‘I should’ve known it will come to this…’ Arnold let out a dry laugh.

There was no reason to look at her status since his warrior sense was enough to tell him she was infinitely more powerful than before.

Does divine power make this much of a difference?

The same scorched earth was now filled with thousands, if not millions of flowers.

‘At least I know now that she doesn’t have White Aura like Arthur.’

That would’ve been more troublesome even without Oriel’s soul in his body.

Differences between both energy types aside, he’ll be killed if he doesn’t do something now.

Guinevere wasn’t moving so it gave him enough time to take out all his potions (including the ones he made himself before entering the dungeon a long time ago) and consume them. Most of his injuries were healed instantly.

Aether was still being supplied to his body so he wasn’t any weaker than before. Though, he had a feeling even this wouldn’t be enough—

“Guak!?” A nauseating pain assaulted his senses when he felt something strike his stomach. It was the kind of punch he’d only felt during his training with Sebas.

All he saw was a head of full red hair that permeated a sweet flowery scent.

‘No way! I couldn’t even see her!’

He had been able to keep up with her speed until now thanks to his newfound power but she was suddenly way faster than even his trained eyes. Even Warrior Sense was useless.

But this was a chance!

He coated one of his fingers in thick Aether and aimed right for Guinevere’s shoulder. This strike might not just destroy a pressure / acupuncture point but destroy someone’s joint completely or rip through their skin. Well, that depends who this someone was.

Guinevere grabbed his hand in that moment before it landed and span around with him in tow. She did a full 360 before throwing him into the sky.

He flew so fast that even opening his eyes was a struggle against the fierce wind.

“!!” He blasted a [Flaming Gauntlet] to stop himself, which worked somewhat.

Before he could take a breather, he was punched right in the face and flew even higher, crashing against the falling pieces of the collapsed moon along the way.

With the protection of Aether, he was sure he’d survive space—evident by their earlier clash on the moon—but he didn’t know how long he had left before this power leaves him.

‘How many times can I use that skill I used before?’

Could the “named ancestor” skill be used in succession? It was his most destructive skill by far.

‘No, even if I can do it a few more times, I need to preserve my energy.’

The Aether might completely exhaust his body by his third use of that skill.

It seems he’ll have to rely on his martial art again. Thinking about how troublesome it’ll be to use it while freefalling, he used the teleportation ring to teleport to the ground. In an instant, he arrived back on solid ground again—well, kind of. He crashed into the ground like a heavy boulder that fell from a mountain. At least the pain that accompanied it was less painful than Guinevere’s fist.

“Ugh…” he quickly got up but staggered a little so he decided to catch his breath.

He looked up at all the destruction he caused in his clash with Guinevere. There were still pieces of the moon raining down on the world. It was unbelievable how he had clashed with several demigods and managed to survive this long. He was lucky in his fight against Gederick but he earned his victory against Kalda.

“Haa… Huff…” Arnold felt his vision spinning.

‘Fuck, I’m so tired… Why can nothing go according to plan…’

If he closed his eyes to take a nap now then he might just fall unconscious, giving Guinevere the opportunity to behead him. There’s no guarantee he’ll revive again, as stated by the reliable skeleton merchant.

‘I can’t keep my eyes open…’

Try as he might, he was sent in and out of unconsciousness. His body became heavier by the second. His parched throat sought water and even the saliva in his mouth had dried up.

He could sense Guinevere approach him.

What the hell? They were several hundred kilometers away from this place just a few minutes ago but she caught up with him with raw speed alone.

Sensing her killing intent eased his drowsiness somewhat but it wasn’t enough to completely wake him.

‘Crap, I’m going to get cut down…’

He was about to fall forward, then—

A ferocious bellow echoed at the depths of his soul, waking him from the approaching slumber:

--GUINEVEEEEEEEEEEERE!!!!!!

It felt like something erupted from the bottom of his soul before a torrent of blue energy pumped out of his skin and slowly manifested into an actual figure above his head. it was a gigantic blue giant made from pure spirit energy.

Guinevere looked up at it and said a single name:

“Gederick…?”

Arnold looked up at the fuming giant that was ready to pounce on Guinevere. He activated its status.

* Martial Spirit – Gederick’s Ego

* Name of origin: Gederick, God of War

“TODAY IS THE DAY I VANQUISH YOU ONCE AND FOR ALL!! YOU SHALL REGRET HUMILIATING ME!!” It bellowed thunderously before forcing its way into Arnold’s body. He suddenly felt an unknown strength fill his body.

* Patch notes: A Martial Spirit wishes to create a contract with you

* Do you accept?

Arnold noticed that Guinevere had frozen for some reason. It’s that familiar feeling again—the feeling of time stopping in his favor due to the system.

Before he could make a decision, a warning came from the system:

* Error! The Ascension Pill’s essence is being absorbed by the martial spirit!

This greedy bastard! Is it doing this so that he accepts?

‘Will there be any repercussions?’ he asked even if there was no certainty if he’ll receive an answer.

* Spirit assimilation has no side effect on its own but depending on how much power the spirit uses in your assimilated state, your lifeforce might be impacted once the spirit dies.

‘What? The spirit will die once the assimilation is over? Why?’

Martial spirits’ main purpose is to be a companion in combat. As mentioned before, its defense is very low but its true might lay in its other stats. The wielder and the martial spirit itself have to work together.

* Spirit Assimilation is a form of temporary [Equilibrium], a state of pure body and mind assimilation. This comes with requirements to wield that power—that being the spirit’s lifeforce since this state is not obtained naturally. That is to say, Gederick never achieved [Equilibrium] on his own.

“Equilibrium…” that word was something Sebas repeated to him several times until he understood what it meant. An assimilation—no, understanding between mind, body, martial energies (Aura, Ki…) and spirit.

It wasn't about brute strength, nor was it about pure technique. It was about reaching a state of complete oneness, where mind, body, and soul functioned as a seamless entity, and martial energies became an extension of your will. In this state, power wasn’t something you grasped for—it was something you simply were.

To reach this understanding, to achieve this equilibrium, was to approach divinity itself. It did not matter who you were, where you came from, or what limits the world placed upon you. In that moment, you would transcend them all, becoming something more—something close to a Martial God.

“I… accept.” The moment he uttered those words, a blinding light engulfed his body. It felt like something was happening to his body but he couldn’t see what due to the light. It also felt like different fabric was put on his skin and he felt bigger than before.

Feeling his chest that suddenly lost weight, he realized that his body did indeed change.

As if waiting for his realization, the blinding light vanished, allowing him to look at himself.

He looked at his hands, noticing that they were different from the clone’s hands—stronger, harder and bigger. That wasn’t the only strange thing. His long hair was gone and he wasn’t wearing that slutty outfit anymore but some kind of martial art institution uniform. The uniform consisted of a simple but sturdy tunic of deep indigo, cinched at the waist with a broad belt. The fabric felt resilient, designed for movement and agility. Loose-fitting trousers completed the look, allowing for ease of motion, and sturdy, reinforced boots provided additional support. This new attire contrasted sharply with the seductive clothing of his previous outfit, embodying discipline and purpose instead of allure.

‘Did I suddenly get my body back?’

* In a state of Equilibrium, you are granted the body most suited to wielding its power. In Player Arnold’s case, that would be your 22-year-old self.

22-year-old Arnold… Meaning the same age he was when he became a war lord who invaded several kingdoms. He was already one of the strongest powerhouses by then. Of course, Luke was stronger but that was only due to the Holy Sword being thrown into the equation.

Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on Royal Road.

Arnold checked his level:

* Name: Arnold von Berkley

* Race (s): Dragon, Human, Martial God (temp.)

* Level: 100

‘Will I lose the body once the martial spirit dies from Equilibrium?’

* Patch notes: No. You are still in the clone’s body in a sense. It is the same clay but a different sculpture.

“So, unless I die, I’ll keep this body forever…” he heard a ‘ding, ding’.

Arnold touched his face, feeling his chiseled features, strong jaws and chin, tall nose and rough bangs. He noticed that his hair turned ash-white—resembling Nova almost. He looked down at his bicep, noticing how much bigger it was than his true body’s arms. He flexed it a bit. A surge of power went through that arm when he squeezed just a little bit. It felt like he could crush anything and anyone that stood in his way—even Gederick and Kalda.

“Kuku, not bad.”

‘…System, how would you rank me in my current state?’

There was silence for a while before a low ding echoed in his head.

* Patch notes: You are currently the strongest mortal in the entire nine realms. If ranked among all existing Martial Gods, you are the weakest of them all.

He couldn’t stop a smile from appearing on his face once he heard that.

‘Cancel the timestop. It’s time I put this woman in her place.’

He could try to cut Guinevere down right now but he knew attempting something like that wouldn’t be allowed by the system. It might hinder his moves completely.

* Time will now be set to normal….

“—Are you done preparing yourself?” Guinevere’s cold voice reached his ears. She didn’t look surprised at all that his body suddenly changed.

Arnold silently raised Luxtivin in a stance:

“[Flow of the Tide]” he spoke the name of his martial art before his silhouette became a blurry image—he had appeared in front of Guinevere in an instant!

However, this didn’t cause any change in expression on Guinevere’s face. She merely accepted his strike with her own sword, matching its speed and power perfectly.

Arnold grinned wider as he increased his flurry of attacks but she managed to parry all his attacks. As expected, this woman was at the peak of swordsmanship, besting even future Flora who became the greatest swordsman to ever exist.

With every strike, a portion of the ground was destroyed and the two of them sank deeper and deeper. The crater their attacks formed was so massive that it could fit an entire town in here.

“Kahahaha!” Arnold’s boisterous laughter resounded.

Was this power driving him mad? No, maybe Gederick’s spirit was influencing him? Maybe it was because… it felt like he wanted to rip people’s heads off, friend or foe.

The power behind his strikes created several earthquakes and caused the mountains themselves to tremble. A nearby waterfall was disturbed by this power and completely collapsed, spilling more water than the valley below could handle. Trees were uprooted since the ground couldn’t keep itself together.

Amazing.

AMAZING!

This is the state of pure harmony and equality between mind, body and spirit. The power made him feel lightheaded but his mind remained focused.

“Hahahaha!”

He swung his sword diagonally, a dark blue arc of pure destruction accompanying the strike, which Guinevere dodged. She wasted no time pouncing on him and resuming her assault.

Looking at the strike she dodged, it became evident that the strike itself ripped through the atmosphere, leaving a dark streak that resembled space. The change in atmosphere caused the rocks and trees to be sucked up into that gap in the atmosphere.

Increasing the power behind his strikes, he managed to push Guinevere back for the first time since the fight started. He could see her gritting her teeth, seemingly struggling to keep up.

He was forcing out everything he had against her so it would’ve made him angry if he wasn’t able to do anything to her.

At that moment, he felt her parry another one of his blows but a millisecond later, her fist connected with his stomach, breaking one of his ribs.

Maybe it was wrong to assume she was struggling against him. Of course, now that he knew she was going for such cheap shots, he raised his guard. Being a much more experienced martial artist than her, she couldn’t get another hit in.

Arnold thought that they were equally matched at that moment but he heard her say something between all those metallic clangs that resounded when their swords connected:

“[Celestial Devastation]” a striking white light came from their connected swords the moment she said those words.

“!”

Arnold hurriedly teleported away. A circle of pure destruction expanded a moment later, with Guinevere being in the center, the ring of white light destroying everything in its path. It might not look like much but that was a move from a weapon art that utilizes the power of stars. The power was no doubt a dangerous thing to wield so it was better for him not to try and tank it.

Arnold landed back on the ground. He silently looked down at Luxtivin worriedly, noticing that even after taking the full force of a Spirit Sword, it was still not cracked.

‘I wonder how strong this weapon can become if I find the other Star Shards…’

Guinevere caught up to him the moment he finished that thought, unleashing a downward slash that he narrowly dodged.

‘Shit, if she’s using a weapon art of that scale then I won’t be a match with my second-rate martial art.’

Of course, he had speed on his side as well so it won’t be entirely difficult to match her power.

The moment their swords connected, Arnold felt a pressure travel up his arms, stinging his shoulder joints that made him winch.

His arms were thrown back, well, he threw his arms back himself to get rid of the kickback from that strike of hers. While it did look like an opening to his opponent, there was also a chance for him to use this against his opponent who comes in charging recklessly. Probably knowing this, Guinevere chose not to attack brazenly.

‘Tch.’ What a troublesome foe even when equally matched.

He swiftly gained distance, stepping back to reassess the situation.

Her movements, though graceful, were calculated. Each step was measured, each gesture deliberate. It was as if she was studying him, waiting for the right moment to strike—not with force, but with precision.

‘She’s waiting for me to make a mistake,’ he thought.

From what he had seen so far, it wasn’t just her strength that was impressive. Her control over the battlefield was something else entirely. He needed to break that composure, force her into a position where she couldn’t keep calculating, couldn’t remain in control.

He lunged forward but suddenly struck air. His sword sliced through nothing but wind, the afterimage of Guinevere already disappearing from his sight.

His warrior sense discovered her location not even a second after she vanished. His icy golden eyes glared at her.

Guinevere had made a sudden attempt to take flight, her form darting into the air. But Arnold was quicker than she expected. He leaped after her with a burst of speed, his body launching upward like a missile. In an instant, he had closed the gap, meeting her mid-air.

“Fool,” her calm voice echoed in the wind as she turned her upper body towards him, inches apart. “I was not fleeing.”

“Huh?” Arnold’s brow furrowed, confusion flickering across his face. What is she doing?

In the blink of an eye, Guinevere’s hands moved in a practiced motion, forming a diamond shape between her fingers. The air around her seemed to shimmer with divine energy, and in an instant, a pair of majestic angelic wings unfolded from her back, glowing with radiant light. Above her head, a golden crown materialized, hovering just above her brow like a halo.

“[Angel Smite],” her voice rang with an ethereal authority.

Before Arnold could react, four golden beams of light shot out from the wings, converging into a single point. The beams twisted and spiraled together, forming a massive torrent of energy that spanned several meters in width. The sheer brilliance of the combined energy blinded him for a moment, the air crackling with divine power.

The torrent of energy roared as it hurtled toward him, engulfing everything in its path. The sheer force of it threatened to vaporize anything caught within its radius. Arnold’s instincts screamed at him to dodge, but the overwhelming pressure from the attack pinned him in place, leaving no room for escape.

Finding dodging too difficult, he used Aether to create a barrier a second before the skill’s energy reached him.

There was no resistance from the ground as he was dragged down by Guinevere’s skill. He could hear a cracking sound coming from the dome of Aether he had created.

This is the power of a level 50 skill (a maxed-out skill). He recalled Luke using this skill to kill hordes of demons later in the game when the empire was overrun.

The skill might be slower than him but it possessed a deadly attack power that can hurt Lords even when at full power.

It was a good thing he attacked her relentlessly and didn’t give her enough time to use other skills. He didn’t want to know what else she had up her sleeve.

Before it could drag him any deeper, he released even more Aether, creating a bigger dome.

This gave him the chance to teleport out of there. But the moment he arrived at a random place, he felt Guinevere right behind him. Instinctively, he swung his fist, which she avoided elegantly and swiftly before driving her fist into his stomach again. Unlike the first time, the pain wasn’t that great so he punched her right back, this time way harder.

A loud whack sound echoed in the fields as Guinevere’s head was sent back by that punch. Before Arnold could gain some distance, she punched him back, a similar whacking sound accompanying the hit.

The two of them continued their back-and-forth punching. It became evident that Arnold’s hits weren’t actually doing much damage. Meanwhile, hers got even more stronger with every punch.

Arnold’s face was completely bloodied and bruised. He could only see out of one eye.

It seems even the strongest mortal can’t stand up to a former High Valkyrie. No, he was certain he’d surpassed the current High Valkyrie so using her as a standard was foolish.

This woman was probably the strongest demigod and more powerful than many gods at this stage.

Arnold wondered to himself, ‘Is she holding back?’

If his estimation of her power was true then the above has to be true.

On the next punch he threw, he used [Flaming Gauntlet] when it connected, sending Guinevere flying back. Using that opportunity when her balance was off, he charged at her after surrounding both of his index fingers in Aether.

* System updated!

* Patch notes: Due to your enhanced growth rate supplied by the [Ascension Pill], your proficiency with [Speed of Sound] has increased from 10% to 25%.

Almost immediately, he felt himself moving faster, the world around him blurring as his body propelled forward with incredible speed. In less than a second, he was in front of Guinevere, his fingers aimed straight for her shoulder joints. He roared, every ounce of fury and desperation poured into the strike. He didn’t care if he crushed her acupuncture points—this bitch was in his way, and she had to be removed, no matter the cost.

“!!” Guinevere’s expression remained unreadable, but her body moved with terrifying precision. His hand, which he thought would land cleanly, was caught mid-strike.

“Gahhh!!” Arnold screamed as she twisted his arms, the sound of his wrist bones shattering like breaking glass filled the air. The skin on his forearms tore apart as if being unwrapped, blood splattering onto the ground.

Before he could process the pain, Guinevere’s leg shot up, and her foot connected with his chest with the force of a thunderclap. The impact was catastrophic. Arnold’s body was sent flying backward, flipping uncontrollably as he tumbled through the earth like a ragdoll. He rolled across the ground for several hundred meters, leaving a deep trench in his wake, before his body finally collided with the face of a cliff. The sound of rock and flesh colliding echoed, followed by a brief silence as the dust settled.

His vision swam as he struggled to lift his head. Blood trickled down his face, mixing with the dirt and grime. His limbs were barely responding, wracked with agony from the brutal assault. At this point, he had lost sight of her, but the oppressive weight of her energy was impossible to ignore. It was like a wave crashing over him, slowly closing in.

He gritted his teeth, trying to push himself up. His arms shook under the weight of his battered body. His mind raced.

‘Should I teleport away…?’

The thought tempted him. Fleeing might be his only option, but the humiliation gnawed at him. He wasn’t a coward. He couldn’t be. He had come too far, fought too hard to run now.

A sensation of water gushing through a pipe came from the bottom of his soul. For a moment, he thought it would be fine to let it come out.

Yes, let it all come out. If he’s lucky, it might kill this woman finally.

* Warning! Using a combustion of Aether in a state of Equilibrium will put all life in this world in danger.

Arnold let out a dry, bitter laugh, blood bubbling in his throat as he hacked up a cough. ‘You think I care about their lives…? Piss off.’ His thoughts spat venom at the system. The lives of the people in this world meant nothing to him. He wasn’t their savior; he wasn’t their hero. All that mattered was the fight, the survival.

He had been fighting with the intent to immobilize her but this time he’ll fight to kill.

The system’s warning windows flickered before vanishing, leaving him alone once more. Alone with the growing storm inside him.

An uncomfortable sensation began to spread throughout his body, crawling under his skin like fire ants. His muscles twitched involuntarily as power welled up inside him, far greater than anything he had tapped into before. His veins bulged unnaturally, glowing faintly as the raw energy surged, waiting to be unleashed.

Arnold closed his eyes, feeling the pressure in his chest build to a point of unbearable tightness. He could feel the power growing, pushing against the very limits of his body, threatening to tear him apart from the inside. His breath quickened, his heart hammering like a drum.

And yet, in the back of his mind, there was only one thought:

‘Let it all out already!!!’

Not caring if the martial spirit dies with him or if the Ascension Pill’s internal energy is lost with this body, he roared at the depths of his soul.

A rumble started in the pit of his stomach, low and menacing, growing louder and louder. The ground beneath him began to crack and tremble as the energy built to a crescendo. His body was on fire, his skin boiling with the unbearable heat of raw Aether.

Guinevere’s energy loomed closer, but Arnold no longer cared. The decision was made. If it cost him everything—his body, his soul—so be it. He’d take her down with him.

With a guttural scream, he unleashed the power.

‘I guess I’ll choose to be reckless despite knowing how painful death will be…’