Return Of The Strongest Player

'Overwhelming might?' Arthur sneered at that moment, clasping his hands together. If the Gruelling Devil wished to compete in terms of magic, the crimson-eyed man was happy to comply.

Watching the black and white lightning crackle with an apathetic expression, Arthur tapped his chest. 

Whoosh! Whoosh!

Two wings forged using flames sprouted at his back, spilling voracious fire. Arthur felt a rejuvenating sensation course across his physical body. To forge wings on one's back was not an easy task, and required an enormous amount of mana.

Arthur was only able to maintain it due to the existence of the Mana Stone that continued to pump mana at a terrifying pace into his mana circuits. 

As long as the wings burnt, Arthur's mana would be drained at a terrifying pace.

But the wings were also incredibly useful.

Arthur pointed the tip of the Flame Wings at the Gruelling Devil, hurling a mixture of wind and fire toward his foe. The Gruelling Devil grasped the core of black and white lightning within his fingers, smashing the ground.

Crackle! Boom!

The ground shattered, causing black and white lightning to spill across the arena, shooting toward all humans who dared to defy the Devil. 

Arthur sunk the tips of his wings into the ground, neutralizing the rushing lightning with a mere tap. He then locked eyes with the Gruelling Devil, activating [Searing Gaze]. 

Roar!

The Gruelling Devil roared in agony, somewhat terrified of the glowing, crimson eyes that yearned for his blood. However, he was quick to regain composure. But instead of witnessing the pitiful figure of the crimson-eyed man, he instead saw nothing.

"Letting down your guard is the worst thing you can do in battle," Arthur's whispers entered his ears, shaking him to the core.

The tip of Arthur's left-wing dug into the Gruelling Devil's ear, drawing excessive blood as the latter shrieked in pain, flailing his arms in an attempt to escape the predicament. However, flames continued to spill, engulfing his body.

The black and white lightning threatened to dim, the crackling noises subsiding.

"All of you, attack!" Arthur commanded, sinking his right wing into the Gruelling Devil while smirking at the latter's pained cries.

Jin-Woo burst forward, utilizing the Shadow Mirage Arts.

Lisa used her clan's signature sword art, Holy Extinction.

Bob continued to spam the Instance Style, delivering shallow wounds to the Gruelling Devil at a terrifying pace.

At that moment, the sound of footsteps reverberated across the arena, drawing the attention of all the players. It was the dark-haired youth from before–Jimmy. He staggered forward, his expression blank and blood seeping from his eye.

He was in a daze, unbeknownst to anything that was occurring in his surroundings. 

His Celestial Ametrine Eye lost its luster, reverting to its original state. His mana circuits were jumbled, while an inconspicuous yet somewhat powerful light encompassed his body, causing it to glow.

The Gruelling Devil–even under excruciating pain–retained its ability to act on instinct.

With a colossal roar, he rushed forward, aiming for Jimmy with an expression of elation etched upon his face. 

"Jin-Woo!" Arthur commanded, to which the man nodded.

Jin-Woo shot at incomprehensible speeds, barely removing Jimmy from the Gruelling Devil's trajectory. As the duo rolled across the shattered ground of the arena, Jin-Woo slapped Jimmy's cheek.

"Wake the fuck up!" He shouted, staring with frustration into Jimmy's lost eyes.

"Hnphh…"

Jimmy continued to let out disgruntled groans, unaware of his surroundings. Suddenly, a drop of blood escaped his left nostril, following an entire stream of the viscous, scarlet liquid. Jin-Woo released a sigh.

"Lisa, I need you to heal him!" Jin-Woo shouted, his voice barely overpowering the Gruelling Devil's screams.

'It's a surprise he even walked all the way back,' Arthur commented internally, clicking his tongue. He didn't care about the man's life, as long as he didn't go against him. Although his personality seemed similar to that of the current Divine Rankers at that moment, the crimson-eyed man couldn't care less.

The Celestial Ametrine Eye was a heavenly treasure that couldn't fall in the wrong hands.

However, if the wielder simply perished without shaking the tower, it would be best.

After all, to ascend, one needed to use other talents as stepping stones.

Arthur could see that to wield the Celestial Ametrine Eye, many sacrifices were required. Roughing himself up so much after only using the Eye thrice was not beneficial in the long run, and could potentially ruin Jimmy's foundation.

And, considering he could only utilize the First Stage out of the Nine Stages that belonged to the Celestial Ametrine Eye, there was no use.

Suddenly, Arthur thought of something spectacular.

'What's stopping me from simply stealing the eye?' 

Arthur licked his lips insidiously. The Celestial Ametrine Eye was a treasure renowned across the tower… What was stopping him from simply embedding it into his own socket? Although the process would be inhumane and excruciating, it was only beneficial in the long run.

Why was Arthur–a stranger–supposed to care about Jimmy's well-being?

If he managed to obtain the eye, wouldn't he become peerless?

*

"Jin-Woo, return to your position!" Lisa shouted, shooting towards Jimmy while wiping the beads of sweat from her forehead. With an exhausted expression, she extended her palms, allowing an emerald light to engulf them.

Jimmy's body regained its vitality, slowly yet steadily. 

However, Lisa continued to expend an excessive amount of mana. Since Jimmy's injuries extended beyond simple bleeding, Lisa was forced to adopt a more advanced healing technique to properly reach the wounds.

Jimmy's wounds concerned and threatened his sensory nervous system.

Lisa gritted her teeth, considering simply giving up on Jimmy's life. However, the latter was an essential part of their team, and couldn't be left behind. Also, she simply couldn't live–knowing that a person died due to her uncaring behavior.

She was a healer for a reason.

None of them knew that Arthur–too–was a healer. Although, the crimson-eyed man didn't believe his healing ability could properly restore Jimmy's health.

Even Lisa would be unsuccessful and was simply grasping at straws.