Return Of The Strongest Player

Following the initial clash, a deadly silence embraced the world. It was as if existence was dyed black and white.

When color returned to the world, the results of the battle were quite evident. The sky turned ashen yet again, while the dark red hue bled out, overtaken by the blinding, warm rays of the Sun.

The breeze was hot, capable of delivering severe burns on regular skin.

Arthur stared blankly at the massive remains of the Devil. The latter had severe burns, while his body was ripped asunder from the center as a result of being struck with Heaven's Echo Strike directly.

Arthur felt intense pain course through his body, causing him to collapse on the sizzling ground. Hellstorm Tempest seemed to have altered the biome that the world, or the space, was supposed to represent.

Arthur's screams resounded across the world, darkening the atmosphere. Even after suffering hundreds of deaths, the pain was simply too much. A spell infused with the mana of a High-Rank Novice Devil?

Once Arthur's pain reduced, he revealed a faint smile.

'So, I can finally defeat weaker Elite Rankers if I can hit them with Heaven's Echo Strike,' he muttered internally, chuckling as he celebrated the joyous event. Not only had he successfully inherited the Blade Sovereign's legacy, but he'd also unlocked the State Of Mushin, Sword Aura, Skofnung's new ability, and had managed to defeat a beast even weaker Elite Rankers would have difficulty fighting.

'The Devil King…'

'I should look into him a bit more. Even with the Blood Sacrificial Ritual, such power is utterly absurd. Had it not been for Heaven's Echo Strike, I would be six feet under by now, with the Devil laughing over my dead body.'

'To gain such power through simply sacrificing one's vitality is truly absurd, especially considering the Devil was not even a Beast Subordinate, but a Novice Beast.'

Arthur pushed such matters to the back of his mind, releasing a deep sigh as he packed his belongings, which amounted to a falchion. He was practically naked, with only a few pieces of fabric covering his private parts.

'I should invest in some better clothes,' Arthur muttered internally.

He headed outside, escaping the space before traversing through the underground passage, emerging from a stairway before entering the streets of the ninth floor. The moon was bathed in a dim, silver glow that acted as a beacon within the darkness of the night sky.

A soft breeze swept across the streets, pleasantly tickling Arthur's skin while he quickly headed to a clothing store, purchasing loose robes and a tunic and leather pants to wear underneath. It was quite a casual outfit.

Arthur then headed to the sixth floor, notifying the Saint Sealing Devil about a few matters before finally returning to the ninth floor.

'Finally, I can attempt the tenth floor.'

Arthur approached the floor tower, registering before being launched into the tenth floor of the tower. As soon as he entered the floor, all materialistic belongings were stripped from the crimson-eyed man, leaving him bare.

His body slowly emitted a dim glow, eventually losing its ability to be tangible, and morphing into an ethereal body. His senses weakened, while all skills and boosts were stripped, too. He was merely a spirit.

A shell of his true self.

Or, perhaps he was his true self at that moment.

His surroundings were empty.

He stood in a world bathed in infinite light, with not a shred of darkness or shadow to outline what lay within. The entire world represented nothingness, but in a sense opposite to a world of darkness.

Arthur felt his emotions fade. His existence became faint, while only a part of his true self remained.

Suddenly, he took a step forward, the ground beneath producing ripples to accommodate the sudden change. Although the ground was not filled with water, it still splished and splashed upon impact.

There were no leaderboards, although they did exist and measure one's abilities, they were not entirely objective. One's progress on the tenth floor depended on oneself and one's true abilities…

Not skills, weapons, or boosters.

But one's existence.

One's soul.

Not one's ability to endure physical pain.

But one's ability to react to mental pain.

The tenth floor was very unorthodox, with many players questioning its existence and displaying indignation at its difficulty. However, those who'd passed the tenth floor knew of its value in one's life.

It was akin to a rebirth.

Akin to a dip in holy water.

The way of the tenth floor was quite fast, and one could finish within hours… Or, some could take years. Regardless, no matter when one finished the tenth floor, externally, only two minutes would have passed.

The time within the tenth floor did not affect the time in Residential Areas.

Arthur–viewing the world of eternal light with an entirely expressionless face–traversed forward with soft steps, causing tiny ripples to form beneath his feet. The faint sound of splashing water also resounded.

The hum of a seraphim was audible.

The chirping of birds.

But it was all an illusion. 

What existed within the world was a world devoid of sound. Devoid of objects. Devoid of distractions, except perhaps the ripples. 

Arthur continued forward, desperate to reach the end of the road, uncertain of the outcome, but certain of his personal goals. One could not know how one's life would progress, though one could manipulate it indirectly.

One's goals were what mattered.

The outcome would depend on circumstances and what you did with your life.

Arthur–with those words etched within his mind–continued forward. He enjoyed the destination more than the road and was unable to find solace, despite his surname saying so. He was so focused on the destination that he forgot the joy of life.

Eventually, his life became miserable, with his family abandoning him entirely, and him cutting ties with them over a petty argument.

At the end of his lifetime, he came to regret his decisions, desperate to change.

Alas, time was an aspect he did not have an abundance of.