"It's so fast!"

Maxine swung her sword at the Bee, which was ten times the size of the one Arthur and Celes captured. It looked ominous with its six wings flapping endlessly and emitting yellow particles in the air.

The area they were in was previously a desolate land, an ancient battlefield, though it drastically changed due to Lucy's magma. It's as if a volcano erupted here, the ground was filled with red hot Lava and the heat was suffocating, it even made the female player sweat profusely.

Lucy changed the environment, making it unfavorable for the insect, which couldn't fly properly and ended up falling into a pool of lava after having four of its wings cut by precise attacks of Max. Before it died, Lucy managed to touch the Bee, allowing her and her partner to enter the 4th floor, at last.

****

"Contestant, welcome to the 4th floor, Alliance."

Arthur found himself standing in a luxurious room with a lot of furniture, tables filled with foods and drinks, large and beautiful paintings, and golden and silver statues of what seemed to be commanders of various races, be it dwarves, elves, demons, or even fishmen.

Obviously, he wasn't the only here as he noticed the presence of many of the contestants. Some were unfamiliar and others were individuals he met or previously read or know about, like the Sword God, Tula, or the thief. There was even a large purple beast sleeping on the side, undisturbed by anyone, though many were throwing cursory glances at it.

*On this floor, your skills, techniques, spells, cultivation, levels… will be temporarily disabled. The task will be to defend the city from the foreign attacking force. To reach the fifth floor, you'll have to pass through the Sky Door. Cooperation of all the contestants will be needed to fight against the aliens and emerge victorious. You'll obtain points by killing the enemies and they can be spent in the luxury shop accessed on the menu.

Anything bought in the store will be accessible on the 5th floor. The event will begin once 501 contestants appear in the waiting room.

Current number of contestants: 389*

Arthur listened to the voice of the Red Tower, trying to understand what needs to be done.

'It mentioned a task but it didn't say that it's obligatory to complete it. Can I go directly to the fifth floor if I pass the Sky Door?'

He contemplated over what was said, ignoring the gazes he was getting. Ever since his fierce battle on the 2nd floor, Arthur became notorious, moreover, he was already infamous in the Cloud Sea Universe.

He was the parasite banished by the monks to Riarravar, so his appearance here surprised many people.

The system was locked and, just like it was mentioned, almost everything was disabled. The only thing he could use was Dark Magic, it was available because it wasn't categorized as a skill or a technique. To use Dark Magic, he needs Dark Mana, which is something acquired by converting normal Mana. Fortunately, the talisman inside of him is capable of storing Dark Magic and, currently, there's a decent amount accumulated there. He just needs to use it wisely and not unleash all in one-go.

The Luxury Store is something any contestant can use, it functions like the system and can be opened anywhere. It's a small icon on the bottom left of Arthur's sight, it can be hidden and isn't really that bothersome.

On the 2nd floor, he obtained a decent amount of points, however, it didn't seem to be enough to buy anything useful. It has to be said that there were a lot of useful and miraculous items displayed in the store.

There were vials and elixirs that permanently increase your stats, empowers your cultivation, or even widens your meridians to increase your future potential. He even found blood droplets belonging to Divine and mythical beasts, though the prices were exorbitant, to say the least.

The true blood of a phoenix costs 195 million points… a frozen feather of an Ice Phoenix is 150 million points. Of course, there were equipment and even something that shocked Arthur, it was a seed of Dark Magic, something that only he can make. From the description written under it, Arthur realized that it's a more powerful variation of the ones he's able to conjure, moreover, it actually grants the user real Dark Magic, not artificial one like the Gutcha's. The price for this was a whopping 400 million points, the fourth most expensive thing.

The first was a Blessing Stone, the prize for winning the competition. Quite surprisingly, it can also be obtained if you have enough points… that is to say, 2.5 billion points. The second one was the Star Void Physique manual, the strongest of all physiques. What makes it special is that anyone can acquire it, you don't need to meet special requirements.

As for the third item, it was a Void Spirit. Whoever buys it, will gain ownership and properly use it for his or her benefits. Void is the strongest magic so a spirit born from such an attribute is bound to be unimaginably powerful, it even made Arthur wonder how the Joker managed to capture one and put it in the store.

****

"In the end, what do you want from me?"

Angelina looked at the crow sitting atop Moriah's head, her face frowning and confused.

"What I want? Aren't you the one who came here seeking questions? You visited my child's tomb looking for answers. Be responsible for your actions."

"Responsible? I didn't want to come here. I've been having those weird dreams and there is this thing inside of me."

Her tone was loud and berating as she lashed at the calm crow, also known as Bilgart.

"The thing, which you refuse to accept, is now a part of you. A machine created by Claud Venice, a human that lived in the Era of Beginning, precisely on this place, a planet called Serenity. He had the ability to see the future, hence the title: 'Prophecy Holder'. You two were married and your name was Angel… don't you think it's a coincidence? Angel and Angelina."

The white specter remained silent, glaring at the entity with clear hostility.

"Tell me, what is it that differentiates sentient beings from non-sentient ones? Is it intelligence or power? No, it's memories. Eternal things that make you who you are. You can deny your existence and your destiny but the memories engraved so deep into your mind cannot be erased. Angel was reborn as Angelina, her race changed and new memories were formed but through a series of events, she also remembered her past-life. Whether it's a good or bad thing, it's for you and only you to decide. Quit burdening yourself with your sister or other people's lives and think of yourself, at least for once."

"What is that supposed to mean? Burdening myself? I only want what's best for my sister!"

"No, you don't. If you do, you would not have brought her to the clan."

"She needs to live with her family… not with some monster. Oblivious to everything."

"She has the right to live with her family, she doesn't need to. Her destiny is with Arthur, it has and always shall be. Your interference was predictable but untimely, in my opinion. Then again, I only watch and whatever happens is up to the one making the decisions."

After saying that, a bright light emitted from the crow, shooting at the unsuspecting Angelina. Before she disappeared from the tomb, she heard Bilgart's voice again:

"You can either continue your life as it is or seek the truth behind the ARK. Farewell, child."

When she regained consciousness, she was laying on a beautiful land filled with colorful flowers, the sky was blue and the sun was shining brightly. Everything seemed peaceful and her body was in perfect condition, no longer injured or whatsoever.

In her hand, there was a small piece of paper with a few words. The first part was something Bilgart engraved while the rest was a prophecy made by Claud.

'One card to turn the tables

One slash to cut the heavens

One strike to end his brethren'