"Let us fight to the death, humans!" the leader roared as he turned, ready for battle.

This floor's mechanic was the final showdown of the [Demonic Ruins].

And its objective was simple: a fair fight between a player or a team against the leader of the ruins.

It sounded fair on paper. But Stark knew better.

He had never seen this being before, and yet the aura rolling off it told him everything.

That thing was far from fair. It was insanely strong.

Stark could feel its presence pressing against his skin like a burning wind.

---

[Demonic Ruins Leader, Agras (Level 40)]

[Rank: Mythical (Special Boss NPC)]

[HP: 3,000,000]

---

Agras was a towering demon, three meters tall, his skin crimson like molten stone, muscles bulging under heavy armor that shimmered with dark enchantments.

His long orange hair fell over his shoulders, but the most striking part was the two white horns jutting from his head.

Every time he spoke or smiled, Stark could see rows of razor-sharp teeth.

And then Stark noticed something even more important.

Agras held two blades. A dual-sword wielder.

Stark's eyes narrowed. 'So that's it.'

But the demon leader wasn't looking at him at first.

Agras turned his head slowly, eyes searching behind Stark.

His expression then shifted to confusion out of nowhere.

"Huh, where is your team?"

Stark tilted his head slightly.

"I'm alone," he replied flatly.

The demon leader blinked.

Silence filled the arena for a moment.

Then—

BOOM!

A surge of aura blasted outward, so strong the demons on the benches shielded themselves with their hands.

Even they were unable to resist the aura of their leader.

Some even collapsed where they sat.

Stark on the other hand didn't flinch.

When facing entities that could destroy continents in the future, this leader seemed looked funny to him.

"And you believe," Agras roared, his voice shaking the stone arena, "that you can fight me by yourself?!"

He looked genuinely insulted.

In his mind, no human would dare face him alone.

He had been expecting an entire team to swarm him at once.

But this one was just a lowly mage!

"A mage at that?" Agras laughed, the sound echoing. "You signed your death wish, human!"

Stark didn't answer.

He simply spun his staff in one hand, then pointed it forward.

This was the fight the [Demonic Ruins] demanded.

One way or another, it had to happen here.

Either a team or an individual stepped up against the leader.

But even powerful players like [Ghost], [EvilDemon], and [BraveWarrior]'s full party, had all failed here.

That made Agras the strongest presence in the entire [Demonic Ruins].

Crimson energy flared across the demon's two swords as he rolled his neck and cracked his knuckles.

"Well, then," Agras grinned, teeth glinting, "begin!"

He seemedto have recovered rather quickly from the "insult", focusing back on the fight.

Stark's eyes flicked around.

The arena's benches were full of demons watching the fight like it was entertainment.

They didn't seem like they would interfere, not until their leader was dead or close that is.

Even if they did, Stark would deal with them easily enough.

'But knowing even [Ghost] failed here…' Stark thought, his grip tightening on the staff. 'That means there must be something.'

She had tried several times in his past life and each time failed.

And by the time she could defeat him, she was already level 40, meaning impossible for her to enter once more.

Though Stark actually believed she would be able to defeat Agras with [Starfall] by her side.

"Come on!" Agras taunted, raising one hand in a gesture for Stark to attack. "You can strike first."

Demons, like most races in [Eternal Soul], were arrogant to the core.

Especially when their strength backed it up.

But Stark didn't hesitate.

Bind of Silk!

White threads burst from his staff, surging toward the towering demon.

Agras yawned, then swung his blades lazily.

The silk shredded before reaching him.

Stark didn't react. He had expected that.

"You attacked," Agras laughed, raising both swords, his voice booming. "It's my turn now!"

FWISH!

The demon leader blurred forward.

The ground cracked beneath his steps as he swung both blades.

Dual Crimson Slash!

A red X-shaped slash carved through the air where Stark stood.

Stark ducked under it easily, staff in hand.

Agras stepped back with a grin.

"Your turn!"

Stark blinked, tilting his head slightly.

Did he… always do that? Against every player in his past life?

"This isn't a turn-based fight," Stark said coldly, pointing his staff forward. "Let's get this over with."

There might be some mechanic in [Eternal Soul] like that, Stark thought, one that forced players into turn-based combat.

But in nine years of his past life, he had never once seen it.

And he doubted it existed here.

He raised his staff.

Blazing Meteor! Vines of Fate! Storm of Lightning! Crystal of Death! Piercing Skeletal Spikes!

Five spells flew out at once, colliding with Agras in a storm of destruction.

BOOM!

Notifications flashed.

Deflected! Deflected! -256,608! Deflected! -72,000! -72,000! -72,000!

Agras cut through the meteor with his blades, slashed the vines apart, and blocked the crystal.

But the lightning struck him head-on, and six skeletal spikes pierced through.

In an instant, over 650,000 HP vanished from his HP bar.

For a moment, Agras froze. His grin faded.

And his face twisted into a darker expression.

"You…" his voice rumbled, low and sharp, "aren't following the rules."

ROOOOARRRR!

The roar shook the arena to its core.

His two swords lit up with violent crimson light, his aura blasting outward.

"No more holding back!" he howled, charging again.

FWISH! SLAM!

Blades tore through the air, slamming into the ground where Stark had been standing.

But Stark dodged them smoothly, his eyes sharp.

He could see every strike clearly.

But then Agras changed tactics.

"Stay still!" the demon leader snarled, lunging forward with his teeth bared.

His jaws snapped shut, aiming for Stark's neck.

Unbreakable Magic Barrier!

The barrier appeared in time, blocking the bite.

Sparks of crimson energy scattered as the teeth crashed against the glowing shield.

[Unbreakable Magic Barrier: 89,850/100,000]

Stark's eyes narrowed.

'Over 10,000 damage from a single bite.'

No wonder nobody could beat him.

One clean hit and it's over!

Most players would call this unfair.

They'd complain that [Eternal Soul] was making things impossible.

And… they'd be right. But that was the point.

[Eternal Soul] was both the fairest and the most unfair realm ever created.

It explained every rule clearly, and it gave you freedom to do anything you wanted if you were strong enough.

But to become strong, you had to risk your life.

And risking your life meant facing things like this.

Enemies that needed a dozen coordinated players to wear down, yet could erase them all with one move.

And to that... Stark only had one thing to tell them: they weren't ready for what came next.

Even he remembered how overwhelming the [Demonic Wyvern] had been in his past life and called it unfair.

He wouldn't deny it.

But you either adapted to this world, or it broke you.

And right now, facing Agras, Stark was already adapting.

Agras was a close-range monster.

His swords and strength made him near unstoppable in melee.

But Stark didn't plan to fight him on those terms.

He pulled up his panel.

[Current Evolution Points: 106.]

A grin spread across Stark's face.

'I have enough,' he thought. 'Perfect.'

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