Return Of The Strongest Player

Leon unsheathed his steel blade, assuming his signature stance while keeping his eyes closed, recalling the fundamentals of the power used by Arthur. As adrenaline coursed through his veins, he felt unparalleled excitement.

The profundity of the knowledge swirling across his brain was exhilarating. Using the inspiration, Leon immediately initiated the first movement of the 'Divine Heavensplitting Resonance Art,' as he planned to name it.

Smiling viciously, Leon performed the moves, sensing the immense, radiating power as the blade wave escaped the clutches of his sword, shooting through the world at breakneck speeds.

Ouranos' expression distorted. "Master…"

"See that?" Leon asked, behaving like a child who'd won a match in a videogame for the first time. Finally, after centuries of attempts, his hard work had finally borne fruit. His reaction was relatively obvious.

"Is this how you plan to close the gap, Master?"

Leon's expression suddenly turned grave.

"Perhaps."

*

By the time Lucien recovered from the sudden blow, Arthur was already preparing a second attack aimed directly at the former's throat, gathering the destructive aura while clenching his teeth.

His expression was calm and composed, while his actions conveyed unwavering confidence. Lucien's face paled, faced with the complete version of the art Leon was practicing and attempting to perfect.

Hurriedly, he evaded by manipulating the strings at his disposal.

Arthur–having predicted such an outcome–forcefully spread the surface area of Heaven's Echo Strike, reducing the condensed power yet increasing the area that it encompassed. Lucien gritted his teeth.

"Stuck?" Arthur laughed, unleashing the attack. A blinding light shone, while a great pressure was lifted from the crimson-eyed man's arms.

Boom! 

A single explosion occurred, yet the impact shook the world itself. 

The area in which a city could be constructed was leveled instantly, while a crater of a similar size appeared. As the smoke subsided, however, Arthur's wariness rose instantly. He came to the realization that Lucien hadn't been struck.

However, his worries were alleviated quickly.

"Did you really think I would let down my guard?" Arthur asked as he tilted his head, avoiding the tip of a string that shot past. He twirled, lifting his body before planting a powerful kick at Lucien's abdomen, knocking the wind out of him.

"Do you want this fight to degrade into a mere street fight?"

Arthur shrugged his shoulders. "Why not?"

The two smirked simultaneously, exchanging blows at a rapid pace as they formed many craters enshrouding a vast area in smoke.

Lightning crackled within the skies, while the seismic activity beneath the ground rose in intensity and frequency. The sky changed color several times in the span of a few seconds as the battle only became more heated.

Bam! Bam! Bam! Bam!

As their fists collided, both of them drew blood. Their expressions displayed both joy and pain, while their actions properly conveyed their unwillingness to stop any time soon. A day passed, and their battle still continued.

"It's been a while since I've enjoyed the thrill of battle," Lucien announced, his eyes wide and bloodshot. He reeked of sweat and dried blood, while exhaustion seemed to delay his every move.

Arthur was faring no better, with the body of a magician and a fairly weak constitution he hadn't bothered upgrading.

Either way, he wasn't in his original body, so it didn't matter.

"Truly. It's been long since one of my battles has lasted this long. It reminds me of the old times…"

Arthur still vividly remembered his battles against foes that could destroy the floors of the towers, much like him. Battling Lucien gave him a similar sense of elation. Despite his exhaustion, his body felt light, while his footsteps were as soft as ever.

His mana reserves were still nigh full.

"Why do you even want the fragment so bad?" Lucien asked, clenching his teeth as the two exchanged blows yet again, blowing smoke and dust in all directions while continuing to form craters.

"Why are you so persistent in protecting it?"

"You answer first."

Arthur released a sigh of defeat. Usually, he'd go back and forth, forcing his foe to answer, but he simply didn't have the mental capacity left. "The fragment of the key fits with the one I have… I'm trying to make a full key."

"But why?"

"Have you ever heard of a gemstone that can influence time?"

Lucien's eyes widened at those words, while a sense of suffocation arose, tightening his chest. Arthur cocked his head, noticing the peculiarity of Lucien's reaction. It was rather weird to him, as Lucien had never displayed nervousness.

'Does he know something?'

"No… I have never heard of something like that," Lucien replied, narrowing his eyes. "Can you make it using the key?"

"Possibly, but I don't know. Now you answer."

"Have you ever heard about the Legend of Chronalith?" 

Arthur stroked his chin before shaking his head. However, he did notice that the word "Chronalith" sounded similar to "Chronos," the God of Time and the Progenitor of the Primordials in the Greek Myths.

[A/N: Do not confuse 'Chronos' with 'Kronos.']

"I have not," Arthur replied, punching Lucien, who brushed it off by smacking the former's fist before attempting to hook his arm using his foot. Arthur smiled, augmenting his arm with condensed mana.

Clang!

Lucien's foot collided with something it couldn't even move, let alone destroy. He winced in pain before summoning a cluster of lightning that crackled in his palm, releasing large amounts of destructive mana.

Arthur smiled yet again, touching Lucien's skin rather than his clothes for once. He then mouthed, 'Got you.'

A crimson hue shot up Lucien's arm, engulfing him in a matter of milliseconds. Lucien struggled and struggled, but to no avail, as his strength was sucked at a rapid pace, following the deterioration of his will to fight.

[Judgment Regeneration has been used.]

[The Sins and Virtues of the target are being examined.]

[Target has 53% Sin and 47% Virtue.]

[Minor de-buffs are being applied.]

Arthur's eyes widened as he noticed the meager amount of difference his skill made, biting his lip. Lucien's lost strength quickly returned, rejuvenating his body and providing him with newfound vigor.

However, just as he was about to pull his arm away with all the strength he could muster, Arthur activated a skill he hadn't been able to use for very, very long due to the immense quantity of mana required.

[Heavenly Sin Manipulation has been used.]

[The Virtues of the target have shifted.]

[The Sins of the target have shifted.]

[Target has 93% Sin, and 7% Virtue.]

[Massive de-buffs are being applied.]

The strength was sucked again, providing Lucien a false sense of security before practically ripping it away.

His face paled, prompting Arthur to kick him down to his knees, squatting to match his eye-level. However, despite Lucien's clear loss, the man did not seem perturbed in the slightest and even displayed a faint smile.

'Is he simply faking it?' Arthur wondered before shaking his head. 'This guy… He's not ordinary in the slightest. He probably has something up his sleeve.'

Suddenly, Lucien extended his arm in a certain direction, and an item shot toward him at terrifying speeds. Arthur's eyes widened and he summoned a spell, but his expression distorted as he realized what the item was.

'The fragment of the key?'

The item clutched between Lucien's fingers was actually the fragment of the key, which Arthur yearned for all this time.

"What…"

"If you want it so bad, take it."

Lucien handed Arthur the fragment as well as a peculiar-looking book. "This is the Legend Of Chronalith. Read it."

Arthur narrowed his eyes, hesitant about whatever Lucien was doing. It was quite obvious that the latter did not have good intentions, but then again, the fragment was right before the crimson-eyed man's eyes.

'What is he planning…'

"Don't worry, I'm not planning anything," Lucien replied, revealing a faint smile extending his arm, waiting for Arthur to snatch them. 

Arthur hesitantly grabbed the fragment and the book and was immediately surrounded by a shower of light.

"Remember me, if we meet again," Lucien muttered under his breath, watching the crimson-eyed man disappear.

Suddenly, Leon and Ouranos appeared before the man. "Why did you do that…?"

As the strong wind swept by, causing Lucien's hair to flutter, the man couldn't help but continue grinning, as if finding something comical. "Leon, when we first met, I mentioned I could see and manipulate fate, remember?"

"Yeah," Leon replied, nodding. Although hesitant at first, the Blade Sovereign had eventually came to understand that Lucien was in fact not lying, and could truly see and manipulate the strings that intertwined to construct reality.

It was difficult to believe, but Lucien, whose title was "The Great Ruler Of Balance," had proven his abilities several times. Now, it was difficult not to believe the words that escaped the man's lips.

"Well, that man? He is fated to bring the aspect of fate to a higher level…"

"And how is that?"

"By nurturing my reincarnation."