Return Of The Strongest Player

"You killed them?" Arthur asked, masking his emotions–that hadn't been shaken in quite a while. Bob didn't respond, locking eyes with the crimson-eyed man while forming an expression of annoyance.

"I was hoping I could kill you without having to fight… I guess that won't suffice."

Arthur narrowed his eyes, ignoring Bob's words. He wondered why Level 3 hadn't begun, despite the Gruelling Devil's death. 

"Level 3 will not begin until one of you is dead," Eros' voice suddenly reverberated across the Arena, his eyes overflowing with rage. Although he maintained a confident, casual expression, one could not miss the anger boiling within him.

To defy the one chosen by the heavens was the worst sin.

And to Eros, Arthur was the sinner.

The Celestial Ametrine Eye was considered legendary for only one reason–only the heavens could grant it.

However, to openly defile the will of the heavens was the greatest sin. Eros couldn't sit by and watch such a tragedy occur, and since he couldn't interfere with the trials, he found it best to simply lengthen it.

Lengthen it, so that Bob could weaken the crimson-eyed man.

And the Devil in Level 3 could finish him off.

Arthur understood Eros' intentions but didn't complain. He was aware of the taboo he'd committed, and the consequences that came because of it. However, that was only for the benefit of power.

It was obvious that there would be consequences, and drawbacks, to power.

'It's only a Dragon,' Arthur thought, chuckling internally. Had anyone heard his preposterous words, they would be slack-jawed by one of two things–his confidence or his stupidity. A Dragon was no tiny existence.

Had this incident been only a few weeks ago, Arthur would have paled at the sight of a fully-transformed Dragon.

Dragons were not something he could've dealt with without the power in his left eye. Even with his left eye, powerful Dragons could steal his life with a mere glance, or the expansion of their Draconic Authority.

However, the Dragon that levitated before the crimson-eyed man was not one of them.

He was inexperienced and incapable of handling the powers that came alongside the existence of the Draconic Species.

'Why, though?' Arthur wondered, recalling Bob's appearance. 'Dragons are naturally adept at utilizing their own abilities, and although experience and age come into play, even toddlers can control Draconic abilities better than Bob.'

'Since that's the case, why is Bob so inexperienced at handling Draconic Abilities?'

That was where Arthur's doubts emerged.

'I should end this quickly,' Arthur concluded, glancing at his Celestial Wings with concern, fearing he would end up like Jimmy. With Skofnung unsheathed, he shot towards the brown-scaled Dragon.

Arthur activated [Searing Gaze], disturbing Bob's concentration before igniting Sword Aura and Sun Energy, cloaking the silver falchion with both energies. His blow glowed a majestic hue as power descended upon Bob.

Bob twirled his body, thrashing Arthur with his thick, brown tail, sending him flying into a nearby pool of flames.

"Did you forget what this eye symbolizes?" Arthur's words of mockery resounded in Bob's ears, instilling a sense of dread within him. His eyes widened as his body was engulfed in blinding light, the origin of which he couldn't locate.

Zap!

Suddenly, the wind brushed past his scales. The wind quickly evolved into the flames of hell that engulfed his body, burning his scales themselves. There weren't many flames in the tower that could burn a Dragon's body…

But it seemed the flames of Hell could.

Bob thrashed around in the pool of flames, escaping with much difficulty. His scales were riddled with burn marks while overflowing rage spilled from his snout, which took form in the shape of a single breath.

Orange-red flames forged using mana condensed to the maximum emerged from Bob's mouth, blinding the entirety of the Arena in a concentrated explosion.

Arthur clicked his tongue, switching places with Bob.

'I won't use this again,' the crimson-eyed man concluded, grasping in his hand the blood that seeped from his eye. He hoped that the two uses would be enough to wear Bob down so that he could unleash hell upon him.

Arthur watched apathetically as Bob was engulfed by his own Dragon's Breath, his screams reverberating across the Arena.

He turned to face Eros, gritting his teeth.

He was certain that Eros had already achieved his purpose for putting the crimson-eyed man against Bob. It was quite obvious… 

'I won't be in any condition to fight the third Devil after this battle…' Arthur clenched his teeth, feeling as if he'd been trapped. 

As Bob emerged from the explosion he'd created, one could witness the sheer rage visible in his eyes. His scales were jagged and lined with cracks, and one of his claws had been blown off.

"You…"

"Shut up, fucking lizard," Arthur suddenly commanded, forcing Bob's maw shut for a split second. The latter feigned a casual expression in order to trick the latter into believing he wasn't in a dire situation.

Bob released a deafening roar out of humiliation. Draconic Authority permeated across the Arena, enveloping everything in its embrace.

Arthur felt a weight bearing down on his shoulder, causing his eyes to narrow. But the narrowing of his eyes wasn't due to the intensity of the weight, but due to his confusion. 'Why is the pressure so weak?'

Arthur couldn't help but question Bob's Draconic Status at that moment, wondering whether the latter was even a Dragon in the first place.

Draconic Authority was the pride of Dragons–something that would definitely suppress any inferior species with the most intense pressure known to mortals. It was a display of dominance, a show that allowed a Dragon's foe to realize whom they were messing with.

Arthur had faced Draconic Authority many times in his former life… Never had it been so weak and fragile.

Arthur allowed purple-gold thunder to rain down on Bob, dispelling Draconic Authority with minimal effort.

At that moment, a devilish smirk blossomed on his face. 

"Eros… This is what you put me against?"

"A mutant Dragon."

"A fake."