"Boss, what's wrong? It's the first time you're treating me to such an expensive meal!"

Cynthia, Arthur's secretary curiously inquired as her boss surprisingly brought her to one of the luxurious restaurants and told her to eat as much as she wants.

"Can't I pamper my subordinate? Hahaha"

He laughed while looking at her comical expression, which clearly showed that she didn't believe a word of what he said. Ever since she took this job, he'd make her work day and night so, such a rare occasion, which was definitely out of the norm, kind of frightened her. In fact, she even thought she's going to get fired due to her clumsy actions.

"B-boss, I kno-"

Before she could finish, Arthur cut her off by saying:

"It isn't what you think so enjoy the dishes."

Cynthia sighed and did as told, though her mind was busy thinking about something else. Anyway, it didn't take long for her to fill her stomach and savor the delicious desserts.

When she was about to go wash her hands, Arthur grabbed her hand, his face looking a bit more serious. He pulled her back in the seat and pushed a relatively large envelope towards her.

"I don't need you or want you to question any of what I'll say. Take this and leave the country tonight, I've already booked a flight to Switzerland for you. You always wanted to live there, right?"

Dumbstruck, Cynthia looked at the envelope then at Arthur, not knowing how to react or what to say.

"I've arranged everything for you there so you can live comfortably. This gentleman here will drive you to the airport."

He looked at a middle-aged man who walked up to the table and bowed to him before facing Cynthia.

"See you."

Without even waiting for her reply, Arthur stood up and left the restaurant. As for his secretary, despite her unwillingness, she was still taken to the airport and flew to Switzerland the very same night.

Actually, that very same day, Arthur was kidnapped in front of his home. A group of muscular mercenaries bound him and threw him into a large white van.

Of course, Arthur neither fought back nor said anything as he expected all of this to happen. Like the past, he was brought back to that room and tortured while Claudia enjoyed the sight. Using his still vivid memories of the first cycle, Arthur acted the very same and questioned his wife's actions, eagerly waiting for the fateful day to arrive.

Months passed and Arthur's body slowly broke down until 'X' finally appeared and offered Arthur a second chance, which he obviously took. However, when he reincarnated, he wasn't brought back to Astria but to another place.

****

With the mountain in a demolished, unstable state and the tribulation pouring down on the peak, the spectators grew curious about this 8-star God Monarch who's currently rebuilding his body into a Celestial one. At first, a hand sprung from the earth then it was followed by a second hand, they were stained from the dirt but apart from that, they resembled a human's.

Like an awoken zombie, a man appeared from the earth, he had short hair that was jet black with a bit of white strands. Before his face become clear, he vanished from everyone's sight.

"I told you that I will come back, right?"

Arthur appeared before the elder monk from last time, the one who banished him to Riarravar. Due to his sudden attack, the monk wasn't able to escape. Arthur's hand stabbed the monk's abdomen and literally pulled his organs then Dark Magic followed, engulfing the whole lower part of the old man.

The monk tried to speak but only blood came out of his mouth, his cultivation was being lost and he couldn't even take out his artifact to defend or flee. While holding the top of the dying monk's head, Arthur glanced at the flabbergasted spectators, a soft smile plastered on his now clean face. A strange black spatial tunnel opened next to him and, from within, a small jet black ring and a robe attached themselves to Arthur.

"I didn't think I would have a lot of fans."

Arthur chuckled and raised his hand, releasing an absurd amount of Godly Thunder which clashed with the incoming tribulation. The white and red thunder struck each other, cracking the space and destroying the surroundings.

Not all of the people present recognized him, however, those who did, became shocked and frightened. One of them was the black-haired Marshall who appeared at the end of the war between the white specters and the undead, his countenance changed as he glared at Arthur, not bothering to hide his hostility.

The target of his fiery gaze remained nonchalant as he looked at the raging thunder up above and mumbled:

"It'll be better to get rid of this before the fun begins."

He retrieved the sword given to him by Timos, held it with both of his hand and flew into the sky, directly at the tribulation. What happened after left everyone gob-smacked, like a wheel, Arthur spun in the air and slashed with his sword, releasing a devastating invisible blow which cut down everything in its path. The hundreds of thunderbolts and the clustered dark clouds were split in two and vanished within ten seconds, leaving nothing but the rumbling sounds of the disappearing thunder.

Just like that, a Celestial Tribulation which can evaporate an Overgod was taken care of. This only deepened the dread of the spectators, especially those who are not strong enough to content against this unfamiliar man.

The players that came from System braced themselves and took out a lot of expensive items, planning to defend themselves if Arthur decided to attack them next.

The Marshall changed into a fighting stance as he knew he would be next. Very few people remained calm, one of them was the Sword God, Syth's teacher. At first, he was surprised but didn't feel that much threatened by Arthur, however, when his disciple told him something, he retreated to a safe corner and merely watched the events unfold.

After he got rid of the tribulation, the eight stars rotating around Arthur started forming his Celestial Body. The process took less than a minute, moreover, not even one person dared to disturb Arthur, who was becoming an Overgod before their eyes.

His eyes shone with a blue luster while his body emitted an outrageous amount of Dark Magic which shrouded the sky and corrupted half of the demolished mountain, which could barely hold on. Any more damage and it'll crumble, no one would have ever thought that an ancient monument would be destroyed to such a sorry state.

"Time to collect some debt, Marshall."

Arthur spoke with a mocking tone as he sheathed his sword and faced the enemy. Unfortunately, the Marshall wasn't alone as two other silhouette jumped next to him. The two were unfamiliar to Arthur but thanks to Appraisal, he was able to see their status, including the realms. Both were peak Overgods, supreme existences in this Universe but the parasite didn't feel worried.

He could hear the calling of the red envelope given by the Joker, which meant that the Red Tower will open soon. He didn't know where Lucy was but it was safe to assume that she'll be waiting for him there.

The first to initiate an attack was the Marshall, who charged at Arthur, his sword releasing tiny silver threads made of sharp Sword Essence. In retaliation, Arthur punched the air in front of him, cracking it and breaking all the threads, then he teleported next to the man and violently kicked his legs before using his new power which allowed him to release a purer form of Nether Energy which can damage enemies.

The Marshall was hit by the kick but managed to somersault in time to dodge the second attack.

The two others, both old men, each rushed from one direction, one wielding a long halberd and the other a long lance. When they got too close to Arthur, their movement became incredibly slow, allowing Arthur to easily position himself and counter-attack.

Within a split second, the two were flung away, one enveloped by green lightning and the other waving his weapon around, trying to get rid of a get rid of the Dark Magic. Sadly, Arthur wasn't done as he teleported again, appearing behind the old man wielding a lance and opened his mouth, spitting some sort of acid.

The deadly acid splattered all over the old man, melting his clothes and skin, causing him to wail loudly, unable to handle the pain. Even before such a gory sight, Arthur didn't bat an eye as he punched the old man, planning to finish him only for the Marshall to dive from the air, his sword releasing a loud cry then unleashing a white blast.

Arthur changed his target from the old man to the Marshall, his fist clashing with the sword. The result was an annoying ringing sound caused by the cracked sword of the Marshall, who gasped and swiftly retreated.

Sadly, his body plummeted below, and before his body could crash in the ground, the earth moved on its own, changing into sharp and long black spikes. He trying rotating his body mid-air to avoid them but the ever-increasing gravity rendered him unable to move freely.

A distance away, the lance wielding Overgod was overwhelmed by a large flame tornado and a lightning dragon, both bombarding relentlessly. He was able to protect himself but he could not join the other two and attack Arthur.

…

"He's multitasking. Never saw anyone actually do it."

One of the players chatted with his friends while watching Arthur's fight. Another player, a woman with a long green hair and a light silver armor, nodded her head and added:

"He can use lots of elements too. I see lightning, fire, earth, Space, darkness, Life, death."

"Isn't he that parasite who got banished? How'd he come back?"

Hearing this question, the woman shrugged her shoulders, uninterested. She took out a red envelope and said:

"We've got no business here, let's head to the Red Tower."

Some of the players under her didn't object and obediently followed her.

…

The old man who got hit by the acid perished less than a minute later, as for the lance wielding Overgod, he was targeted next by Arthur.

The parasite, while receiving the Marshall's sword slashes, was able to hit the far-away old man. Small and colorful tornados appeared above his hands, they spun with great speed and, when thrown, became extremely large and devastating.

Around six tornados headed toward the old man, each containing an attribute with the most terrifying one being the Death Tornado. It withered everything in its way and kind of weakened the other tornados, nonetheless, they ended up reaching the target and trapping him.

Unfortunately, the old man didn't die that easily, he suddenly emitted a blinding red light and swept his lance, breaking all the tornados before leaping at Arthur. The old man's speed became absurd as he appeared next to Arthur and stabbed him, the spear going through Arthur's chest.

Glad that he finally defeated the target, the old man looked at Arthur only to find the latter smiling, unperturbed by the lance going through his chest.

"Got you."

The moment Arthur said that, the ground under the old man turned jet black and started to suck him in like some sort of a black hole. In fact, this was an ability Leiu often used and Arthur managed to successfully imitate it using Dark Magic.

The old man struggled and tried jumping away but to no avail, the more he moved, the faster the suction became. A couple of seconds passed and all that remained was an emptiness in his location, even his desperate cries could no longer be heard.

The Marshall, angry, became much more serious as his blade turned invisible and his aura multiplied. Like a ghost, he zigzagged around the spikes blocking his away before stabbing Arthur with the unseen blade.

Sadly, his weapon hit only air as Arthur vanished yet again and when he reappeared, he was possessing the body of the old man who was killed by the acid. Arthur took a throwing stance and, after applying all of his strength into the arm holding the lance, he shot it at the incoming Marshall.

It whistled in the air and shattered the space around it as it directly clashed with the enemy, breaking into pieces but still managing to fling the Marshall away. Furthermore, the tip of the lance had a fire Rinotsu hidden in it, which engulfed the whole target.

Being an Exalted God, the Marshall wasn't heavily injured by either the Rinotsu or the lance, nonetheless, he did suffer minor wounds and still had to get rid of the Hell flames burning his clothes and disturbing his flow of energy.