Chapter 154 - 151 : Generous Rewards (1/2)

Having his stats increased by another ten times hugely boosted Arthur's capabilities and battle power. With the ancient fire and the other attributes now unlocked, albeit only being able to use basic skills, it'll surely be useful in countless ways. Whether it's the Shadow Attribute or the destructive and unextinguishable flames.

Arthur used more than an hour to get used to his current strength and to test several magical attacks. He was still going to use a katana but this time, he'll make proper use of his attributes to either slow down the opponent or even blind his vision to guarantee a successful attack.

*Please pick your weapon*

*List:

One-handed Axe: 1,000 damage

....*

'Give me the usual Katana.'

*Do you wish to pick 'Sharp Katana: 850 damage?*

'Yes'

A long katana which was a bit curved appeared in Arthur's hand. He swung it a few times and confirmed the beginning of the last phase. He picked a katana when he started adjusting his body but when he tried slashing the ground, the weapon broke into countless pieces. Not even his flames could scratch the clean white ground.

*The last phase will be against yourself. Your opponent will wield the same weapon, skills, and techniques but he will have stats that are higher than yours.

.... Countdown beginning: 10..9..8..7..6...*

'Myself?'

Once he heard he's going to fight himself, Arthur was first confused than surprised. He thought that maybe he'll fight that lame copy of his but that seemed rather unlikely as when it talked to him an hour ago, it said that they'll not meet after he cleared the phase but then again, it never said that they'll not meet when the phase begins.

As he was contemplating and pondering what 'himself' meant, Arthur was interrupted when a weird sound rang in his ears and diverted his attention to its source.

Usually, whitey and his brothers would pop from the white ground and began to construct into a humanoid shape but this time, a strange black door appeared.

The door slowly opened whilst emitting some creaking sounds and from the other side, Arthur could only see total darkness and nothing more.

It was only after a few seconds that a figure similar to Arthur entered the white space through the black door. It wore the same clothes as him but the face was sinister as it was grinning evilly and displaying an unpleasant face. If Arthur had to pick, he would definitely pick the lame copy over this one. At least the copy was just lame and talkative but this one was silent and creepy, if not for its appearance, he would never have thought that it's him.

Arthur's copy also wielded a katana but its katana was jet black and looked a bit threatening with a black aura around it, in some ways, it resembled Makaze but this weird system training Arthur wouldn't be so unfair as to give Makaze to his opponent, right?

The battle began when Arthur's copy launched itself at Arthur, the black katana slashed the air and created several dark arcs made from pure sword energy, at the same time, it used the Earth attribute to raise three walls around Arthur to stop him from dodging its attacks.

It was quite a clever tactic, even Arthur was momentarily startled as he thought of using it not a second ago yet here it is using his plan against him. Seeing the incoming materialized sword energies, Arthur used [Earthen Wall] under his feet to raise a small wall that flung him 60 degrees toward his copy.

With the boost gained from the ball and adding his high stats, Arthur rotated his body mid-air and swung his katana down at the incoming attacks. He only swung it one time, it was a slow swing but you could hear a loud sound emanating from his katana.

[Hole in One Lv1]: The user sacrifices 15% of his current Health to unleash a devastating attack (can be used with any weapon or with bare fists).

Arthur didn't hesitate as he used [Hole in One] and added Natural Lightning to his slash to further strengthen it and to ascertain its success in blocking the sword energies and hurting his copy.

Unlike the sword energies created by his copy, the attack he just unleashed was not in the form of a curved arc but it was a bright green beam that shot at the black arcs and cut through them all. All that was left was dissipating sword energies that slowly vanished in the white space.

As for the green beam, it shot at his copy with an unbelievable, its momentum and power were truly incredible. Unfortunately for Arthur, he was fighting himself and albeit using a strong attack and perfectly blocking such strong sword energies, it will not be easy to fight an opponent several times stronger than him.

His copy passed its hand on its black katana, making it glow with a dark red flame then it leaped at the green beam and stabbed its katana at the green beam.

With its flaming katana, Arthur's copy kept grinning as it cut the green beam in two and was only pushed back a few steps by his attack. It sustained no damage and to further worsen the situation, it didn't just linger there after deflecting his attack.

It suddenly teleported in front of Arthur and struck with its flaming sword, clearly aiming for his neck. In response to that, Arthur raised his Katana to block and used his other free hand to punch his copy's chest. A katana was met with another katana and his fist was also blocked with his copy's fist, a totally symmetric position.

As they were trying to overpower each other, Arthur used [Flame Spear] and tried to stab his copy in the back but the dark red spear was blocked by an [Earthen Wall] that suddenly appeared from below. The spear easily destroyed the wall but it was met with another wall and so on until it was dissipated.

'It seems the ancient flames was weakened... definitely!

No matter how many walls are raised, a flame spear like that would be able to easily penetrate all of them with ease yet the flame spear he just used dissipated after destroying four walls.

Seeing his copy still smirking, clearly mocking him for using such weak and useless tricks. Arthur let go of the Katana, which was instantly cut in two pieces but he didn't care about that, he concentrated his power in his leg and used [Enhancement] then he performed a roundhouse kick and struck his copy in its waist on the right side.

[Enhancement]: The Physical damage done by the user will be increased.

Cost: 75 Stamina per sec.

His copy was a second too late to block the incoming kick but it was only sent flying after a bit of its katana penetrated two inches in Arthur's right shoulder.

It was a fair trade but that's what any spectator would think, however, Arthur's kick was way more powerful than his copy's strike.

The copy was sent stumbling on the ground and rolling dozens of meters away from Arthur. The right side of its waist was completely shattered due to Arthur's kick, it took it a couple of seconds to properly get up and stabilize its body.

”Wipe that creepy ass smile off your face and come at me.”

Arthur was the one smirking right now, he didn't even bother checking his wound, it was not too serious and with his current Vitality, it wouldn't take much for it to heal. The same thing goes for his Copy but shattered bones would take a bit more times even though the copy has higher stats.

Having his weapons cut in two pieces, Arthur had physical weapons to use so he could only conjure two sharp flaming daggers in each hand. He didn't wait for his enemy to recover, with two flaming daggers in his hands, he rushed at the opponent and when he was around 10m away from the grim faced copy, he suddenly created a clone of himself using [Shadow Magic] and instantly teleported behind his copy.

It's a bit surprising that the clone skill of the Shadow Magic was considered a basic skill but Arthur was not going to complain, it's available and useful so he had to use it.

The clone did as ordered and used the two fakes flaming daggers to slash at the knees of the copy. As for Arthur, who just teleported behind his opponent, he sliced with his daggers, using the assassin's two deadly skills [Backstab] and [Slice and Dice].

[Backstab]: The user attacks from behind guaranteeing a critical hit and dealing 350% damage.

[Slice and Dice]: A fast hack of both the user's daggers (185% damage). It can be used as a combo after using [Backstab] and in that case, it'll also deal a critical hit and deals 370% damage and activates the bleeding effect for 15 seconds.

The copy was not an opponent to be underestimated but albeit being created by the ARK, it was by no means a stupid opponent, it could even be considered a sentient being.

It realized that the frontal Arthur was just a clone when it felt a chilling aura behind its back. It was too late to use [Faster Than Death] but blocking is another thing. It tried to mimic Arthur and used [Earthen Wall] to fling itself high in the air, avoiding the flying daggers and Arthur's deadly combo but such tactic was already foreseen by Arthur.

”Oh no you won't!”

As the combo was going to land, Arthur made use of the Ice attribute and froze all the ground around him and his copy to make it impossible for a fast and sudden earthen wall to pop up from the ground. It may not stop the wall from coming out but it'll drastically slow it and buy him enough time to land his combo.

With it being in such a desperate situation, the clones abandoned any thoughts of facing the flying daggers and turned around and used its black katana to block the flaming daggers of Arthur.

”Haha, fool!”

As Arthur mocked his copy, his two daggers were met with the katana and his combo was blocked before the second skill was activated but all of this was expected by Arthur. The two flaming daggers which his clones threw at his copy suddenly merged together and transformed into a big fireball.

The copy turned its back and ignored the daggers because it deemed Arthur's combo to be more dangerous and deadly than two flying daggers which were thrown by a clone made by Shadow Magic but what it didn't expect is that those daggers were real ones and Arthur planned this from the start, the moment he teleported, he secretly passed his daggers to the clone and conjured another pair just as he appeared behind his copy.

'BOOOM'

The fireball his the copy's back, burning its clothes and making it wail and fly high up in the air. Arthur decided to fall back just as the fireball was going to hit or else he'll be hurt too since his fire resistance has been lowered.

”Now the final touch.”

Arthur let go of his flaming daggers and jumped at his copy, which just crashed into the ground and wailed from pain caused by the flames.

'It's sentient after all.... fascinating yet scary...'

Arthur showed no mercy as he stood next to his copy which was rolling on the ground and trying to touch its back.

'ting ting ting'

Low noises made from the invisible threads were heard, the threads twirled around the copy's limbs and without any hesitation, Arthur used a bit of force and severed all the copy's limbs then he looked at its eyes, which were staring at him fearfully, and said.

”A copy can never beat an original, you may have my skills but not my memories or battle experience. So what if you're a lot stronger in terms of stats? Numbers are not everything and this clearly shows it.”

A white drill the size of a fist was created by countless small threads, it spun with a fast speed and penetrated the copy's skull, killing it on the spot and finishing this beginner's phase once and for all.

*Congratulations! You passed the third phase.*

*Congratulations! You finished the Beginner's Phase.*

*Performance:

Physical Score: 97/100

Skills Score: 71/100

Magic Score: 66/100

Battle Score: 78/100

Weapon Score: 6.5/10

Time Spent: 134 minutes 49 seconds. 'Average'

Overall score: 75/100 'Great Job' *

Rewards: +4 Grades, +40% to Health/Stamina/Energy Regen. +25M to all stats. +40 Creation.*

'These are definitely worth it...'

Arthur contemplated the rewards and was ecstatic as they were really incredible, especially the increase in Grades. Each breakthrough in a grade makes the limit of his stats a bit higher than the last one, so he can possess more corpses and add more stats each time he broke through to a higher Grade. Moreover, he gained another boost in stats too.

Although he doesn't use the Lost Magic which was related to the Creation stats in battle, it's nevertheless useful in many ways. There is also the tactic of flash bombs, it was quite useful last time so Arthur was planning on creating more in times of despair so he could use them to escape or the blind an enemy.

He can also create simple clothes and countless weapons, be it swords or guns but they are not very powerful, the stats are considered cheat for normal people but compared to Makaze, it's literally nothing.

On his own, Makazer increases by 4 million in Agility and 5 in Strength and it stopped at that only because Arthur had to breakthrough as the sword's power matched its master's.

”So how can I leave this place?”

Arthur faced the rotating cube and questioned, there was only him and that object in this endless white space and he was given no information or instruction on how to leave.

*You can leave by holding the ARK and saying 'Dra'lim'. You can also choose to stay and train more, all your stats and skills have been recovered and they will only be revoked again in case you enter the next trial.”

”Next Trial.”

*You do not meet the necessary requirements for the next trial: Divine Realm 5th Grade.*

”But my battle power is way above the Divine Realm, doesn't that count? If we're talking about Stats, mine should equal a God's.”

*Numbers are irrelevant. To gain access to the next trial, you need to reach the Divine Realm 5th Grade.*

”Irrelevant you say.... we'll see about that in the future. How do I enter the ARK again from outside?”

*To enter the ARK, all you need to do is say 'Dra'lka'. You cannot enter the ARK whilst being in battle-mode.*

Arthur nodded and walked to the cube, ready to leave this place. For now, he'll settle his matter with the Demon Lord and he'll return here to investigate more.

'Dra'lim'

Arthur said the words and instantaneously, his surroundings warped and his mind became hazy whilst his body felt as if it was carrying a mountain. It was the same exact feeling as when he was experiencing those weird dreams, however, this one was a bit tenser than usual.

The process took mere seconds but for Arthur, it felt like an eternity with the pain striking his mind and disturbing his thoughts, making him unable to move properly or think of a way to stop it, he was totally helpless.

It finally ended when Arthur's eyes opened and landed on Mikayla, the Demon Lord. He couldn't help but cough a mouthful of black blood. It was a sudden action made by him which alerted Taliya and the others but none of them acted, they just stared at him startled and confused.

After all, he just coughed blood out of nowhere. The husband and Taliya thought that the Demon Lord used her special eyes to damage Arthur but the silver-haired woman softly shook her head as she was just as confused as them.

Arthur was stuck in the white space for a long time but in reality, it was just two seconds, just enough time to blink his eyes.

The black blood was not a bad sign but Arthur felt a strong headache for some reason. He could feel his muscles and bones strengthening and hardening, his Mental Power grew to an unbelievable degree and he could feel an immense power inside his Dantian.

He just grew by four Grades and earned a lot of stats, so such a feeling is common but the weird thing is an annoying headache which wouldn't stop even after a couple of seconds have passed since he came out of the ARK.

'I wasn't warned about this!'

Arthur activated the pain Immunity which lifted some of the pain away but not all of it, nonetheless, Arthur bore with it and shifted his focus to the three others.

”Do not mind that.”

Arthur waved his hand, burning the black blood which splattered on the ground. He didn't know what it was exactly as it clearly wasn't normal blood but he had a strong hunch that they are impurities or something that was inside of him and hurting him, now that it's out then there is no need to think about it.

Now that the pain quietened and the matter of the ARK has been put aside, Arthur went back to the main topic.

”So you're saying you don't want to negotiate?”

Arthur clearly heard what the Demon Lord said earlier and it seems she regards the maid highly and trying to win her over would be practically impossible. He wasn't interested in political topics and since Mikayla didn't seem to be the kind of person of who abandons her people, just giving priceless treasures wouldn't change her decision.

Moreover, Taliya is the Demon Lord's sister so that adds to her importance for Mikayla. Although it was regrettable, Arthur wasn't going to insist too much, if he's lucky, he'll find a person like Mikayla so he can pass the time with him, at least until he finds Lucy.

With nothing more to do here, Arthur got up from his seat and prepared to leave the room as there is nothing else to talk about, at least nothing he was interested in talking about. There was the matter of Lucy's origins but seeing Mikayla's demeanor, he was absolutely sure she wouldn't talk whether he talked to her with a friendly attitude or tortured her.

”Wait.”

With the usual cold and calm voice, the Demon Lord stopped Arthur as she kept staring at him but there was a soft frown on her face as if she was struggling with something.

”The negotiations are over. Except for your maid, I'm not interested in anything else, no need to waste our time talking about something that will lead to nowhere.”

Arthur didn't even bother turning to look at Mikayla as he continued walking out of the room but he halted in his steps once heard the next sentence.

”I never said I won't hand my head maid to you, you just assumed that by yourself. However, I won't give my sister for an unknown person for a treasure or an object that is but a means to an end.”

”Then stop talking in riddles and get straight to the point. What do you want?”

Arthur faced the Demon Lord and stared into her eyes, it was but a stare but for Mikayla, she felt as if she was engulfed by a dark abyss. His eyes were sharp and cold as if she was going to be devoured alive at any second.

It was just the effect of [Bloodlust], it was quite effective since she's weaker than him but she managed to resist it, contrary to Rey who couldn't even lift a finger after being affected by it.

The Demon Lord dropped her head and stared at the floor, seemingly lost in thought. She only snapped out of it when the middle-aged man tapped her shoulder. There was a hint of sadness and bitterness lingering on her face, especially in her eyes. Some unwillingness and hesitation, as if she wasn't sure about what to do.

”.... I want you to destroy the Human Empire.”

As if expecting to hear that, Arthur gave an almost immediate answer.

”That is not possible.”

”... Then help the Demons invade the Human Empire.”

Whilst shaking his head, Arthur shrugged his shoulders and casually replied

”That is practically the same thing. I can't personally help you invade the Human Empire but I can give you an army.”

Mikayla had some hopes after discovering how strong Arthur was but these two replies crushed all her hopes. She didn't need to see his real strength to know the difference between the two of them. He immediately knew she was the real Demon Lord and just a stare from him made her body shiver on its own. That is more proof than needed.

”Army?”

Arthur nodded his head and waved his hand, spawning a normal skeleton warrior. The strongest normal skeleton that he could summon is a Lv150 Skeleton but that is if he doesn't Mental Power. Necromancy didn't use Mana since the moment he broke through the Mortal Realm but if he uses Mental Power, then the spawned undead would be much stronger, however, the regen of Mental Power took hours if not days.