Return Of The Strongest Player

"Arghhh!"

Bob screamed as thousands of kilograms of weight landed on his back. The Gruelling Devil dug his claws into the Dragon's thick scales, shattering them with ease. Then, the Devil repeatedly punched the Dragon.

Crack! Crack! Crack!

Bob's eyes turned bloodshot as his scales cracked due to the pressure placed upon them. It was obvious to him that despite his advantage, he couldn't compete with the radical Devil through physical means.

'This rancid old piece of shit…'

Bob couldn't help but grit his jagged, Dragon teeth, exuding Draconic Authority while descending at a rapid pace, his eyes fixated on the broken ground of the Arena. Suddenly, when Bob was merely a few meters away from colliding with the ground, he twirled, flinging the Gruelling Devil off his back.

Bam!

The Gruelling Devil landed atop the uneven ground, his eyes laced with unrestrained rage. He approached a nearby rock, lifting it with ease before throwing it with as much strength as he could muster towards the levitating Dragon.

"Roar!"

The Gruelling Devil smashed his own chest with his fists, attempting to display his superiority before the haughty gaze of the Dragon.

Bob–with an apathetic gaze befitting his appearance–opened his snout. Mana particles condensed only a few inches away from his snout, forming a sphere spinning with unrestrained energy.

Reality seemed to shake as tendrils of destruction fell from the sphere. 

The sphere contained a purple hue and seemed to suck the vitality of anything or anyone near it.

The epic battle between a Dragon and a Devil continued.

*

Arthur was unbeknownst to the hell descending upon the arena, still battling the inner urge to fall into hibernation. He couldn't quantify how much his body rejected the Celestial Ametrine Eye…

In his mind–riddled with darkness–lightning fell at a rapid pace, acting as a tribulation of sorts.

At the center of the darkness, and where most of the lightning was targeted, rested a single, purple-gold eye. It spun at a snail's pace, while the pupil moved slowly yet steadily as if it were being controlled by a living entity.

[Mutation is coming to a halt.]

[User's mind has rejected the mutation, contradicting its needs.]

[Mutation Progress: 0%.]

[Mutation will continue in the future.]

[Celestial Ametrine Eye has partially merged with the user's body.]

[1/9 Stages usable.]

[Excessive usage of the ability will result in the death of the user's brain.]

Suddenly, purple-gold thunder shot down from the sky, engulfing Arthur. The crimson-eyed man (or the purple-gold-eyed man), stood with much trouble, basking under the blinding light exuded by the majestic weaving of the colors.

Crimson and purple-gold–the colors that represented Arthur Solace.

Lightning swirled around Arthur's body, encompassing him in a cloak of majesty. The Celestial Ametrine Eye was not merely a powerful eye, but something that represented its user in a unique way.

'Flame Wings?' Arthur scoffed, ignoring the excruciating pain that rushed across his body. He smirked as two wings formed behind his back–one yellow, and one purple. 'Celestial Wings are much better.'

Arthur extended his palm, watching as the colors battled, power dancing at his fingertips.

Although only one of nine stages was available, the Celestial Ametrine Eye brought many more benefits than merely that. It all depended on one's imagination, and what one could achieve with such power.

His eyes fell upon the scene in the distance.

The battle between a Devil and a Dragon.

Arthur's smirk devolved into an expression of utter bewilderment. He racked his brain, trying to interpret the situation in the most realistic fashion possible. But it was obvious that the situation was not realistic in the slightest.

Scrunching his eyebrows, Arthur condensed mana at his feet. At that moment, his Celestial Wings flapped, creating a downward thrust that allowed him to soar the skies. 'The Celestial Wings are still too unstable and mana-consuming…'

Arthur couldn't use them for long.

He shot through the sky, observing silently as a spinning sphere of energy launched by a certain Dragon pierced through the atmosphere, nearing the Gruelling Devil at a terrifying pace. The Devil spat on the ground below, running through the uneven ground to evade the sphere.

'Rookie mistake,' Arthur commented from the sidelines, crossing his arms.

As the sphere collided with the ground, tendrils of purple energy coursed across the earth, engulfing the entirety of the Arena in a glamorous yet deadly light.

The Gruelling Devil could only roar in indignation as the tendrils encompassed its body, eating away at his body. The Dragon watched with a smirk plastered upon his face, enjoying the show while simultaneously regenerating his broken scales.

Arthur released a sigh as the Gruelling Devil let out one last cry.

"How is it going, Bob?" Arthur asked, revealing a wide smile while soaring through the skies, approaching the brown-scaled Dragon. The former's appearance was fear-inducing, while the sheer power swirling around his body was unparalleled.

His words were casual, yet contained a threat only Bob could sense.

"Solace…"

"Mind explaining?" Arthur inquired, staring at the destruction that descended upon the arena following his withdrawal from the battle. His eyes inspected the battlefield, which was riddled with cracks with splotches of crimson.

He saw Jimmy's corpse, Jin-Woo, and Lisa's heads, along with the Gruelling Devil's minced body.

Arthur gritted his teeth. He'd previously sworn that he would protect Lisa, Jin-Woo, and Bob… Yet, two of them suffered the wrath of the third, lying in the Arena with nothing but their heads intact.

'I'm such a hypocrite,' Arthur released a bitter chuckle.

Although he continued to gain power like a madman, he never once looked back. His methods were absolute at first but had now begun shaking. His mindset was absolute at first but had now begun shaking.

The Lord Of Sins was no more.

'I need to fucking accept that.'

'I'm not who I was in my former life, anymore.'

'We are not alike.'

It was funny how such a tiny event could shake one's entire philosophy.

It was funny how fragile humans were when stripped of external power.