Chapter Fourteen: Attack of the Angels Part 3

Their blades became a blur.

Zero pressed the attack relentlessly, every strike heavy and precise. Gralia’kal met him blow for blow, the thin blade dancing with elegant precision against Zero’s raw power. Sparks and flashes of magic filled the desecrated shrine hall.

Then the air tore open.

Another breach ripped into existence near the altar, and more Angel-class entities poured through — smaller than the Watcher, but still terrifying. Multiple floating eyes surrounded by golden rings and ethereal wings spilled into the chamber, their choruses rising in layered, discordant harmony.

Arthur reacted instantly.

“Artemis Unit — engage! Do not let them surround us!”

Lancelot charged forward, tower shield raised high, slamming into the first Angel and forcing it back. Merlin began chanting rapidly, launching beams of pure arcane energy into the swarm. Morgana moved into a protective position, weaving healing and barrier magic to support the team.

Arthur himself met one of the Angels head-on, golden armor gleaming as he swung his bastard sword in wide, powerful arcs.

The battle exploded into chaos.

Zero remained locked in his duel with Gralia’kal, the Sidhe Rank 4 warrior smiling even as he was forced onto the defensive.

“How inconvenient,” Gralia’kal muttered, glancing at the newly arrived Angels. “But perhaps useful. Let’s see how long you can focus on me while your allies are overwhelmed, Fatebreaker.”

Zero’s eyes narrowed. He increased the pressure, driving the Sidhe back toward a shattered pillar with a series of devastating strikes.

The desecrated Fushimi Inari Taisha had become a full battlefield — steel against divine power, human will against otherworldly invaders. 

CLANG! CLANG! CLANG! CLANG! CLANG!

Their blades collided in a relentless blur of motion and force. The Sidhe moved with fluid grace, stepping in and thrusting his thin blade toward Zero’s chest. Zero parried the strike with perfect timing, then answered with a full-strength horizontal cut.

Gralia’kal ducked just in time.

The pillar behind him was cleaved cleanly in two. The massive stone structure crashed to the ground, shattering into a cloud of debris and dust.

Gralia’kal straightened, sneering.

“Powerful, aren’t you, Fatebreaker? The Architects of Fate chose a rather nasty little pig.”

Zero’s eyes narrowed.

“Architects of Fate… who are they?”

The Sidhe laughed, a sharp, mocking sound.

“So what my lady said was true. You do not remember at all. How fun. Then you don’t even know the crimes you committed… or why you were imprisoned?”

The words struck something deep inside Zero.

For a brief moment, the desecrated shrine faded.

He was kneeling again on cold stone. Robed figures towered over him. Heavy manacles bit into his wrists and ankles. The same voice that had sentenced him echoed in his mind:

“You, a failed warrior king… will be sentenced to eternity inside our greatest tombs! Your rebellion shall ignite the fury of our gods! You, a mere Fatebreaker, shall spend eternity chained to a wall.”

Zero’s grip on his sword tightened. His breathing grew heavier as fragments of rage and defiance from that forgotten life surged back.

Gralia’kal watched him closely, clearly enjoying the reaction.

“Ah… there it is. The first cracks in the seal. How delightful.”

Around them, the battle between the Artemis Unit and the newly arrived Angels continued to rage. Arthur’s golden armor flashed as he cut down one of the lesser entities. Lancelot held the line with his tower shield while Merlin and Morgana provided support.

But Zero’s full attention remained locked on the Rank 4 Sidhe in front of him.

The pain in his head was returning — but with it came something more dangerous. Memory.

“Come, failed king — meet your death!” Gralia’kal declared.

He rushed forward once more, thin blade flashing like a silver serpent.

Zero met him head-on.

His strikes grew sharper, heavier, more aggressive with every exchange. The returning fragments of memory and the rising battle frenzy only made him more dangerous. Around them, more Angels continued pouring through the rip in reality, forcing the Artemis Unit into an increasingly desperate fight.

Gralia’kal’s elegant defense began to crack under the relentless pressure.

CLANG! CLANG! CLANG!

Zero hammered blow after blow against the Rank 4 Sidhe’s blade. The force drove Gralia’kal backward, then downward. One particularly devastating strike forced the Sidhe’s knee into the cracked stone floor.

Zero stood over him, sword raised high, silver hair wild and eyes burning.

“Yet you kneel before this failed king,” he said coldly, and continued hammering his blade down.

Gralia’kal gritted his teeth, barely managing to keep his thin sword between himself and Zero’s overwhelming strength. Sparks exploded with every impact. The Sidhe’s earlier arrogance had vanished, replaced by genuine strain.

Arthur, locked in combat with two Angels nearby, caught a glimpse of the scene and shouted:

“Zero! Finish him and help us with the breach!”

But Zero’s full attention remained locked on the kneeling Sidhe. The pressure of his presence alone made the air feel heavier.

Gralia’kal looked up at him, a mix of fury and something close to fear in his eyes.

“You… still don’t understand what you are…”

Zero raised his sword for another crushing strike.

The desecrated shrine trembled under the force of their clash. Then, “Come, failed king — meet your death!” Gralia’kal declared.

He rushed forward once more, thin blade flashing like a silver serpent.

Zero met him head-on.

His strikes grew sharper, heavier, more aggressive with every exchange. The returning fragments of memory and the rising battle frenzy only made him more dangerous. Around them, more Angels continued pouring through the rip in reality, forcing the Artemis Unit into an increasingly desperate fight.

Gralia’kal’s elegant defense began to crack under the relentless pressure.

CLANG! CLANG! CLANG!

Zero hammered blow after blow against the Rank 4 Sidhe’s blade. The force drove Gralia’kal backward, then downward. One particularly devastating strike forced the Sidhe’s knee into the cracked stone floor.

Zero stood over him, sword raised high, silver hair wild and eyes burning.

“Yet you kneel before this failed king,” he said coldly, and continued hammering his blade down.

Gralia’kal gritted his teeth, barely managing to keep his thin sword between himself and Zero’s overwhelming strength. Sparks exploded with every impact. The Sidhe’s earlier arrogance had vanished, replaced by genuine strain.

Arthur, locked in combat with two Angels nearby, caught a glimpse of the scene and shouted:

“Zero! Finish him and help us with the breach!”

But Zero’s full attention remained locked on the kneeling Sidhe. The pressure of his presence alone made the air feel heavier.

Gralia’kal looked up at him, a mix of fury and something close to fear in his eyes.

“You… still don’t understand what you are…”

Zero raised his sword for another crushing strike.

The desecrated shrine trembled under the force of their clash. Gralia’kal’s thin blade finally cracked under the relentless pressure.

Zero’s sword came down in a single, merciless arc.

The Sidhe Rank 4 was cut cleanly in two, like wheat before the scythe. Blood sprayed across the desecrated shrine floor as both halves of Gralia’kal’s body collapsed in opposite directions.

For a brief moment, everything froze.

Then the remaining Angels recoiled in unison. A high, piercing scream tore through the chamber — not of pain, but of retreat. The tear in reality shuddered violently. One by one, the Angel-class entities were yanked back into the swirling void as if an invisible force was reclaiming them.

The breach sealed shut with a final, echoing snap.

Silence fell.

The oppressive quiet that followed was almost heavier than the battle itself. Dust and golden fragments drifted through the air. The only sound left was Zero’s heavy breathing as he stood in the center of the ruined shrine, sword still raised, silver hair stained with blood and sweat.

Arthur, Lancelot, Merlin, and Morgana slowly lowered their weapons, staring at the aftermath in stunned silence.

Zero remained motionless for several long seconds, staring at the place where Gralia’kal had fallen. The fragments of memory still pulsed behind his eyes — the sentencing, the chains, the title of Fatebreaker.

He finally lowered his sword.

The Dungeon of Angels had gone quiet.

But the war that had been revealed here was only just beginning.