Arthur and Lucy were peacefully conversing only to be interrupted by an unwelcome individual with an unseen face. He put his cane on the side and sat opposite of the parasite while saying:

"Since there is still time till the next event, I don't see why we don't solve our feud, if you want to call it that."

'X' didn't speak with any hostility, in fact, he sounded calm as he faced the frowning Arthur, who was particularly fond of him. Though he heard no response from both of them, 'X' continued talking:

"I can understand why you dislike me but, considering all the evil in the world, my deed can't be considered as bad, don't you think?"

He put his hand under his blurry chin, sighed then added: "Yes, I did sort of trick you but I never intended to kill you. Actually, I didn't even force you to reincarnate, you willingly accepted my offer. I granted you a second chance and, in return, you fed the Orb for a period of time."

"So you think I can forget about the fact that you played me?"

"Played? Hmm, I wouldn't call that. I lied to you and that's it. Furthermore, the trouble you gave me by disappearing is a good payback." He pointed at the quiet Lucy and stated: "Look, thanks to me, you married this beautiful white specter and are living happily ever after."

"…"-Arthur

The parasite glared at the mysterious man without uttering a word, though the blue light emanating from his pupils were not a good sign for 'X'.

"What do you want?"

"I want a reconciliation."

"Not gonna happen."

"Then a truce. We're not mortal enemies and even if the tower pits us against each other, there's no need to kill. Considering our personal goals, I'm sure we'll fight, however, I don't plan to die for my cause."

"As long as you don't get in my way, I, too, don't want to kill."

Arthur clarified himself while withdrawing his cold glare, finding it pointless to behave angrily in here. What 'X' said is true, kind of… and Arthur wants to protect his brother, moreover, knowing the former's attitude, he's likely saying the truth. He only cares about his benefits and, from the looks of it, Leiu was never his goal.

Nevertheless, he won't let his guard down and if an opportunity arises, he'll definitely kick 'X' and his group out of the tower. They want to get rid of the evil inside his brother but, if necessary, they'll kill his family and that's not something Arthur can tolerate.

'X' happily clapped his hand then swiftly left, not adding a single word. He seemed a bit relieved as he started humming while playing with his odd cane.

*To all contestants, the next event will begin in 1 minutes, please ready yourselves.*

*Each ten floors, there will be a short elimination round to reduce the number of contestants.*

*For the next floor, contestants can form a party and cooperate to complete the task. Fighting is not prohibited and if you kick out a contestant, you will lose a third of your points and if you kill, you'll lose half.*

As usual, Arthur partied with Lucy while Forne invited his companions. Excluding those two groups, there were a few others who formed an alliance and there were some who preferred venturing alone, such as Zodiak and Xyktia, for example.

One minute quickly passed and all fifty-one contestants were teleported to the 9th floor, which looked like a large circular arena. There were no spectators as the place was half-destroyed and very ancient, the earth had dark red sand and the walls were made from orange cubic stones that were engraved with small defensive formations.

*Welcome to the 9th floor; King's Fury. You will be given 15 minutes to defeat the Ogre, 30 minutes to defeat the gladiator, and one hour to kill Zurak, the incompetent King. The contestants who deal the most damage will be rewarded more points. The three lowest damage dealers will be disqualified.*

*The Ogre will be released in 15 seconds.*

Right after the Red Tower finished speaking, the ground started shaking then a large hole appeared. Loud mechanical noises echoed across the arena followed by a big metal cage being lifted to the surface. Imprisoned inside was a monster over 10 meters in height, he had a skin similar to the sand and six eyes. He wasn't holding any weapon but the pressure he was emanating was truly frightening.

'Appraisal.'

*Red Sand Ogre (Race: Half-Ogre/Half-Titan): Realm: none

Lv: 15,000

Health: 150,000,000,000

Skills: ???? ???? ????

Info: Mismatch.

Titles: none*

"I don't understand. Does it want us to defeat it? Isn't it a bit of an overkill?"

Hach'ara wasn't threatened by the ogre, he sized down the latter before curiously looking. He wasn't the only one confused by the given task, after all, they were amongst the strongest people in the multiverse yet they want them gang up on an ogre.

"Arthur, it's not that simple."

Lucy focused on the trapped ogre while whispering to her husband.

In response, Arthur activated [Transmutation] boosting his stats, he also prepared a Rizaki and hid it inside a spatial dimension, ready to be used anytime he wants.

Fifteen seconds crept by and the ogre was finally released from his prison. The cage broke down and the monster's rage exploded, shaking the whole arena and forcing all those around him to retreat.

However, this was but the beginning as the red sand under their feet started moving and dozens of spikes sprung from the ground, hitting all fifty-one contestants.

Considering their Lv or cultivation, they managed to block the spikes using barriers or other defensive techniques. Lucy countered the sand using Yin Power, which froze them, as for Arthur, he just used his speed to easily evade it.

The spikes were only meant for distraction as the ogre's six eyes shot out red beams that rebounded and multiplied every time they hit an obstacle. In a few seconds, there were countless beams flying all around, there were even some who hit some of the contestants.

This area of effect was stopped a bit later when the Sword God acted. He jumped in the air and waved his around, which was coated with his Sword Essence. Just like a real sword, his hand unleashed thousands of white particles that got rid of all the flying beams. Another figure joined the battle, he charged at the ogre and struck with his fist, a simple but surprisingly devastating attack.

He was the guy who mastered Earth Magic, he was wearing golden gauntlets that suited his magic and boosted his power. His strike managed to push away the ogre and make it roar in angrily whilst trying to stabilize its body.

Not wanting to lose out to the others, the rest unleashed their attacks simultaneously. Zodiak used Dark Magic to bind the ogre while Losha slashed with her sword, Maxine threw a bomb, etc..

The air was filled with numerous differently colored skills, techniques, and curses, all aimed at the ogre, which didn't go down even after receiving all of that at the same time.

After one full minute of absolute destruction, the ogre was pushed into a miserable state. It lost its right leg and four of its eyes were gone, nonetheless, it still stood up and controlled the sand to retaliate.

All the sand under their feet rose to the air and was about to cling onto the ogre only for a thick bolt of white thunder to descend from above, stunning the monster. Lucy followed by shooting a deafening bullet from her revolver, aiming exactly at the ogre's forehead.

Fortunately, it successfully hit its target and knocked it on the ground but it was still not enough to kill it. It was at this time that thousands upon thousands of flying insects clustered around it the ogre, eating its flesh.

They were abnormally fast and in five seconds, there were only bones left. The ogre perished under Hach'ara deadly summons. The insects seemed pleased after a good and delicious meal so they went back under their master's robe, while the person in question was taking deep breaths.

It did take him a bit of energy to summon them but it was more than enough to turn the ogre into nothing but dry bones.

Right after the monster was killed, there was a loud explosion followed by something descending from the sky. A golden light fell at the center of the arena and, upon a closer look, it seemed to be an armored knight. His head was lowered, looking at the ground while his hands were resting on his greatsword, which was stabbed onto the ground.

*The Knight will awaken in 30 seconds.*