Return Of The Strongest Player

It was only a matter of time before Jimmy perished.

And that only helped Arthur justify his intentions.

"Fuck…" Lisa couldn't help but curse, sensing the drainage of her mana. Jin-Woo and Bob continued to battle the Gruelling Devil alongside Arthur, with the former duo holding it off, and the crimson-eyed man delivering destructive strikes.

Jimmy's condition seemed to be improving, but that was only external. His sensory nervous system was damaged beyond belief, and perhaps only a Healer who'd surpassed the fiftieth floor could perform a miracle.

'The drawback of the Celestial Ametrine Eye… terrifying.'

Arthur couldn't help but suck a breath of cold air, hissing while pitying the youth. It was truly an unexpected first death.

Well, not death, but a state from which Jimmy couldn't recover unless treated by a Ranker. And, reaching a Ranker in the Challenge Area of a floor was practically impossible, which meant Jimmy would most definitely perish.

The Gruelling Devil paid no heed to Jimmy's condition, charging towards the trio with swirling killing intent. His eyes displayed unwavering resolve, with black and white lightning still crackling at his fingertips.

Despite having been trapped for a few seconds, the Gruelling Devil managed to escape with only minor injuries to speak of.

With a rejuvenated drive to eliminate his foes, he used his halberd–coating it with black and white lightning–to produce a blade wave capable of slicing reality itself. The blade wave ignored all defense, charging towards the trio.

"Form barriers," Arthur ordered, glancing at Bob and Jin-Woo, who nodded.

Arthur flapped his Flame Wings like a legendary phoenix, forming a powerful gust of wind and fire and burst towards the Gruelling Devil, supporting the barriers of both Bob and Jin-Woo while attempting to nullify the blade wave before it even reached its destination.

However, despite the monstrous power that the Flame Wings displayed, it was not enough to fully neutralize the Gruelling Devil's blade wave.

'Do I have to use Heaven's Echo Strike this early on?' Arthur gritted his teeth. He was conserving his power for the higher levels, but as things progressed, it wouldn't be long before his comrades would be in dire states.

He already expected them all to die.

But once that happened, he would need to use the entirety of his power to merely defend himself, let alone shift his tactics to offense.

Arthur was not powerful enough to achieve first place…

He knew it was impossible.

Unless…

His eyes swept across his arena, landing on Jimmy's body. 

Arthur may somehow be able to defeat the Gruelling Devil, but those beyond the Barbaric entity were way beyond his league. Perhaps he could even employ Heaven's Echo Strike a couple of times, but that was his limit.

If he needed to abandon his comrades in the process, then so be it.

'No… I'll protect them until I can. If I leave them out to dry, I'll be the same as those who betrayed me.'

Arthur laughed, cursing at his own hypocrisy. Perhaps the Devils were right… Perhaps humanity was nothing but a species of hypocrites and those who wish to interfere with the natural laws, trying to control them rather than abiding by them.

He chuckled, rushing towards Jimmy's body.

The Gruelling Devil watched the crimson-eyed man escape, deciding to focus on Jin-Woo and Bob in order to exterminate them. If the strongest escaped, the weaker ones would be easy to eliminate.

Roar!

Bob and Jin-Woo widened their eyes, yet their voices of indignation were drowned out by deafening roars of the Gruelling Devil.

"What are you doing?" Lisa barely managed to utter these words, feeling a powerful impact on her abdomen that sent her flying several hundred meters. Arthur knelt before Jimmy, staring at him for a few seconds.

'Yeah, he won't be able to recover,' Arthur sighed, turning around to face Eros.

The Guardian had a conflicted expression plastered upon his face, obviously stupefied by how quickly the tables had turned. He, too, sensed Jimmy's condition, and was without hope. Since he couldn't interfere, he could only consider the man dead.

However, as he noticed Arthur locking eyes with him, he grimaced.

'Is that boy…'

Eros narrowed his eyes, wondering if the crimson-eyed man was truly about to do what he thought. 'That fucking child… There isn't a way in Hell he has the confidence… what the hell…'

Eros couldn't help but curse, watching Arthur thrust Skofnung towards Jimmy. As the tip was about to sink into the dark-haired youth's soft flesh, his eyes shot open, and a single, purple-golden eye flashed with much intensity.

'No…' Eros was helpless. He couldn't interfere with a trial, unless he wished to become a Fallen Guardian.

For him to interfere was akin to him abandoning his position, which rested within the top 10 oldest and most senior Guardians in Heaven's Spire. He couldn't abandon it for a mere eye… But that boy…

'He's too ridiculous.'

'Against the Heavens…'

'To steal the Eye Of Heaven is taboo.'

Arthur couldn't care less, forming an apathetic expression as he gouged the purple-golden eye from the unconscious youth's socket, drawing excessive blood that quickly formed a pool beneath his feet.

Arthur stared at Jimmy, whose body covulsed for a few seconds before going limp.

'Rest easy.'

Arthur only uttered these words internally, reaching for his left eye. Clenching his teeth, he dug his index finger and thumb into his crimson eye, crushing it before pulling out what was left of the eyeball.

He stared at it without emotion. 'I didn't imagine there would come such a day.'

With those words, he pushed the Celestial Ametrine Eye into his socket, performing a few healing maneuvers to put it in place. It wasn't perfect, however, as a part of his vision was limited.

Suddenly, a sharp pain emerged from his sternum.

[Your body is rejected the unexpected addition.]

[User's body is being suppressed by an unknown force.]

[User's body is unable to process the addition.]

[User's body requires mutation.]

'Mutation?'

Arthur couldn't help but mutter.