Return Of The Strongest Player

Arthur's flames raged on, assaulting Cassius from all sides as they threatened to consume the latter's very existence. The flames were forged using Arthur's mana, and were the product of a combination of basic spells.

Being incredibly well-versed in the subject of magic, the crimson-eyed man was naturally aware of spells even the Divine Rankers had never explored. He could forge powerful spells by simply extracting the foundation from the weakest and most common spells.

His most glaring weakness was the lack of sufficient mana, but the mana stone was definitely assisting in that aspect. Although not perfect, it could still supply him with sufficient mana for at least a few spells and a lasting close-combat battle.

Cassius's forbidden ritual was definitely an increment in the difficulty of the battle, but Arthur hadn't played even half of his cards, yet. 

Cassius's eyes glowed a sharp, white color, piercing through the orange-red flames of the crimson-eyed man. Wind danced at his fingertips, while the rocks beneath his feet bent to his will.

'A Wind and Earth Affinity ritual,' thought the crimson-eyed man, letting out a sigh. He had been standing idle for the past three minutes, waiting for his mana to recover as Cassius struggled due to his spell.

Rushing in at such a point of time was utterly stupid, as Cassius's mood swings were heightened. The forbidden ritual wasn't without consequences, as it consumed both vitality and sanity.

Eventually, Cassius would be nothing more than a dried-up husk of his former self.

With not a drop of life force or rationality remaining.

An ear-piercing scream escaped Cassius's lips, following a sudden decrease in the battlefield's temperature. Arthur's flames began dispersing, following an increment in the strength of the surrounding wind.

The ground shook violently, following the manifestation of two boulders on each side of Cassius's body. Each boulder was around four meters tall and two meters wide, and heavy enough to crush Arthur under their massive mass.

Suddenly, the strong winds transformed into a condensed form of gale, sweeping past Arthur's face. A cut appeared on the crimson-eyed man's cheek, leaking a crimson, viscous liquid that dripped down his skin.

'It's time to finish this,' thought Arthur, sighing. He slowly walked forward, activating Sword Spirit. Orange, black, and red aura burst in all directions, dying the crimson-eyed man's vision in the particular set of colors.

An invisible burden weighed on Cassius's shoulders, pushing him down. However, he roared, resisting the urge to kneel before his foe. 

Arthur slowly approached Cassius. The latter struggled to maintain his balance, even after conducting the ritual. The latter was a well-known High Ranker in the future, yet in front of the crimson-eyed man, he was nothing but an amateur.

In Cassius's eyes, the crimson-eyed man was a devil. With a body shrouded in darkness and with scarlet eyes peeking through the abyss, Arthur's appearance sent shivers down The Enigma's spine.

When the crimson-eyed man was barely a few feet away, he extended his arm.

'[Judgment Regeneration],' thought Arthur, allowing crimson aura to creep from his arm and enter Cassius's body. Immediately, the latter's body began convulsing, and a few system windows manifested before Arthur's eyes.

[Sin Toll has been used.]

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

[Target has 99% Sin and 1% Virtue.]

[Massive de-buffs are being applied.]

Since the forbidden ritual had been conducted, the effects of [Judgment Regeneration] were maximized. Strength was sucked from Cassius's body in proportion to the disbalance of his values.

As mentioned before, even if one had overpowering Virtue, one was not free from the effects of [Judgment Regeneration]. Only those with utterly equivalent values were capable of escaping its effects…

Except, of course, Necromantic and Corrupted Beasts.

But that was only for [Judgment Regeneration]. [Sin Toll] seemed to be effective on them, too.

After a long period of not being able to use [Judgment Regeneration], Arthur relished the opportunity to the fullest. He savored the cool sensation as the crimson energy returned to his body.

It was refreshing.

Also, the sight of his foe crouching before him, squirming in pain… It brought Arthur joy. 

'I would have given you a painless experience…' Arthur thought, letting out a sigh. 'Alas, my life is on the line here.'

Arthur squatted, placing his hand atop Cassius's hand. He injected an enormous amount of mana. Since the latter's power was contaminated by [Judgment Regeneration], he was unable to display his true capabilities.

Arthur could easily perform [Mana Overload]. However, the crimson-eyed man couldn't end Cassius's life.

So, what if he simply destroyed both of his arms?

Splurt! Splurt! 

Both of Cassius's arms exploded into a shower of blood and flesh, dying Arthur's body scarlet red. The crowd gasped, and Elder Feyright immediately stepped on the battlefield, intending to kill Arthur.

However, at that moment, another pressure descended upon the arena.

"You're telling me you're going to allow that to happen?" Elder Feyright inquired as if it were ridiculous. Elder Gabriel cringed, unable to determine the depth Feyright would stoop to in order to decrease Gargo Village's forces.

His hypocrisy was too great.

Once Cassius had fainted, and once the area around his body was merely a pool of blood, Gabrel turned to face Arthur. "Avalon, head into the locker rooms and recuperate. You have another battle, soon."

"Oh, no he doesn't!" Feyright shouted, extending his arm as a golden light condensed to form a sword. The light pierced the heavens, letting out a triumphant sound of victory as its tip threatened Arthur.

Suddenly, a dark barrier formed between the light sword and Arthur's body. 

"Feyright, do not cross the line. I allowed one of the competitors' deaths to be in vain due to your mindless blabbering. I shall not allow such a tragedy to occur again."

"Who is going to stop me?" Elder Feyright inquired, a flood of rage appearing in his eyes, which displayed immense hostility. 

"Think, you big-headed geezer."

In only a few seconds, terrifying explosions rang across the battlefield.