Return Of The Strongest Player

Bam! Bam! Bam! Bam!

Eleanor mindlessly swung her greatsword, hacking away at the steel barrier with all her strength. The muscular man maintaining the barrier coughed blood continuously, unable to withstand the overwhelming pressure.

Suddenly, three other zombies approached the barrier, pouring all their mana reserves into maintaining it.

Umbral stood silently, gazing at the steel barrier that seemed to be shaking violently. His eyes were narrowed to slits, while his fists were clenched. With a complicated expression and furrowed eyebrows, he seemed uncertain of something.

As if Eleanor's power was beyond his expectations.

He was still certain of his victory but was instead uncertain of the sufficiency of his rate of growth. Was he falling behind the talented players of his generation? Age did not matter in the tower, mostly.

As long as one was capable, one was eligible to face the horrors of the tower.

Talent and power were not measured by one's age. As long as one fell behind, one would eventually run into failure. As long as one did not possess power, it did not matter if they were six or sixty.

Suddenly, Umbral glanced at a few other zombies.

The zombies rushed towards the steel barrier, and while some poured their mana into maintaining it, the others escaped its protection to engage in battle with Eleanor. It was utterly shocking that she could resist such a massive horde of zombies.

'But this should be her limit.'

The zombies that were ordered to engage in battle unleashed barrages of strikes and spells, pressuring Eleanor to her limit. While defending herself and ignoring non-fatal strikes, she continued to hack away at the steel barrier.

If she could only destroy the barrier, she had a chance of winning.

Perhaps…

Gritting her teeth and biting off a bit of her lip in the process, Eleanor continued to pour her mana into the attack. The sea of flames was as powerful as ever, drowning anything in proximity with incomprehensible heat.

Mana continued to spill from her body, encompassing her surroundings in a thick fog of supernatural energy.

Bam! Bam! Bam! Bam!

Each of her strikes was capable of utterly destroying the body of a regular person. Performing them once every two seconds while simultaneously defending herself from all sides was proving to be very difficult.

'Do I have to use that…?'

Eleanor wondered, shutting her eyes while contracting her muscles. While contemplating, she was suddenly assaulted by a jolt of pain that originated from her shoulder, spreading across her body in mere seconds.

She gritted her teeth, still uncertain.

'No, I can't.'

'The only option is to run again…'

She didn't want to run. Running was a sign of cowardice. She had also escaped from Umbral once and was certainly not proud of her decision. Running was equivalent to abandoning her pride.

The first time she ran, it was because of uncertainty. She was uncertain how Umbral's power would affect her.

However, this time, she was running from the opportunity to die in battle.

But she didn't wish to die.

At least, not yet.

Clenching her teeth, Eleanor prepared to escape. However, sensing her decision to attempt to escape, Umbral finally revealed a smile of amusement. Manipulating the shadows around him, he extended his arm.

Two slithery, snake-like shadows rushed towards Eleanor, creeping up on her like the bringers of death.

'Fuck…'

She muttered internally, sensing the approach of the two shadows. Once again, she was uncertain of what the shadows were capable of, but they seemed to instill a deep sense of fear within her heart.

As if invisible hands were grasping her heart, threatening to crush it.

When the shadows were merely two inches away from her boy, however, an explosion occurred, causing blinding light to spill across the battlefield, leaving everything in a white-yellow hue.

A world devoid of darkness descended.

A silhouette appeared before Eleanor. The former quickly utilized complex movements to get behind the latter, chopping Eleanor's neck. The red-haired woman's eyes widened for a split second before she promptly collapsed on the soil beneath.

As the light faded, darkness was welcomed back into the world.

"I was wondering when you'd appear," said Umbral, crossing his arms while mourning the loss of two of his shadows. The blinding had originated from the silhouette–namely, Arthur. "Arthur Solace, the man who conquered the First Floor."

Arthur scratched the back of his head in embarrassment. "I didn't realize I was that famous."

The crimson-eyed man turned around, glancing at the unconscious body of Eleanor, which seemed peaceful. Arthur scoffed, recalling the internal battle he had a few minutes ago while spectating the battle.

While observing from a nearby tree, he contemplated whether to rescue the red-haired woman, as it offered virtually no benefits. She had already worn the mysterious child out by decimated a lot of his forces.

Keeping her alive was detrimental.

'But if I'm the only one who walks out of the floor, Bahamut will be on my tail in no time,' thought the crimson-eyed man, smacking his head while furrowing his eyebrows due to the inconvenience.

'I've become a damn babysitter.'

Now, as he stood before the mysterious Child of Shadows, he felt virtually no fear. The child before him was quite ordinary. But that was what increased Arthur's anxiety. An ordinary person could not subdue almost a hundred players and suppress the Princess Of The Dragons.

If an ordinary person could achieve that feat, the name 'Celestial Peaks' would not instill any player–even the Divine Rankers–with fear each time it was spoken. Umbral was not an ordinary person, by any means.

"What's your name, kid?" Arthur inquired, wearing a casual expression so as to mask his anxiety. Displaying one's emotions was the epitome of vulnerability.

"You can call me whatever suits your fantasy, Mr. Solace," said the child, bowing once while smiling brightly and innocently. "Although, I go by several names. Two of them are Umbral and Chasmal."

"All right, Umbral. Shall we see who'll survive?"

"Gladly."

The battle soon began.