NTR School: S Rank Student

"AHHHHH"

The sounds of King Helix's screams sounded through the streets of Snowdon as he clutched his bloody stump in agony.

Sounds of gasps spread through the crowd. The civilians couldn't believe what was happening.

Not only had the king been beaten, but it had been done in such a gruesome manner.

Raphael allowed the helmet of his armour to fade away, revealing to all the confident, unbothered look on his face.

"My fucking arm!" King Helix fell to his knees, eyes trained on the missing arm bleeding onto the floor. His eyes were bloodshot and the veins of his head protruding.

Raphael walked over to the arm and picked it up.

The guards watched as he did, wishing to step forward and fight for the King's honour, but they couldn't. They were too terrified.

They had seen the Dragon King in action now. Witnessed his ruthlessness.

No one wished to step forward.

Queen Eva watched her husband, shocked to the core. But no one realised that she did not seem to be upset by the results of the fight...

Afterwards scanning his eyes around the crowd, Raphael lifted the arm into the air.

"This..." He started, words booming over the sounds of the king's agonising screams. "Is the arm of your ruler! A man who so vehemently tried to kill me, with no just cause."

The crowd remained silent, intensely listening to the words of the dragon king.

Raphael threw the arm to the ground, not caring to touch it any longer.

"He is not a god or an immortal. Helix is simply a man, like all of you are. Your places of worship are useless."

Muttered agreement spread throughout the crowd. Most couldn't help but agree with his words. They thought of King Helix as a god, but after seeing his current state...

There was only one man in Snowdon City who currently looked as if they deserved that title.

Raphael began to slowly walk around the field for effect, thousands of eyes following him. It was the first time he had ever spoken in front of such a large group of people.

"Leadership belongs to the strong. The powerful. Those capable of defending what is there's and ensuring that it never falls in the hands of evil. Imagine if I was an unrighteous man. I was able to walk into your city and dispose of the angels, and your king right afterwards. What do you think I could have done to you all?"

Now, worry spread through the civilians. The gravity of the man's words began to settle on them. What did he plan to do? Does he consider the entire north his enemy?

But the Dragon King simply smiled at them.

"Luckily for you all, I am a just man. I have no desire to harm any of you. All I have is one request."

Raphael let the words hang in the air for a few moments.

"That you accept me as your new King."

"..."

"..."

"..."

The crowd erupted with noise. Cheers of joy, shouts of anger. Every single emotion was displayed to Raphael at that moment.

"Y-you can't be serious!" King Helix spat, hand still grasping at his missing arm.

Raphael looked towards the bald man with a raised eyebrow. "And why not? Was it me that asked to duel? All I did was accept, and now I wish to take a prize for my victory. Be thankful that I've left you with your head."

Helix's face twisted in rage, but there was hardly anything that the man could do. The arm that he had lost was the one that wielded his God Glove.

His Birthright had been taken from him. He was useless.

So instead, the man swivelled his head and looked at someone else. The only person that could help him.

"Eva..." He muttered, eyes falling on his red-haired wife. The woman looked at her husband, eyes wide. "Fight him for me."

Raphael was taken aback by the man's pathetic words, and even the guards seemed to physically recoil.

"You must fight, Eva. Or he will take everything from me... From us!"

Queen Eva looked down at the state of her kneeled husband with what seemed to be sympathy.

For a moment, Raphael thought that the woman would accept the request. Step forward and activate whatever Birthright she owned.

But instead, she shook her head solemnly.

"I'm sorry, Helix, but this your battle. You have lost." Queen Eva spoke, words soft.

King Helix looked at his wife, anger and disgust on full display. From his point of view, it was the ultimate betrayal.

But the civilians and guards of Snowdon had seen the man smack her in the face only moments earlier. They hardly blamed her for her lack of cooperation.

Before the man could make any more complaints, the blood loss from his wood started to take effect on him. His vision went blurry, and he stumbled onto the ground, consciousness now fading away from him.

Raphael looked at the guards, standing idly nearby with hesitation in their bodies. Their king had fallen, and a new man had declared himself as ruler, but what were they supposed to do now?

"Take him to the prison cells," Raphael ordered, taking them by surprise. At first, the armoured men didn't move, but taking a look at the circumstances once more, they realised they didn't have much of a choice.

They saw what The Dragon King was capable of.

As the guards lifted King Helix and his arm, carrying him towards the prison chambers, Raphael was left standing with only one other person.

Queen Eva.

The red-haired woman walked over to an object that had fallen on the ground and lifted it up.

Once in her hands, she finally made eye contact with Raphael.

On her face was a faint smile, as she made her way towards him. Then, she lifted the object and placed it on his head.

The crown of King Helix.

Gasps spread through the crowd, louder than they ever had before. For Queen Eva to do this was of utmost surprise.

She was declaring this man as king. Going against her husband.

And yet, no one could blame her.

Raphael looked into the woman's green eyes, even taken by surprise himself.

"I've been waiting for this moment." The Queen said, bowing her head slightly towards him. "Thank you for freeing me from my husband's captivity."