History Characters / TheBeginningAfterTheEndArthurLeywin

** Regrets having to keep so many secrets from [[spoiler:Caera, when she has been nothing but a true and loyal friend to him. She decides to forgive him later on. Unfortunately, he is forced to keep her and all of his Alacryan allies in the dark regarding his plan for the fourth keystone as he is not taking any chances over how much control Agrona has over them]].

* UnwantedHarem: Over the course of the story, Arthur attracts the attention of multiple female characters such as [[OurElvesAreDifferent Tessia]], [[AloofDarkHairedGirl Jasmine]], [[UnluckyChildhoodFriend Lilia]], [[DefrostingIceQueen Kathyln]], [[BespectacledCutie Emily]], and [[DarkActionGirl Caera]]. He tends not to reciprocate any of their feelings due to the mental age gap.

* WeUsedToBeFriends: [[spoiler:With Nico/Elijah and Cecilia. They used to be childhood friends in their past lives until Grey was manipulated into dueling Cecilia during the King's Tourney and she took the opportunity to commit SuicideByCop. This caused Nico, who did not know any better, to swear vengeance against Grey. If that was not bad enough, Agrona, who sought Cecilia's power as the Legacy, reincarnated the three of them to serve him. While Grey managed to avoid the MindRape and FalseMemories his friends were subjected to thanks to the temporally-displaced Sylvie's intervention, he still has to contend with the fact that Agrona had them both ReforgedIntoAMinion and twisted their hatred of him against him]].

* WreckedWeapon: During the war, his sword Dawn's Ballad gets broken twice. The first time occurs when he fights Uto, the second time occurs at the end of the war with Arthur being forced to discard it for good. Although later on [[spoiler:Wren presents him with the fragments of the weapon, Arthur elects not to repair it as he intends to keep it in its shattered state as a TragicKeepsake]].

** While living in [[spoiler:Alacrya, Arthur hides his identity as a Dicathian from his Alacryan associates. Later on when he is about to acquire the fourth keystone, he is forced to keep all of his Alacryan allies completely in the dark regarding his plan as he knows Agrona still has some degree of control over them and is not taking any chances as the process of acquiring the keystone will put him out of commission for an unknown amount of time]].

* FirstLove: Cecilia was this to him as Grey as she reciprocated his feelings. Seeing himself as unworthy of her, he proceeded to push her into the arms of Nico, who was also in love with her.

** Arthur also draws inspiration from Aang from ''WesternAnimation/AvatarTheLastAirbender''. Both are reincarnated protagonists able to draw upon the experience from their past lives, wield the four classical elements, and have a small pet with white and black fur who can fly. They disappeared before the start of a major war that they later returned to participate in [[spoiler:only to lose said war and were presumed dead in the aftermath, but once again returned to bring it to an end for good]]. In addition, [[spoiler:both are revealed to be GenocideSurvivor[=s=] (albeit Arthur being a descendant of said survivors) from a PerfectPacifistPeople that were exterminated by an antagonistic faction associated with dragons]].

* FantasticNuke: Combined with AtomicSuperPower. [[spoiler:In his journey in the Relictombs, he acquires a godrune called Destruction that can destroy an entire continent at its full power. In Volume 10, Arthur uses it to destroy an entire military camp in Vechor to send Agrona a message]].

* FirstLove: Cecilia was this to him as Grey, who reciprocates his feelings. Seeing himself as unworthy of her, proceeds to push her in the arms of Nico, who was also in love with her.

** This trope becomes ''especially'' evident from Volume 8 onward after Arthur [[spoiler:learns the truth about how the DivineConflict started and who his true enemies ultimately are. As he is going up against the {{God and Satan|AreBothJerks}} analogues of the setting, who have at their disposal warriors that can effortlessly defeat the strongest mortal mages with ease, Arthur ''has'' to become as powerful as them just to give him and his loved ones a chance to stand against them let alone survive the conflict. Not only that, but he has to step up as ''the'' BigGood as the other potential BigGood[=s=] (Virion, Seris, and Mordain) can only act in a supporting capacity, especially since Arthur's unique abilities and experiences are what allow him to act in an inspirational fashion that none of them can hope to achieve]].

** Regrets having to keep so many secrets from [[spoiler:Caera, when she has been nothing but a true and loyal friend to him. She decides to forgive him later on]].

** His final confrontation with Lucas during the attack on Xyrus Academy. After paralyzing Lucas into submission with his KillingIntent, Arthur proceeds to unleash the full display of his powers now that Lucas has crossed the line. He burns off his left arm, then freezes and shatters his right arm, before finally using gravity magic-empowered FinishingStomp to crush Lucas's pelvic region.

* DudeLooksLikeALady: His features become [[spoiler:rather effeminate after fusing with Sylvie as his body loses all muscle definitions, to the point where Caera and her attendants mistake him for a woman. This is only temporary as he slowly regains his strength and physique]].

** Leaving Tessia to return to Xyrus Academy alone, knowing full well how vulnerable she is because of her beast will integration. Made worse by the fact that ignoring this fact almost resulted in his own death ''twice'' before that. And sure enough, she arrives right as the Radicals launch their attack on the academy and gets incapacitated as she is TargetedToHurtTheHero.

* KangarooCourt: Has the ill fortune to fall victim to this twice, though fortunately both times he gets acquitted thanks to the intervention of a higher power.

** ZigZagged. He keeps his reincarnation a secret from his parents for years, but ultimately decides to come clean to them right before he leaves to train in Epheotus for the coming war. They resent him for it and he quickly comes to regret it as it drives a wedge between them. However, they eventually accept him in the end.

** Case in point, when Arthur [[spoiler:uses the tempus warp the Wraiths had left behind and ends up in a military facility in Vechor, the commander of the Alacryan troops stationed there tries to get his troops to calm down by pointing out how Arthur is barely clinging on to life. He is proven horribly wrong as they promptly get a front row seat to Arthur unleashing the full power of the Destruction godrune and are obliterated in the process]].

* SympathyForTheDevil: Even though [[spoiler:Taci caused a considerable amount of casualties during his rampage in the djinn sanctuary - including the deaths of Rinia, Aya, Feyrith, and Albold and very nearly killing his mother and sister - Arthur briefly feels remorse over killing him as Taci was little more than a boy (by asuran standards) whom Kezess had brainwashed into being little more than a disposable tool]].

* ThereIsNoKillLikeOverkill: The CruelAndUnusualDeath he deals unto Lucas has him burn off his left arm, then freeze and shatter his right arm, before finally using gravity magic to crush Lucas's pelvic region, [[GroinAttack genitals included]].

* WeakButSkilled: What he was before he reincarnated into the current world. He had low power but practiced his skills. In this world, he is StrongAndSkilled.

** Arthur and his family [[spoiler:are descended from the long-gone djinn race. Then thanks to Sylvie's HeroicSacrifice to preserve his body, Arthur becomes part-asura, specifically dragon and basilisk considering Sylvie's own WarringNatures as the descendant of both the Indrath and Vritra Clans respectively. The "Yin Yang" part is that the Indrath committed genocide upon the djinn out of jealousy for the latter's ability to control aether, which the former believed was exclusively theirs to control. This is on top of the atrocities both clans have committed upon Arthur's homeland of Dicathen in the midst of their DivineConflict]].

* YinYangBomb: Of the three disciplines of aether known to the Indrath, Regis specializes in the vivum path. This grants him the capacity for both creation and destruction, as not only can he heal, he can also manifest pure destructive energy should the situation call for it.

-->'''Arthur:''' I only shook my head, forcing my mind away from the deep well of guilt and fear I felt whenever I thought of [[spoiler:Tessia. She wasn't my only concern right now. There was another old friend who needed saving too, and I missed her just as much - perhaps even more - as the elven princess]].
-->'''Arthur:''' I'll find you, Tess. I promise....Even if it takes all the aether in the Relictombs, I'll get you out of there, Sylv.

** Thoroughly {{Averted}} with Uto. So here is Arthur, having come back from the land of the asuras themselves after undergoing TrainingFromHell, to challenge Uto, Lance Alea's murderer. So surely the hero will come out on top in a bit of poetic justice, right? [[spoiler:''No''. He instead gets utterly trounced and almost killed along with Sylvie by an Uto who NoSell[=s=] anything he throws at him. It takes the intervention of Scythe Seris, herself a being several orders of magnitude more powerful than Uto, to save his life. [[WakeUpCall A cold reality check]] that for all his gifts he is still a simple mortal trying to take on what are essentially demigods]].

** Finally PlayedStraight in the climax of Volume 9 where he, [[spoiler:after having CameBackStrong due to RePower[=ing=] himself with aether, cripples Nico and kills Cadell as a payback for all the suffering they caused to both him and his loved ones. On top of that, he follows that up by killing Taci for attempting to exterminate his loved ones back in Dicathen]].

* SpontaneousWeaponCreation: Arthur's elemental mastery allows him to create elemental weapons. This capability is demonstrated during his fight with Jagrette when in order to finish off the Retainer, Arthur creates a spear of ice which he impales her on after having Sylvie take her up into the skies and drop her. However, this trope becomes much more prominent as part of [[spoiler:his enhanced aether powers following him developing his aether core, as he is able to manifest weaponry made out of pure aether]].

* GiverOfLameNames: Prone to delivering some rather humorous names as part of his personality.

* AchillesHeel: Before his ascension to white core, his main weakness was his meager mana pool when compared to most his opponents. This would force him to end engagements quickly and decisively. Following [[spoiler:the loss of his mana core and his subsequent RePower by developing his aether core, it was the loss of his ability to fly on his own outside of riding Regis or Sylvie. This allowed his enemies to be free to keep their distance from him while hitting him with spells. After acquiring King's Gambit, his newfound insight into aether allows him to fly once more]].

* BadassCape: As a Lance, Arthur wears the same crimson cape that the other Lances wear as a sign of his status as one of the strongest mages in Dicathen. Later on, he wears a hooded white cloak on top of the [[spoiler:ebon black djinn armor he acquires during his time in Alacrya]].

* BlackKnight: The [[spoiler:djinn armor clads Arthur in an imposing panoply of ebon black plate armor. Not only that, he acquires it during his time in Alacrya when he has been hiding under the guise of Grey, and his entry in the Victoriad catches everyone by surprise as most Alacryans do not know who he is. Unlike most examples of this trope, DarkIsNotEvil is in effect and Arthur is still one of the good guys]].

* CharacterDevelopment: In his past life, he was a lonely and vengeful king who eventually isolated himself from all of the people that he cared about if not having gotten them killed. This is one of the major reasons for his desire to keep everyone he loves safe in his reincarnation. He breaks from his emotional shell by confessing his feelings for Tessia and [[spoiler:after Sylvie's sacrifice, he becomes calmer so he can think clearly. After spending time living among the Alacryans, Arthur comes to the realization that they are as much victims of the DivineConflict as the Dicathians are. He resolves to liberate both continents and their inhabitants from the tyranny of the asuras]].

** In his past life, Grey's first and only love was his childhood friend Cecilia. However, he was willing to step aside and let Nico have his chance with her. His lingering feelings for her only served to [[spoiler:make him having to kill her during the King's Tourney all the more traumatizing for him]].

* CluelessChickMagnet: Subverted. He's very much aware of his popularity with the ladies - he just doesn't care, because he can't seem to find any of them attractive (the mental age gap not helping).

* DudeLooksLikeALady: His features become [[spoiler:much more effeminate after fusing with Sylvie, while his body loses all muscle definitions, to the point where Caera and her attendants mistake him for a woman. This gets largely better as he slowly regains his strength]].

* FlyingBrick: [[spoiler:After acquiring King's Gambit, he effectively has this powerset. His newfound insight from the godrune has allowed him to regain the ability to fly, his enhanced asuran biology grants him superhuman physical capabilities and the ability to regenerate wounds, and possesses an aether core that acts as a SwissArmySuperpower and a suit of PoweredArmor that runs on aether. On top of that, King's Gambit and Realmheart effectively act as his SuperSenses, with the former granting him temporary SuperIntelligence and the latter allowing him to cancel spells]].

* GoodArmorEvilArmor: Initially plays this straight before getting a {{Subversion}}. When he becomes a Lance during the WarArc, he is given the same silver and red armor worn by all the Lances in combat. During his endeavors in [[spoiler:the Relictombs after the war, he acquires a suit of djinn PoweredArmor only he can wear due to being descended from them. Said armor is ebon black with gold highlights and horns on his head. However, despite the armor's appearance, Arthur donning the armor coincides with him becoming the BigGood and turning the war against both Agrona and Kezess]].

** This trope becomes ''especially'' evident from Volume 8 onward after Arthur [[spoiler:learns the truth about how the DivineConflict started and who his true enemies ultimately are. As he is going up against the {{God and Satan|AreBothJerks}} analogues of the setting, who have at their disposal warriors that can effortlessly defeat the strongest mortal mages with ease, Arthur ''has'' to become as powerful as them just to give him and his loved ones a chance to stand against them let alone survive the conflict. Not only that, but he has to step up as the BigGood as the other potential BigGood[=s=] (Virion, Seris, and Mordain) can only act in a supporting capacity, especially since Arthur's unique abilities and experiences are what allow him to act in an inspirational fashion that none of them can hope to achieve]].

** ZigZagged. He keeps his reincarnation a secret from his parents for years, but ultimately decides to come clean right before he leaves to train in Epheotus for the coming war. They resent him for it and he quickly comes to regret it as it drives a wedge between them though they accept him in the end.

* SpontaneousWeaponCreation: Arthur's elemental mastery allows him to create elemental weapons. This capability is demonstrated during his fight with Jagrette. To finish off the Retainer, Arthur creates a spear of ice which he impales her on after having Sylvie take her up into the skies and drop her. However, this trope becomes much more prominent As part of [[spoiler:his enhanced aether powers following him developing his aether core, he is able to manifest weaponry made out of pure aether]].

* HopeBringer: [[spoiler:After he returns from Alacrya to Dicathen, Arthur has become incredibly powerful as he is able to kill Taci and save the resistance, crush the Alacryan army, and reclaim entire cities all by himself. In the process of liberating Dicathen, he manages to restore the morale of his people to an all time high, with the mood in Xyrus having even returned to the level it was before the attack on Xyrus Academy years ago]].

** While Rudeus does suffer his fair share of tragic moments such as [[spoiler:his father Paul's death and learning of the BadFuture from his future self]], Arthur tends to be put through much more suffering than his inspiration given how he ends up fighting a war against [[spoiler:the JerkassGods who have lorded over the setting, and despite being one of the strongest mortal mages alive ends up being pitted against enemies who are just as strong as him]].

** After learning that [[spoiler:Kezess sent his forces to occupy Dicathen in the two months he was in the aether realm trying to resurrect Sylvie, Arthur is forced to begrudgingly work alongside them against their common nemesis in Agrona and the Vritra Clan. Not only do the dragons try to turn public opinion in Dicathen against Arthur and make him a HeroWithBadPublicity, but they also prevent him from openly allying with other factions that they are hostile against, namely Seris and Mordain (and in the case of the former he has to convince them to allow Seris and her followers sanctuary)]].

* IDidntMeanToKillHim: When he is confronted by [[spoiler:Nico and Cecilia in Nirmala, Arthur finally tells them that he never meant to kill Cecilia in their duel. While Cecilia refuses to listen as Agrona's influence has blinded her, Nico is eventually shown to have a MyGodWhatHaveIDone moment later on as he realizes he had hated his best friend and caused him so much suffering for absolutely nothing]].

* BullyHunter: Arthur is not very fond of those oppress the weak. As a matter of fact, during his time in Xyrus Academy, Arthur becomes a member of the Disciplinary Committee. This means hunting bullies becomes part of his job given how the Disciplinary Committee was created to resolve disputes and put down instances of FantasticRacism on-campus. Not to mention during his [[spoiler:time in Central Academy, Arthur ends up fending off a group of bullies who were picking on Seth]].

** This trope becomes ''especially'' evident from Volume 8 onward when Arthur [[spoiler:learns the truth about how the DivineConflict started and who his true enemies ultimately are. As he is going up against the God and Satan analogues of the setting, who have at their disposal warriors that can effortlessly defeat the strongest mortal mages with ease, Arthur ''has'' to become as powerful as them just to give him and his loved ones a chance to stand against them let alone survive the conflict. Not only that, but he has to step up as the BigGood as the other potential BigGood[=s=] (Virion, Seris, and Mordain) can only act in a supporting capacity, especially since Arthur's unique abilities and experiences are what allow him to act in an inspirational fashion that none of them can hope to achieve]].

* HealingFactor: Part of Sylvia's beast will allows Arthur to heal his own body. After [[spoiler:becoming part-asura, Arthur is able to regenerate grievous wounds including lost body parts using aether]].

* ItsPersonal[=/=]ItsPersonalWithTheDragon: Several of Arthur's enemies, some of whom are Agrona's own Scythes, got on his bad side due to this trope. Especially if they threatened, harmed, or outright killed his loved ones.

*** His execution of Lucas ends up earning him the enmity of Lucas's older brother Bairon, whose views it as a grave offense to his family's honor. This enmity lasts a very long time until [[spoiler:Arthur returns from Alacrya, as by then both him and Bairon have been put through hell during the war and its aftermath, on top of Bairon having undergone a HeelRealization after finally realizing how corrupt his family really was]].

** [[spoiler:Cecilia, his former ChildhoodFriendLoveInterest from his past life as King Grey. Like with Nico, the trope goes both ways. Cecilia was not only summone using Arthur's current LoveInterest Tessia as her vessel, but had been subjected to MindRape by both Agrona and Nico to turn her against him. Arthur wants to find a way to free Tessia and separate both of them, but Cecilia's outright vitriol against him complicates his efforts]].

** ZigZagged. [[spoiler:He keeps his reincarnation a secret from his parents for years, but ultimately decides to come clean right before he leaves to train in Epheotus for the coming war. They resent him for it and he quickly comes to regret it as it drives a wedge between them though they accept him in the end]].
** Regrets having to keep so many secrets from [[spoiler:Caera, when she's been nothing but a true and loyal friend to him. She decides to forgive him later on]].

* NomDeGuerre: As a Lance, Arthur is known as "Godspell". Later on, his moniker is upgraded to [[spoiler:"Godkiller" in light of his slaying of Taci]].

** Thoroughly {{Averted}} with Uto. So here is Arthur, having come back from the land of the asuras themselves after undergoing TrainingFromHell, to challenge Uto, Lance Alea's murderer. So surely the hero will come out on top in a bit of poetic justice, right? [[spoiler:''No''. What happens instead is he gets utterly trounced and is almost killed along with Sylvie by an Uto who NoSell[=s=] anything he throws at him. It takes the intervention of Scythe Seris, herself a being several orders of magnitude more powerful than Uto, to save his life. [[WakeUpCall A cold reality check]] that for all his gifts he is still a simple mortal trying to take on what are essentially demigods]].

* WouldHitAGirl: GenderIsNoObject in Arthur's eyes, after all. When he stumbles across a pair of human students spraying some racist graffiti on one of his nightly patrols as part of the Disciplinary Committee, the female student asks him if he would hit her. Arthur replies that he is an adherent of gender equality and so promptly subdues her. Not to mention some of the villains he has killed such as Jagrette and [[spoiler:Viessa]] are female.

* HadToBeSharp: Has been subjected to this trope throughout practically his ''entire'' existence, spanning both of his lives. In his past life, he lived in a war-torn CrapsackWorld defined by AsskickingLeadsToLeadership, which forced him to constantly fight just to get by. His tenacity to survive is what gradually turned him into an unmatched warrior and eventual king. In his current life, while it takes place in a more peaceful world, Arthur has been put through some rather harsh situations where he had to exhibit that same drive from his past life to make it through.
** This trope becomes ''especially'' apparent from Volume 8 onward when Arthur [[spoiler:learns the truth about how the DivineConflict started and who his true enemies are. As he is going up against the God and Satan analogues of the setting, who have at their disposal warriors that can effortlessly defeat the strongest mortal mages with ease, Arthur ''has'' to become powerful as them just to give him and his loved ones a chance to stand against them let alone survive. Not only that, but he has to step up as the BigGood as the other potential BigGood[=s=] (Virion, Seris, and Mordain) can only act in a supporting capacity, especially since Arthur's unique mindset, abilities, and experiences are what allow him to act in an inspirational capacity that none of them can hope to achieve]].

* HeavySleeper: Has noted he has difficulty waking up. His sister once did an elbow drop on him to get him to wake up. Later on, Bairon decided to wake him up from a nightmare by throwing a lightning bolt at him, though Arthur manages to wake up and catch the bolt.

* HeroicNeutral: Arthur's first priority is keeping his loved ones safe, but at the same time Arthur's conscience doesn't allow him to ignore those in need.

** After causing [[spoiler:the Alacryans to retreat from Vildorial, Arthur collapses from his injuries. He had just fought off the Wraiths and had unleashed the full power of the Destruction godrune on an Alacryan facility in Vechor, which leaves him unconscious for a day and a half]].

* GeniusBruiser: Arthur is not only a powerful MagicKnight, but is rather intelligent and strategic given him being WiseBeyondTheirYears thanks to his reincarnation. His genius leads to him becoming a quadra-elemental mage whose power surpasses that of most mages. This works in his favor when he is fighting much more powerful opponents. Not only that, when he becomes a military leader during the WarArc, he not only serves as a general but also provides support on the technological side of affairs. Case in point, he frequently checks on Gideon and Emily regarding new innovations, and [[spoiler:later on brings Wren back from the Hearth to work alongside them]]. It becomes even more pronounced after he acquires [[spoiler:King's Gambit, which grants him a form of SuperIntelligence by allowing his mind to temporarily host multiple thought processes at once]].

* TechnologyUplift: There are a few times when Arthur decides to implement technology from his past life into the world of his current life.

** Later on during the WarArc proper, he gives Gideon the blueprints for a steam train to aid in the war effort by easily transporting supplies and soldiers to the major cities of Dicathen.

** During the WarArc, Arthur tends to not see eye to eye with the other Lances as they were "pretty self-absorbed and insufficient" in his own words. In particular, Bairon hated him for killing his brother Lucas. After the end of the war, [[spoiler:the Lances are split up with Arthur finding himself marooned in the Relictombs. By the time he returns to Dicathen, the Lances are forced to fight the asura Taci and barely survive. In the aftermath, Arthur makes up with the remaining Lances, Bairon in particular, and they resolve to be better than who they used to be. Arthur even uses his newfound insight to break the {{Power Limiter}}s Kezess put on their [[ArtifactOfPower Artifacts of Power]] to make them much more stronger]].

* HumbleHero: Despite his power, in both his past life and his current one all Arthur wants the most is for him and his loved ones to live in peace. In his past life, he retired from his position as king due to all that he has endured and due to growing tired of leadership. Upon [[spoiler:returning to Dicathen and saving the resistance from Taci, Arthur admits that he can't fight the asuras on his own and will need their help to do so]]. Later on when [[spoiler:Kezess sends down his forces to occupy Dicathen]], Arthur reaffirms that even though he does not desire to rule Dicathen, he is willing to act as a leader to give the people of Dicathen the strength to believe in themselves and the hope for a better future.

** Arthur wants his parents as far away from the fighting as humanely possible. His father calls him out as Arthur himself is at the forefront of virtually every engagement. Later, he gets better.

* TechnologyUplift: Arthur is a one-man example. When he visits Gideon to acquire artifacts that he needs for himself and his family, he shows the artificer the blueprints for a steam engine which he could use to power the ''Dicatheous''. However, Arthur begins having reservations about giving Gideon any more pieces of technology from his past life as he is afraid of the potential threat it could pose to his homeland. He ends up being proven horribly right as he learns years later that the Alacryans reverse-engineered the ''Dicatheous'' to create an armada of steamships to transport their army to Dicathen.

* TragicKeepsake: After [[spoiler:Wren presents Arthur with the broken shards of Dawn's Ballad, Arthur elects to leave the weapon in its shattered state as a reminder of his own failings]].

* WarriorKing: His past life was as a king in a dystopian post-apocalyptic world torn apart by war. In that life, he was an unparalleled warrior who not only led armies into battle, but also resolved disputes through participating in duels.

** When [[spoiler:Mordain recalls Chul back to the Hearth in light of the increasing activity from the Wraiths near its location, the latter gets into a confrontation with the Legacy and her own escort of Wraiths. Despite Mordain intervening to save his life, Chul is all but fatally wounded. Cue Arthur suddenly arriving in the Hearth looking for the third djinn keystone that he knows is in Mordain's possession,. Then when Arthur sees Chul's condition, he conveniently has Tears of the Mother pearls that he received from Veruhn, one of which ends up being used to save Chul's life]].

* DefeatingTheUndefeatable: After Arthur [[spoiler:CameBackStrong as an aether-wielding demigod, he is able to defeat enemies whom were previously considered invincible. In the Victoriad, he is able to slay Cadell, the strongest among the Scythes who had previously been an InvincibleVillain. He follows that feat up by slaying Taci, who while [[ThoseWereOnlyTheirScouts a boy by asuran standards]] was able to defeat the remaining Lances all on his own. And that is before he starts slaying entire squads of Wraiths, Agrona's SemiDivine SuperSoldier[=s=] who are meant to kill asuras and are TheDreaded among the Alacryans as semi-mythical bogeymen]].

* GeniusBruiser: Arthur is not only a powerful MagicKnight, but is rather intelligent and strategic given him being WiseBeyondTheirYears thanks to his reincarnation. His genius leads to him becoming a quadra-elemental mage whose power surpasses that of most mages. This works in his favor when he is fighting much more powerful opponents. Not only that, when he becomes a military leader during the WarArc he not only serves as a general but also provides support on the technological side of affairs. Case in point, he frequently checks on Gideon and Emily regarding new innovations, and [[spoiler:later on brings Wren back from the Hearth to work alongside them]].

** In his time in [[spoiler:Alacrya, Arthur brutally slaughters ascenders hired as assassins to make an example of them, and exterminates the family that hired them when they would not take the hint]].

** When Arthur [[spoiler:retakes Xyrus, the Alacryan governor attempts to get him to back down by summoning a group of Dicathian LesCollaborateurs. In doing so, she attempts to convey to him that some Dicathians have appreciated Agrona's rule and are willing to fight to keep Arthur from restoring the antebellum status quo. She underestimates his resolve as he proceeds to slaughter them all regardless, before reiterating that she and all Alacryans and their collaborators in the city must leave now]].

* HeavySleeper: Has noted he has difficulty waking up, which has lead to his sister to elbow drop him to wake him up. Later on, Bairon decides to wake him up from a nightmare by throwing a lightning bolt at him, though Arthur manages to wake up and catch the bolt.
* HeroesPreferSwords: His preferred choice of weapon in both his past life and his current one is that of a sword. He originally used a CoolSword called Dawn's Ballad which was ForgedByTheGods, before replacing it later on with [[spoiler:swords he can generate out of raw aether]].
* HeroicBSOD: [[spoiler:Suffers a massive one after his father's death, as he had failed to protect one of the people he cared the most]].

* ObliviousToLove: PlayedWith. Arthur isn't indifferent to Tessia's advances, but due to how inexperienced he is in that domain as well as due to the mental age gap, he chooses to shelve the issue under "She's too young/It's childish infatuation and it'll pass". When Tessia makes it clear how serious she is, Arthur ultimately gives her an AnguishedDeclarationOfLove. Later in Volume 7, he confesses his feelings for her and they promise to get married after the end of the war.

* ReluctantRuler: Noted to have been this as King Grey. He achieved his life-long ambition of becoming king, but at the cost of everything else.

*** The [[spoiler:godrunes themselves deserve special mention in that they grant Arthur an array of outright overpowered abilities. Aroa's Requiem allows him to undo damage to inanimate objects by reversing them back to an earlier state of time, Destruction is an AtomicSuperpower FantasticNuke, Realmheart allows him to cancel spells, and King's Gambit temporarily grants him a form of SuperIntelligence by allowing his mind to hold multiple thought processes all at once]].

* AchillesHeel: Before his ascension to white core, his main weakness was his meager mana pool as opposed to most his opponents. This would force him to end engagements quickly and decisively. From Volume 8 to Volume 11, [[spoiler:it was the loss of his ability to fly on his own outside of riding Regis or Sylvie. This allowed his enemies to be free to keep their distance and pelt him with spells while he was forced to play catch-up. After acquiring King's Gambit, his newfound insight into aether allows him to fly once more]].

* BadassCape: As a Lance, Arthur wears the same crimson cloak that the other Lances wear as a sign of his status as one of the strongest mages in Dicathen. Later on, he wears a hooded white cloak on top of the [[spoiler:ebon black djinn armor he acquires during his time in Alacrya]].

* DismembermentIsCheap: [[spoiler:After becoming part-asura following Sylvie's HeroicSacrifice and acquiring his aether core, losing limbs becomes practically a non-issue to him as he can just regrow them by absorbing aether]].

* FlyingBrick: [[spoiler:After acquiring King's Gambit, he effectively has this powerset. His newfound insight from the godrune has allowed him to regain the ability to fly, his enhanced asuran biology grants him superior physical capabilities to normal mages and the ability to regenerate wounds, and possesses an aether core that acts as a SwissArmySuperpower and a suit of PoweredArmor that runs on aether. On top of that, King's Gambit and Realmheart effectively act as his SuperSenses, with the former granting him temporary SuperIntelligence and the latter allowing him to cancel spells]].

* GiveHimANormalLife: The end of Volume 10 reveals that when he was born, Grey was given up by his biological parents to an orphanage as they did not have the financial stability to raise him right.

* RePower: Arthur [[spoiler:goes from being a quadra-elemental prodigy to an aether-powered demigod. After barely surviving a losing battle thanks to Sylvie pulling a HeroicSacrifice to save him from his HeroicRROD and preserve his body, Arthur ends up alone in the Relictombs with his mana core damaged beyond recognition. He learns Sylvie's sacrifice had made his body part-asura, which increased his affinity for aether. Through developing an aether core to replace his destroyed mana core and increasing his own understanding of aether in the process, Arthur becomes a straight case of CameBackStrong as he become exponentially more powerful than ever]].

* WarriorKing: His past life was as a king in a dystopian post-apocalyptic world torn apart by war. Not only did he lead armies into battle but he also resolved disputes through participating in duels.

* PreciousPuppy: When low on aether, Regis is forced to assume a much smaller form that resembles a puppy.
* {{Psychometry}}: He assimilates Uto's horns, which allows him to view the late Retainer's memories. In turn, Arthur is able view said memories through telepathy.

* EleventhHourSuperpower: In his climactic battle with [[spoiler:Cadell and Nico at the close of the WarArc, Arthur manages to tap into the third phase of his beast will, allowing him to fold space like nobody's business and match them both in combat. While he feels invincible in this state, it does not last long as his body would have broken up completely were it not for Sylvie's HeroicSacrifice]].

* ExtremelyProtectiveChild: His desire to protect his loved ones was there right from his rebirth. He was willing to take a blast to protect his pregnant mother even though it knocked him off the mountain they were traveling. No wonder he takes [[spoiler:failing to be there when his father died severely]].

* SaveThePrincess: He ends up having to rescue Tessia quite a lot.

** He and Elijah become mutual keepers for each others' secrets following the botched expedition to the Dire Tombs. Elijah, who witnessed both Arthur and Sylvie's true power, agrees to keep that knowledge secret. In turn, Arthur becomes the only person who knows of Elijah's MysteriousPast.

** Interestingly, while Arthur is specifically modeled after [[Literature/MushokuTenseiJoblessReincarnation Rudeus Greyrat]], as the story goes on he takes on elements of the other TropeCodifier, [[Literature/SwordArtOnline Kirito]], specifically during the Alfheim Arc. He and his LoveInterest are AdoptivePeerParent[=s=] to a non-human daughter, he is seeking to [[spoiler:rescue said LoveInterest from the captivity of the BigBad]] with the aid of their daughter and another female companion, and he wears an all-black ensemble.

** In Volume 8, [[spoiler:Arthur learns that after the climactic battle of the previous volume, his mana core has been damaged beyond recovery. From there, he ends up RePower[=ing=] himself and CameBackStrong. He learns that Sylvie's HeroicSacrifice has made his body part-asura, develops an aether core which grants him a SwissArmySuperpower, acquires game-changing spells known as godrunes as well as a suit of ancient PoweredArmor, and awakens the acclorite which manifests as a shapeshifting GuardianEntity named Regis. Thanks to his own insight into aether and the power of his bonds, Arthur is poised to master all three paths of aether, with him wielding spacium, Regis wielding vivum, and Sylvie wielding aevum, which in turn could lead to him mastering the ultimate form of aether, fate]].

* TragicKeepsake: After [[spoiler:Wren presents Arthur with the shards of Dawn's Ballad, Arthur elects to leave the weapon in its shattered state as a reminder of his own failings]].

* UniqueProtagonistAsset: As part of winning the SuperpowerLottery, Arthur gets a lot of exclusive powers for himself. He is the only mortal mage in the setting with the ability to manipulate all four elements (until the introduction of [[spoiler:the Legacy]]) and the beast will of a PhysicalGod. Even though [[spoiler:he gets DePower[=ed=] at the end of Volume 7, he continues to get new exclusive powers. He replaces his shattered mana core with an aether core (the first and only one of its kind in existence), awakens the acclorite that Wren gave him which manifests as a ShapeshifterWeapon GuardianEntity named Regis, and acquires a suit of djinn PoweredArmor]].

* WreckedWeapon: During the war, his sword Dawn's Ballad gets broken twice. The first time occurs when he fights Uto, the second time occurs at the end of the war with Arthur being forced to discard it for good. Although [[spoiler:Wren eventually presents him the fragments of the weapon, Arthur elects not to repair it as he intends to keep it as is as a TragicKeepsake]].

* UniqueProtagonistAsset: As part of winning the SuperpowerLottery, Arthur gets a lot of exclusive powers for himself. He is the only mage with the ability to manipulate all four elements (at least until the introduction of [[spoiler:the Legacy]]) and the beast will of a PhysicalGod. Even though [[spoiler:he gets DePower[=ed=] at the end of Volume 7, he continues to get new exclusive powers. He replaces his shattered mana core with an aether core (the first and only one of its kind in existence), awakens the acclorite that Wren gave him which manifests as a ShapeshifterWeapon GuardianEntity named Regis, and acquires a suit of djinn PoweredArmor]].

* AchillesHeel: Before his ascension to white core, that would be his meager mana pool as opposed to most his opponents. This would force him to end engagements quickly and decisively. From Volume 8 onward, [[spoiler:it is the loss of his ability to fly on his own outside of riding Regis or Sylvie. His enemies are free to keep their distance and pelt him with spells, while he is forced to play catch-up]].

* FlightIsTheFinalPower: When he becomes a white core mage, Arthur gains the ability to fly like the other Lances. Bear in mind, unlike the other Lances Arthur did not use one of the [[ArtifactOfPower Artifacts of Power]] that they used to jump straight to the white core stage even though Virion gave him the late Alea's.

* UniqueProtagonistAsset: As part of winning the SuperpowerLottery, Arthur gets a lot of exclusive powers for himself. He is the only mage in the setting with the ability to manipulate all four elements (at least until the introduction of [[spoiler:the Legacy]]) and the beast will of a PhysicalGod. Even though [[spoiler:he gets DePower[=ed=] at the end of Volume 7, he continues to get new exclusive powers. He replaces his shattered mana core with an aether core (the first and only one of its kind in existence), awakens the acclorite that Wren gave him which manifests as a ShapeshifterWeapon GuardianEntity named Regis, and acquires a suit of djinn PoweredArmor]].

* WorkoutFanservice: During his stint training under Wren, the asura has Arthur strip himself of all clothing in order to better analyze his movements. In the process, Arthur ends up showing off his rather developed physique.
* WorldHealingWave: [[spoiler:Aroa's Requiem allows Arthur to reverse the physical damage done onto the target of his choosing by using aether. Sadly he cannot use it to resurrect people, as when he reconstructs the djinn sanctuary after his fight with Taci he is unable to resurrect the lives taken by the asura during his rampage]].

* WreckedWeapon: During the war, his sword Dawn's Ballad gets broken twice. The first time occurs when he fights Uto, the second time occurs at the end of the war with Arthur being forced to discard it for good.

* LonelyAtTheTop: He remember being so lonely in his past life to the point of abdicating. {{Reconstructed}} when he is reincarnated and seek to amend this in this life.

** After slaying the elderwood guardian, Arthur collapses from the strain of using his beast will. He eventually wakes up to find that Elijah had been tending to both him and Jasmine while he was unconscious.
** After causing [[spoiler:the Alacryans to retreat from Vildorial, Arthur collapses. He had just fought off the Wraiths and had unleashed the full power of the Destruction godrune on an Alacryan facility in Vechor, which leaves him unconscious for a day and a half]].

* RevengeBeforeReason: In his past life, his desire to avenge the death of his adoptive mother led to him starting a war that he would later come to regret due to the CollateralDamage he caused. Even after his reincarnation, he holds this mindset until Sylvia knocks it out of him.

** Thoroughly {{Averted}} in the case of Uto. So here is Arthur, having come back from the land of the asuras themselves after undergoing TrainingFromHell, to challenge Uto, Lance Alea's murderer. So surely the hero will come out on top in a bit of poetic justice, right? [[spoiler:''No''. What happens instead is he gets utterly trounced and is almost killed along with Sylvie by an Uto who NoSell[=s=] anything he throws at him. It takes the intervention of Scythe Seris, herself a being several orders of magnitude more powerful than Uto, to save his life. [[WakeUpCall A cold reality check]] that for all his gifts he is still a simple mortal trying to take on what are essentially demigods]].

* VillainKiller: As a soldier in both his past life and his current one, Arthur is no stranger to killing people, especially if they threaten his loved ones. His slayings of Lucas, Jagrette, [[spoiler:Cadell, Taci, and Viessa can attest to that, on top of also slaying entire squads of Wraiths. He is also willing to slaughter the soldiers of several Dicathian houses that had become LesCollaborateurs to the Alacryans when the Alacryan governor throws them at him to get him to give up retaking the city]].

* WatchingTroyBurn: Thanks to the Scrying artifact, Arthur can do nothing but watch the climax of Volume 8 unfold as he witnesses [[spoiler:Tessia being captured and turned into the Legacy's vessel and Aldir destroying Elenoir in a futile bid to kill her]].

* WowingCthulhu: Despite [[spoiler:viewing the asuras as his enemies after learning the truth of how the DivineConflict started, Arthur begins to impress a few of them thanks to his own feats and reputation from that point onward. When he meets Veruhn, the latter gives him a set of Tears of the Mother pearls as a gift to him and his family. Arthur learns that shortly afterward from Mordain that Veruhn very rarely gives out these artifacts given the tragic nature of their creation and their ability to save lives, which says a lot about how highly Veruhn must view Arthur. After using one of the pearls to save Chul's life, Mordain is impressed by Arthur's desire to save the life of someone he had barely gotten to know and deems him worthy of earning the third keystone]].

** Primarily, given the novel's inspiration from ''Literature/MushokuTensei'', Arthur is based on Rudeus Greyrat, himself the TropeCodifier for the ReincarnateInAnotherWorld variant of the StockLightNovelHero. However, Arthur takes it a step further than most other examples of the trope in that he is an outright CaptainErsatz of Rudeus.

** In his time in [[spoiler:Alacrya, Arthur brutally slaughters ascenders hired as assassins to make an example of them, and exterminates the family that hired them when they won't take the hint]].

* PapaWolf: Arthur is very protective of his family, in particular his bond-turned-adoptive daughter Sylvie.

** Summoning his beast will allows him to use Sylvia’s dragon powers for a short while, but ending up with a violent backlash that leaves him unconscious for hours in the best case and [[spoiler:nearly disintegrating his body in the worst case]].

* DerivativeDifferentiation: Originally, Arthur started out as a carbon copy of [[Literature/MushokuTensei Rudeus Greyrat]], with [[VirtuousCharacterCopy the only major differences]] between them at first being their past lives (Arthur was a WarriorKing while Rudeus was a {{Hikikomori}}) and more importantly their attitude towards sexuality (Arthur is a CelibateHero who spurns most girls due to the mental age gap in sharp contrast to the perverted Manchild that is Rudeus before his CharacterDevelopment). However, Arthur diverges considerably from Rudeus as the story progresses in several respects.

** Summoning his beast will allows him to use Sylvia’s dragon powers for a short while, but with a violent backlash that leaves him unconscious for hours in the best case and [[spoiler:nearly disintegrate his body in the worst case]].

** In addition, while both men end up encountering [[spoiler:people from their past lives]], in Rudeus's case [[spoiler:they end up being side characters who become his associates]], while in Arthur's case [[spoiler:it is far more personal as they were his best friends who summoned by the BigBad and subjected to MindRape, in the process turning them against their former friend]].
** Rudeus [[spoiler:ultimately ends up being a SupportingProtagonist to Orsted in his struggle against Hitogami]], while Arthur [[spoiler:ends up having to become the BigGood to protect his loved ones against [[GodAndSatanAreBothJerks Kezess and Agrona and put an end to the conflict they have caused]]]].

* BigBrotherInstinct: He is very overprotective of his little sister Eleanor. Even before Eleanor was born, Arthur was willing to sacrifice himself to protect his pregnant mother when they were attacked by bandits. He contemplates getting his sister a bond to protect her from threats and any would-be boyfriends, although she ends up getting one on her own courtesy of Windsom.

The protagonist of the novel. In his past life, he was a warrior-king from a world governed by AsskickingLeadsToLeadership known for his unrivaled martial prowess, though he attained that power at a great personal cost. After mysteriously dying on his bed, he ends up being reincarnated into a fantasy world. From that point onward, he goes on to become a talented mage and adventurer who has the potential of resolving the DivineConflict that has been going on in the setting.

* DerivativeDifferentiation: Originally, Arthur started out as a carbon copy of [[Literature/MushokuTensei Rudeus Greyrat]] with [[VirtuousCharacterCopy the only major difference]] between them at first being that Arthur is a CelibateHero who spurns most girls due to the mental age gap in sharp contrast to the perverted Manchild that is Rudeus before his CharacterDevelopment. However, Arthur diverges considerably from Rudeus as the story progresses in several respects.

** While Rudeus does suffer his fair share of tragic moments such as [[spoiler:his father Paul's death and learning of the BadFuture from his future self]], Arthur tends to be put through much more suffering than his inspiration given how he ends up fighting a war against [[spoiler:the JerkassGods who have lorded over the setting, and despite being one of the strongest mortal mages alive ends up being pitted against enemies who are just as strong as him]]. In addition, while both men end up encountering [[spoiler:people from their past lives]], in Rudeus's case [[spoiler:they end up being side characters who become his associates]], while in Arthur's case [[spoiler:it is far more personal as they were his best friends who summoned by the BigBad and subjected to MindRape, in the process turning them against their former friend]].

* HeroicBSoD: [[spoiler: Suffers a massive one after his father's death]].

*** This ends up going both ways. When [[spoiler:Seris launches her rebellion, Arthur's students were able to convince their families to either withdraw their support of the Vritra or join up with the rebellion. In addition, during his reconquest of Dicathen, Arthur showing mercy to the surrendered Alacryans ends up causing some to turn against the Vritra and thus side with him]].

* DeathGlare: A staple of his, often tied with his KillingIntent.

* {{Telepathy}}: He communicates with Arthur in this manner.

* UndyingLoyalty: To Arthur as he is bonded to him. Later on [[spoiler:after Sylvie's resurrection, Regis is able to communicate with her in the same fashion]].