Return Of The Strongest Player

Boom! Boom! Boom!

Explosions rang in Arthur's ears, the collisions growing stronger by the second. The Devil maintained a rather casual expression, simply avoiding or lightly countering Arthur's destructive attacks.

"Is this all you have? Were you trying to enslave me with just this?" The Devil laughed, baring his pearly, white teeth as its eyes burnt a dark shade. "Back in Hell, I have humans much stronger than you as slaves."

"I'm sure you do," Arthur replied, twirling his body to avoid a particular kick to his abdomen. He then swung Skofnung mid-air, aiming its edge towards the Devil's left shoulder. "But this isn't Hell."

"That changes nothing…"

"Doesn't it?" Arthur inquired rhetorically, forming a smile of amusement. The Devil narrowed his eyes before deflecting the crimson-eyed man's falchion using his axe. Arthur followed his attack up with another, which almost connected with the Devil's belly button.

Klang! Bam!

The axe collided with Skofnung before releasing a mixture of miasma and mana. Arthur ignited Sword Spirit, spraying orange, red, and black energy in all directions. 'Wait… I think I can get Sword Aura…'

Arthur could sense the rising sensation of a breakthrough in his mastery of the sword. If he could just grasp it… If he could just grasp the tiny string, he could pull the entirety of the web to him.

Arthur cheered in a mixture of surprise and astonishment, increasing the intensity of his Sword Spirit while focusing on his movements. His swordsmanship was much more fluent than before… With experience came mastery.

'I can sense it… The Mind and Body Unification technique was something that pushed me over the limit… It propelled me over the line by adding something I was lacking; coordination. I finally have the chance to grasp Mushin (no mind) State.'

Mushin represented freedom… The freedom to move fluently on the battlefield without hindrances such as emotions, thoughts, etc. It was a state in which one was free of anger, happiness, frustration…

And focus solely on the sword.

As if it were an extension of one's body.

'Lucas achieved this long ago,' thought Arthur, recalling the terrifying aura that arose from the man's body as soon as he achieved Mushin. It was downright amazing and motivated Arthur to achieve the state much quicker.

He was now merely a step away.

"Your sword… What is it?" The Devil suddenly inquired, furrowing his brows. He didn't seem to be focused on the battle and instead concentrated on the falchion in Arthur's hands. His dark eyes seemed to glow.

Arthur shifted his attention to Skofnung, wondering why the Devil was so perturbed. Perhaps it was because the falchion was the item that summoned him?

"What about the sword?" Arthur inquired, narrowing his eyes as they clashed. Sparks flew in all directions, while the ground beneath them roared in protest. "Do you want it? Is it something inherent? Do all Devils like swords?"

"Shut up for a second, will you?" The Devil quickly shot the crimson-eyed man, launching a barrage of attacks in order to receive the leeway to get in a quick glance. "Yes, that sword is a Demonic Blade!"

Arthur sighed before letting out a chuckle. "Yeah, no shit."

The Devil seemed dumbfounded. "You're not surprised by that? A Demonic Blade within the tower! Shouldn't you be pissing your pants?"

"Why would I?" Arthur inquired. "It's a mere Demonic Blade. There are many of those in the tower."

The Devil paled at that revelation, forming an expression of sheer bewilderment as if he believed Arthur's words were incredulous. However, at that moment, a surge of anger also formed in his chest.

"You thieves!" He roared in indignation, releasing a tidal wave of energy that seemed to shake the world itself. Arthur felt the ground beneath wiggle as if it were a trampoline, causing him to wonder if the Devil had interfered with the space's gravity.

Power worked mysteriously, and most paths of power were generally unknown. A few were inherited, while some could only be gained through the intense, gruesome practice of a certain art.

"Gravity… that's something I haven't seen in a while," Arthur muttered internally, rushing forward using [Ethereal Glide]. He couldn't allow the Devil to use his full power, as that would only complicate matters.

Arthur planned on attempting the tenth floor immediately after this, so he couldn't overcomplicate matters.

Reaching within arm's length of the Devil, Arthur extended his palm while attempting to use [Judgment Regeneration]. The Devil realized Arthur's tactic and twirled his body to avoid the touch.

Arthur formed a web of Sun Energy, obstructing the Devil's escape as he neared his foe. 

Just when Arthur's hand reached within barely an inch of the Devil's scarlet body, the former felt a suppressive force press down on his lower back, sending him tumbling down in a mere second. 

Arthur didn't react in the slightest to the setback. His Mushin was developing quickly, while the Unification Technique only enhanced and quickened the process of assimilation. Soon, he would lose emotions on the battlefield.

However, as he developed further, those emotions would return, but would not hinder him in the slightest.

'I'm sure there are exceptions, though,' Arthur muttered internally. 'In my former life, although many swordsmen truly gained total control of their bodies and minds, they were still influenced by emotions, even after achieving Mushin.'

'So perhaps that's… I don't even know.'

Arthur aimed his index finger toward the Devil, bracing his core before shouting, "Glacius Tempestus!"

Raging winds blew debris, while a cataclysmic tornado formed solely out of shards of ice that arose from Arthur's mana. The mana stone continued to provide him with mana, maintaining the steady empowerment of the spell.

Soon, a massive tornado of ice swirled before Arthur's eyes. With numb skin and a rather detached mind, Arthur launched the spell, causing it to rush towards the Devil at terrifying speeds. 

The Devil–who seemed to be preparing a flame spell–was taken aback.

However, at that moment, a massive vortex of air formed in the center of the space, pulling all objects towards it.