FSE

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formerly SoFurry search engine

Present day.

Lupo woke up from a slightly disturbed sleep, but was a comfortable one, nonetheless. He sat up and gave a small stretch, looking to his side and noticing a couple of individuals sleeping on his very wide bed. He let out a small amused huff before slowly getting out of bed with a small yawn escaping his mouth.

He went into the bathroom to freshen up and relieve himself real quick, he got out and made his way over to the full-body mirror in the room, checking himself out and flexing smugly, still surprised at how time went flying past all those years. Standing in front of the mirror was not the young boy anymore, but a young man of 18, a prodigy of the Imperial Military Academy, graduating at record time and at the top of his class. Gone was the slim body of his earlier youth, now replaced with a fit, athletic body befitting a soldier of the Imperial Army, the circuit-like markings that would appear and disappear when he was younger are now permanently visible, starting in the middle of his back, covering his upper back, going over his shoulders before converging into a circle just above the center of his chest.

Even though he doesn’t have an official rank yet, due to Dr. Saw and Commander Rudolf having something in mind for him, something he still doesn’t know about. “Would be cool if I was a Vanguard, though.” He muttered to himself as he went to the wardrobe to put on some clothes. A Vanguard is a title given to a leader of a small, special squad of soldiers called Knightmancers, soldiers with strange and powerful abilities, as well as the ability to transform into powerful beings called Knights, which was the name of the soldiers of ancient times, before all the science and technology.

However, there was a tiny issue regarding the matter of Lupo becoming a Vanguard, he already has the powers, but can’t manifest his Knight form for some reason. Even before he joined the Military Academy, he and Dr. Saw tried various methods to help him manifest it, but to no avail. But it seems Saw has finally figured something out.

Donning a play tank top and some sweatpants, Lupo made his way to the island kitchen, preparing some breakfast for himself and the other two who are, apparently, still in bed. First their plates, then his own plate, taking it to the living room, turning on the widescreen TV to see the latest news, even more talks about the ongoing on-and-off skirmishes between the Imperial Army and the Old Church.

Getting irritated by stuff he already knew about, he turned the channels till he found a thriller movie nearing its end to watch, even though it was a rerun from last week. He watched as the killer slashed the main characters one after the other before being shot down by the police after being trapped by the heroine. “Why is it always a girl? Can’t they have a male hero in these movies, for once?” His ear twitched slightly as he picked up some movement from upstairs, let out a small huff of amusement through his nose he stood up. “Guess they’re finally up.”

He made his way upstairs, the door to his room being slightly cracked open, hearing the sounds of panting, moaning, and the unmistakable squeaking of the bed. He opened the door but remained standing there as he watched the show, leaning on the frame.

Inside the room, the two men were busy going at each other in hot thoroughs of hot sex, the scents and sounds filling the room pretty fast, both traveling out of the room now that the door was open. The one on top was a possum with blonde hair that was messed up from sleep and sweat, the other one below him was a canine, but considering their position and the fact that the bed covers were still covering most of their bodies, other details couldn’t be seen. “You two about done?” He asked in a teasing tone, arms crossed over his chest. “Breakfast is getting cold.”

“Just… *pant*... almost there!” The possum replied before shoving himself deep into the canine under him, grunting and huffing, as violent sparks of pleasure coursed back and forth inside his body.

“Oh fuck! That’s a lot… fu--aaaAAACK!” The canine screamed in pleasure as his own orgasm hit, his body stiffening and twitching for a few seconds.

Soon enough, both of them lay there, panting for breath for a few seconds before the possum lifted himself off, throwing away the covers as he did so, revealing his fit body and cum glazed cock. “Damn, that’s one hell of a way to wake up.” He commented as he pushed the hair back and off of his face, noticing the growing lump in Lupo’s pants. “Need help there, hot stuff?” He asked as he gently rubbing at it with one hand, the other resting on Lupo’s hip.

“Unfortunately, I have some important matters to attend to soon.” He said as he gently pushed the possum’s hands away, before planting a small peck on his cheek. “Feel free to drop by later, though.”

“Can’t do, big guy. Got plans of my own.” The possum locked their lips for a few seconds before pulling back. “Thanks for breakfast though.” Then walked away.

“You sure know how to pick ‘em, hun.” Lupo turned back towards the bed, seeing the canine that was now sitting on the edge, lithe and elegant with a faint definition of muscles, his forearms having semi-long fur, his muzzle long and slender, ears flopped down and mostly covered by his silky smooth hair, his body mainly beige-blond in color with his face, muzzle, chest, abdomen, hands, and feet being black in color, his forelegs also having a mop of smooth fur, just like his forearms. “This one managed to keep up, last night.”

“I’d say he gave you a run for your money.” He replied as he stepped closer, leaning down to plant a small peck on the other canine’s lips. “Only the best for you, babe.”

“Such a sweet talker, you are.” The canine stood up, slightly taller than Lupo himself, only by a few inches really, but their respective physique were total opposites. The other thing they differed in is the fact that this canine had a vagina instead of the common cock and balls. “I’m gonna hit the shower before breakfast. I reek!” He joked before giving Lupo a small peck on the cheek then walking away to shower as planned.

Caleb Fall was someone that Lupo met about three years ago, neither of them thought that things between them would advance in such a way and this far too. They met when Lupo and squadron of Peacekeepers raided the establishment of an illegal sex trafficking ring, Caleb was one of the unfortunate employees there, just like most of them, he was also covered in lots of cuts and bruises, either the result of an unhappy boss or very rough client.

Fortunately, no casualties on either side, and all the civilians were saved and treated, Lupo was the one who treated Caleb at the time, considering how he was good with magic, healing magic included, with one spell, all of Caleb’s bruises disappeared as nothing have happened. A few days after, they met at the park by coincidence, spent some time together and everything took off from there. Of course, nothing serious happened until they were both 18.

Lupo’s phone rang on the nightstand, pulling him out of memory lane and back to the present. He picked it up and accepted the call the second he saw who it was. “Dr. Saw.”

[Lupo, my boy! Hope I’m not calling too early.] Dr. Saw’s loud and chipper voice can put a smile on almost anyone’s face.

“Not really, I actually woke up earlier myself.” He assured as he took a seat on edge of the bed. “Anything I can help you with?”

[See… I know today’s supposed to be your day off and all, but there is something that I wanted to talk to you about. It’s about your inability to manifest your Knight.] Hearing that, Lupo’s ears perked up. [Nothing serious, just a few tests to confirm something.]

“Alright, I suppose I can swing by if it’s just that.” He replied, just as Caleb came back into the room, as naked as when he went in, the only difference being the towel around his neck.

[Splendid! Everything is ready over here, just waiting for you! Safe drive!] Saw disconnected the call without waiting for a reply.

“Let me guess: You’ve been called in, again.” Lupo’s ears drooped down, clearly hearing the disappointment in his boyfriend’s voice.

“I’m really sorry babe, but this is about my Knight. If things go well, I might be able to finally manifest one and be of greater use to the Army and Peacekeepers.”

“I know, I know. Not like I can stop you anyway.” Caleb’s entire body language screamed disappointment.

“I’m really sorry.” He stood up and walked over to Caleb, pulling him in a gentle hug. “I promise I’ll make it up to you, anything you want.”

Caleb let out a small huff through his nose, turning to face his lover, gently holding Lupo’s face in his hands. “Just come back safe to me, that’s all I ever ask for.”

“It’s just a few tests, nothing major, I promise.” Ending their conversation with a small peck on the lips, Lupo made his way to grab a quick shower before heading over to HQ.

---

Lupo parked his motorbike in the employee parking lot and got off, helmet in hand as he walked in. The Imperial Army HQ was the biggest building in the capital city of Remus, which was, in turn, the biggest city in all of the Dolfus Empire, as well as the main hub of trade and tourism.

The building was divided into multiple branches or departments, where each has its own goals and tasks to carry out, but all are joint in their efforts to keep the peace in the empire. As he made his way to the locker rooms, he greeted other soldiers and various staff along the way, noticing a few girls whispering giddily while looking at his direction, he offered them a small wink, making them squeal out in joy. He made sure to let everyone know where his interests lie, but if the ladies are gonna keep trying, he might as well give them something for their efforts. Multiple buildings littered the grounds of the headquarters, from training halls, classrooms, to even museum-like exhibition halls for the public, all separated and connected by a large courtyard of lush grass and neatly lined walkways and roads for small vehicles, with what could possibly be the biggest decorative fountain in all of the kingdom placed righ in the middle.

He stepped into the locker room, which was practically empty at this time since most of the staff and other soldiers would already be in their uniforms and off doing their jobs. A quick change of clothes and he was in his own uniform as well, an all-black military shirt and pants, with a long split-tailed coat with golden, white, and red of the Imperial Army decoration the suit, ending the uniform with his weapon of choice: A big buckler shield with a short sword sheathed inside it. Finally grabbing the cap with the silver and gold bill, resting it on his head and he was off.

He hated going to the research and development department, lots of strange smells that confuse and irritate his senses, he remembers having to wear a mask the first few times he came here when he was younger. Now, through the many, many visits he had to take here, he’s more or less used to them.

He stood in front of Dr. Saw’s office, knocking on the door a couple of times before announcing himself. “Lupo Silverback, here at your request, sir.”

“Enter my boy, enter! No need for such formalities!” Heeding the instruction, Lupo stepped into the office… which was one hell of a mess. Papers scattered on the floor or plastered on the wall, beakers littering the floor, some of them spilt their contents over while others were clearly empty, one of them was actually smoking in the far wall, he was too afraid to ask what as in that one. “Ah, perfect! We can begin once he arrives.”

“He?” Just as Lupo asked, the door of the office opened, revealing Rudolf himself, the commander still looking stern and powerful as ever. “Commander Rudolf!” He greeted as he gave a salute.

“At ease, soldier, you’re not on the clock. Didn’t have to put your uniform on, either.” Rudolf assured as he gave Lupo a couple of firm pats on the shoulder.

“Right, now that we’re all here, let’s head to the testing rooms, shall we?” Without waiting for their replies, he walked past them with long strides.

Both Rudolf and Lupo followed behind him, but taking more relaxed strides. “So, how’s the military life treating ya?” Rudolf asked his pupil as they walked beside each other.

“Has its ups and downs, but this is what I wanted, so I can’t complain.”

“Still feel like I coerced you into all this, especially considering your… emotional state when we found you.”

Lupo knew exactly what Rudolf meant. “I assure you, you didn’t. I wanted this and I’m sure my parents would’ve been proud of this choice.”

“Oh, they definitely would’ve been, I can assure you of that. Even more proud of the man you’ve become.”

“If you two are done reminiscing, we’ve got work to do.” Saw got their attention before stepping into a room with a metal door marked with a large ‘4’. Inside was a small room with lots of buttons and levers, further in was a bigger, empty room, both rooms separated by a thick wall with a wide window between them. “Take off your clothes, keep the pants on.” Saw instructed as he searched his pockets, while Lupo heeded the command, soon enough he stood completely topless, a hard blush on his face as he was still not used to the Commander and Doctor seeing his body. Although the doctor wasn’t that interested. “Ah, here you go!” He handed Lupo a badge that was a replica of Saw’s and Rudolf’s badges, but the crystal in the middle was in a different color. “This time around things are a gonna be a bit harder, there are some vital data I need to collect, so I’m gonna ask you to hold out as much as you can, alright?”

Lupo nodded firmly, he knew what these tests required and he was ready as always, he stepped into the other room as he put the badge in place. Seeing Saw give him a sign that they’re ready, he gave him a similar sign before closing his eyes… taking a deep breath… then called out with a deep, determined tone, clutching the cross of the badge. “Lupo Silverback! Ignite!” He turned the cross to a diagonal position before a burst of energy began flowing out of the crystal and coiling around him, filling him with power.

“Readings are normal so far…” Saw commented as he watched the mystical event in front of him, Rudolf letting out a small grumble, his nerves getting all kinds of bad tingles but didn’t want it to show. “Oh, it’s starting.” Upon hearing Saw’s comment, Rudolf’s nerves spiked.

Lupo’s body began twitching and shivering in discomfort… “Ahh… GAAAAHHHH!!!” He let out a scream as the energies around him began rejecting him, causing painful fluctuations both inside and outside his body, and sending dangerous sparks flying all around.

After a few minutes of Lupo panting and growling in pain, Rudolf’s had enough. “That’s enough, I’m shutting this down.” He made to press a button.

But saw grabbed his hand by the wrist, not even looking at him. “Not yet.”

“Can’t you see that he’s in pain?” Just as he said that, Lupo let out another, louder scream this time, the levels of violent energies increasing by the second.

“Other times I would’ve stopped this myself, but today’s readings are vital. We need him to tough this one out.” Rudolf didn’t like where this was going, but he had faith that Lupo can handle this. Saw then spoke to Lupo through the speakers. “Just a little more, Lupo. Try to hold on a bit longer.”

Rudolf tried to hold himself as much as he could, watching the young man in front of them going through what could only be such a painful process, the last straw was drawn when scars and burn marks began appearing all over his body, as even more energy began bursting out of both the badge and his body. “That’s it!” Rudolf reached for the button again.

But this time, a metallic claw slammed itself around the button, completely blocking it, another claw was dangerously close to Rudolf’s face, both attached to robotic tendrils that were jutting out of Saw’s back. “Not. Yet.”

“You absolute mad man!” If he can’t stop this one way, he’ll just do it another. Rudolf kicked the door of the observation room open, raced inside the testing room, disregarding the volatile energy that danced dangerously around Lupo. “Hang in there Lupo!” He began making his way over to him, being pushed back by a powerful force, but he still marched on until he reached Lupo, grabbing the badge, intense heat burning his hand, but he still held on, ripping it off of the young man’s chest and throwing at the nearest wall. The moment that happened, all of the energy dissipated instantly, Lupo falling to his hands and knees once his body was able to relax after such a torturous event.

Rudolf knelt down beside Lupo, hand on the young man’s shoulder. “Hotheaded as always, even for your age.” Then looked up at Saw with a murderous glare. “But I still managed to get the data I needed, so you stopped this at just the right time.”

Rudolf was on his feet in an instant, grabbing Saw by the collar. “I ought to have you locked up for such an experiment.”

“Yet it was essential for me to realize what was going on with our prodigy soldier here. And thanks to today’s test, I became absolutely sure with my theory.” He explained in a casual tone as he slapped Rudolf’s hand away, fixing his shirt.

“And… what is wrong with me?” Lupo asked with a slight strain in his voice as he stood up.

“Just put your clothes back on and follow me back to my office. I’ll explain everything there.” He then nodded to Rudolf with a slight smile. “You need to hear this too.”

A couple of minutes later, after letting Lupo heal himself and Rudolf, they were back at Saw’s office, where he pulled out a pretty hefty-looking book. “This book speaks about the legends and history of our world, not just Dormus.” He opened it and flipped to a random page, showing what looked like a king and a gathering of heroes facing off against a giant beast of darkness and shadows. “There is always mention of certain items that held great powers. Powers that, according to the book, could rival the gods that created them.”

“And you brought us here to discuss bedtime stories and fairytales?” Rudolf clearly wasn’t in a good mood.

“Look at the heroes of this page.” Saw instructed as he tapped at one of the characters in mention. “Anything familiar?”

Both Rudolf and Lupo looked on, nothing coming to either of them for a few seconds. Then the lightbulb in Lupo’s head lit. “Oh! They look like our Knights!”

Upon closer look, Rudolf realized that as well. “You’re right…” But then held his chin in thought. “But… they look different…”

“That’s because…” Saw started, his hand gesturing to his badge. “Unlike us, who use these Igniter Keys to manifest our Knights, the heroes all wielded the Otherworld Artifacts, giving them amazing powers to take on any kind of foe.”

“That’s all good to know, but what does any of that have to do with Lupo?”

Saw picked up a tablet, tapping on it a few times before showing the screen to the other two. It showed the levels of energy inside Lupo’s body and the Igniter Key he had on earlier, both having very different energy colors. “As you can see, these are the different energies inside our dear pupil and the Igniter Key I gave him, which is pretty similar to all the Igniters we use. Now watch…” He tapped on the screen and it began showing the brief exchange of energies between Lupo’s body and the Igniter… then it happened.

“Ah! They’re rejecting each other.” Lupo commented as he saw exactly that, once the two energies came in contact, they began fighting and rejecting each other. “So that’s why it was so painful…”

“Exactly.” Saw turned off the tablet and put it down. “So here’s my theory: Unlike those who can manifest our Knights with Igniter Keys, the individuals who can use an Artifact have different types of energies that are incompatible with Igniters. Hence the rejection effect that little Lupo here experienced every time he tried to manifest his Knight.”

“But, I can still use magic and everything, just like anyone else.” Lupo spoke suddenly, not believing that he was any different.

“But the potency of your magic is greatly higher than everyone else.” Saw explained with his hands behind his back. “That’s further proof of your potential of wielding an Artifact. Do you know the legend of Merlin?”

“The greatest and most powerful wizard that ever lived? Yeah, I know about it.”

“He was also a wielder of an Artifact, according to legends, that is. An Artifact created from the essence of Ludous, the Divine Beast of Magic, and who was said to be the pet of Lucina, the Goddess of Magic.”

“Are you sure, though? I don’t feel that powerful or special.”

“As they say: You are your worst critic. An individual can’t or won’t notice such small details unless they compare themselves to many others or if someone makes the comparison for them.” Saw explained once more, noticing how Lupo was deep in his thought, still unable to wrap his head around all of this. “However! No matter how sure I am of this theory, it’s still just that: A theory. Can’t say for sure until we get our hands on an actual Artifact to test it out and confirm my findings.”

“And let me guess: These Artifacts are hard to find.” Rudolf commented.

“Harder than a needle in a haystack. It’s been many, many years since one was discovered, let alone used. Some say that since the rise in technology and science, the use of magic has been put on the backburner or even shelved entirely for generations. So the theory that’s been circling is that the Artifacts have gone dormant, unless something happens to rouse them, we can’t even use magic to locate them.” Saw finished his explanation with a shrug. “In other words, there’s nothing we can do. Unless by some miracle an Artifact lands in our lap, that is.”

“I see. Then there’s nothing to do but wait and let our researchers do their thing.” Rudolf summarized. He then placed a hand on Lupo’s shoulder. “Sorry to put you through all this with practically nothing to show for it.”

“Well, I wouldn’t say nothing, sir. We finally found out what was wrong with me and the perfect alternative, despite it being an impossibility at this point.” Lupo assured them before giving them both a salute. “I thank you, both of you, for sticking with me through this dilemma all these years.”

“Think nothing of it. We’re glad to help.” Rudolf assured him with a couple of firm pats on the shoulder. “Your dismissed for today. That was the only thing that required your attention today.”

Lupo nodded, then gave another salute before leaving the office.

---

Even though he was dismissed and allowed to go home, he didn’t, he was sitting on one of the benches surrounding the fountain, pretty deep in thought about what he learned from Saw earlier, he did send a text to Caleb to tell him that he might be late to get back home, he could feel the disappointment of his boyfriend even through simple text. As he was thinking he pulled some water from the fountain using magic, twirling it around in the air a few times till it took the shape of a coiling spiral, then with a simple flick of his finger to the bottom of the coil, it froze instantly, turning into a pretty statuette, the head taking the shape of a rose.

He let out a sigh before turning the ice back to water and tossing it back into the fountain, still in disbelief. “Someone’s not feeling hot today?” He turned to the voice that spoke, looking up at a young human lady in a priestess’ outfit that consisted of a long, white robe that slightly defined her figure, a wimple with a red front that extending all the way to just below her waist, her long, pink and blue hair being slightly visible from under it. “What’s wrong?” She asked in her soft voice as she sat down beside him.

“Ah, Rheeta.” He didn’t need to see her to recognize the young lady that befriended almost the moment he arrived at the capital. “Just learned a few unbelievable stuff that could be wrong with me, is all.”

She let out a small gasp of fear. “It’s not something dangerous is it?”

He waved his hands frantically to calm her down. “Oh, nononono, nothing of the sort. It’s regarding my Knight. It appears that I won’t be able to manifest one due to my magical levels being different than the norm.”

“Wouldn’t surprise me.” She said with a small giggle. “You’re pretty much the only one I know who can take on a Knightmancer and win. Remember the entry exams?” How can he forget? If it wasn’t for barrier around the arena, one of his attacks could’ve destroying part of the stadium.

“That left quite the stamp on my record.”

“Yet it left quite the mark in the army’s history. That’s not something many people can claim and prove.” She assured as she rested her hand on his thigh, leaving it there.

“What are you doing here, anyways?”

She retracted her hand and placed both of hers in her lap in a regal manner. “My father asked me to. It appears there were a lot of casualties in last week’s raid.” She was talking about a raid on a village run by members of the Old Church.

“So, the awesome healing powers of a priestess are needed, huh?”

“Not only me, I came along with a few other priests and priestesses as well.” Then something clicked in her mind all of a sudden. “Wait a minute, wasn’t it supposed to be your day off?”

“Yeah, but I was summoned urgently for Saw’s experiment. I was dismissed right after, though.”

“Yet you’re still here.”

“Just got thinking is all. I was told I make quite the sad face when I’m thinking too deeply, didn’t want to worry Caleb.”

“I bet he’s worried right now, anyway.”

“We talked on the phone earlier, he sure sounded disappointed.”

She was about to say something else, but was interrupted by a snarky voice speaking up. “Well, if it isn’t the runt of the litter.” Both of them turned to see a bald eagle wearing the Army’s uniform, flanked by three other similarly dressed young men. “What’s new, farm boy?”

“Not much going on, carpet merchant.” Lupo replied in an equally snarky manner.

“Watch it, peasant. You better change your tone soon before you regret it.” The eagle growled threatening at him.

Lupo stood up and dusted the back of his pants casually. “My only regret is getting to meet someone like you.”

“I’m warning you…” As he said that, the eagle and his posse grabbed their swords on their hips, ready to draw.

“You’re welcome to try…” Lupo also took hold of his sword’s handle, just as ready to draw.

But Rheeta suddenly stood between them, her hands stretched out to stop them. “That’s enough, both of you!” She reprimanded firmly, Lupo instantly putting his arms down and relaxing his posture. She then turned to the eagle, stomping up to him. “And you! What do you have to say for yourself? And don’t you dare say he started it.”

“It’s… nothing…” He said as he turned his eyes away.

“Ah, I see.” Lupo stated with a smug look on his face. “Old boy Rook here was jealous because I was having a pretty fun conversation with his lady.”

“Shut your trap, runt!” The eagle, Rook, squawked out, his voice breaking a bit. Luckily no one noticed.

“Really, Rook? I keep telling you that there’s nothing to worry about.” She said as she let out a small sigh. “Besides, Lupo is gay, he’s not even interested in me in that way. We talked about this, remember?” Hearing no reply from the eagle, she sighed again in defeat. “Guess they were right…” That seemed to catch Rook’s attention. “I met with some of your exes and we talked about you. They warned me about your jealous streak and temper, but I decided to not head them.” Rook remained silent, his eyes cast down in shame. “I’m sorry, but I have things to do. If you’ll excuse me.” She walked away without waiting for a reply.

Rook growled in anger, turning to face Lupo once again to really let the runt have it… but Lupo was nowhere to be seen. “Tch, ran away did ya? Fucking coward.”

---

“Good thing I left when I did.” Lupo muttered to himself as he walked down a hallway in the war building, the walls painted pristine white and lined with various portraits, paintings, and other types of luxurious decorations and furniture. “Not the best place to be in. And I didn’t want to deal with that douchebag, either.”

He took a seat at one of the leather couches lining the walls, seeing no one around, he allowed himself to relax and slump down in his seat. “Today has been pretty sucky, not good for anyone’s mentality.” He closed his eyes as he let out a deep sigh.

But a couple of minutes later. “ON YOUR FEET, SOLDIER!” Came a deep, booming voice that had a slight soft pitch to it.

Hearing the command, he jumped up to his feet, giving a salute to whoever was there. “Sir, yes sir!” He then opened his eyes. “Ah… Oh, it’s just you.”

The young human woman with long blonde hair that’s tied back in a ponytail, wearing the female variant of their uniform that was pretty identical, with the exception of the short skirt and thigh-high socks, another different that was exclusive to her was the breastplate that she had over her chest. She let out a huff of amusement, placing on hand on her hip. “The hell do you mean ‘just you’? I still outrank you so show some respect.”

“Says the Wild Lance of the Army.” His posture relaxed as he crossed his arms. “What’re you doing here, Anastasia?”

“I could ask you the same thing. People don’t usually come to the War Halls to grab a nap. But if you must know, I’ve been called by Commander Rudolf, I think it’s regarding yet another Old Church sighting.”

“Again? Don’t those guys ever take a day off? A holiday, maybe?”

“Even if they did, we can’t let our guard down. Not when they’re still active.”

“Yeah, you’re right.” Just then, his phone rang, checking the caller ID, his ears perked in surprise before accepting the call. “Commander, what can I do for you?” Not wanting to distract him from the call, Anastasia continued walking towards her destination. “Huh? You want me to be there too?” She stopped in her tracks, both of them turning to face one another in confusion.

---

A few minutes later, both Lupo and Anastatia stepped into the War Room, a wide space with multiple monitors manned by various staff that are used for reconnaissance, communications, so on and so forth. In the middle of the room was a wide table with a holographic display of what looked to be a village, the table was surrounded by a few high ranking military personnel, Rudolf and Saw included.

Anastasia and Lupo both gave a firm salute with her announcing their presence. “Vanguard Anastasia Dawn and Lupo Silverback, reporting in, sir!”

Rudolf gave them a firm nod. “Now… just one mroe…”

Just then, the doors flung open and in rushed a third individual, a canine with floppy ears and all yellow fur wearing an engineer’s outfit, a slightly chubby belly faintly pushing against the fabric of his uniform. He almost keeled over from how hard he was panting, then gave the proper salute. “Engineer Lucas Alph! Reporting in, sir!” He managed to announce through his pants, his face covered in sweat.

Rudolf gave him another firm nod. “Good, no we can start.”

“A moment, sir.” He was interrupted by one of the men around the table, a tiger male wearing a uniform that looked somewhat similar to Rudolf’s but the design details were those of a lower rank. “I must raise an issue with this gathering?”

Saw let out a huff of frustration, rolling his eyes, but Rudolf was the one who spoke. “Oh? And what would that be?” His tone was that of thin patience.

“I have issue with their presence here. Those other two, that is.” The tiger said as he glared at Lupo and Lucas. “A Knightless runt who doesn’t even have an official rank and a shoddy engineer, neither of those two will be of any help in this mission.” He thumped his chest firmly. “My squad and I are enough. We don’t even need another Vanguard.” He said with a snarky side glance at Anastasia.

“Oh yeah?” Rudolf asked as he crossed his arms over his chest. “Then tell me, Bans, who’s squad caused the many casualties last week?” Hearing the question, Vanguard Bans didn’t answer, but shrank back a bit, remaining silent. “And who let the Old Church escape after promising a flawless engagement and capture?” More silence, with drooped ears this time. “And who came in and cleaned up your mess in the end?” More silence, drooped ears, and downcast eyes. “I thought so. Any other issues anyone wants to raise?” Hearing none, Rudolf continued. “Good, then let’s begin.”

He tapped gently at the surface of the table, a holographic keyboard appearing where he tapped some commands, right before the holo-display zoomed in and focused on a small village, surrounded by hills and forests. “This is the village Sanma, a strangely frequent target of the Old Church’s forces for months now. We’re still not sure as to why, hence this gathering today.” He turned to Saw and gave him a small nod, a sign to take over the briefing.

“We, however…” He tapped a few times on the display, the map moving over to what seemed to be an abandoned castle. “In recent weeks, we’ve been getting some on and off readings originating from the castle. Despite being erratic in appearance, those energies are pretty intense when they do.”

Rudolf took over once more. “We believe that whatever’s emitting that much energy is what the Old Church is after. But to destroy it or utilize it, we don’t know yet.” He leaned on the table, propping himself up with one arm. “I also believe that having the three I summoned today are crucial, especially since there has been sightings of an even greater Old Church force gathering for a full assault on the village.”

He looked at each of the trio of Lupo, Anastasia, and Lucas in turn as he spoke. “A Knightless soldier, true, but one that can handle a squadron of them with very little trouble, if any. A Vanguard with years of combat experience and unwavering heart, despite her age. And an engineer with questionable constructs, sure, but one whose knowledge of ancient technology and arcane science can only rival our good doctor himself.” He then crossed his arms again and turned to Vanguard Bans. “So, if you have issue with their presence, then you have issue with my judgment. Is that what you were aiming for, Vanguard Bans?”

The tiger shook his head, eyes cast down in shame. “No sir, I meant no disrespect.”

“Good. Then we’re done here, I want everyone ready to head out an hour! Dismissed!”

---

As instructed, Lupo, Anastasia, and Lucas were all in a carrier vehicle with other soldiers awaiting their arrival. Lupo was busy texting with Caleb, informing him that he might be back today at all, even through the screen, Lupo could feel the mounting disappointment, he always thanks Astalos for whatever miracle that kept Caleb sticking by him all this time.

“Trouble at home, pup?” Lupo turned to one of the soldiers, a middle-aged kangaroo man wearing a footsoldier’s uniform.

“Your man having second thoughts?” Another soldier, a male bull teased.

“He might be.” Lupo replied with a sigh.

“Enough, all of you.” The squadron leader, a polar bear reprimanded firmly. “Leave this kind of talk back home. We have more pressing issues at hand.”

Just then the intercom inside the vehicle spoke up. “We’re almost there, captain.”

The polar bear nodded. “Good. Everyone get ready.” He and his soldiers donned their helmets, his voice slightly muffled as he gave his instructions. “Remember: Our priority is the safety of the people, everything else is secondary.” He then pointed at Lupo. “And you stay back and let us do our job. Don’t want any inexperienced urchins getting in the way.” Lupo remained silent, not wanting to cause friction at such a critical time.

Just as they arrived *BOOM* their vehicle shook as an explosion happened to close for comfort to the vehicle itself. The intercom crackled withs tactic from the shock of the impact before the driver spoke urgently. “Captain, the enemy is engaging us already!”

“Fucking cowards. Everyone prepare for emergency disembark!” Just then, the roof of the opened up with a loud his and groan. “NOW!” The captain ordered, everyone pulling a lever under their seats, sending them flying out of the vehicle, and just in time as a stray rocket made contact with the carrier, destroying it completely. “Men, Ignite!” As he said that, he turned the cross on his badge, right before being consumed by mystical energy, the other soldiers, except for Lupo, doing the same.

When they landed on the ground, their uniforms are gone, replaced by mystical full armor of knights of old, with insignias and colors of the Imperial Army, their forms reflecting their ranks, with the captain being slightly bigger with heavier armor, wielding a halberd with a wide blade. “Everyone, report!”

“Captain! Getting readings on either side of the road, many more are converging on the village’s location!” One of the soldiers, a scout from the design of his Knight form, informed him.

“So the ones who ambushed us are a mere stalling tactic.” He took a fighting stance with his halberd in hand. “Let’s mow through them and get to the village, quickly!” The moment he said that the ambushers jumped out of hiding, they were clad in the same mystical armor as the Imperial Soldiers but were colored in the bright colors of the Old Church, which consisted of blue, white, and golden.

Despite the ambush, the soldiers of the Old Church were few in number and were easily dispatched. “To the village!” They all began making their way to the village, the sounds of combat already heard as they got closer and closer. “Looks like the first squad is engaging already.”

Just as they got through the front gate, one of the Old Church’s falling to the ground, before getting stabbing with a long, white and golden lance. The owner of the lance yanked it out of the dead soldier turning to the squad that just arrived, it was clearly a female from the slim figure and the breastplate, a pair of long feathers flowing from the helmet and a waist cloak flowing freely in the wind as well. “Sure took your sweet time.” Anastasia’s voice came from inside the helmet, a bit muffled.

“We were ambushed in the forest, but that is over and done with.” The captain explained quickly before stepping closer. “Status report.”

“They came out of nowhere, we were almost lucky that a villager noticed their movements in the forest.” She reported, turning to see more of them coming out of the forest. “But so far, we’ve seen only footsoldiers, no generals in the vicinity.”

“I’VE GOT YOU NOW!” An Old Church soldier screamed as he was coming towards them from the sky, barely giving the captain and vanguard any time to react.

But he was caught in midair by a metallic, clawed tendril before being tossed aside like a ragdoll. “Dear me, you should be more careful.” They turned to the owner of the tendril, seeing an Imperial Knight in a slim armor also donning a coat over it with a head, slightly covering the plague mask-like helmet, four tendrils slithering in the air behind him, unlike the other Imperial Knights, his armor was more indigo with silver details, instead of the common black, white, red, and gold. “Can’t have a fly like that knocking you down on your asses.”

“Dr. Saw!” Anastasia instantly recognized the doctor, even through all the armor.

“Guess they didn’t expect me and the commander to join the fray, this time.” *BOOM* “Oh, speak of the devil.”

“BEGONE!!!” Rudolf swung his long sword, sending out a shockwave that sent many Old Church soldiers flying. He also was donned in his own armor, all-black with details of white and gold, a red and short shoulder cape flowing in the wind, his helmet also had a crest of red feathers on top. “There’s too many of them.”

“Just like cockroaches.” Saw commented as he casually walked up to the commander, his metallic tendrils swatting any and every would-be attacker aside like a fly. “You kill one and ten take its place.”

“Captain!” They turned to the sound of one of the soldiers calling out, where they saw the polar bear captain struggling against a slightly bigger Old Church Knight who was wielding a flanged mace with a large head.

The bigger Knight slammed his mace into the captain’s halberd, breaking it half before smacking him down with it, now standing over him with the mace raised high, ready to deliver the final strike. “May Astalos be fair in his judgment!” Then swung down with all his might.

*PONG* The sound of heavy metal against hollow metal sounded, both the captain and the Old Church Knight gasping in shock. Under the heavy weight of the mace stood Lupo, his buckler shield raised and blocking the strike that would’ve crippled any normal soldier. “Silverback! I told you to standby until further orders!”

“Chapter 2, page 48, article 3: As long as it doesn’t put other soldiers in jeopardy, one can disregard the commands of their superiors in battle.” Lupo swung his shield, knocking the mace and the Knight away. “However, that doesn’t mean they’re free from the consequences.” The captain scoffed in irritation, but Lupo ignored him, grabbing his sword and unsheathing it from inside the shield, taking a stance with his legs tightly placed together, his shield arm behind his back and his sword close to himself, inches from his face. “I’ll take whatever punishment that awaits me if it means that I can prevent the loss of a fellow soldier.” His body and markings began glowing intensely, sparks of energy dancing around his body as the very air became dense and heavy.

Then he disappeared from sight. “What, where’d he go!?” The mace-wielding Knight began looking around frantically, even then, he was unable to see the punch that made heavy contact with his helmeted face, sending him flying back into the forest and miles away, leaving a very visibly trail of deforestation behind him.

Lupo then turned to the other soldiers, moving faster than anyone could follow, one swing sent many soldiers flying, then jumping high in the air, gathering power into his sword before delivering a powerful downswing calling out “Earth Splitter!” true to the ability’s name, a large gash appeared in the earth, right before an explosion of elemental energy sent all of the Old Church soldiers flying in all directions, leaving their armors heavily damaged in the process.

“Lupo! Behind you!” Hearing Anastasia’s warning, he turned around to see many soldiers rushing towards him, weapons drawn out and ready to strike.

He took a stance and pulled back his shield arm, gathering as much energy into his fist and shield. “Shield Rush: Rapid!” He punched the air, sending a barrage of countless energy projectiles at the charging soldiers, knocking all of them down and away.

“Who… what is he?” The polar bear captain, left speechless in awe of Lupo’s strength.

Anastasia stood beside him, her voice filled with pride as she spoke. “One of the Imperial Army’s most powerful soldiers, a prodigy among prodigies. Not bad for an ‘inexperienced urchin’, right?”

“My lords!” Lupo and the others turned as they were called upon by an elderly man, pointing in the distance. “The castle! They mustn’t reach the castle!” They looked in the direction he was pointing at, seeing many soldiers marching beside three tanks.

“So they were after the castle!” Rudolf summarised before giving his order. “Lupo! Stop them in their tracks, we’ll follow you shortly!” Lupo gave a firm nod before taking on a low stance, gathering more elemental energy into his body before shooting forward like a bullet, leaving brief sparks of electricity in his trail.

It only took him a few seconds to arrive, standing in front of the platoon of Old Church soldiers. “Halt! You won’t be going any further!”

“How cute~” Two figures jumped out of the tanks, landing a short distance in front of him. “They sent a little pup for us to play with.” Both of them were human females, well, rather one was a tan-skinned human with short, brown hair and an impressive chest, and the other was a fair-skinned half-beast with long, silky, deep blue hair, a human with beastman features, in her case it was ears and tail. Both of them were dressed in a similar manner to Rheeta, but their outfits were more… revealing and quite provocative and the brown-haired one wasn’t wearing a wimple or any sort of head cover. “How should we play with this one, sister Rasta?” The brown-haired one asked mockingly, grabbing the whip on her hip and cracking it on the ground, leaving a small hole where it struck.

“I don’t know Esa.” The half-beast replied in an equally mocking tone, conjuring a long, silver staff with part of the metal coiling around a large, blue pearl-like gem, like serpents. “How about we ask?”

“Sorry ladies.” He replied, almost unphased by their choices of outfits, raising his sword and aiming it at them. “But playtime ended ages ago.”

“I’ll be the judge of that, brat!” Esa cracked her whip on the ground a couple of times, before sending it serpentining towards Lupo, coiling around his sword arm and pulling him forward a bit, incapacitating that arm. But that was a pretty expected move, with a swift motion from his shield, the whip was cut right off. “What!?” When she looked closer, she saw a faint glint of reflection on the edges of the buckler. “Damn cheat, hiding blades inside your shield. That whip was an expensive gift from the Bishop himself!”

“Put it on my tab!” Before any of them could react, four shadows soared above the Old Church platoon, four Imperial Knights landing right in front Lupo. Rudolf, Saw, Anastasian, and… whoever’s the fourth guy was, all took fighting stances. The fourth Knight had a slightly bulkier design to his form, big arms and hands, with four more equally big limbs floating freely behind him, and instead of the usual helmet’s design, the front of his looked more like a pair of huge goggles. Rudolf turned his head to the other two. “Dawn, Alph, take Lupo and head into the castle, find out what it is they could be looking for, and secure it at all costs!”

“Sir!” Both Knights turned quickly and made a mad dash towards the castle, the bulkier Alph grabbing Lupo by his hip and running right behind Anastasia.

---

Inside the castle and away from the battle, the trio began looking around for clues to whatever it was they were supposed to be looking for, both Anastasia and Lucas releasing their Knight forms to move around more freely. “So… any idea where to start?” Anastasia asked as she walked in front of both of them.

“No idea, but we should find something quick. Those two ladies didn’t look like your average Old Church rabble.” Lupo urged as they walked further in.

“Hmm… I’m not picking up anything on my sensors. Quite the optimal day for this… whatever it is to fall asleep.” Alph informed with a hint of irritation in his voice.

“Well, we can’t just sit and twiddle our thumbs hoping for a miracle!” The Vanguard threw her arms in the air in frustration, her entire body telling her that she should be out there with the other soldiers.

Lupo let out a sigh as he sat down on a broken column, propping his face on his arm, his elbow right on his knee. Closing his eyes to try and think of something… *giggle* the sound of childish chuckling caught his attention. “You know, I hardly find our current predicament funny.”

“Why? Who was laughing?” Lucas asked with his head tilted in confusion.

“Not me, that’s for sure.” Anastasia also replied, still looking around, even under some rubble.

“But-” *giggle… chuckle…* There it was again, this time he saw a tiny speck of light float right past his eyes. “What the…?” He followed where it was going, seeing many more similar specks of light with various colors gathering around a door that was just below the eroded stairs before slipping in through whatever cracks they could find. “Dawn! Alph! I think I found something!” He caught their attention and led them to the door in question. When they arrived, the door briefly glowed, showing faint flashes of what could only be a protective spell.

“Oh boy, this one’s filled with all kinds of warding sigils. Might take me hours if not days to decipher and disable them.” Lucas explained as he pulled out his tablet, inputting the sigils he saw.

“Well, we don’t have that kind of time, do we?” Before either of them could stop her, Anastasia conjured her lance and with a war cry stabbed at the door, only to be repelled by the barrier and sent flying into the wall behind them. “Ow…”

“Oh, way to pile up the pressure and work, Dawn…” Lucas grumbled as he noticed that even more sigils appeared on the door. “Now this blasted thing reinforced itself even more!”

*Ka-chuck…* Both Anastasia and Lucas jumped as they heard the very loud and heavy undoing of a lock, right before the door slowly squeaked open. Both of them looked up to see Lupo’s hand on the handle. “Um… open sesame?” He shrugged before walking in, the trio were then greeted by quite the spiral of steps.

“Holy shit…” Anastasia cursed softly to herself. “If anyone told me this leads all the way down to hell, I’d believe them.”

“Father Silus will spank you for cursing, you know.” Lupo mockingly warned as he began descending.

“Please, he’s never raised a hand at me nor Rheeta even when we were kids.” She and Lucas followed closely behind.

It was quite a few minutes of continuous descent down the spiraling stairs, even then the floor was still far, far away. “Isn’t there an elevator here or something?” Lucas asked as he began sweating slightly.

“Don’t see any…” Lupo took a small peek over the side, trying to gauge how many stairs they had to go through… then his lips spread into a wide smirk. “But I do have an idea.” His body and markings began glowing in a light green hue, right before he jumped straight down, shocking both Anastasia and Lucas. In mere seconds, he arrived at the very bottoms of the stairs, using wind magic to create a cushion under himself to slow down his descent until he landed safely on the ground, seeing a double door at the very bottom.

*THUD… THUD…* Moments later, Anastasia and Lucas landed behind him, both in their Knight forms, but both were released the moment they landed. “That was very reckless of you!” She scolded loudly.

“Hey, we arrived quicker that way, didn’t we?” He assured with a smirk before reaching for the handles. But just as he took hold of them, flashes of old memories that were clearly not his filled his mind, his body frozen in place.

“Hey…” He was woken from that strange trance with Anastasia’s hand on his shoulder. “You okay? You froze for a second there.”

“Huh? Oh, yeah… yeah, I’m fine…” He shook his head to clear his thoughts, then pushed at the doors, both of them opening up just as faint glimmers of another warding spell disappearing into thin air.

They walked inside a pretty spacious room, very very spacious, easily as big, if not bigger than the throne room of the Emperor’s castle. The center had a large magic circle drawn out with chalk, while the sides had various setups for alchemy and magic, spell books and empty beakers were littering the floor, but what caught their attention was the throne-like machine that was on the furthest wall, where a figure was sitting, connecting to multiple wires and tubes, as well as the mystical oval-shaped crystal that was embedded deep in the center of his chest. It was a wolf with a faint brown color, his long and messy hair covering both eyes and was the same color as the rest of his body. He also had similar circuit-like markings to Lupo but his were slightly different in placement, starting from the back of his hands, traveling up both arms and shoulders before covering an unknown area on his back and converging on the core in his chest. His powerfully muscular body sitting on that chair like a ruler. But… there was something strange with the body…

“He should’ve been decaying and wilting away… But he looks like a healthy man…” Lucas summarized as he examined the body and the apparatus it was connected to with his goggles on.

“How is that possible?” Anastasia asked as she watched him. “This entire place must be centuries old. How can this healthy man be alive?”

“Not alive, mind you, just healthy-looking.” He gave the side of the man’s head a couple of taps but got no reaction. “See? Now this, though…” He looked down to see a strange-looking belt around the man’s waist, it had a wing-like motif, with the buckle having wing-like embossings on either side of what looked like a halo or a crown, but it had a few empty spherical holes as if some sort of gem was supposed to be each one, seven in total. “This looks pretty important.” He was just about to reach for it…

“CRASH* The ceiling came down, with a few figures falling through, Rudolf and Saw landing with loud booms on the ground below, sending quite the clouds of dust, both of them unconscious and back in their normal forms. “Commander! Doctor!” Lupo called out, running over to them.

But in front of him landed the two ladies from earlier, blocking his path, both of them donning their own Knight forms, Esa’s was heavily colored in purple, pink, and black, with the top of the helmet having a mushroom-like cap around it, with various precious gems dangling from the edges like decorations the body being very curvy. Rasta’s was more white, silver, cyan blue, and the only way to describe it is being a seductive version of a bride’s gown, a very short lace dress the head veil covering the front of her face, but the mouthless face of her helmet was still visible due to the cloth being very seethrough, the back part flowing behind her like a cape of sorts.

“Oh dear me, seems like we broke those toys.” Rasta said in a mocking tone before letting out a haughty laugh, covering her mouth with the back of her hand.

“You’ll pay for this you sluts!” Anastasia growled before Igniting her Knight form, instantly Lucas doing the same and standing beside her, both of them taking a fighting stance.

But before anything else happened, another individual came crashing down into the room, like a speeding meteor, creating a powerful shockwave that sent both Anastasia and Lucas flying and kicking up quite the dust cloud. Once that was cleared, the figure in question was a lion with a full, luscious mane, random strands of grey being the only sign of age on him, his outfit consisting of a long cloth that covered the front and back, his arms and sides exposed, revealing his powerfully built body as large, golden pauldrons in the shape of lion heads sat firmly on his shoulders, his hand carrying a large, two-handed hammer. “You were right about one thing pup.” He started saying, addressing Lupo who already took a fighting stance. “Playtime is already over.” Energy began gathering inside his hammer, winding it back to the side… then, with one hand, swung it as hard as he could, sending a wave that pushed Lupo a good distance back, but he still held his ground.

“Hoo… I see the rumors about you are not exaggerated.” The lion then looked behind him towards the resting body. “But my business is not with you, pup.”

“Sorry, but the moment you decided to cause trouble for everyone in the empire, it sorted did become my business.” With a snarl, Lupo charged at the lion at high speeds, faster than either Rasta or Esa could follow, jumping high up in the air with strong elemental energy gathered into his sword. “Earth Splitter!” He swung down and gouged the very earth underneath.

But the lion and the small area he was standing on were unharmed, not a single scratch on them. “Hmm… truly living up to the tales I keep hearing… but…” The lion gathered light energy into his free hand. “Still pretty… unimpressive.” He lifted that hand, aiming it at Lupo. “Shining Burst!” Shooting the gathered light energy at him, the explosion was big, loud, and had quite the impact, sending Lupo crashing into the wall behind him, his entire body bruised and numb. “That should keep you down and out of my way.”

“Who… who are you…?” Lupo asked as he managed to raise himself up to one knee with some effort.

“I am Bishop Cloud. Atlas Cloud.” The lion replied raising both arms to his sides, standing right under the hole in the ceiling where the light shone right on like a spotlight. “I am Astalos’ chosen champion and one of the leaders of the True Ones, it is my duty to cleanse this world from the heretics that plague the land.” Then looked down at Lupo, who was barely able to keep himself upright. “You are a promising young man. Throw away your old misguided beliefs…” He raised his hand in Lupo’s direction, an offering of peace. “Join me in under the light of His generosity and enlightenment!”

“Sorry, but I’m… pretty happy… right where I am…” Lupo managed to keep himself upright, taking a fighting stance once more.

“Pity.” Was all Bishop Cloud said before smacking the ground with the pommel of his hammer.

Just then, a powerful gravitational force pulled Lupo to the ground, trapping him under this powerful and invisible pressure. “What… the fuck!?”

“Did you know about the legend of King Arthur Pendragon?” Cloud started as he began a slow walk towards the resting male. “He was a powerful hero of his time, liberating his kingdom from powerful evil resulting in peace and prosperity for decades under his rule. He had one of those Artifacts, that was the reason behind his power, and his Artifact was a gift from Astalos himself, no less. Legends say that only one with the blood of a Pendragon can wield such a mighty item.”

“And you… think you carry… such blood?”

“I don’t have to. I’m Astalos’ chosen, I don’t need trifling things like ‘blood relation’. It was my destiny to find Arthur’s Artifact and wield it to cleanse this putrid kingdom. Besides, Arthur was a lion like myself, a greater proof of my destiny I have never seen.” Now he stood in front of the body.

“You crazy… motherfucker!” Lupo’s markings began glowing intensely.

“Save your dirty tongue for the guillotine, pup. Now… to fulfill my destiny!” Cloud announced with some ecstasy in his voice, reaching with one hand towards the belt.

Suddenly his hand was grabbed tightly and slowly twisted away, the wolf that was resting moments ago now had his face inches from Cloud’s, one eye appearing from under the thick hair, glaring at the lion intensely, before whispering to him. “Not yours for the taking… Unworthy one…” Then with a firm push, tossed Cloud all the way to the far wall, sending him crashing into it.

“Your Holiness!” Both Esa and Rasta called out as they raced towards their leader.

Meanwhile, the man slowly stood up, the tubes and wires connected to his body letting out loud hisses, as if breathing their last before dropping from his body, his naked and powerful form slowly walking down the small flight of steps to the ground. He looked over at his surroundings, taking in the mess that was created with a stoic expression, then both fists were clenched and he starting speaking, his voice echoing around the spacious room. “O Merlin, greatest master of all that is Arcane. Grant me your wisdom!” He then placed his hand on the magic core in his chest. “Envesture!” Once he called out the core glowed intensely, sending out a burst of blinding light.

Once the light dissipated a few seconds later, in front of them stood a powerful looking Knight, medium but powerful design and build, mostly black in color with golden details, the helmet shaped like a growling wolf’s head with the back sporting a lengthy mane that was glowing gold, both hands and greaves slightly bigger than the rest of the body, clearly those being his weapons of choice.

“What the hell!?” Saw asked in complete disbelief at the sight he had to wake up to, Rudolf also rousing from his unconsciousness to see what was happening.

Anastasia was beside Lucas and helping him up, his goggles on his eyes. “These readings… they can’t be real!”

“Oh, you’ve done it now, you scum!” Esa roared out as she and Rasta lunged at the transformed man. In retaliation, he raised his arm, winding it back to one side, then with a hard swing, sent both of them flying back and crashing into the wall, landing right beside Bishop Cloud. “What… is this power?”

Not even bothering with an answer, the mysterious Knight turned around and walked over to Lupo, who was on his feet, ever since Cloud’s gravity spell was broken, taking a fighting stance and ready to fight if needed. But was shocked by what happened next.

The Knight took off the belt, took a knee and lifted it up to Lupo, offering it to him. “Welcome back, Your Highness.” Those words shocked not only Lupo, but everyone around him. He looked at the offered belt, feeling this strange yet familiar tug pulling him towards it.

“Touch that and you’re dead, boy!” Cloud warned loudly as he turned a smacked one of his pauldrons with his hammer, his body being consumed in light as he took his own Knight form. It was more or less similar to his normal form, but slightly bigger, with his midsection now covered in golden armor, also with a golden helmet that had multiple spikes jutting out of the front of the head, almost resembling a crown. “That Artifact is mine!”

Lupo wasn’t even listening, his hand slowly reaching over to the belt, once it was in his hand, multiple visions and memories of King Arthur flashed before his eyes… yet… it wasn’t a lion he was seeing like Cloud claimed, but a wolf… almost an older version of himself… Once the visions ended, everything disappeared, his fear, his anxiety, his hopelessness, as if none of those existed, now replaced with a determination to defeat the foes that harmed his friends.

He took a step forward, walking past the still kneeling Knight, placing the belt around his waist, closing his eyes as he recited what sounded like a spell. “Great and Mighty Astalos, Lord and Father of all, grant me the power to shape my destiny!” He grabbed both sides of the buckle, pushing them together, with a loud clicking sound, the embossed wings spread on either side, the belt glowing intensely. “Envesture!”

Once the spell was complete, he was consumed by a blinding light, his body filling with immense power, but this… it felt nothing like when he tried an Igniter Key, this was soothing and calming, filling his heart with confidence he lost and power that he never felt before. He could feel as each armor piece was placed on his body by a mystical force, once the transformation was complete, gone was the young man in the military uniform, now stood in front of them a Knight in an armor truly befitting a king, similar to the mysterious Knight in figure and all golden in color with details of black and silver, a cowl of thick but soft white fur around his neck, holding onto a red cape that flowed behind him.

With a wave of his hand, he sent a hot wave of pure magical energy around him, everyone having to shield themselves a bit from the intense, but brief burst of heat, even the Old Church Knights. A big heater shield suddenly appeared on his left arm, the front also all golden with details of two black dragons facing against one another and breathing silver fire at each other, sheathed inside was a sword, grabbing the handle, he slowly pulled it out, the sound of metal against metal as it was unsheathed ringing loudly, flames of variously color magical energies flickering from inside the sheathe. Once it was fully out, the blade was a beautiful onyx-black in color, mystical runes and sigils flickering along its sides, he lifted it up and aimed it right at Cloud and his two associates.

Then spoke in a voice that was almost not his own. “Now then… shall we try this dance once more?"