"Parasite, what is the matter with you?!"

Hach'ara was fuming as he glared back at the Black Dragon. Although he knew Arthur was the one controlling him, he couldn't help but feel threatened, after all, the pressure coming off the dragon was enough to make him feel nervous.

This was the case for most of the spectators and contestants, whether they were allies or enemies. Thanks to her incredible physique and high recovery, Losha recovered to near perfect healthy state but she didn't leave the scene yet. Maxine and her teammates also remained on standby, curious about what's going to happen, though the high-leveled player did show a bit of interest toward the Blessing Stone in particular.

Arthur didn't reply to the insect user and, instead, spread his marvelously big wings and loudly cried, shaking the whole planet and even causing more than half of the Holy Knights to instantly fall unconscious.

Black Dragons excel in mental attacks, many myths speak of how a single gaze from them can petrify a God or kill a Devil.

Dozens of powerful individuals, including Hach'ara, Sickle Bart, the Jade Emperor, and the Saber Saint, jumped at the Black Dragon, wanting to get rid of him in order to obtain the rewards.

Arthur made sure his body covered both the stone, the star, and the black fog in which Zodiak was in. Unlike the Wish Star, the black fog was slowly but surely letting the Blessing Stone get closer to Zodiak, however, this was Arthur's doing. He was forcefully pushing Zodiak's dark magic and opening a path for the stone.

It was the only thing that could help Zodiak prevail against Sol'khin as, currently, the two were fighting each other in the former's consciousness.

The Black Dragon opened its mouth and spat a thick black beam which disintegrated Hach'ara's insects, the saber essence, and the incoming Jade projectiles. Though some attacks did end up hitting the beast, they did close to no damage and could have been avoided but Arthur refused to budge as that would endanger Zodiak.

Without waiting for anyone to recover, Arthur used two successive Rizaki, A Dark and newly acquired Space Rizaki. It did take them thirty or so seconds to fully complete and explode, but Arthur was able to hold on and counterattack using his vast arsenal of powerful skills, however, he did also sustain severe injuries, after all, he was battling over ten Exalted Gods.

Seraph was wise enough to retreat to a safe location, Maxine and Ar'wen also did the same but did not interfere. When the area abruptly turned jet black and the space cracked, all hell broke loose.

The two successive Rizaki were initially underestimated which led to the death of 4 peak Overgods, there was even an Exalted God that was fatally injured. Unfortunately, Hach'ara was unscathed as summoned a special armored Beetle which resisted the two blasts and even spat a purple liquid which melted dozens of Arthur's scales and made him body tremble for a few seconds.

Even with the Pain immunity activated, the beetle's poison caused him an agonizing pain, it somehow seemed to bypass his passive skills and even hurt his consciousness despite it being a physical attack.

…

A few chaotic minutes passed and apart from the greedy Hach'ara, the rest decided to back off as Arthur clearly showed that he wasn't kidding around. His attacks were dangerous even for the best of them, in fact, Hach'ara had lost a hand but managed to rip a third of the black dragon's arm using a praying Mantis that used Void Magic.

Though Arthur's body could self-regenerate, it needs time, which was a luxury he could not afford. Furthermore, controlling the Black Dragon was taking a toll on his mental and making him a lot slower. The situation got much worse when ten minutes passed and he was forcefully ejected from the Black Dragon's body.

Arthur quickly stored the massive corpse then took out the sword given by Timos. He was ready to use [Thousand Waves] and sacrifice his arm but he, fortunately, didn't have to as the Blessing Stone finally and successfully entered Zodiak's body.

This miraculous item would grant the beneficiary a blessing of his choice and if the user can't choose then the stone would choose what he needs most. In Zodiak's case, it'll certainly grant him something that can make him overpower Sol'khin.

A couple brief moments of restlessness passed as Arthur looked at Zodiak's motionless body with anticipation. He tried getting closer but suddenly halted when he saw the black fog vanish into nothingness and a black tentacle stretch from Zodiak's body.

The tentacle was faster than Arthur, who was currently weakened and had a slower reaction time. The disgusting thing stabbed the parasite's chest and brought him closer to Zodiak, but Arthur managed to swing the sword and cut it off before it did any more damage.

'Impossible! How did Sol'khin win?'

He saw a red light emanate from Zodiak's eyes, coupled with the ghastly laugh, Arthur knew that Sol'khin had emerged victorious. Just as Sol'khin was about to attack Arthur again, an ear-piercing cry reverberated across the three Universes.

It lasted only for five seconds but it had a clear effect on Sol'khin and Arthur especially. The black tattoo on the back of his right hand expanded in size and devastating black flames engulfed him and Zodiak, causing Sol'khin to loudly cry in pain as if something was pushing him back and restraining his power.

"Master! It's the Dark Blade! It's calling you!"-Quad-Spirit

"I know."

The wild and frightening cry of the Dark Blade was heard by everyone and anyone, no matter what they were. The planet Arthur was in was especially affected as the night sky was replaced by an ominous gloom which made those in it uncomfortable and greatly weakened.

This was a golden opportunity for Arthur, who stabbed Zodiak's chest and started mumbling with a cold voice

"Stars, hide your fires; Let not light see my black desires.

It cannot be seen, cannot be felt,

Cannot be heard, cannot be smelt,

It lies beyond stars and under hills,

And empty void it fills,

It comes first and follows after,

Ends life, kills laughter!"

The black tattoo belonging to the Dark Oath was expanding and causing the dancing dark flames to become more violent.

Sol'khin's cries became weaker and weaker until they stopped and the red light coming from Zodiak's eyes was replaced by the original owner's clear pupils.

Arthur did manage to push Sol'khin back into Zodiak's consciousness but the two souls didn't merge yet. Zodiak was greatly weakened and even with the powerful blessing, he wasn't able to win, sadly.

Nevertheless, Arthur's timely help did allow Zodiak to gain control and seal Sol'khin for sometime.

"Thank you."

The old man weakly smiled at Arthur before pushing the latter's hand back and shooting in the sky with an abnormal speed. Within a few seconds, he had left the planet's atmosphere and was getting further and further away from everything, purposely choosing to be in an isolated place as to not affect the innocent bystanders.

Zodiak didn't know but not far behind him, a tall man in a white costume was quietly following him while holding a card in his hand. The Joker had a serious look on his face and the killing intent emitting from his eyes was truly bone-chilling.