Once Human, Now a Parasite

As expected of the last trial of the competition, the stage was grandiose and, unlike the other trials, it wasn't happening in a separate dimension or miniature world.

An intense tremor spread from the plateau, causing the crowd to momentarily panic. Thankfully, Gutcha calmed them down and explained that this strange occurrence was because the last stage is surfacing.

Slowly but surely, part of the plateau rose into the air, much to everyone's astonishment. Even Isadore sat there, agape, as a huge chunk of the plateau hovered toward the canopy. It seemed to be magically changing its form, transforming into a massive floating island, circular and protected by a rainbow-colored defensive formation.

"You really did your best, huh." Isadore Malfront glanced at Arthur and nodded his head. He couldn't help but admire the myriad and miraculous things the parasite was able to do.

Then again, such feats are not that surprising, especially to those who knew Arthur really well. After all, he had possessed hundreds of thousands of lifeforms and the number of skills he has in his arsenal is simply staggering. Yes, a while ago, a bunch of his skills fused together for better efficiency, but, ever since, he possessed even more corpses and living beings, which made him gain dozens of skills at a time.

From anyone's point of view, creating this plateau or the other dimension might seem hard, though- in truth- it was not. It does consume a lot of Mental Power and Nether Energy but it's definitely worth it.

With the help of his special 'Creation' stat, along with the high proficiency in Spatial Magic, and dozens of miscellaneous skills, Arthur was able to create a separate dimension and fill it with a bunch of things, like reanimated monsters or small pieces of lands.

The widescreen displaying the last stage was in full view, showcasing the whole floating island and the remaining teams, which were as baffled as everyone else.

Gutcha was grinning from one ear to the other, clearly enjoying the exaggerated reactions of some of the participants.

"Get ready!" The pigolo loudly shouted, snapping the youngsters out of their daze and garnering their full attention.

"The individual fights are randomized. Which means that even if you fought the first fight, there is a chance you'll fight in the second one too.

I will briefly repeat the rules. One victory equals 50 points, defeat can also gain you points based on your performance. Three losses and you're out. Is that clear?"

Most of them nodded their heads, while the rest raised their eyebrows and looked questioningly at the hideous host.

"Let's begin!" He added excitedly, his hand fishing out a strange white cube from an oversized back pocket.

The cube flew from the pigolo's hand and rapidly spun before shooting a subtle light that transformed into flashing letters.

*Leo from the Holy Dominion Team versus Marjory from the Demon Team.*

As they saw their names flashing brightly, the golden-haired youth 'Leo' and Marjory were instantly teleported to the middle of the stage.

The battling arena wasn't as grandiose but it was big enough for them to fly around and use their strongest techniques and spells. Furthermore, it was protected by a strong defensive formation, which assured the safety of the crowd watching from below.

"This calls for more bets, what do you think, Arthur?"

Isadore cackled, his eyes darting toward the parasite, trying to place a bet for the second time. Although he lost the first one, he still has not given up and wanted to showcase his superior sense of judgment.

"Bets? I don't mind. What do you want to bet on?"

"The participants, of course. Each fight, you and I will choose a participant and if he or she wins, one of us will have to pay the other."

"That's straight out gambling, Your Majesty."

"All bets are gambling."

"No, they are not. Look, even your Guardian doesn't like this idea of yours."

Isadore half-heartedly glanced at the usually nonchalant Dan, who was frowning and, very subtly, shaking his hand toward the King.

"Are you in or out?" Isadore was very persistent.

It's no secret that Arthur was vastly wealthy, much more than Isadore, who was the king of the biggest Middle-Realm in the Cloud Sea Universe.

Before dying, Zodiak was generous enough to leave all of his possessions in his unique storage ring. Arthur had mountains of gold and an astronomical amount of Spirit Stones, and that's while excluding all the treasures and artifacts he kept for his personal use. Even without Zodiak's riches, Arthur was wealthy nevertheless.

He had looted many storage rings and high-graded gear from the people he found dead or killed… if you amass all of that together, it easily makes him one of the ric.h.e.s.t people in this universe. Furthermore, he rarely spends things on gear and such, which is why his wealth unceasingly increases.

"Of course I'm in."

Right after he responded, Lucy- just like Dan- gave Arthur a strange look coupled with a visible warning, which he pretended not to see. He averted his eyes, looking at the young blonde-haired king, a faint smile plastering on his face.

"Each round, one of us will get to choose first, yes?"

"Why, yes! Fairness is my motto."

"Okay, then. You choose first."

"I'll bet 5,000 High Red Spirit Stones on Leo."

"Sure."

Arthur didn't seem bothered, he directed his gaze to the huge screen and began watching the fight, which had just begun.

***

Marjory's fighting style was different from her junior, Cosima. The demon girl used debuff and curses to hinder her opponent, then she would strengthen her body.

Leo, on the other hand, was the aggressive and explosive type, which didn't suit his calm countenance.

Just as Gutcha signaled the beginning of the fight, the young man shot at Marjory, brandishing two one-handed golden swords, both coated with thick sword essence.

He reached his target within a couple of breaths, crossing his swords in front of him and unleashing a devastating torrent of golden slashes.

In retaliation, Marjory moved her hands mysteriously, writing a purple runic symbol before slowly pushing it forward. The symbol burst with intertwining violent threads of energy, clashing with Leo's slashes and blocking them with ease.

Unfortunately, Marjory didn't expect Leo to suddenly teleport to her side and unleash the same attack without any kind of prior preparation.

The girl was blown hundreds of meters away, a bloody wound could be seen on the left side of her abdomen and on her shoulder. Even with such a severe wound, Marjory swiftly jumped back on her feet and drew more symbols, larger and brighter ones. The symbols orderly lined themselves before abruptly vanishing, much to Leo's confusion.

The young man was charging at her for the second time before was forced to halt his steps and jump back. Alas, he was a tad too late as the curse reached him in a split second and injured him. He didn't know what exactly happened but an excruciating pain assaulted his internal organs, causing him to puke blood and kneel on the ground.

His head was still lifted, eyes locked onto Marjory, but he was unable to defend himself as the girl was already upon him, her legs sweeping horizontally.

She sent him flying like a kite, and before he stabilized himself and counterattacked, she appeared before him like a ghost, her hand tightly holding his ankle and then brutally slamming his body on the ground.

He let out a groan of pain, his hand waving the two swords and shooting Holy Magic, though it was all in vain. Marjory was more than prepared this time, applying another curse that greatly slowed his movement, rendering his attacks practically useless.

For the next fifteen seconds, Leo was thoroughly thrashed by the demon girl. His body was flattened on the ground and he lost hold of one of his swords, his body becoming a bloody mess.

Yet, surprisingly, he was still conscious and capable of retaliation, more or less.

"It's all due to that Dark Magic formation!"

Melissa, the woman accompanying Cardinal Patrick, gritted her teeth and glared at the spheric black-ish formation enveloping the whole city. The dense amount of Dark Magic lingering in the air was greatly affecting Leo, who specializes in Holy Magic.

Although Holy Magic was supposed to be the bane of Dark Magic, it wasn't the case this time. There was just too much Dark Magic for Leo to handle, and its sinister effects were indirect, it nonetheless hindered his Holy Spells and significantly decreased his physical prowess. In fact, the longer he's subjected to Dark Magic, the weaker he becomes. Such a consequence applied not only to Leo and Veia but also the cardinal and Melissa, but the latter two had much higher cultivation so they came somewhat resist it.