Return Of The Strongest Player

Since it was not viable to approach Eleanor in his current state, Arthur decided to employ an entirely different strategy. Usually, one would be gentle in awakening a person who'd been forcibly put to sleep.

But Arthur didn't have such leeway.

If he couldn't wake her in the next two minutes, both of them would inevitably perish. Not only was Umbral stupidly powerful, but his abilities were also unknown to the crimson-eyed man. The child had only revealed a few of them.

'His arsenal is undoubtedly much more vast,' thought Arthur. Umbral was not stupid; Arthur was aware of that fact. If the former were to have revealed all his cards, he would not be so calm in such a situation.

Umbral–too–was aware of Arthur's personality, and could predict that the latter had not given up, even in such a situation. 

However, he calmly continued the healing process.

Arthur glanced at the narrow opening between a formation of zombies. A blue-haired man and a dark-haired woman stood on each side of the opening, seemingly guarding nothing spectacular. However, behind them was the corpse of a seemingly ordinary zombie.

Ordinary… it was quite a broad term.

'The object strapped to his waist… If I remember correctly, that's an Eali Shell,' Arthur muttered internally, gazing at the waist of the corpse of a zombie. Never had he expected such a useless item to come in handy.

Usually, the Eali Shell was used to transmit mana waves and was a form of communication. It was somewhat inferior to communication devices, hence it became practically useless after their creation.

However, when people discovered a method of tracing the voices transmitted through communication devices, a few returned to utilizing the Eali Shells. It was practically untraceable and could cover long distances.

'But there's another feature of Eali Shells,' Arthur muttered internally, continuing to fight a difficult battle against the zombies.

Regular Eali Shells could not awaken a slumbering person. Since they simply transmitted waves of mana, one would have to produce a massive fluctuation in the quantity of mana placed within the Shell to produce any notable sound capable of disturbing one's sleep.

'Also, she doesn't have a Shell, making the method useless.'

Instead of simply using the Shell conventionally, Arthur planned to destroy it using a method that could condense the mana waves to a point where it could only detonate. The released mana waves would be powerful enough to stir a human's mind awake.

It was quite an unconventional method, but there was no other option.

Well, the other option was awaiting his loss.

Arthur raised Skofnung, slashing at a nearby zombie in order to render him crippled. He then swung his foot, making another zombie lose its balance. After bashing a third zombie's head, he poured mana into his calves, bursting forward.

Immediately activating [Ethereal Glide] to support his movement, Arthur sped across the horde of zombies, slashing at a few who obstructed his path. Umbral seemed to have realized something, as he immediately ordered all zombies to surround the crimson-eyed man.

At that moment, Arthur unleashed a short burst of Sun Energy in Umbral's general direction.

Boom!

Umbral gritted his teeth, somehow tanking the attack in his weakened state. However, his injuries worsened, providing Arthur with a bit more time. 

Time…

That was all the crimson-eyed man needed.

Even attempting to reach the Eali Shell was difficult, as a massive amount of zombies stood between Arthur and his destination. However, after much trouble, he managed to snatch the shell.

'Now, I just need to detonate it.'

Clutching the shell tightly in his hands, Arthur attempted to pour a massive amount of mana within, attempting to compress the outgoing mana waves. By trapping them within the shell, he could create an explosion of waves, producing a deafening roar.

As his mana flooded the shell, however, nothing occurred.

Only a tiny sound escaped the shell before the mana escaped through a small opening. As if time stopped, Arthur stared blankly at the shell, uncertain of how to progress. Why wasn't the shell exploding?

Suddenly, black liquid oozed from the small opening, dripping on the soil beneath. The black liquid was incredibly potent and seemed similar to acid in a sense.

Arthur's gaze immediately shot to Umbral. A small smile hung on the latter's lips. He refused to meet the crimson-eyed man's gaze, mustering an expression that made him seem like a naughty child.

The black liquid was something he'd forged… But how had it entered the shell?

Although shocked out of his mind, Arthur didn't have the leeway to ponder over such matters. Every second counted, and in such a situation, the crimson-eyed man couldn't afford to use logic.

'Fuck it.'

With those words which he spoke internally, Arthur brought the opening of the shell to his mouth, sucking the black liquid while shutting his eyes tightly. An intense pain assaulted his neck and chest as soon as the liquid entered his body.

His Adam's apple became corroded by a layer of darkness, while his chest throbbed, threatening to explode.

Arthur tried to vomit, but the liquid would not budge. No matter how much he gagged, Arthur simply could not escape the liquid, as if it was determined to kill the crimson-eyed man. Before long, his upper body became lathered in darkness.

Arthur smiled faintly, pouring his mana into the shell. It exploded, producing a deafening roar that shook the crimson-eyed man's eardrums.

But he couldn't focus.

His world spun, while a sense of nausea ate away at his insides. The corrosion of his organs progressed rapidly, which he attempted to combat using [Judgment Regeneration]. For the most part, it seemed to work.

He turned to face Umbral, who stared back in a state of shock. Arthur smiled, raising the middle finger at the child. 

At that moment, a zombie approached Arthur, threatening to decapitate him in a single swing.

Arthur dodged the swing, despite the violent trembling of his body. He then unleashed a burst of Sun Energy, disintegrating the zombie.

Suddenly, a sense of drowsiness rose in his mind.

However, before he could pass out, silver flames that seemed almost celestial enveloped his body.

He had succeeded in awakening the beast.