excalibur finally gave me a fighting chance against Modred. This power was the strongest that entered my body yet, considering my fighting experience. If I could guess it, my system granted me the strength to stop my friend from fighting me.

Fenrir couldn't join our fight, since we moved too fast for her eyes. Thanks to Meliodas' enhancement spell, my body zoomed quicker than usual. And since my system granted me some additional powers, nobody could help me.

I coated my sword with black magic to aid me in this battle. Every strike I made vibrated Modred's sword, which sent him back. 

Within a few tries, Modred rushed towards me and repeated the same moves. Beads of sweat showered my eyes as he desperately scrambled against me. Even though I had the advantage, Modred kept up with my ability.

"Your black magic really is something…..But that would only work in the right hands," Modred mumbled, while getting hit by my sword's strength.

I flashed him a grin and replied, "I never wanted to use this against you, Mordred….There's nothing else we can gain here besides violence. And I'm not planning to kill you."

After hearing my voice, Modred gave his all. He charged straight at me like a red bull and bombarded me with his sword. Since I had activated my obsidian spell, those attacks meant nothing to me. 

My stamina was the only thing I needed to check while fighting against a knight. Even though Modred was the one wearing armour, my movements became more sluggish. And if this continued further, I might lose the battle.

Our fight took around thirty minutes, with Mordred and I clashing blades. But that battle had finally taken a turn when my Modred found an opening against me. 

I had experience fighting against a variety of opponents. And those enemies showed themselves on the fields I never expected. My form of fighting greatly relied on my enemies' strength and weaknesses. I didn't have my own, even though I was a knight.

Since nobody had trained me, I never knew those correct stances. I only mimicked what I witnessed from Magique. And that was the game I played using my character on a console, not in real life.

Judging by Mordred's form, he had training with his peers. Knights had their own barracks and made soldiers inside of that structure. Since Mordred was a knight of the roundtable, someone had given him knowledge. 

And Modred used that information against me, which showed right now. 

Modred swung his blade and tried slashing my flank. I instinctively shielded my vital organs and braced myself from the damage. Since I couldn't defend myself in time, there was nothing I could do to accept the assault.

That blade came and tumbled me backwards, almost hitting my head against a stone. A trail of soil followed my body as I flew all the way towards a bed of weeds. And when my body stopped, my appendages throbbed in pain.

"AAAGH!" I shouted, hoping I could vent out my anger.

But the damaged skin spread through my arms, stripping my muscles open. My muscles revealed themselves and painted my body with pinkish layers. When the gust touched those wounds, my teeth gritted on its own.

Fortunately, I had a passive ability kicking through my genes. The harder I fell, the quicker I regenerated. Even though the itch spread like wildfire, I forced my legs to move. 

I stood on the ground and returned the gaze of Modred. That knight glared in my direction, awaiting my next move. Mordred knew he had the upper hand for this battle, and would win eventually through time.

"What are you waiting for? Finish me if you want to. This dark magic would wear out soon. And I don't want to hurt or kill you!" 

Even though I used my dark magic to enhance my weapon, I never intended to wound Modred. I treated that boy as my brother that I never had in my world. Modred, with his sister, Rain, were the only ones who looked out for me. And when they needed me the most, I vanished.

"I know where your pain is coming from, Mordred. If you could only know, I hate myself for that too. When Merleen, my partner, took me to shore, I couldn't move a muscle. And when I could walk around, returning was my first option….But I didn't, and I'm sorry."

There was nothing I wanted more but to apologise to Modred. If our situation got reversed, I would have done the same thing….Vengeance would have eaten my soul already as I aim my anger at those demons.

"Sorry doesn't change anything, Arthur!" Modred retorted, while aiming his sword at me. "You chose to side with the demons. You chose those demons over me! And that's where you'll pay, Arthur!"

When Mordred yelled those words, he zoomed straight at me. His speed was even faster than before as if he had teleported. When Modred arrived at my fore, he aimed his blade at my neck. And when that knight swung his sword, my hands were too late to react.

But before that blade could even cut my head, a light coming from above shielded me. That luminance came from Merleen, who was also fighting Rain on the other side.

Within a second, the light flickered and disappeared. When I glanced at Merleen's side, Rain used a light element of her own. Rain's radiance formed a rope and entangled itself around Merleen's head.

Lilith and Guinevere were already on the ground, unable to fight Rain. I could only guess that the three of them lost against Rain. I couldn't blame them, since Rain was a superior mage. She even defeated Lilith, who could use dark magic. 

"How did you…." I mumbled, but resumed my gaze at Modred.

"Your fight's with me," the knight said, as he performed a series of attacks.

That blitz Modred made placed me further away from Merleen. While I fought against Modred, Rain strangled Merleen to death. 

"A-Arthur..." 

Those were the words that came out from Merleen's mouth as he returned my gaze. Her eyes bulged from the mage girl's socket. The yellow rope wrapped around Merleen's nape, squeezing her until her last oxygen.

I had roughly a minute to help Merleen get back on her feet. But Modred didn't let me escape his attack and continued slashing me with his sword. 

"Mordred! My friend is in danger! Rain might kill her!" I shouted, while glancing at Rain.

Rain also looked at Mordred, waiting for any instructions. If Modred allowed Rain to kill Merleen, Rain would happily obliged her brother's words. 

The situation greatly depended on Mordred's decision. But the clock continued ticking, with Merleen's oxygen running low.

"Please! You gotta hurry and think! I-If Merleen dies, I don't know what I'm going to do.

While that happened, Fenrir did what she could to stop Rain. Since Rain levitated from the ground, Fenrir leapt from the soil. She tried reaching the mage with her wolf feet and abilities. Fenrir also had the help of Meliodas boosting her body, but those efforts did not matter.

Rain used her right hand to contain Merleen while the other to fight Fenrir. The mage used a different element and controlled the soil behind Fenrir. That land grabbed Fenrir's foot and pulled her to the ground. The living terrain slammed the poor wolf on the floor, rendering her unconscious within seconds.

That same soil noticed Meliodas' arcane and aimed at him next. It didn't take the land a few seconds before doing the same thing to Meliodas. Although that slam was not enough to kill them, that attack would leave a mark. And that scar would not be appealing to the eyes.

I couldn't move anywhere but in front of Meliodas. If I blindlessly helped Merleen, Modred would just kill me with his sword. Although I still hoped to bring back Afenos, that knight wouldn't listen to my words. 

If there was one thing I remembered from Afenos, that was his annoying trait of following his word.

"Release her, Rain…" 

Upon saying those words, Rain unlatched her light magic and freed Merleen. My partner fell from the ground, but my body was quick enough to arrive on time. Much to my surprise, Modred let my team go without killing anyone. I didn't know why, but I carved my mouth with a faint smile.

"Are you alright, Merleen? Does it feel painful anywhere?" I asked.

Fortunately, Merleen weakly shook her head and replied, "No…..I…want rest."

After saying those words, Merleen rested her eyes. She wasn't dead, but took a nap in the middle of this battle. Since it had come to this, I didn't want Merleen to participate in the upcoming war.

Meliodas, who recovered from the damage, went to me with open arms. "Let me take care of it…."