Return Of The Strongest Player

Arthur remained silent. 

There was nothing to say at that point. He ignored Flecker's remains, and vowed to bury them personally. Then, he approached a certain capsule, in which a golden sphere of pure energy was levitating.

Arthur's gaze lingered on the golden object. He observed it silently before caressing the glass separating his body from the sphere. The sphere seemed to loathe Arthur, as it moved away as he approached.

'It's made using a theory I developed,' thought Arthur. He suppressed his emotions, noticing the capsule was created using his ideas, and the energy transfer that occurred through allowing a demon to possess Flecker was also done through Arthur's theory.

In short, they had ripped Arthur off.

But that wasn't what the crimson-eyed man was concerned about. Flecker had pretended to be his friend. Feeding off of Arthur's knowledge and providing it to Arcadia Academy… he used Arthur for his own benefit.

Not only that, he even affiliated with a demon.

'It's not acceptable,' thought Arthur. His face contorted, shaping into an expression of pure rage. He had been played the entire year. From a person he considered his friend, no less. It was all… fucking unacceptable.

Arthur smashed the ground, causing cracks to appear.

Crimson aura spilled from his body, and he allowed his emotions to leak. It simply wasn't possible to contain them this time.

*

Once he was done, Arthur took a long, deep breath.

'Now, this capsule…' thought the crimson-eyed man, retrieving the fragment Jake had stolen from Gary. With trembling hands, he extended his arm towards the capsule. The golden sphere shrunk.

The fragment fit into a keyhole, and the capsule opened up, spilling green liquid. 

Within the green liquid was a golden sphere, which plopped directly into Arthur's hands. 'After this, I have exactly three minutes to escape the basement.'

He quickly recalled the direction he'd entered through, and contemplated how to escape the basement within the allotted time. It would be difficult, but if he wished to survive, he had to escape.

With Flecker's corpse, it would be difficult.

However, he didn't care. Glancing at the golden sphere, he crushed it within his hands. Immediately, the ground shook, and so did the ceiling. Immediately, Arthur grabbed Flecker's corpse and ran.

He didn't have much time.

*

"What is… happening?" Athanasia muttered to no one in particular. Her body was dividing into grains of dust. There was no pain, yet she felt sadness as she viewed the world for the last time. Her existence was linked to Arcadia Academy itself.

If it perished, she did, too.

It was her last view of the world that had tormented her so much. However, it was also where she made the best memories. Witnessing her own death was a bitter-sweet feeling. She was angry, sad, and relieved simultaneously.

Kevin, on the other hand, was indignant. He wouldn't sacrifice his life due to something like this. Gritting his teeth and glancing at his enemies, he activated his footwork technique, attempting to escape.

However, at that moment, Feyrith's fist smashed his face into the ground. Now that Athanasia was dead, he was facing Gregorio, Mason, Cecilia, and the entire force of the Garcias simultaneously. It was safe to say he was practically dead, too.

"You'll regret this," said Kevin, gritting his teeth. However, it was difficult to take his words seriously, considering he only had a few teeth left in his mouth. Most of them had shattered due to Feyrith's strike.

"What do we do with him, sir?" Feyrith asked, turning to face Mason.

"His force will be useful to us," said Mason, glancing at Gregorio. "Do you have a personal grudge, or can we keep him alive?"

"Do whatever you want," replied Gregorio, heading out. "Athanasia's dead, and Arcadia Academy is crumbling to pieces. I've achieved what I set out to achieve… It's not my place to make decisions anymore."

Mason nodded before conversing with Feyrith about future plans. Cecilia tagged along, too.

Gregorio exited the banquet hall before pulling out a cigarette. Watching Arcadia Academy crumble, he simply cracked a smile before sitting on a nearby bench. The feeling was refreshing. It was like his life's purpose had been fulfilled.

The person who had made this possible? Arthur Solace.

At that moment, from Arcadia Academy's basement, the man in question emerged. A corpse was slung on his back, and he seemed exhausted. Gregorio could feel little no to mana in his body, yet he was holding out.

Immediately, Gregorio rushed to the crimson-eyed man.

"You okay?" Gregorio asked, taking the corpse from Arthur's back. The latter steadied his breathing after much trouble before raising his thumb in response. Then, he grasped his chest in pain.

"Can I sleep at the Ainsworth Estate tonight?" 

Gregorio let out a chuckle. "Damned freeloader. Sure, you can."

Then, Arthur placed his arm on Greg's shoulder to regain his balance. The two slowly headed towards the bench. Externally, they were calm and composed. However, internally their emotions were varied.

Gregorio felt nothing but ecstasy. On the other hand, Arthur was filled with sorrow and pain. 

Tonight has been an important night. Some goals had been achieved, while others' lives had been ruined. Many had perished, while others had lived to see another day. It was filled with varied outcomes.

However, one thing was for certain.

Arcadia Academy and the Millers… two of the world powers would cease to exist after this day. It would be a monumental event that would affect the lives of almost everyone living on the entire planet.

The Jester Organization would obviously occupy a chunk of the no-man's land. However, it was likely that the Ainsworths, and… possibly the Garcias would also become world powers to replace Arcadia Academy and the Millers.

The two crumbling world powers still retained their entire force, but without their leaders, they were nothing.

Some rebellions would be formed, and others would simply protest through voices. However, it was difficult to say whether the new three world powers would be shaken after amassing such massive forces.

One thing, however, was for certain.

A lot had changed.