Return Of The Strongest Player

"Second Step! Red Fire Palm!" Xiao Fan muttered under his breath, and a triangular-shaped barrier formed before him. The man took a step forward, delivering a palm-strike to the barrier with all his strength.

Following that development, the triangle barrier shot towards Finn, pulsating with Xiao Fan's mana while threatening to detonate. Finn's Blade Wave only managed to obstruct the first step of Xiao Fan's attack.

As the triangle barrier approached Finn, it separated into several cubes of red energy, emanating intense flames. At that moment, Xiao Fan disappeared from his location, his body turning into a gust of wind.

Finn raised his sword, summoning yellow mana as he infused his blade with it. Vibrations traveled across the sword, causing it to shake violently due to the influx of power. "Sky-Piercing Slash."

His sword formed an arc as he lowered it. A flash of yellow energy condensed, shooting towards the cubes of intense flames. 

At that moment, however, Xiao Fan appeared only a few meters away from Finn.

"You really shouldn't let down your guard during battle," said the former, revealing a toothy grin as the ground beneath him shook. He extended his palm, staring haughtily at Finn, whose eyes were wide in utter shock.

Tremendous energy swirled around Xiao Fan's palm.

"Third Step! Earth-Shaking Palm!"

*

"I will not," replied Arthur calmly, staring into Elder Gabriel's eyes. Not only did he not care for the village's survival, but his strength was also heavily reduced due to the pressure on his mana circuits.

Exerting himself would only result in the hastening of the corrosion, which Arthur would not allow to happen. 

It was quite simple to figure out the reason behind Gabriel's words, but what Arthur did not appreciate was his conclusive tone, which indicated his unwillingness to accept "no" as his answer.

The calm and composed, gentle Elder Gabriel had been riled up by his rival. Frustration was one's downfall, as it reduced one's rationality. Arthur had been prey to such a phenomenon many times.

The fear of watching his village fall was settling.

"Yes, you will," said Elder Gabriel definitively, nodding. A dangerous glint flashed across his eyes, and a hint of killing intent escaped his suppression, causing a shiver to run down Arthur's spine.

"I refuse," said the crimson-eyed man, crossing his legs. To be honest, after witnessing the touching moment on the battlefield, Arthur could have changed his mind, had he not suffered injuries.

He would rather watch others die than sacrifice his own safety.

Anyone would.

"I wonder how much Olympus would pay for someone who surpassed Zeus in the rankings… And someone who made a fool out of Hermes on their first day in the tower," said Elder Gabriel, stroking his chin while feigning a thoughtful expression.

Arthur's expression remained stoic, yet internally, his heart dropped. A village on the outskirts had such an information network? The first statement was quite obvious, and could be discovered by any player.

However, the second one was supposed to be confidential.

Allowing it to leak would've been Olympus's largest blunder, as it would allow other clans to snatch at the opportunity to lower their Zeus's influence. Influence and power were most important to Olympus.

"You're threatening me?"

"Simply fight," said Elder Gabriel as a dark aura emanated from his body. "Win, and you shall be able to leave Gargo Village without trouble. Lose, and you'll either die, or… well, the only option is death."

Arthur remained silent, considering his options. 

"Oh, and I'm aware of your injury," said the Elder. "Hearing your muffled screams is not very difficult."

Arthur clenched his teeth. He had no option but to fight if he wished to preserve his life. With no backers, he was left with only one choice. Representing Gargo Village might injure him further, but his life was more important.

Truth be told, he expected something like this to occur as soon as he witnessed Greg's death and Gabriel's outburst. 

"You shall not be permitted to step up as the leader of Gargo Village," Elder Gabriel said in an authoritative and conclusive voice. 

'Does he think I ever cared about that…?' Arthur thought, shaking his head internally.

'As soon as I recover from my injuries… I'm ripping his village apart.'

"Sure, I'll fight."

*

As Xiao Fan unleashed his strongest move, the third step of the Three-Step Pure Heart Palm–Earth-Shaking Palm–the ground in a 50 meter radius was ripped asunder, revealing the rocks beneath.

It was as if the world split apart, providing those who lived atop a peek at what lay beneath their feet.

A heart symbol formed on Xiao Fan's palm. It glowed a deep shade of magenta before transforming into what seemed like a vine. Suddenly, the vine manifested atop Xiao Fan's hand, embracing his entire arm.

Xiao Fan tightly shut his eyes, keeping his arm extended.

Finn reacted quickly, performing a backflip as he watched the cubes of flames disintegrate before his eyes. Then, with a swift motion, he thrust his sword towards Xiao Fan's general direction.

The yellow energy spiraled around the blade, coiling up before gathering momentum in what seemed like a split second. Then, with a loud pop, the coiled energy shot towards Xiao Fan's palm.

Xiao Fan's eyes shot open, and a vertical circle with various undecipherable inscriptions formed around his body. "Release."

The vine covered his entire body, while the circle phased through his body, shooting towards Finn at terrifying speeds. Finn was not defenseless, as the coiled energy split into spherical bombs of condensed energy.

"Detonate."

  Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom!

Crack! Crack! Crack! Crack! Crack! Crack!

As the two killer moves collided, they formed a veil of smoke, obstructing the vision of those who lay their eyes upon the climactic battlefield. 

The explosions continued for a good three minutes before finally deciding to lower in intensity. As the deafening noises faded, the smoke subsided simultaneously. Two figures stood before each other.

Both wore cloaks of blood and donned several fatal injuries.

But only one would survive.

"Parasite Worm," Finn muttered under his breath as a tiny, brown worm emerged from the ground beneath Xiao Fan's feet. Without his knowledge, he crept into his shoes, spreading its influence across its victim's body.

A few minutes passed, and none of them made a move.

Suddenly, Xiao Fan's neck cramped, and a few veins bulged from the area. His expression tightened, and he quickly gripped the area of distress with a rage-filled expression, flaunting his sheer fury to Finn, who simply smiled.

Thud!

Xiao Fan's body fell to the floor, unconscious.

And paralyzed for eternity.