Although ten years had passed, Arthur still knew Kay's attack patterns well. Kay loved to preempt, and his first strike was always heavy and powerful, aiming to disrupt the opponent's rhythm immediately. Following that, Kay's relentless subsequent attacks would tear open the enemy's defense, defeating them with lightning speed.
Therefore, Arthur was focused completely on receiving Kay's initial strike. He planned to absorb the blow, redirect the force, and then use his shield to push forward into Kay's space, restricting his movement and preventing a continuous assault. Then, he would use a shield bash to break Kay's rhythm and finish the fight with his sword skills.
The logic was sound; there were no flaws in the plan.
The only question was whether he could actually handle Kay's first attack.
In a flash, Arthur connected with Kay's wooden sword, just as planned. But before Arthur could execute his counter, Kay twisted his wrist. His wooden sword entangled Arthur's, and with a quick thrust, Arthur's longsword was swept aside. That skillful deflection also sent Arthur's body stumbling. Arthur's footing was unstable, and Kay's quick change in attack was faster than Arthur's reaction time, causing him to lose his balance.
The moment Arthur stumbled, his entire plan collapsed. When a person's balance is broken, they instinctively throw out their arms to steady themselves. While trained individuals suppress this urge, they still leave their center exposed for a critical second, revealing a weakness. And that flaw was more than enough for Kay to exploit.
Taking advantage of Arthur's instability, Kay reversed his grip on the wooden sword and delivered a sharp upward strike that hit Arthur's shield-hand. A painful jolt made Arthur loosen his grip, and the shield clattered to the ground.
Kay was holding back; at his speed, he could have changed that upward slash to a stab, which would have been devastating for Arthur. Even though the sword was wood, the tip was still pointed, and a strike to a vital area—like the neck or under the ribs—could instantly neutralize an opponent, though it would cause collateral damage.
After landing the first hit, Kay's assault didn't stop; it only grew fiercer. He spun his body, brought his left-hand sword around in a huge arc, and swung it down at Arthur again.
Kay was still pulling his punches. Otherwise, that strike wouldn't have targeted Arthur's armored chest, but his unprotected head. Struck in the chest, Arthur's entire body was forced backward, completely out of control.
Kay showed no mercy. Like a graceful waltz dancer, he moved with elegant footwork and continued spinning, his two swords constantly hacking at Arthur. Arthur tried to defend himself with his sword, but as Kay's rotation grew faster and his strikes heavier, the longsword was quickly knocked from his hand. He was completely at Kay's mercy.
Kay didn't end the fight quickly; instead, he continued striking with both swords, humiliating Arthur. While he wasn't injured, the repeated blows definitely hurt.
In one minute, Arthur was struck nearly twenty times. Just as Arthur completely lost his ability to defend and was about to fall, Kay instantly pulled back his right sword. He lunged forward with his right leg, twisted his waist and hips, and delivered a thrust with his left-hand sword straight toward Arthur's chest/abdomen. However, as he thrusted, Kay reversed the blade, using the pommel to strike Arthur.
Thud!
With a dull impact, Arthur's body was sent flying about fifteen feet. He couldn't get back up, lying weakly on the ground and vomiting up his breakfast.
---
Kay looked at Arthur, shaking his head. He then turned to face the rest of the Knights of the Round Table. He said with clear displeasure, "Arthur told me that he finds it difficult to lose against any member of the Knights now."
Kay looked intently at the somewhat bewildered knights, his gaze hardening.
"Now, you tell me—was he serious? Could someone with this level of skill truly defeat all of you? Or has the Camelot Knighthood become so weak that you can't even beat a half-grown kid who can barely hold his sword steady?"
Kay wasn't intimately familiar with many of these knights. He spent most of his time training during his early years to prepare for his journey home, so he wasn't very social. And now, ten years later, the ranks of the Knights had changed considerably; he didn't know many of the remaining familiar faces.
But he refused to believe that King Uther would allow his Knighthood to become so weak. Arthur's sword skills were decent, but definitely not truly elite. He was still just a teenager—his physical abilities and combat experience were far too green to compare to battle-hardened knights. Kay might grudgingly believe Arthur ranked in the upper tier of the Knighthood, given his natural talent, but unbeatable? That was an absolute joke!
That left only one possibility: these knights were throwing the fights for Arthur!
The knights clearly understood Kay's meaning, but with Arthur right there, they couldn't openly admit it. They were afraid of discouraging Arthur. Of course, many of them knew they weren't holding back—they genuinely couldn't beat Arthur—and they were even less qualified to speak up.
Seeing their silence, Kay decided on the simplest way to find the truth.
"Arthur! If you're done lying around, go stand in a horse stance! Don't look like a girl! You're not allowed to rest until I say so!"
Chastised by Kay, Arthur obeyed, even though he felt terrible. He trudged off to the side and awkwardly assumed the horse stance. Just by looking at his posture, it was obvious the boy hadn't practiced it in a long time.
Kay shook his head and ignored Arthur. He knew his brother well; after this lesson, Arthur would likely remember it for a while. Kay turned back to the Knights and casually pointed his sword at one of them.
"You! Get over here and fight me. Let me see your skill level."
A knight cannot refuse a challenge. To a knight, losing is not a disgrace, but lacking the courage to accept a challenge means they might as well quit. Nothing is more shameful than a knight being afraid to fight.
So, the chosen knight quickly stepped forward, his courage commendable.
However, some things cannot be overcome by courage alone. In less than a minute, Kay knocked the knight to the ground. Kay was not nearly as gentle with him as he had been with Arthur.
"Next!"
Again, in less than a minute, this next knight had his arm dislocated.
"Next!"
This one fared worse, getting struck in the head and knocked unconscious.
"Next!"
After several consecutive rounds, everyone realized what Kay was doing! He was going to beat up the entire Knighthood!
News of such an incredible feat naturally spread quickly. It wasn't long before everyone in the palace knew, and even King Uther, who was handling affairs of state, couldn't resist coming to the high wall outside the training grounds to watch Kay fight.
King Uther loved this kind of spectacle. To encourage competition, he even spent lavish sums to host a Knightly Tournament every three years, making the Camelot Tournament famous across the kingdoms and a major event for knights. After all, the winner not only received a massive prize of 2,000 gold pieces but also established their reputation among the kingdoms, so knights flocked to it.
But even faster than King Uther were Morgana and her maid, Gwen.
"Princess, is that Sir Kay?" Gwen was a dark-skinned girl. Although she was only sixteen, she looked older than her years. She wasn't overly beautiful, just average-looking, and dressed very simply—essentially, the kind of supporting character who highlighted the heroine's beauty in a movie.
Speaking of dark-skinned people, it's worth noting here that Kay was truly startled the first time he saw one in Camelot. What could be more surprising than seeing a Black person in pre-medieval England? Yet, it was perfectly normal in Camelot and even throughout the Celtic kingdoms. People didn't find Black people unusual at all; they weren't prejudiced against them. They genuinely considered Black people the same as themselves, with nothing special about them. No one imposed restrictions or rules on them.
In short, they were treated no differently; they were just ordinary people like everyone else.