After a few minutes of watching, the time was ripe to strike.
Arthur unsheathed Skofnung. The sword produced a faint sound, but it went unnoticed by the two combatants. They were too invested in their intense battle, which would soon have a tragic end.
"The gemstone is mine," the caramel-eyed man shouted, rushing forward as blood spilled from his wounds. The cyan-haired man cracked a smile through his broken teeth, unleashing a wave of mana that rushed towards his opponent.
It was rapid.
Slice!
The caramel-eyed man suffered several wounds and cuts as the wave of mana collided with his body. To be precise, the skin until his bone connected to his deltoids was ripped off, while his ear was sliced off.
With no dedication to continue, no power to retaliate, and burdened by excessive amounts of pain and irritation, the caramel-eyed man was forced to surrender. With a loud thud, his body fell to the floor.
The mumbling noise faded, and the cyan-haired man laughed arrogantly.
Arthur cracked a smile, rushing forward with a mana-infused Skofnung. Before the cyan-haired man could react to the unexpected occurrence, Arthur had already closed the gap in milliseconds.
The cyan-haired man's eyes widened, but he managed to parry the rapid strike. His fingers numbed due to the collision, and his broken teeth rattled.
"Fuck off!" The cyan-haired man shouted, swinging his halberd. Mana particles burst from the edge of the halberd, shooting towards Arthur, who prepared for a second strike, but was caught off guard by the rapid retaliation.
It seemed the cyan-haired man was faking his exhaustion.
'Did he know I was there?' Arthur thought, stroking his chin while calmly evading the mana particles. It was possible, but it truly did not matter anymore. Even if he was faking exhaustion, his injuries were quite real.
All Arthur had to do was strike the precise location of his injuries.
Like applying salt to a wound.
"I'll be taking that gemstone, if you don't mind," said Arthur before interrupting himself. "I mean, I'll take it even if you do mind."
The cyan-haired man didn't respond to the arrogant words, and simply rushed forward using a footwork skill. His movements were surprisingly rapid, but he couldn't escape the perception of Arthur's crimson eyes.
The cyan-haired man was named Xander, and was a prodigy in his batch of newbies. With an interest in wielding heavy swords and mana practice, he was renowned in his batch for being a cold-blooded killer.
Although, those who weren't usually fell on their faces in the tower.
Xander closed the gap in an instant, but Arthur was quick to sense his presence. With a single, silent slash of Skofnung, he delivered a strike to the gash on his chest, deepening the wound further.
Xander cried in pain, retreating immediately. He hadn't expected to experience foul play.
'Amid a battle to the apex, arrogance and pride are but unimportant concepts,' thought Arthur. 'True power lies in a cunning nature, sprinkled with the ability to disregard the emotions of others and to follow a steady path, the indifferent path.'
That wasn't his ideology.
It was the ideology of those at the top.
The ideology he followed in his initial steps in his former life, but came to abandon. Although indifference was still ingrained in his personality, he did not assume such a demeanor before those he considered allies.
Although, he did so in his previous life.
'I came here to rectify my errors, not expand them.'
Arthur was relentless.
Slice! Slash! Klang! Slice!
His strikes were plain, but contained immense power. Each strike was ingrained with a single aim; destruction. His speed was difficult to follow with the naked eye, and the falchion he held in his hands practically dissolved as he moved.
The color silver seemed to camouflage at rapid speeds.
Xander seemed to be holding out well until a particular strike collided with the hilt of his sword, knocking it out of his hands. He sprinted towards his weapon, but his path was quickly obstructed by the crimson-eyed man, who kicked the halberd away.
The downside of his halberd seemed to play a vital role in his own destruction.
'I knew his body was too weak to support a halberd for too long,' thought Arthur, nodding in satisfaction. By striking his hilt, he easily caused Xander to lose grip of his weapon due to its weight.
Shock could restrict physical strength.
"Don't…" Xander muttered, lightly sobbing. His face was covered in snot. It seemed he was only a prodigy by name. His redeeming qualities were meager, and didn't seem to match up to his grandiose name.
He stared into Arthur's crimson eyes, that flashed dangerously.
"Audacious. Anyway, I need that gemstone, so don't mind this too much when you've crossed the yellow river."
Xander tried to scream, but, by then, his head was already flying through the air.
A clean decapitation.
*
At the edge of the 'desolate' word, a veiled entity stood calmly. Its body was covered in a cloak, masking its identity and appearance from those who gazed upon it. Before the entity's eyes was a silver wall.
The wall encased the world in a barrier.
From afar, the wall seemed invisible, akin to an ashen sky. However, as one neared the true edge of the desolate world, they realized that sometimes, things aren't as they seem to be externally.
The cloaked figure's fingers caressed the silver wall. The fingers were an indication of fair skin and cleanly-trimmed nails. The silver wall produced a faint light that reacted according to the entity's touch.
It produced a humming sound when the cloaked figure interacted with it.
The entity performed complex movements while staring intently at the silver wall. Its surroundings were silent, as everyone rushed towards Level 3. No one wished to stay in Level 1, unless they were desperately searching for natural gemstones.
Suddenly, a translucent, blue screen manifested before the entity, producing the hidden face illumination.
It was Heather.
[Welcome, Administrator.]
