Return Of The Strongest Player

[Time Trial ⅓]

[33.3% Completion.]

Arthur felt as if he were suspended in the air, with the gravitational force dispelled. His body felt as if it were levitating atop soft, fluffy clouds. 

'That was close,' the crimson-eyed man muttered internally. His heart raced as he recalled the sensation of fear that coursed across his body. Unlike his first meeting with Nux, this time, the old man displayed open hostility.

The pressure that weighed down on the crimson-eyed man's shoulders was immeasurable, to the point where he couldn't endure for even a second. Just thinking of it sent shivers down Arthur's spine.

Suddenly, the key fragment levitated, vibrating as it entered Arthur's vision.

'What?'

Before the crimson-eyed man could react, a blue screen manifested before his eyes.

[Second Key Fragment Located.]

[Teleporting to respective timeline.]

Whoosh!

Arthur's vision was dyed white, after which his senses waned, eventually vanishing. He felt a sense of emptiness for a few seconds, after which his vision reverted to normal. 'I'm lying atop grass again.'

He could feel the blades of grass poking against his minimal attire, which seemed to consist of a single robe and underpants beneath. Arthur rolled his eyes as he pushed himself up to observe where he was.

It was a world of grass, but Arthur spotted a village in the distance, with a shrine at the center.

'Who are they worshipping?' The crimson-eyed man wondered, cocking his head while wiping the damp grass from his robe. Unlike the Outer District, this world seemed to have some form of greenery.

Trees were littered across the grassland, although not many.

Arthur spotted a few animals, some of which were beasts.

Roar!

Suddenly, a deafening roar entered his ears, causing annoyance to well up in his heart. Clenching his teeth, Arthur turned around, only to be assaulted by the squalid breath of a massive beast.

'A gorilla,' Arthur muttered internally, feeling a sense of wariness. Although such a beast was quite easy to eliminate, Arthur did not have access to his arsenal, and neither could he utilize mana. He was in a predicament.

'Wait…'

Arthur felt his palm tingle. At that moment, a sense of invigoration spread across his body, as if he were being soaked in warm water with the properties to properly relax his skin. Then, it seemed as if power danced at his fingertips, begging for him to utilize it.

'This power… It surpasses that of my peak self, even as a Divine Ranker.'

As a sense of confusion settled, Arthur simultaneously felt as if he was invincible. As power coursed across his body, the man felt he could do anything. Scale mountains, destroy the world…

With a smirk hanging on his face, Arthur glanced at the gorilla, who turned meek as soon as it sensed the former's sudden boost in power. It released a pitiful squeal before turning around, trying to flee.

"Not so fast…"

Arthur extended his arm, relishing the sense of superiority. A sphere containing crimson and black hues mingled, releasing strong winds that seemed to shake the world itself. The sphere rotated at incredible speeds, yet remained suspended.

The sky seemed to turn ashen, while bolts of lightning fell, igniting a few trees on fire.

Arthur's grin grew wider as time passed. 

Once the sphere grew to the size of a human body, Arthur poked it using his index finger. "Velvet Nova."

The world turned grey, and it was as if time itself came to a halt. The sphere traveled at speeds incomprehensible to humans, colliding with the gorilla before disintegrating its body within microseconds.

The raging lightning bolts faded, while the flames were extinguished instantly. Not a single proof of the gorilla's existence remained, rendering him lost from history. 

'It's been a while since I've been able to use Velvet Nova…' Arthur continued to grin, inspecting his hand. Velvet Nova was one of Arthur's strongest spells before his regression and was revered as the Sphere of Disintegration.

The spell combined the aspects of fire and darkness, condensing them to the point where they bent one of the four forces governing the universe. Then, one spilled popped it as if it were a balloon.

Suddenly, Arthur felt a presence a few kilometers away.

'Who is that?' He wondered, using a sensory ability to peer into the distance. It was a young man, perhaps twenty years of age with pristine, long, white hair and refreshing, icy-blue eyes that seemed to reflect the hues of the sky.

With a white-yellow overcoat and black pants and shirt, the man seemed to have adopted modern attire choices.

His gaze seemed to contain power, but it was nothing compared to the current Arthur. With narrowed eyes and an expression that accurately displayed his curiosity, the man approached the site hesitantly, a silver longsword gripped between his fingers.

Arthur smirked, snapping his fingers.

He instantly appeared before the man, shocking the living daylights out of him. As the white-haired man fell on his buttocks, Arthur remained silent, simply staring at him. "Who are you?"

Arthur scrunched his eyebrows, looking deeply at the man. 'He resembled Zeus, somewhat. But he has blue eyes instead of yellow…'

'Could this be the future?'

"You first!" The man shouted adamantly, getting back on his feet before holding his longsword with both hands. Despite his confident facade, his trembling legs seemed to betray the look he was going for.

"What if I don't tell you?" Arthur asked, smiling. 

"Then I'll have no choice but to fight you," the man raised his sword, coating it with a vibrant, light-blue hue. The wind seemed to encompass the sword as if coming to the man's aid at his will. The skies turned ashen, as lightning bolts began falling.

As Arthur looked at the sky, he muttered a few words internally. 'Is this Zeus' clone or something?'

Raising his arm, Arthur instantly halted the crackling of the sky, causing all lightning bolts to fade away into millions of particles. The man's face paled, and his legs began trembling yet again due to fear.

However, he didn't relent.

Rushing forward, the man released a warcry, swinging his sword horizontally. A blade waves the size of a mansion shot from the edge of his sword, threatening to slice reality itself. 

'This is a higher floor… His strength is not ordinary.'

Arthur extended his arm, grabbing the edge of the man's sword. He felt a stinging sensation against the flat of his palm, but nothing extraordinary. Without drawing blood, he casually grabbed the sword, planting its tip into the ground beneath.

"Now what?" He asked, looking at the man with boredom vivid in his crimson pupils. "Just tell me your name."

The man gritted his teeth in indignation, clenching his fists while suppressing the anger that threatened to burst. "I… I am O–Ouranos."

Silence descended upon the grassland. Arthur's expression froze. 'Ouranos? Like, the Divine Ranker of the Heavens? The Strongest Player of his time? I don't think he was stronger than me, but… eh. But this is Ouranos?'

'Zeus' fucking grandfather?'

"Now, what's your name?" Ouranos inquired, suppressing the urge to lash out. Arthur chuckled internally, realizing Zeus had inherited his temper from the man before him. 

"Arthur Solace."

"Never heard of someone like you."

"That's a pity," replied Arthur, shrugging his shoulders as if Ouranos had missed out. Then, he quickly dug through the pockets of his robe, retrieving the fragment of the key. He wagged the fragment in Ouranos' face. "Have you seen something similar to this?"

"I… I have…" Ouranos muttered, subconsciously reaching out so as to obtain the fragment. Arthur quickly pulled away, waving his index finger. 

"Where have you seen it?"

"On the shrine. My master has it!"

"Can you take me to your master?"

"What are you going to do?"

"Negotiate for the fragment."

Ouranos' expression suddenly turned grim. He shook his head before waving the crimson-eyed man goodbye. "I respect your strength, but I cannot allow you to do that. The key is our everything."

Arthur furrowed his eyebrows. "Don't make this difficult for yourself."

Ouranos continued to shake his head. "No can do."

Arthur released a sigh, teleporting to Ouranos before gripping his throat. He formed a blade using tangible mana, placing the tip on the man's Adam's apple. Then, slowly but steadily, he began slicing.

Blood trickled down the man's throat, while the pain continued to assault him, forcing him to make unsightly expressions.

"Will you take me?"

"N–No…"

Arthur released a sigh, summoning a form of azure flames before igniting Ouranos' body on fire. He watched as the pitiful man writhed in pain, releasing screams of misfortune and misery. "Just take me."

At one point, a few minutes later, Ouranos lost the will to resist.

Locking eyes with Arthur and displaying a submissive expression, he nodded. The two traveled across the plains, arriving at the golden shrine before quickly entering. The shrine had a lining of emeralds, along with a rather intricate symbol atop it.

The man who sat cross-legged within the shrine was…

"Leon Cromwell?"