Isshin felt the pressure close in around him. The Skeleton King's aura filled the entire cave, suffocating everything around it. Breathing became difficult, and Isshin realized too late that the King had already acted.
"I shall break my oath," the Skeleton King said coldly. "This is where you die."
His qi surged forward, pressing down on Isshin with overwhelming force. It felt like the air itself was crushing him. Isshin struggled to stay standing as the pressure intensified, the ground beneath them shaking from the clash of their auras.
Then suddenly, the Skeleton King disappeared.
The pressure vanished just as quickly as it came.
Isshin collapsed to the ground, gasping for air, his body barely holding together. Around him, the crowd stood frozen, waiting for something to happen. They expected the Skeleton King to take control again, but nothing changed.
Inside Isshin's inner world, the Skeleton King appeared in a vast empty space. The moment he arrived, he felt it. a presence far beyond his own.
Raijin stood in front of him.
The Skeleton King froze. "You are....."
Raijin looked at him calmly. "Raijin, God of Thunder."
The difference between them was obvious. The Skeleton King, who once dominated everything around him, now felt insignificant. His aura meant nothing here.
"I didn't know… I never expected—" the Skeleton King began.
"Of course you didn't," Raijin cut him off. "You wouldn't understand it anyway." He stepped forward slightly. "you try anything funny and you will die once more."
The Skeleton King didn't argue. For the first time, he lowered his head. "…I understand."
Back in the real world, Isshin's body was still flooded with the remaining qi. It was unstable at first, too much energy moving through him at once. But his body adjusted on its own, entering a meditative state and stabilizing the flow.
His cultivation began rising rapidly.
Golden Core Realm, 9th Stage.
Then it broke through.
Nascent Soul Realm.
1st Stage. 2nd Stage. 3rd Stage.
The energy kept flowing, refining itself as his body adapted.
When Isshin opened his eyes again, everything felt sharper. Clearer. He slowly stood up while the crowd continued waiting for the Skeleton King.
Instead, Isshin raised his hand.
The remaining qi responded.
The skeleton soldiers immediately dropped to one knee, submitting without hesitation.
Silence spread across the entire area.
No one understood what they were seeing.
Isshin looked at them. "…Guess things worked out."
No one moved.
He raised his hand again. The Skeleton King appeared in front of him along with Raijin, but this time he wasn't in control. His expression was tense, but he couldn't resist.
"I didn't expect this," the Skeleton King said.
Isshin looked at him calmly. "Now you deal with it."
A month passed after that.
Isshin trained constantly. With both Raijin and the Skeleton King's knowledge, his growth continued steadily. He refined his techniques, improved his control, and adapted to his new level of strength.
During that time, he also mastered a technique Raijin had shown him earlier.
Thunder Domain.
It became his strongest ability.
Even with everything he gained, Isshin didn't relax. The tournament was getting closer, and there was still more to do.
Thanks to the Skeleton King and his knowledge of the cave system, Isshin managed to find a way out in just five days. When he finally stepped into the sunlight, it hit him hard. The brightness was overwhelming, almost painful. For a moment, his vision blurred, but the system quickly adjusted, preventing any real damage.
He stood there quietly.
The warmth of the sun, the wind, the open sky… it all felt unfamiliar after being underground for so long. He didn't move right away. Just took it in.
After everything that happened, being alive felt different.
Meanwhile, the tournament had already started.
With Isshin presumed dead, Rune and Karin were both affected more than they expected. They tried to stay focused, but it wasn't easy. Matches continued one after another, following the schedule without delay.
At one point, the announcer called for a moment of silence.
Then someone stepped forward.
Franz Zeldyr.
The same second-year who had been in the cave.
He stood there with a calm expression. "We've lost one of our own," he said. "He should have been here today, showing us what he was capable of."
Karin clenched her fists.
Rune grabbed her arm before she could step forward.
Franz continued, his tone steady. "I, Franz Zeldyr, hope we remember him."
Karin's expression tightened. "He's lying," she said quietly. "Something's wrong."
"Not here," Rune said. "Just wait."
The tournament continued.
One match after another.
Eventually, only four people remained.
Rune. Karin. Asil. Franz.
The semifinals began.
First match: Rune vs Asil.
The crowd was loud again.
Asil started immediately, summoning his Salamander and activating his Domain of Flame. The ground broke apart as heat spread across the arena. Lava surfaced in different areas, limiting movement.
Rune didn't hesitate.
He created a copy of the Salamander using qi.
The crowd reacted instantly.
Asil frowned. "That thing won't last."
He moved in.
Rune formed a weapon in his hand, shaped like a gun, and fired a concentrated qi shot straight at the Salamander's eye.
The beast recoiled.
At the same time, Rune's copy attacked, biting into it.
The fight split into two parts.
The Salamanders clashed while Asil jumped in to fight Rune directly. Flames covered his swords as he attacked. Rune blocked and countered, firing shots while moving.
Asil cut through the attacks cleanly, keeping up with everything.
Rune narrowed his eyes slightly. "Alright… you're not bad."
The fight continued.
But there was a difference.
Rune's Salamander kept regenerating.
Asil's didn't.
Over time, the balance shifted.
Asil got caught between both attacks.
After a moment, he stopped.
"I surrender."
The crowd reacted again.
Rune landed—
Then immediately collapsed.
Face-first.
The noise dropped for a second.
Some people thought he had been hit by something.
But it was simpler than that.
He had run out of qi.
He just didn't show it during the fight.
Asil stared. "…I could've just waited?"
Some of the staff came over to help Rune up.
The arena slowly settled again.
The next match was about to begin.
Karin vs Franz.