Marvel: Impregnation System-Chapter 184 - 175: Lady Roma Part 1

Author's Note: novelkiss = trash, can't even post the entire chap that I put on my patreon here so I'm gonna post both parts but make sure you read the author's note at the end cause it involves my burn out but don't get all anxious, I ain't dropping.

In the dead of midnight,

Snort

"Peanut brittle?" Ricky snorted, waking up and muttering the words from his dream while blinking a few times, trying to register his surroundings as he scratched his head.

The room around him was in complete disarray, bookshelves and tables scattered haphazardly.

He glanced down, his eyes widening when he realized he was completely naked, barely covered by a silk sheet.

Ricky scratched the back of his head, then turned to see Morgana, equally naked, clinging to his side.

"Nice." Ricky muttered to himself, finally remembering most of the events that took place earlier before slowly lifting up the silk sheets to sneak a peek.

"Nice~" Ricky whispered to himself again, seeing her tits heaving up and down, jiggling with her breath before unhooking himself from her claws.

Stretching his arms above his head, Ricky let out a deep breath, his muscles relaxing with the exhale.

He sat on the edge of the bed, the cool breeze from the terrace brushing against his balls as he nodded his head.

As he leaned forward, scratching the back of his head, a window materialized before him, the soft light filtering in from outside.

[Mission Received: Morgana Le Fay]

Difficulty: Medium

Character Sheet: SS

Description: Morgana is a regal queen, exuding confidence and authority, yet beneath her composure lies centuries of buried pain and betrayal. Her insecurities remain hidden under the weight of her crown, but in rare moments, a mischievous, almost childish side emerges, a fleeting reminder that beneath power and duty, she is still human. If managed to open up to that side of her, then it wouldn't be that hard to truly open her legs.

Objective: Pelvic thrust repeatedly into her breedable hips.

Reward: 750,000 IP

Main Mission:

Impregnante Once: (Complete)

Choose: 7 Legendary Gacha, 15 Epic Gacha, and 50 regular Gacha Or Morgana Le Fay Powers

Impregnate Twice:

Rewards: ?????????

Additional Missions:

Unveil Her Queenly Form With Your Cock(Complete):

Reward: Mythic Coupon

Make The Queen Beg For Your Cock(Complete):

Reward: 5 Legendary Coupons

Bonus Missions:

F*ck Morgana Until You Pass Out(Complete):

Reward: Epic Skill Coupon

Awaken Morgana's Possessive side(Complete):

Reward: Legendary Skill Coupon

???????????????????

???????????????????

???????????????????

Ricky rubbed his face, feeling the weight of his own choices as the whole point of getting closer to Morgana had been to squeeze as much out of these missions as possible, but he'd gotten too carried away with the hellwine.

'I'm only human, dammit.' Ricky thought passionately, gripping his chest since he wasn't perfect, and he accepted that.

What were the odds that the second he'd resolved to take on this mission, a bottle of hellwine would just be handed to him?

And from there, it had all gone downhill.

Sigh

"Baby steps," Ricky muttered, glancing back at the mission window before furrowing his brows.

'Possessive side?' Ricky thought, his gaze drifting back to Morgana, still peacefully asleep in bed as he turned his attention back to the window.

'The good kind or the bad kind?' Ricky pondered, scratching the back of his head.

It wouldn't hurt to have someone as smoking hot as Morgana infatuated with him, but sometimes, there could be too much of a good thing.

Sniff

"Whatever, now let's focus." Ricky wiped his nose, shaking off the fog before looking at the screen in front of him, only to be struck by a sudden conundrum.

Usually, he'd instantly choose Morgana's powers, but now that he thought about it, maybe the gacha wouldn't be such a bad idea.

'Let's put it off for now and grab the coupons,' Ricky thought, watching as the mythic coupon appeared on the screen.

Received:

(Mythic Skill) No Longer Human: A power that erases powers upon touch, reducing anyone or anything who possesses extraordinary abilities to mere mortals. The moment the user's skin meets another's, the effects are instantaneous, magic fizzles out, quirks and mutations fall dormant, and divine powers fade like forgotten whispers.

Weaknesses:

No ranged effect: The user can only activate the nullification through direct physical touch with the target.

Temporary effect: The nullification lasts only as long as contact is maintained. Once contact is broken, the target's abilities resume as normal.

Limited to powered individuals: The ability has no effect on non-powered enemies. It only works on those who possess supernatural powers or magic.

Cannot erase every aspect: The user can only choose one aspect to nullify at a time but in that time, whoever is affected cannot use it no matter what. Once the choice is made, the effects are locked in until the user disengages contact and reestablishes it.

(Legendary Skill) Veil of Silence: A skill that allows the user to create zones of absolute silence, cutting off sound in a designated area. Within this veil, the user can move unnoticed, and all sound-based abilities are rendered ineffective. The longer the user maintains the zone, the more physically draining it becomes.

(Legendary Skill) Fractured Image: A skill that allows the user to create three illusory copies of themselves. These copies are not physical but rather images that move and behave like the user. While the copies are intangible and can be destroyed by a single blow, if undisturbed, they are nearly indistinguishable from the real user and can never be discerned unless destroyed.

(Legendary Item) Power Loan: A mysterious loanslip inscribed with arcane symbols that grants the user the ability to borrow power from their future self. The amount of power available to borrow is based on what their future self has accumulated, allowing the user to temporarily tap into extraordinary abilities or strength far beyond their current capacity. However, this power comes with a dangerous catch: if the user borrows more power than their future self has, the consequences are fatal.

(Legendary Armor) Sunglasses of Clarity: A sleek, stylish pair of sunglasses that hold a hidden, legendary power, the ability to see through any illusion. Whether it's a physical disguise, magical camouflage, or mind-bending illusion, these sunglasses allow the wearer to pierce through all deception.

(Legendary Item) Soul Jar: The Soul Jar is an ancient, intricately designed vessel that possesses the powerful ability to trap and store a single soul. Crafted from an unknown, almost indestructible material, the jar's exterior is adorned with runic inscriptions that glow faintly in the presence of souls. Though it can only hold one soul at a time, the jar offers the ability to transfer the soul from one species and transport it into another of the same species.

(Legendary Item) Holy Ring: When worn, the Holy Ring can hide demonic, horrific, or cursed energies, preventing them from being detected by magical, spiritual, or supernatural means.

(Epic Item) Dolly Parton's Masters: A magical vinyl record that contains all of Dolly Parton's songs, from her early hits to her most iconic anthems.

Ricky stared at the new skills and items, scratching his chin as he contemplated his choices as his eyes drifted to the mythic skill he had just unlocked, and the more he studied it, the more intrigued he became.

His gaze drifted downward, scanning through his other skills since lately, he hadn't been acquiring abilities that dealt direct damage but rather ones with more unique, nuanced effects.

It almost felt as if the next power he'd receive would be one that outshone all the others, a lethality that trumped everything he'd missed before, as if he were due for it.

'F*ck, I don't know what to pick,' Ricky muttered to himself as he knew he should probably go with Morgana's powers, but with the new mythic skill in front of him, he found himself tempted to roll the dice and see if he could land something more lethal.

3 hours later,

Sitting on the edge of the bed, Ricky faced the moonlight streaming through the open terrace.

The wind blew the curtains, revealing his brooding expression.

For the past couple of hours, Ricky had been staring at the hovering blue screen in front of him, absentmindedly scratching his head as he was caught in a dilemma.

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It should've been obvious to pick Morgana's powers, but something about the gacha drew him in.

Sure, the items and powers he'd been getting as of late weren't that great compared to the ones he received in the past, but that was gacha since there was no guarantee that luck would always be on his side.

But that part of him, the gambler's instinct, wanted to take a chance and see if he could get something better.

But just as his hand hovered over the button, Alexander's words rang in his mind, stopping him in his tracks.

'Focus your powers around your swordsmanship.'

To any teacher or enemy watching Ricky, he would seem like a frustratingly powerful person.

Unpredictable with time, whether it was his mentality or the powers he constantly gained, he was a mess.

It was as if Ricky were a bundle of the unknown, something that could never be tied down to a single preconceived notion of fighting.

And while that had its disadvantages, it also had its advantages.

Even Merlyn was unsure what to make of Ricky.

From his experience, those with powers usually gravitated toward a specific archetype, but Ricky was unconventional, to say the least.

This was when Ricky began to doubt whether gacha was the right move.

He wasn't sure if he had enough time to fully understand all the new powers he had gained from it.

Ricky had always trusted Alexander, and more often than not, he was right.

But in this instance, even the conquered seemed to be leading Ricky astray, as doubt clouded his mind.

'Choose powers.'

[Eldritch Abomination wishes to feed on Half-Faerie, will you allow consumption?]

[Yes/No]

Ricky paused for a moment, tilting his head as he pondered at the display.

Normally, he'd feel a rush of power when making a decision like this, but it seemed the system had stopped that from happening.

Usually, he'd throw caution to the wind and simply go with it, but that had backfired before, like with the Vampire Curse and the Holy Werewolf form.

He had a feeling that if he chose 'Yes,' he'd be consumed by it.

Ricky regretted turning some of the skills into the Eldritch form, especially when he first got it.

At the time, he'd been excited and impulsively started feeding everything into it without thinking.

It was why Ricky wondered what would've happened if he hadn't made those choices, if he hadn't fed both forms into the skill.

For once, he wanted to see what would happen if he didn't follow the same path, if he chose something different this time.

'No.'

Ricky ultimately chose 'No' and the moment he did, he exhaled, feeling a chill spread through his veins.

But before he could process it, that coldness quickly turned to a burning heat, surging through his body.

Huff

Huff

Ricky staggered, his breaths coming in ragged gasps as he stumbled toward the terrace as his nails scraped against the stone railing, digging in for support as his body began to change.

Muscles twisted and bulged beneath his skin, which rippled and raised in strange, painful contortions.

His eyes, glowing an eerie green, shimmered as if something ancient and raw was awakening inside him.

SPLAT

Blood splattered across the stone, and with it, two delicate pixie wings, the kind one might find on a fae, tore through his back.

The transformation was complete, and at that very moment, Morgana stirred in the bed, her senses alert to the chaos unfolding.

Her eyes flared purple, widening in disbelief as they snapped toward the sound.

Morgana's breath caught in her throat, her gaze locking onto Ricky as his eyes, bloodshot and frantic, glowed with an unnatural intensity.

His entire body was convulsing, as if his very DNA were being rewritten before her eyes as the transformation was far beyond anything she'd ever seen.

The pixie wings, delicate and fragile, unfurled from his back, fluttering as they tore through his flesh, discarding bits of it like unwanted remnants.

Morgana slowly sat up, her hands shaking as she watched in stunned silence, unable to comprehend the magnitude of what was happening as she had seen power before, but this, this was something entirely different.

Ding

Received:

(Innate) Magical Energy Manipulation: All Faeries have a strong capacity to manipulate mystical energy, which they often use to perform spells or enchantments. Because of this, all faeries have a vast potential as Sorcerers (or Sorceresses).

(Innate) Immortality: User, like most Faeries, is functionally immortal, immune to the effects of aging and ceasing to age upon reaching adulthood.

(Innate) Wings: User possesses insectoid wings that extend from their back, allowing them to achieve flight.

(Innate) Minor Nature Affinity: The user has a minor intrinsic connection to nature, allowing them to harmonize with and influence the natural world effortlessly.

Chastiefol (Mastery: 9→21%)

(Unlocked) Second Form Guardian: In this form, Chastiefol transforms into a large stuffed bear. The Guardian is extremely durable and can protect its allies by shielding them from attacks or by acting as a powerful melee combatant.

Race: Human→Half Human, Half Faerie

Strength: 66 (Middle realm of Superhuman)

Stamina: 53 (Lower realm of Superhuman.)

Vitality: 69 (Middle realm of Superhuman.)

Agility: 59→79 (Middle realm of Superhuman)

Dexterity: 59→64 (Middle realm of Superhuman))

Intelligence: 40→60 (Middle realm of Superhuman)

Mana: 125→150 (High realm of Superhuman.)

Charm: 53–60 (Gracing superhuman levels, it is shocking that a bastard could grow this much and not be an incubus.)

Appearance: 53→60 (Have reached superhuman level of good looks, ones that are only portrayed in animated media that seemed impossible for regular minds.)

"What the f*ck~" Ricky gasped, spitting as his face reddened in disbelief.

Half of his body was in the midst of changing and all of the pain struck him like a tidal wave as he was all but caught up in it.

Instead of simply integrating the traits of other races into his Eldritch Abomination skill, this transformation would leave a permanent mark on him.

Ricky would now forever understand the consequences of blending with another race, each time he bred or absorbed their powers, the effects would leave an indelible change.

It was agonizing, surreal, and something he knew he would never willingly repeat unless the new form was far better than the one he had now.

Morgana stared in disbelief, her eyes wide with shock as she watched Ricky's body contort and change before her.

His features twisted in agonizing pain, his muscles shifting and bulging unnaturally as he gritted his teeth, struggling to stay upright, but it was all too much, even with his healing factor supplementing much of it.

With a final, pained gasp, he collapsed, his body trembling from the intense strain.

"Ricky!" Morgana exclaimed, catching him as he collapsed.

Ricky groaned, his body twitching as his regenerative healing factor kicked in, black tendrils snaking across his skin, stitching him back together as he looked up, dazed.

"How-you-I-" Morgana stammered, her mind racing with a thousand questions, but all that came out was a jumbled mix of disbelief.

Ricky's gaze shifted toward the night sky, his eyes distant, lost in the aftermath of his transformation.

"Did I-...........did I just grow f*cking fairy wings?" Ricky whispered, his hand covering his face in disbelief as Morgana recoiled slightly at his blunt realization.

"Wha-"

"Did. I. Grow. Fairy. Wings." Ricky emphasized each word, punctuating every syllable as Morgana hesitantly glanced down at his back as the fairy wings slowly began to retract back into his body.

"Yes?"

"Oh my god, Lucky is never gonna let me live this down~" Ricky groaned, already seeing into the future on how he'd be called the tooth fairy.

"Ya gotta promise me that you'll never tell a soul, never." Ricky grasped her hand, pleading with her as if it was his final wish, his reputation hanging by a thread if this ever got out as the entire tough guy demeanor he had as a mob boss would fly out the window if anyone ever saw that he had fairy wings.

"I-"

"Promise me, dammit!" Ricky said, his tone overdramatic, but this was serious to him as Morgana, caught up in the heat of the moment, nodded her head.

"I promise."

Sigh

"Good, good." Ricky sighed, feeling a little relieved at the assurance as Morgana chuckled and shook her head.

"You grow fairy wings, and you want me to simply ignore it?" Morgana genuinely asked, turning her gaze back down to Ricky, who closed his eyes.

"Yeah, basically." Ricky shamelessly said, his response causing Morgana to give him a deadpan stare before shaking her head.

"I swear Ricky, sometimes you're just-"

"Frustrating, annoying, rash, impulsive?" Ricky sighed, listing off the four things that came to his mind, only for Morgana to place a thumb on his lips, stopping him.

"Unpredictable." Morgana chuckled, rubbing his cheek as if soothing him, helping him back to the bed.

Collapsing face first, Morgana settled right next to him, slowly stroking his hair as she looked at him with utter intrigue.

"You know, when I first saw you, I thought you were just a slab of meat that looked good," Morgana joked, her gentle words causing Ricky to lift his head.

In Morgana's eyes, Ricky seemed like a perfect tenderloin, cut straight from the heavens themselves, a masterpiece of fat, taste, and flavor that others could only dream of.

His appearance wasn't half-bad either, but for Morgana, who had seen beauty after beauty over the ages, that wasn't what drew her in, it only added to the allure.

What truly lured her into Ricky's gravitational pull was how utterly intriguing he was to her since Morgana had never met anyone like him, ever.

And that was saying a lot, considering Morgana had met countless people over the years.

But Ricky's presence, his very voice, didn't fit the typical archetypes she had grown to expect as he was something entirely new, something of his own.

"Thank you?" Ricky groaned, his body aching as his muscles were being healed, his entire genome having been torn apart and pieced back together.

"That's not what I meant-well." Morgana laughed, trying to dissuade him, only to stop herself since that would be a lie.

"Alright, maybe even after when I tasted you did I think-"

Their words were abruptly cut off by a violent eruption of magic spiraling toward them, raw energy crackling through the air.

Ricky's danger sense flared like a siren in his mind as his body moved on instinct, hand snapping up, fingers curling as a barrier materialized into place.

BOOM

The impact sent a shockwave rippling through Morgana's castle, rattling the very foundations.

Dust and debris cascaded from the high ceilings as the magical explosion dispersed against Ricky's defense.

Ricky frowned, his gaze sharpening as he turned toward the source of the attack.

There, standing in the open with an air of unwavering authority, was Lady Roma.

The regal glow surrounding her was undeniable as if elegance and power wove into a single presence.

Her piercing gaze remained locked onto Ricky, unreadable yet brimming with resolve.

Flanking her in formation stood her Golden Guard Guardsmen, a legion of fifty warriors, each clad in immaculate armor engraved with ancient runes that pulsed faintly with mystic energy.

Their shields gleamed under the dim light of the battlefield, spears poised at the ready.

They were more than just soldiers; they were defenders of the realm, sworn to their leader's will, and their intent was clear.

Determination burned in their eyes, from the highest-ranking knight to the most unseasoned recruit.

They had come prepared to stand against Ricky, to hold the line and buy time, time for the evacuation of the Starlight Citadel.

All while charging forward, this misconception had snowballed, spiraling into the very moment unfolding now.

"RICKY LUCIANO, COME ON OUT!" Lady Roma's voice thundered across the terrain that would ensue into a battlefield, her magic power flaring with the intensity of her demand.

The very air crackled under the weight of her authority, a white light radiating from her in pulses of sheer magical dominance.

"What the f*ck?" Ricky muttered, scrunching his brows together as he tried to piece together the absurdity of the situation.

This wasn't just confusion but pure, unfiltered bafflement.

Ricky had zero context for what was happening, yet here stood a fully armored battalion, their leader radiating righteous fury, as if she had personally been wronged by his very existence.

Then, as if giving into her demands and lazily walking onto the terrace, Ricky stepped into view, completely naked.

The Golden Guard Guardsmen, poised for battle, collectively faltered for half a second, their grips tightening on their weapons as if unsure whether to attack or avert their gaze.

Lady Roma, however, did not waver as her piercing eyes bore into him, unimpressed, unamused.

Ricky ran a hand through his disheveled hair, stretching lazily as if this wasn't the climax of an imminent battle but rather an inconvenient wake-up call.

"Uh, do I know you?!" Ricky yelled, leaning onto the terrace with a raised eyebrow, squinting down at Lady Roma.

"Cause I don't remember pissing off a bunch of golden magical knights!" Ricky added, his confusion was genuine as he had no idea who this woman was or what exactly he'd done to make her so furious.

"You speak as though your hands are clean, as if your actions do not ripple across the realms!" Lady Roma shot back, her voice sharp with conviction while her gaze was piercing, fixed on the man she once thought she understood, now reconciling perception with reality.

"You gettin' any of this?" Ricky asked, turning back to Morgana, who was lounging on the bed, drawing circles on the silk sheets with a playful grin.

"Just come back to bed~" Morgana purred, gesturing for him to come closer.

Ricky side-eyed Lady Roma, then glanced back at the busty, naked woman on the bed, clearly torn between the two as the situation grew more bizarre.

"You're not the man I once believed in, you've made your choices and now stand and answer for them," Lady Roma said coldly, her voice laced with regret as she closed her eyes towards him in shame.

"For f*ck's sake, lady, can you at least tell me what I supposedly did before you start throwing around your moral judgment in my face?" Ricky groaned, turning back to her as she frowned, staring him straight in the eye.

"You killed my faith in you."

For all that Ricky was and all Lady Roma had come to know him for, she thought he was good.

She knew he was a mob boss, she knew he killed, but Lady Roma had seen many heroes come in many shapes and forms.

What she believed, what she was brought up on, and the figure she was taught to idolize, was Arthur Pendragon.

This larger-than-life figure, who started as a weak, frail boy who managed to pull the sword from the stone.

When Lady Roma looked at Ricky, or anyone for that matter, she saw, like most others, their outer image.

In Ricky's case, it was his mobster persona.

But just like with Arthur when he was younger, it was difficult for most people to look past that exterior.

Yet, Lady Roma always believed in looking beyond the visible flaws, wanting to see what lay inside.

It wasn't uncommon for a hero to come from a shady background, but what caught Lady Roma's eye, what made the Starlight Citadel start to focus on him, wasn't when he killed Dracula, it was when he went to trial.

That's when everything changed.

That's when Ricky stood on a global platform and declared himself to the world.

Though it might have been brushed off and dismissed as just another fleeting action, chalked up to the latest stunt Ricky pulled, it had a lasting impact.

His words, though seemingly insignificant in the grand scheme of things, created ripples that began to shape the tides of destiny.

The declaration, his announcement as the Black Knight, sent shockwaves through circles that mattered.

People started noticing him; figures of influence, leaders, and powerhouses began taking notice of Ricky Luciano.

And that's when the Starlight Citadel, too, began to watch.

Ricky Luciano did what most mutants couldn't do in that era, he stood out.

For all that he was and all he would ever be, the thing that drew people to him in that moment was his courage.

No mutant before him had dared such a thing in a time when society demanded that those with gifts hide in the shadows.

Yet Ricky walked boldly into the light.

That's what made Lady Roma and the Starlight Citadel so captivated by him, because he stood up for who he was while most others lowered their heads.

She had witnessed it herself, in the worlds within her cluster, where she saw firsthand what it truly took to show real courage.

Lady Roma knew how easy it was to turn a blind eye, to stay hidden, to take the safe route.

She knew that Ricky could've stayed in New York, built his empire, and profited without raising any suspicions.

But he didn't.

Ricky actively went against the status quo, and that's something most people will never do.

Across the different worlds, with their varied timelines, Lady Roma saw that flicker of hope in him.

It made her want to nurture that, to cultivate it into something more.

But then, when she witnessed the horrors Ricky had committed, the true face behind his actions, it was as if the pieces of his redeemable side began to crumble away.

The man who stood naked on the terrace wasn't the hero she had imagined.

Because, for all that Ricky had built himself to be in the public eye, it was hard for people to truly grasp how far he was willing to go.

Most people couldn't understand it, Lady Roma couldn't understand it.

And that was why she was here.

Because Merlyn's greatest mistake in raising her was in making her idolize Arthur so much that she believed sacrifice was more important than one's own personal desires.

He raised her to be too selfless, and it was that very flaw that now stood in the way.

"Your what?"

"Don't play dumb-"

"No, seriously, I have no idea who you even are." Ricky laughed, genuinely confiding in the truth as he was baffled as to why she was here and why she had started attacking him.

"I mean, what's your problem? Do you just come out of nowhere and attack people?" Ricky asked, frowning since he was the wronged party in this situation and yet, she was trying to make him out to be the bad guy.

"SPEAK FOR YOURSELF!" Lady Roma yelled, her voice cracking with emotion as her heartbroken eyes locked onto Ricky.

"You come to our world with such ill intentions, what have we ever done to you?!" Lady Roma shouted, her hand clutching her chest as if the pain were too much to bear.

"What possible reason could you have to go to such lengths to commit such atrocities?" Lady Roma demanded, tears welling up in her eyes as she stared at him, her heart raw and exposed.

Ricky, still standing there in confusion, glanced around, his brow furrowing deeper as he couldn't understand why this was happening or what he had done to deserve this kind of fury.

"Wh-WHAT ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT?!" Ricky asked, utterly baffled by this woman, who seemed to be spewing nonsense at him.

"The Ordo Draconum, Team Excalibur, and now Otherworld? What's to stop your greed?!" Lady Roma's voice cracked with both fury and disbelief, her words slicing through the confusion.

Ricky paused for a moment, processing the names she had thrown at him and slowly, he wiped his mouth, a smirk tugging at the corners of his lips.

"Ha~" he sighed, shaking his head as he raised his hand to his eyes, as though unable to prevent himself from the absurdity of the situation.

"Hahahahahahahaha!" Ricky's laugh bellowed from deep within his chest, erupting like a storm.

He reached into the pit of his stomach, pulling out one handful of laughter after another, each chuckle louder and more unhinged than the last.

"WHEN WILL POWER AND MONEY BE ENOUGH FOR YOU TYPES OF PEOPLE?!" Lady Roma yelled, her voice sharp with anger as she felt the sting of his laughter as her frustration was growing, and she began riling herself up even further.

But even though Ricky was still completely confused by her, something shifted in him.

He realized that, even if he did eventually understand who this woman was and why she was here, he wasn't going to like her, not in the slightest.

"Man, I f*cking hate people like you," Ricky sighed, his tone flat, almost bored, as he leaned over the balcony, staring down at her while Lady Roma's eyes widened.

"Wh-What?" Lady Roma recoiled, completely caught off guard by his sudden bluntness.

"I said I don't like people like you, cause, y'know, I might be a piece of sh*t," Ricky said, placing a hand over his chest with a smirk, before letting out a chuckle.

"But everyone's greedy" Ricky continued, casually leaning his hand against his head, his eyes fixed on Lady Roma, who stood there, visibly stunned.

"I have never been greedy for money or power-"

"Greed ain't just about money or power, nitwit." Ricky scoffed, pointing a finger at Lady Roma before his smile slowly raised.

"Everyone wants something they don't have, that's greed." Ricky said, knocking on the terrace with a confident grin, feeling a sense of satisfaction as Lady Roma stood there, momentarily speechless.

It was then that Morgana caught sight of Lady Roma, her expression darkening.

She quickly put on her silk black robe and moved toward Ricky and without saying a word, Morgana stepped behind him, wrapping her arms around his back and sliding her hands down to rest on his hips.

"Let's go back to bed~" Morgana whispered, pressing a soft kiss to his shoulder as she peeked at Lady Roma with a knowing glance, fully aware of who she was.

He honestly wasn't in the mood for some philosophical debate with this random woman, especially when Lady Roma's eyes scrunched in irritation at his indifference.

"DO NOT WALK AWAY FROM THE FACES YOU WRONGED!" Lady Roma screamed, gritting her teeth as Ricky turned back with a scowl.

"B*tch, I don't even know who you are," Ricky said, rolling his eyes and about to turn forward only for Lady Roma to beat him to it.

"I AM THE DAUGHTER OF MERLYN AND PROTECTOR OF THE STARLIGHT CITADEL-" Lady Roma roared, listing off her titles, but she didn't need to continue for long.

The moment she mentioned Merlyn, Ricky's previously nonchalant expression faltered.

He stopped paying attention to the rest of her accolades, slowly turning back to her, his gaze sharpening as Lady Roma continued, oblivious to the shift.

"What?" Ricky asked, his eyes, which had once held that casual disinterest, now hollow, as Morgana let out an exasperated sigh behind him.

"That's Lady Roma, the daughter of Merlyn and the leader of the Starlight Citadel," Morgana muttered with a venomous tone, knowing full well that Ricky wouldn't let this go.

"Ya don't say," Ricky laughed, slowly backing up from her hold while shaking his head, his expression a mixture of disbelief and amusement.

"Do you require any assistance?" Morgana asked, her tone already knowing what was about to unfold.

"Depends on who those guys around her are," Ricky replied, gesturing his head toward Lady Roma's entourage.

He held out his hand, and the ebony artifacts flew toward him as if drawn by an invisible force, gathering in his palm with a metallic hum.

'Filthy humans and their breeding, must you do it when we are present!' The Ebony Shield spat, his voice laced with disgust as he returned to Ricky's side.

'And furthermore, you mate with that halfling, really?' The Ebony Crown scoffed with a tinge of racism, looking at Ricky and Morgana with disdain, their actions akin to animals in heat.

'You get used to it,' The Ebony Blade sighed, already weary of these kinds of exchanges, though not particularly interested in sticking around for the drama.

'I LIKE TRAINS!' The Ebony Chalice cheered, its voice filled with childlike excitement while its siblings turned toward him in confusion, watching as he started prance around and dance in place.

"Will you guys shut up-"

"The guards-"

"......"

Ricky, suddenly bombarded by the ebony artifacts' overlapping voices, cut off Morgana as they both fell into silence, the tension in the air thick as he glanced around.

"Sorry, the voices in my head distract me sometimes. You were saying?" Ricky said, phrasing it in the worst way imaginable, causing Morgana to raise an eyebrow, her expression a mix of confusion and disbelief.

"Right, well, those golden-armored soldiers around Lady Roma are known as the Guardsmen," Morgana informed, watching as Ricky's naked body slowly morphed into his Black Knight form.

"They were created by Merlyn when he first established the Starlight Citadel, an order whose sole purpose is to protect the leader of the Starlight Citadel." Morgana informed him, lazily gazing at the soldiers who were probably created in advance for Lady Roma to take the position one day.

"They are comprised of warriors who were born into the Starlight Citadel, trained under its doctrines, and more or less are one with the Citadel itself," Morgana explained, gesturing to the guards as Lady Roma continued to babble, her guardsmen already poised for battle.

"So, once again, would you like my assistance?" Morgana asked, walking up to him and slowly tracing circles on his breastplate as Ricky thought for a moment, but then shook his head.

"Nah, cause, if I can't even beat them up, then I can't beat up that cunt Merlyn." Ricky said, planting a kiss on her cheek before striding over to the terrace, his eyes narrowing as he prepared for what was to come.

Walking forward, Ricky steps off the terrace, but instead of forming a platform beneath him, he starts to plummet.

Boom

As Ricky's body plummeted toward the ground, the earth erupted beneath him, sending dirt and debris spiraling into the air, breaking Lady Roma's relentless tirade, her words halting mid-sentence.

She watched, eyes narrowed in seething contempt, as Ricky emerged from the cloud of dust.

His black knight form stood tall and imposing, the dark armor gleaming under the dim light of Other Worlds sun.

"How dare you adorn my father's creations?" Lady Roma hissed, her voice thick with fury.

"Whatever, it's not like it's bound to my f*cking bloodline-oh wait, it is," Ricky chuckled, a smirk tugging at his lips as he casually flexed his hand around the Ebony Blade, a clear sign of his actual birthright to wield the artifacts.

Lady Roma scoffed in response, her gaze darkening with frustration.

"It does not matter, I shouldn't feel threatened when it cannot even compare to Excalibur." Lady Roma's words rang out, but the second they did, all the Ebony Siblings became deathly silent before slowly turning back to the Ebony Blade, whose gaze now became sharp.

"Now you've done it-" Ricky laughed, knowing what happened last time someone compared the Ebony Blade.

Boom

A red torrent of aura exploded outward from Ricky's entire being, the Ebony Blade's fierce gaze locked forward, its expression twisted in pure hatred.

'That was a very, how you say, low blow,' The Ebony Crown chimed in, its tone almost mocking, as it watched the Ebony Blade actually begin to convulse in anger.

'Well, Lady Roma does have a point, you do not compare-' The Ebony Shield started to speak, only for the Ebony Blade's body to erupt in a surge of fury.

BOOM

The explosion of red aura reached its peak, a violent surge of power that caused the guardsmen to brace themselves, their spears raised, while Lady Roma's eyes widened at the sheer intensity of the hateful energy all directed toward her.

'Ricky, I rarely ask anything of you,' The Ebony Blade continued, its form trembling as it clutched its heart, scarred from battles past.

Even as it healed, the wounds, both physical and emotional, throbbed with undeniable pain.

The Ebony Blade's grip tightened on its chest, each scar a reminder of its history, its bond with Ricky.

And Excalibur was to blame for many of these scars.

'I bid my time, I am quiet, and I always tend to myself, but now I ask of you one thing.' The Ebony Blade's voice erupted, its presence flaring with a pent-up fury that could only be satisfied by blood.

'Destroy the woman in front of you.' The Ebony Blade uttered, its words sharp and laden with a weight that pressed down on Ricky's chest.

"I need her alive man, I'm gonna use her as a hostage-"

'Did I ask you to kill her?' The Ebony Blade's question echoed, clarifying that destroying her didn't necessarily mean death, but the annihilation of her will.

"Damn, uh, alright," Ricky replied, raising an eyebrow as the blade slowly started to calm, though Lady Roma and her guards remained alert, unwavering in their stance.

'You do not understand that name, it elicits such reactions from me. I do not like being compared to that-..........sword.' The Ebony Blade muttered, his words dripping with hatred, seeping into Ricky's mind as he tapped the blade against his shoulder and nodded.

"Yeah, I'm the same way, not a big fan of being compared to others," Ricky said, knowing how annoying it was to meet the expectations of others, particularly Lucky.

"Fourth configuration, on me," Lady Roma whispered, issuing a quiet command to her guardsmen as Ricky continued his conversation with the Ebony Blade.

Slowly, the golden-armored guardsmen raised their shields and drew their swords, their figures tightening into a spear-like formation around her, each one poised for battle.

"Does it have to be with you? 'Cause I kinda want to use some of my-" Ricky started, his voice laced with curiosity as he eyed the approaching formation, eager to test his skills and gauge how much he'd improved.

Before he could finish, his words were cut off as the guardsmen charged, their synchronized movements a blur of polished gold and sharp intent.

"Celestial Art: Earth Mother's Grace!" Lady Roma commanded, her voice steady and authoritative, as her hands radiated a brilliant white light.

The ground before them trembled and cracked, erupting in a surge of hands formed from the very earth itself.

They reached upwards, converging into a tidal wave of stone and dirt, crashing toward Ricky with a ferocity that seemed unstoppable.

But despite the overwhelming force of the spell, Ricky stood unfazed at the center of the oncoming tide.

A translucent barrier surrounded him, shimmering in the chaos, shielding him from the earth's violent embrace.

He could've activated Full Counter, an instant response to redirect the power, but Ricky hadn't resorted to that yet, and there was a reason.

For the first time, Ricky didn't want to reveal every card he had.

Though this might seem obvious to most, Ricky was just beginning to immerse himself in battle tactics, and he was finally starting to grasp the importance of strategy.

One of the simplest rules of combat was something everyone learned early on: never show your complete hand.

In the past, Ricky had always been quick to show off his powers, believing it was the easiest way to avoid complications.

But now, he was starting to understand the value of keeping some tricks up his sleeve.

He wasn't using Full Counter, and it wasn't because he couldn't, it was because he chose not to.

When he'd first used Full Counter against Baron Blood, it was a game-changer.

But because of it, Dracula had immediately altered his entire strategy, adapting to Ricky's counter and rendering it nearly useless.

Ricky realized that by showing his full hand too early, he was giving his enemies too much information to use against him.

He'd learned the hard way.

Now, for the first time in his life, Ricky was thinking instead of acting recklessly.

He wasn't about to let Lady Roma, or anyone else, see everything he was capable of as he knew Merlyn was probably watching, just as he had with the Ordo Draconum.

Ricky wasn't going to make the same mistake twice.

As the tidal wave of earth hurtled toward him, Ricky made a choice as he wouldn't rely on his usual power.

Instead, he stood firm, letting the barrier surround him as the spell barreled down.

This wasn't about brute force, it was about playing the long game and for once, Ricky was using others' expectations of him being reckless and impulsive to his advantage.

Boom

The spell crashed down onto Ricky, the earth shattering beneath the force as palms of stone struck one after another, relentless in their assault.

As the spell consumed the air around him, Lady Roma's guardsmen surged forward, using the spell's force as a bridge to close the distance.

Their bodies erupted in a radiant golden aura, which slowly funneled into the runes etched across their armor.

The runes pulsed with energy, and their magic was converted into a blinding white light that surged across their bodies, rapidly enhancing their speed and strength to a superhuman degree.

The guardsmen's magic no longer just powered their spells, it transformed them into physical titans.

At the lowest level, they were now superhuman, and their movements became a blur as they lunged toward the barrier protecting Ricky.

The leftover dust and debris scattered in all directions as his sovereign aura suddenly expanded outward, washing over the battlefield like a tidal wave.

The guardsmen, caught in the force, felt as if their feet were sinking into the very ground beneath them.

Ricky's will pressed down on them, an almost physical weight, as if the very earth itself was trying to pull them under.

Their bodies grew heavy, as though their mass had tripled in an instant, and their charge came to a screeching halt.

They were unable to advance, trapped in the invisible grip of Ricky's willpower manifested.

Ricky's laughter echoed through the clearing, dark and mocking as he watched them struggle, unable to break free from the crushing pressure.

"Well, would you look at that?" Ricky muttered, watching as the guardsmen, though staggered, refused to collapse.

They pressed forward, still intent on breaching his barrier as his gaze swept over them before flicking upward, contemplating the moment.

When you're progressing, it's hard to notice change unless it happens all at once.

Lady Roma's offensive magic was by no means weak, its lethality rivaled Dracula's.

Yet, instead of his barrier shredding like paper beneath its force, it pulsed with a faint green tint.

It was like a sign that his willpower had strengthened it, his intelligence had sharpened it, and with it, his brain's capacity had expanded.

That expansion, in turn, enhanced his forcefield, making it more resilient than before.

Ricky was no longer the same person who had fought Dracula, and though that much was obvious, the way he had grown made all the difference.

And because he had grown, this fight would be different.

Slowly, two ethereal arms sprouted from his back, forming with an almost divine fluidity.

The Sunflare Bow tore itself from his flesh, manifesting between them as one spectral hand grasped the handle, flames licking along its grip, while the other pulled back the bowstring, imbued with the swiftness of the wind.

"Aye, Lady Roomba, you're gonna have to do better than that!" Ricky taunted, aiming to provoke her and test the limits of his barrier.

"You-"

Before she could finish, Ricky's ethereal hand let go, releasing the void arrow that had been gathering at the string as it shot forward in an instant, streaking toward one of the guardsmen.

BAM

SPLAT

"RICKTOR!" Lady Roma screamed, watching in horror as the void arrow tore through the guardsman's stomach, ripping apart flesh and leaving a gaping hole in its wake.

THUMP

Ricktor, the fallen guardsman, collapsed to the ground as the black fire left behind cauterized the wound, ensuring no healing could mend the gaping hole as he gasped, struggling, as his life ebbed away before Lady Roma's eyes.

Then, as if to snap her out of her stunned silence, Ricky let loose another arrow.

BOOM

The projectile struck the random guardsmans known as Ricktor with a final blow, detonating on impact as his body burst apart like a balloon, chunks of flesh and armor scattering across the battlefield.

CLAP

Her gaze pulsed with renewed resolve, her entire body erupting in a radiant white light.

The moment her hands came together, luminous tendrils shot outward from her being, latching onto the remaining forty-nine struggling guardsmen.

Ricky, unbothered, pulled back the Sunflare Bow and released another shot as the void arrow rocketed forward, aimed straight for another target.

BOOM

A flash of white intercepted the projectile, stopping it in its tracks.

A puff of black smoke erupted where the void arrow had struck, only for Lady Roma to emerge from behind it, her entire form glowing with divine radiance.

With a single motion, she funneled her magic into her soldiers, weaving a protective barrier around them.

"I WILL SUPPORT YOU FROM BEHIND!" Lady Roma declared, her white light surging outward, wrapping around the guardsmen and layering over their already gleaming golden armor.

"YOU HEARD OUR LADY, MEN! CHARGE! WE SHALL NOT FALL TO THIS FIEND!" The guardsmen captain bellowed, reinvigorated by her blessing, his rallying cry igniting the morale of his soldiers as Ricky rolled his eyes.

Within the next minute, they roared away their fears, turning their morale on its head before charging at Ricky.

Though Lady Roma was capable of commanding devastating offensive spells, her true specialty lay in support.

The once-daunting distance between them was rapidly closing, as the guardsmen, now strengthened in both body and mind, pressed forward, their enhanced physiques and fortified wills making them all the more formidable.

BAM

BAM

BAM

Spears slammed against Ricky's barrier in a coordinated assault, their strikes echoing through the battlefield.

Ricky responded with another surge of his sovereign aura, the force rippling outward.

But these were no ordinary soldiers and unlike the opponents he was used to, these men had been born and raised for battle.

Even without Lady Roma's divine protection, they stood firm, their training under Merlyn having conditioned them to overcome mental hurdles that would break lesser warriors.

Now, with both physical and mental shields bolstered by her magic, faltering was not an option.

The relentless barrage continued, strikes raining down from every direction and yet Ricky remained still, as if waiting for something.

Meanwhile, Lady Roma pushed her magic to its limits, pure white light coursing through her body, her once-dark hair gradually turning white as she wove another protective layer around her soldiers.

With this final enhancement, their attacks nearly doubled in ferocity, spears stabbing from all angles, hammering at Ricky's defense.

From the nearby terrace, Morgana leaned lazily against the railing, watching the spectacle unfold with an unreadable expression.

Lady Roma's eyes darted toward her in that moment, noting the casual wave of her fingers, an action that only heightened her suspicion.

Morgana, dressed in a loose-fitting black robe, didn't seem to be preparing to join the fray, but rather, was simply watching, a quiet observer from the sidelines.

This behavior, especially from someone of Morgana's caliber, set Lady Roma's nerves on edge.

'Something's wrong.' Lady Roma thought inwardly, her attention snapping back to Ricky.

Despite being completely surrounded by her empowered guardsmen, Ricky remained unnervingly calm.

His expression was unreadable, almost indifferent to the relentless assault as each spear thrust, each strike, seemed to have little effect.

Then, the first sign of strain occurred.

Crack

A single, small crack appeared in his otherwise impenetrable barrier.

Ricky raised an eyebrow, seemingly surprised at how long it had taken for this much to happen as he had expected more from forty-nine fully juiced-up guardsmen.

"Man, I didn't think it would take this long," Ricky muttered, his voice laced with genuine admiration as he felt the strain on his barrier.

The strength of his defense seemed to double, but the toll was becoming evident.

A slight headache throbbed behind his eyes as more cracks began to spider across the surface of his barrier, each one signaling that his control was slipping, if only slightly.

Then, at his command, the same psychic constructs that had once appeared within Dracula's castle began to materialize above the heads of the forty-nine guardsmen.

They were shaped like cannons, their green tint glowing faintly in the air as they sprouted like weeds.

But they didn't fire.

Ricky's mind raced, unbothered by the incoming danger, as he focused on the psychic cannons hovering in the air.

Without even a flicker of hesitation, he began to tinker with them, shaping their forms to his will.

His control over his powers had grown so much that even in the heat of battle, he could manipulate these constructs with ease.

The cannons, once solid and static, began to change as thin barrels started to form within each one, the green energy spiraling and condensing into the shape of a gun's barrel.

The cannons no longer resembled crude weapons of destruction, they were becoming something more refined, more personal.

Ricky's subconscious was working in overdrive, crafting these new weapons as if they were extensions of his own will as his mechanical energy skill was able to piece together this otherwise complicated machine construct.

Each barrel condensed, merging the raw psychic energy into an intricate pattern of deadly precision, ready to fire.

He could feel the power humming beneath his skin, the energy thrumming in time with his heartbeat.

Meanwhile, the guardsmen, including their captain, noticed the shift.

The captain's eyes snapped to the horizon in the distance, a sudden tension rippling through his body.

He squinted, trying to make sense of what he was seeing as the air around Ricky had changed, crackling with energy that felt both alien and familiar.

"Captain?" one of the guardsmen called, his voice low and laced with uncertainty.

"SHIELDWALL!" The captain roared, his eyes shrinking at the complete formation of these cannons, making his gut wrench from the danger looming over them.

The guardsmen, responding in perfect unison, quickly retreating and forming a tight shield wall.

Their golden shields raised in front of them, shimmering with the protection Lady Roma's magic had imbued them with.

But Ricky stood still, watching them with calculating eyes, his fingers barely twitching.

The air around him shimmered with an almost tangible weight as the barrels of the psychic cannons, now fully formed, glowed brighter.

A faint hiss sound from within the barrels, the condensed energy crackling ominously in the air and with a sharp snap of his fingers, Ricky activated the weapons.

Boom

Boom

Boom

The explosive bursts of concentrated psychic energy shot outwards, ripping through the air like bullets, streaking toward the shield wall.

But Ricky's method was far more devastating than just a simple barrage.

The cannons fired one after another, each barrel in line with the next, systematically unleashing a circular barrage of pure mental energy.

Each shot fired was a bullet of condensed force, spiraling around the target with the precision of a gatling gun.

The shields of the guardsmen buckled under the force, and yet they held firm, gritting their teeth as the sheer power slammed into them.

The first wave hit, creating a shockwave that rocked them to their core, but they didn't break.

They were seasoned soldiers, trained to withstand even the harshest of storms.

As the cannons continued their relentless fire, the walls of psychic energy circled Ricky like a deadly dance.

The captain's face hardened, but he knew that holding the line was the only option now as they couldn't falter, not when their lady's power depended on them.

But Ricky wasn't just testing his enemies, he was also testing his limits.

With every pulse of energy, his control over the constructs tightened.

"ARGH!" Lady Roma grunted, her body tensing as the backlash of the relentless barrage of green energy bullets crashed down on her guardsmen. The sheer force rattled through her, but she gritted her teeth, unwilling to show any sign of weakness.

The dozens of cannons, each a swirling vortex of concentrated psychic energy, unleashed a storm of bullets, raining down upon the shield wall.

The guardsmen held their ground, shields locked together, their arms trembling under the weight of the unrelenting assault.

They were powerful, but even they couldn't escape the overwhelming power of Ricky's focused fury.

"Hahahahahaha!" Ricky's laughter rang out, a manic, almost victorious sound that echoed through the battlefield.

His eyes glowed with an unnatural intensity as he reveled in the torrent of energy that flowed from him, the sheer feeling of power unlike anything he'd ever felt before.

For so long, he'd been constrained, his growth stunted, his ambitions hampered.

But now, as the psychic cannons spiraled outward, each shot a reminder of how far he'd come, he could feel the weight lifting off his shoulders.

Each bullet fired, each crack in the guardsmen's defenses, felt like a step forward.

It wasn't just about pushing his powers, it was about pushing his mind; the barriers, the limits, that had once held him back felt like they were crumbling away with each attack.

As the guardsmen struggled to maintain their shield wall, he couldn't help but feel a rush of exhilaration.

Lady Roma's body surged with a blinding white energy, her aura expanding around the guardsmen as she reinforced their defenses.

The pure white light formed a barrier, delicate but strong, wrapping around them like a protective cocoon.

In response, Ricky's green hellfire of bullets rained down upon them, clashing violently with the white, their energies colliding in a spectacular battle of auras.

The white light, radiating purity and grace, attempted to shield the guardsmen, fending off the torrent of Ricky's willpower.

But the green aura was relentless, a force of nature, a predatory force that surged forward like a beast tearing at its prey.

Each shot of psychic energy felt like a ferocious attack, chipping away at their shields, seeking to destroy the heart of their defenses.

Through the chaos, Chastiefol, the ethereal weapon, slithered silently off to the side; controlled, deliberate, and patient, it hovered like a shadow, waiting for the perfect moment to strike.

BOOM

With an explosive force, Ricky's green aura surged forward, crashing down onto the guardsmen and Lady Roma's protective layer.

The sheer pressure of his will seemed to push against them, an invisible force pressing their heads into the dirt beneath him.

His laughter echoed through the chaos as the guardsmen's legs began to wobble and buckle, their shields trembling in their hands.

Despite their efforts to hold firm, the crushing weight of Ricky's power slammed down on them.

The psychic gatling guns unleashed their relentless barrage, pounding into them with a fury that made the air vibrate.

The sheer firepower, condensed into this one devastating moment, overwhelmed them.

The guardsmen could barely maintain their footing, their shields buckling under the assault.

Ricky could feel the strain beginning to show, a satisfying tension building within him as he watched them struggle.

'How far can I push this?' Ricky wondered, a spark of excitement igniting inside him.

For the first time in what felt like forever, he was driven by something beyond just survival, he was driven by the rush of improvement, of pushing himself further.

The crushing monotony of life in Italiano's had weighed him down for so long.

The endless, soul-crushing daily tasks, the grinding repetition of learning without ever truly feeling like he was advancing, it had all left him feeling stagnant, as though he were locked in a cage of his own making.

But now, with every ounce of energy and power flowing through him, Ricky felt something different.

The adrenaline coursed through his veins, and he realized just how much he had missed this feeling, this sensation of carving out his own path, of breaking free from the constraints that held him back.

All that frustration, all that stress, he was unloading it all on these poor guardsmen.

Each shot, each wave of power, was an echo of everything he had bottled up for far too long. And in that moment, Ricky didn't just feel like a fighter.

He felt alive.

BOOM

Another explosion echoed through the battlefield, sending shockwaves of force that rattled the guardsmen's eardrums.

The thundering sound reverberated in their heads, the force of the blast slowly chipping away at the white aura surrounding their golden shields.

'No, I-It can't end like this!' Lady Roma's roar cut through the chaos, her voice laced with desperation.

Her white light flared fiercely, attempting to counter the onslaught, but Ricky's psychic abilities pressed down on her with relentless power.

She refused to be beaten here, not like this.

The Ebony Blade, watching from the shadows, couldn't help but frown as he saw Ricky toying with the situation.

It should have ended long ago, yet Ricky seemed to be using this as a moment to practice his growing psychic prowess, seemingly unfazed by the stakes.

'If this is just practice, and you're not going to take this seriously, you might as well learn to use the Ebony Chalice.' The Ebony Blade's voice echoed in Ricky's mind, calm yet sharp, as the two other Ebony entities, Crown and Shield, flinched in response.

'You're kidding.' The Ebony Crown muttered, its voice tinged with disbelief.

'YEAHHHHHHH, MY TURN, MY TURN, MY TURN!' The Ebony Chalice's voice sang with manic excitement, dancing in Ricky's mental space as it was eager to be of use.

All while Ricky's brow furrowed, turning hsi face towards the last ethereal hand dangling the Ebony Chalice next to his face.

"How the fck am I supposed to use a chalice here?" Ricky muttered aloud, gesturing towards the literal fight in front of him as he was already stretched thin, dealing with the army of guards and Lady Roma's defenses, and now, this as the Ebony Blade sighed in his mind.

'My youngest sibling is not simply a chalice, but the form in which we address him, the youngest is the manifestation of the leftovers that were dropped into the water that cooled us all off,' The Ebony Blade explained, his tone almost distant.

The Ebony Chalice, which had been held in the last ethereal hand, suddenly began to melt like liquid water, its once-solid form distorting and dissolving.

Ricky watched as what appeared to be water, infused within the chalice was actually a swirling white aura.

The supposed liquid shifted and reformed, its glowing essence gathering into a aura-like mist, floating around the liquid remnants of the Ebony Chalice.

Before Ricky's eyes, he saw the ebony blob of liquid hovering in the air with an ethereal white aura swirling around it like a ring as he frowned, unsure of what he was seeing.

"The hell am I gonna do with this-"

Suddenly, as if completing the final piece of a puzzle, the Ebony Chalice collided with Ricky's helmet.

The force of the impact sent a ripple through his vision, and the facemask guarding it slowly began to shimmer and transform, shifting into its full design.

The complete form of the Ebony Knight had been unlocked.

Instinctively, Ricky inhaled deeply, as if to prepare for an attack, but instead, he breathed in the white mist.

His green eyes twitched and began to convulse as a strange white layer shimmered over them.

"Holy sh*t-" Ricky whispered under his breath, the world around him seemingly distorting as time itself froze, and he was suddenly pulled into a strange black room.

All around him, millions of screens materialized, stretching into an infinite, endless void.

Each screen flickered with strange, cryptic images that he couldn't quite comprehend.

It was a mental space, a dimension between realms, and his eyes sparked green as his mind raced to process the overwhelming influx of information.

'Control it.'

BOOM

The space around Ricky exploded in a burst of green aura, radiating from his very core.

The Ebony Blade materialized at his side, its dark presence contrasting sharply with the overwhelming green sovereign energy that Ricky was emanating.

"It's like my f*cking mind is being split endlessly-" Ricky gritted his teeth, feeling the intense pressure as his psyche seemed to shatter and reform with every pulse of energy.

The screens around him flickered faster, growing louder, almost suffocating him with the possibilities of what could be.

"Then control even that." The Ebony Blade's voice was calm, its sibilant tone cutting through the chaos.

The ebony reflection of him stood at the side, watching Ricky struggle with an unreadable expression.

Meanwhile, the Ebony Chalice danced around Ricky's mind, its energy flowing like liquid, seemingly eager to be of service.

Ricky's eyes snapped open, now focused on the narrow margin of the vast, expansive realm of possibilities before him.

With a concentrated thought, he cut off the overwhelming flow of options, forcing them into a small square, no more than twenty screens at a time.

Each screen flickered with timelines, each one representing a different possibility, a different path and he observed them.

He locked onto one particular screen, its contents drawing him in as if it held the key to everything.

With a smooth, deliberate motion, Ricky reached out, his hand glowing with pure white energy.

His fingers made contact with the screen, causing it to ripple, distorting the space before expanding into a vast movie theater-sized projection.

The images unfolded in front of him, revealing layers of decisions, actions, and outcomes.

As his green eyes flickered with an unnatural intensity, they shifted to pure white.

The transformation was instantaneous and in an instant, the sovereign aura that had surrounded him, the thick, powerful shield that had protected him, vanished.

It disappeared without a trace, leaving the guardsmen in stunned silence.

They froze, caught completely off guard by the sudden shift in the battlefield.

For the first time, Ricky felt an overwhelming sense of control.

The possibilities were no longer scattered, chaotic fragments as he was the one shaping them now, and in that moment, everything seemed to bend to his will.

Without having to materialize it.

BOOM

In the blink of an eye, Ricky erupted forward, his pyrokinesis violently propelling himself toward the shield wall of guardsmen.

The force of his launch was so intense that the very air around him seemed to crackle, the power radiating outward like a shockwave.

One of the guardsmen, panicked by the sudden surge, instinctively thrust his spear forward to intercept Ricky.

But Ricky's mind, now locked into a perfect flow of possibilities, was already several steps ahead.

A screen, appearing like a digital overlay in front of him, displayed the trajectory of the spear in real time.

Ricky tracked the weapon's movement with pinpoint accuracy, observing how the blade was closing in.

With precise, fluid motion, Ricky sidestepped the spear, his body moving as though it were part of the design.

The weapon missed him by mere inches, its point grazing the air where he'd just been.

In the same fluid movement, Ricky's focus narrowed to the target before him as he plummeted into the group of guardsmen, his feet crashing into the ground with a force that sent the earth itself trembling.

Without hesitation, Ricky's hand surged forward, the Ebony Blade driving deep into the stomach of the closest guardsman.

The blade tore through him like butter, slicing cleanly through the flesh with terrifying ease.

The guardsman's body crumpled as Ricky pulled the blade upward in a savage motion, splitting him in half.

Blood exploded outward in a chaotic spray, splattering everything in its path as the guard's torso slumped to the ground, lifeless.

But before Ricky could even relish the moment, the remaining guardsmen moved swiftly to retaliate.

Three spearheads spiraled through the air, each one aimed with deadly precision and without breaking his stride, Ricky swung his left arm outward, his body moving with fluidity as he didn't even bother to look.

CLANG

The spears slammed into the Ebony Shield, sending sparks flying into the air.

Without missing a beat, Ricky sliced through the gap between him and the three guardsmen, a red arc of electricity crackling through their bodies.

In the next instant, their torsos were split clean in half, the force of the strike leaving only mangled corpses behind.

CLANG

A fourth spear came at him, but Ricky barely shifted his position, guiding the Ebony Shield downward with a subtle motion.

The spear deflected with ease, but it wasn't just the shield that felt different as there was an unexpected fluidity to his movements, smooth, just so effortless.

For the first time in a long while, Ricky didn't feel the familiar weight of clunky, disjointed combat.

His strikes, his blocks, everything felt synchronized, natural.

It wasn't a struggle.

It wasn't about grinding out victories, clawing his way through the battle of people much more skill them him.

Now, it felt like Ricky was dancing with the fight, his body and weapon moving in perfect harmony.

He tasted what it truly meant to fight.

And it was intoxicating.

SPLAT

SPLAT

Blood splattered across the ground as Ricky's movements flowed with unearthly grace.

His strikes were seamless, each one a natural extension of his body, as if he were water, fluid, unstoppable.

The more he absorbed the white aura, the sharper his focus became, his eyes glowing with an eerie whiteness as he honed in on the path he had chosen.

But with every new step forward, the need to consume more of the aura grew stronger.

Each moment of clarity required more of the energy to keep the momentum going as the hunger for it increased, but Ricky didn't hesitate.

He had never felt so in control of a battle before.

The guardsmen, who had dedicated years to perfecting the art of the spear, now seemed like nothing more than puppets.

Their movements were too slow, too predictable and Ricky could see their every intention before it even formed in their minds.

They were training dummies, helpless against the unrelenting slashes of the Ebony Blade and Lady Roma, watching from the sidelines, could only bear witness in horror.

Her magic had its limits.

There were many things she could block, many ways she could amplify her power.

But she couldn't cut through the Ebony Blade and that realization sent a chill down her spine.

Seeing the shift in their movements, Lady Roma quickly adapted, swiping her magic across the air with precision.

Her spell transformed, converting her defensive aura into a physical enhancement that quadrupled the guardsmen's speed.

In an instant, the guardsmen reacted, leaping backward with impeccable coordination, barely evading Ricky's oncoming strike.

As Ricky swung the Ebony Blade forward, he realized, with a sinking feeling, that his target had already moved too far out of reach.

The screens in his mind that had once laid the future out before him now seemed blurry and unreachable, drifting further and further from focus.

He tried to inhale more of the white aura, desperate to hold onto the vision of what could have been, but it evaporated like smoke in his grasp.

The possibility he had focused on was slipping through his fingers as his green irises flickered with frustration.

The twenty guardsmen were retreating, falling back to Lady Roma's side but just before the last of them could make their escape, Ricky's ethereal hand shot out.

In a swift motion, he yanked the nearest guardsman back toward him, pulling him from the safety of the group as the battle was far from over.

"No longer human, magic," Ricky muttered under his breath, his ethereal arm glowing with a sharp blue light.

It cut through the golden aura surrounding the struggling guardsman like a blade slicing through fabric, leaving the warrior feeling more fragile than a mere mortal caught in its grip.

Because this ability had reduced him to just that, a man who had spent his whole life training and honing his magic, now was nothing more than a man.

Lady Roma watched in horror, her mind momentarily paralyzed as she stood frozen, the overwhelming realization of her situation sinking in.

Her magic was fading in the face of Ricky's power, and for the first time, she found herself unsure of what to do next.

"Aye, listen up, 'cause I'm only gonna say it once." Ricky's voice snapped through the tense silence, harsh and commanding.

His gaze locked onto Lady Roma, piercing and unyielding as he had enough of this drawn-out battle,

"WHY WOULD WE LISTEN TO YOU, YOU ATTACKED US-" the Guardsmen captain roared, his voice full of defiance, only to be cut off by Ricky's furious response.

"THE F*CK, YOU ATTACKED ME FIRST!" Ricky bellowed, his sovereign aura surging outward, filling the space around him with a violent pressure while his eyes locked onto the captain.

"I was relaxing, naked, with a busty babe, and all of a sudden, you just attacked the castle out of nowhere!" Ricky yelled, his frustration reaching its peak as he couldn't believe the sheer ignorance of the situation, his words laced with disbelief as he waved his arms, as if to emphasize the absurdity of it all.

"Even when I was standing right in front of you, F*CKING TALKING TO YOU, SWORD, ALL OF YOU ATTACKED ME, ME!" Ricky thumped his chest, his anger boiling over as he glared at them, his grip tightening around the struggling guard at his side.

"Honestly, you lot piss me the f*ck off, but I'm gonna give you all one chance," Ricky spat, his voice seething with frustration as the Ebony Blade gleamed ominously in his other hand.

"Either the easy way or the hard way-"

"How-............ HOW DARE YOU!" Lady Roma screeched, her voice cracking with fury. Her eyes burned with seething anger as she fixed her gaze on Ricky.

"YOU KILLED MY FATHER'S FACTION, YOU KILLED THE MEMBERS OF TEAM EXCALIBUR, YOU INVADE OTHERWORLD, AND NOW YOU TELL US TO SURRENDER!" Lady Roma's entire body erupted in a maelstrom of magical energy, her aura flaring violently as she locked her gaze on Ricky, her fury palpable in the air as the magic around her pulsed like a storm waiting to unleash.

"I WILL NEVER ALLOW-"

CRACK

The sickening snap of bones echoed through the air, cutting Lady Roma's words short.

The sound reverberated like thunder, and in an instant, the guardsmen's necks was twisted with brutal precision.

Thump

Ricky tossed the limp body aside casually, his movements fluid and almost detached as it hit the ground with a dull thud.

The remaining guards stared in stunned horror at the lifeless form, their faces a mix of fear and disbelief.

With chilling calm, Ricky's ethereal hand reached out, effortlessly pulling the ebony shield into his grasp as if it were the most natural thing in the world.

"Alright, hard way it is,"