Return Of The Strongest Player

Immediately, Arthur halted [Mana Step], reducing his continuous consumption of mana by almost half. His complexion reverted to its original state after a few minutes of battle, but the physical fatigue remained.

However, he was able to fare longer.

Endurance was key, and a requirement for a warrior. If one did not have sufficient endurance, one would not be able to progress smoothly. No matter the pain or struggle, one needed the ability to endure it and move further.

Plates of mana formed beneath Arthur's feet as he traversed across the soil at rapid speeds. The speed was much faster than [Mana Step], and the method was re-usable, so the consumption of mana was halved.

With a more efficient movement method, Arthur was able to turn the tides.

As he shot forward, the crimson-eyed man threw Skofnung like a boomerang towards Joel Junior. A shallow cut appeared on the black, gooey skin, after which the falchion returned to Arthur's hand.

However, at that moment, Joel Junior decided to retaliate by focusing its attention towards movement.

"Come," it said in an intimidating tone. Its tentacles flared, trembling. 

Arthur rushed forward, but didn't close the gap. He threw Skofnung again. However, instead of returning like a boomerang, this time, the sword was grasped by one of Joel Junior's tentacles. It then stabbed the sword into the soil beneath.

Arthur had lost his only form of offense.

However, all hope wasn't lost yet, since he could still…

'What…' Arthur was barely able to speak a single word internally. His face paled, and beads of sweat trickled down his skin. His breathing turned erratic, and a buzzing sound reverberated in his ears.

Behind him, a black tentacle approached at a terrifying speed.

'How the fuck did he get behind me…' Arthur wondered, turning around as fast as possible. However, the tentacle was barely a few feet away from his face. Moreover, the crimson-eyed man had already lost his sword.

The threat of death was real.

However, suddenly, a mighty roar entered the ears of both the crimson-eyed man and Joel Junior, after which a massive sword interjected between the upcoming collision of the tentacle with Arthur's face.

The sword was thick, and held by a hand covered in bulging veins. It was a greatsword wielded by the only man in Heaven's Spire without access to mana…

Randy.

With a confident expression and a faint smile hanging on his lips, Randy swung his sword once again, slicing another one of Joel Junior's tentacles. As the black limb replacements fell to the ground, a shriek escaped Joel Junior's makeshift mouth.

Using the moment in which Joel Junior was vulnerable, Randy swung again, slicing another two tentacles. "Arthur, your sword!"

The crimson-eyed man blinked once, processing the situation in an instant. Without wasting a single second, he rushed towards the distance, grabbing Skofnung, which was planted in the infertile soil.

He quickly wiped the dirt from the sword.

[The Demonic Blade 'Skofnung' advises that you never let it go again.]

'Cute.'

[The Demonic Blade 'Skofnung' advises you not to get any bright ideas.]

'Such a tsundere,' Arthur clicked his tongue, shooting towards Randy. A falchion was unable to produce too much force, as it was generally a light, one-handed weapon. On the other hand, Randy's greatsword could produce a massive force.

Using that advantage, the muscular man could shred Joel Junior without any major problems.

Paired with Arthur's slow yet steady, long-range attacks, Randy's power-infused slashes could deal massive damage to Joel Junior, who had no hope of resisting after losing so many of its tentacles.

"Arthur!" Randy called out, smiling ear-to-ear. As the crimson-eyed man turned to face the muscular man, the latter's smile deepened. "We're equal, now."

"Yeah," replied Arthur. The two cooperated almost perfectly, delivering irreparable injuries to Joel Junior, who was unable to resist. 

Randy closed the gap between him and Joel Junior, thrusting his greatsword forward. The tip of the greatsword pierced through the air pressure, producing what could only be described as a melody.

As the tip approached Joel Junior's body, the black, gooey monster extended his tentacles. Curling them, it wrapped the tentacles around Randy's greatsword, enveloping it in black goo, dying the blade the particular color.

Veins bulged from Randy's forehead as he desperately tried to remove his greatsword from the tight grip of Joel Junior's tentacles. 

Pwah!

As the greatsword was released, the recoil caused Randy to lose balance. Taking advantage of Randy's moment of vulnerability, Joel Junior opened its mouth, preparing a condensed ball of black goo.

Randy's face paled, and he tensed his muscles, trying to regain balance.

But it was all for naught.

Szzzz!

The black goo sizzled within Joel Junior's mouth, increasing in temperature while producing what could only be described as a type of 'acid'. If one was struck with the goo, death was the least of their problems.

Even their corpses would not remain.

Not even their bones would be spared.

Noticing the predicament Randy was in, Arthur shot forward using [Ethereal Glide], gliding on plates of mana that were stationed beneath his feet. He smoothly traversed across the ground, reaching Randy in a matter of seconds.

Punching Randy on his left arm as hard as physically possible, he knocked the muscular man to the side. 

At that moment, the black goo convulsed, releasing particles of acid. Then, it shot forwards. 

Kha!

Arthur quickly used the plates of mana to evade, allowing the ball of black goo to collide with the ground beneath. Immediately, the acid-like substance spread across a fairly large area, causing even the infertile soil to wither.

'How the fuck is that even possible…' Arthur wondered, but didn't put much thought into it.

Once its trump card had been unleashed, Joel Junior was vulnerable. Randy glanced at Arthur, who responded with a nod. The two closed the gap in an instant, summoning all of their power and striking their foe once and for all.

Boom! Boom!

Joel Junior let out a shriek as its body became minced meat.

Soon, all that was left was a puddle of black acid.

"I guess we're not even."