The forest split open with tension.
Artoria's stance was poised, Excalibur humming faintly in her grip, golden light leaking through the blade's invisible edge. Orochimaru stood to her left, eyes narrowed, his mocking grin thinning as two new presences entered the clearing.
The Akatsuki.
Hidan dragged his scythe lazily behind him, sparks flying from the blades. His lips curled into a manic grin, eyes wide with fanatical hunger.
"Oi, oi, look at this circus. Snake freak, some armored broad with a glowstick, and us. Heh! I'm calling dibs on her blood."
Beside him, Kakuzu was quiet, his stitched body radiating cold calculation. His green eyes swept across Artoria, lingering on her blade. "That sword… the chakra pouring from it isn't normal. She's no shinobi. Bounty or not, that kind of weapon could be worth everything."
Orochimaru chuckled, though his eyes never left Artoria. "Hmph. You vultures never change. Always so eager to steal scraps you don't understand."
Artoria's gaze shifted between them, her voice calm, though iron resounded beneath her words.
"You are all cut from the same cloth. Predators. You see power and think only of ownership."
Her words rang in the silence. For an instant, the four killers measured one another in stillness. Then, like the snap of a bowstring—
The forest exploded into chaos.
---
Hidan moved first.
He lunged with reckless speed, swinging his triple-bladed scythe in wide arcs that tore gouges through the earth and trees alike. His laughter filled the air, manic and shrill.
Artoria sidestepped, her armor ringing softly as Excalibur's invisible edge met the scythe with a metallic shriek. Sparks burst, leaves scattering.
"Fast, eh? Heh! Makes the blood pump harder!" Hidan roared, his swings growing more erratic, a dance of carnage.
Artoria deflected blow after blow, her movements precise, controlled. Where Hidan was wild, she was disciplined. Her blade whispered through the air, severing a strand of his hair without him noticing until it fluttered to the ground.
Hidan's grin widened. "Hoh? You'll make a damn fine sacrifice to Jashin!"
---
Kakuzu struck next.
From his back, threads erupted like serpents, tearing through his cloak as his masked hearts emerged. A torrent of elemental chakra flared, and in the next moment—fire roared across the clearing.
Artoria raised her blade. Golden light burst outward in a radiant arc, cleaving the inferno in two. The flames parted, washing harmlessly past her, searing trees into cinders.
Kakuzu's eyes narrowed. He wove another sign, and lightning speared down like judgment from the heavens. The bolt struck her head-on—
—only for the ground to erupt as her armored form leapt clear, cloak singed but body unharmed.
The knight landed gracefully, eyes steady. "You wield elements with ease… but your strikes lack resolve."
---
Orochimaru moved in the chaos.
His tongue lashed like a spear, snakes bursting from the ground to coil around Artoria's legs. She reacted instantly, Excalibur flashing down, severing them in golden arcs. But it was a distraction.
From behind, Orochimaru's Kusanagi sword darted forward, extending unnaturally like a serpent's fang, aiming for her heart.
CLANG!
Excalibur met it mid-thrust, invisible edge stopping the legendary blade cold. Sparks hissed, chakra and mana clashing in the air.
Orochimaru's eyes widened fractionally. "…Interesting. To match the Kusanagi so effortlessly…"
Artoria's voice was firm, unyielding. "Your fangs will never pierce my oath."
---
The battle devolved into madness.
Hidan charged again, scythe clashing against her armor. Kakuzu's elemental masks rained destruction across the forest, fire and lightning tearing craters in the earth. Orochimaru circled like a serpent, striking with inhuman swiftness, testing her guard.
And through it all, Artoria stood like a fortress. Each strike of Excalibur carved lines of light through the night, severing snakes, deflecting scythes, cutting through elemental blasts. Her movements were not wild, not frantic. They were measured, honed, the embodiment of discipline forged in a thousand wars.
Yet even so—
She could not press the advantage.
Their numbers, their unpredictability, the sheer alien nature of their chakra—it forced her into defense. She was a knight alone, facing three predators who knew no honor.
But her eyes never wavered.
---
Hidan was the first to falter.
Frustrated by her calm defense, he swung too wide, his scythe biting deep into a tree. In that moment, Artoria's blade lashed out, severing the chain that bound his weapon.
The scythe clattered uselessly to the ground.
Hidan blinked, stunned—then laughed even louder, pulling a knife from his robes. "HAH! You think that matters? I only need one cut!"
He slashed at his own arm, blood spilling. Strange markings spread across his skin, a dark ritual beginning.
Artoria's eyes narrowed. "…Sorcery."
She moved to cut him down—
—but Kakuzu's threads surged in, blocking her path, forcing her back with a hail of black tendrils.
---
Orochimaru struck then, ruthless.
Kusanagi extended, nearly grazing her cheek as she twisted aside. Snakes swarmed from the ground, hissing, binding her legs again.
For a heartbeat, she was pinned.
Hidan grinned, carving a symbol in the dirt with his blood. His body shifted, markings twisting, his ritual complete. "Heh… now, let's share in some pain, shall we?"
He drove the knife into his own chest.
Artoria's body jolted—an alien sensation stabbing through her, sharp and invasive, though her armor bore no wound. Her knees buckled slightly, a frown creasing her brow.
Orochimaru's eyes lit with intrigue. Kakuzu paused, calculating.
But then—
Artoria's will surged.
The golden light of Excalibur erupted, severing the snakes, scattering the threads, breaking the ritual's tether for a heartbeat. Hidan stumbled, blinking in shock.
"What—?! That ain't supposed to—!"
Her voice rang like steel. "Your curses mean nothing. My oath is not bound by false gods."
She advanced.
---
The three enemies hesitated for the first time.
Orochimaru's smile thinned into a line, eyes glinting with dangerous curiosity. Kakuzu's gaze sharpened, measuring her strength against profit. Hidan snarled, spittle flying, his fanatic laughter turning into rage.
The forest burned, craters steaming, shadows writhing with snakes and threads.
And at its center stood a knight bathed in faint golden light, her blade raised, her stance unyielding.
"…This battle serves nothing," Orochimaru hissed suddenly, his tone sharp. He cast a glance toward the Akatsuki. "Your prey is mine."
"Not a chance," Kakuzu growled.
Hidan's laughter returned, manic. "Heh! Shut it, both of you! I'm taking her head for Jashin!"
Artoria exhaled slowly. Her eyes hardened, and she raised Excalibur higher.
"If none of you will yield… then I shall cut you all down."
---
The three-way brawl raged into the night, golden light clashing against serpents, scythes, and storms.
None would claim victory easily.
And in the shadows beyond the flames, another presence watched. Patient. Calculating.
The Toad Sage had arrived.