The three of them saw a cluster of blood-red portals with truly blazing fiery air, spinning upright within them; they walked into the portal.
The world changed, and Verion was separated from Frelia and Lucius, appearing in the realm above the clouds. Meanwhile, Lucius and Frelia appeared at the same place, the Tower Pillar Realm. Lucius asked Frelia while looking down from the edge of a steep ravine, "Where's Verion?" Frelia looked around, seeing it full of rock fragments of various sizes, resembling the result of compacted lava vomit that had been flung out and then congealed from a massive volcano.
The space had changed; Verion was separated from Frelia and Lucius, appearing in the Upper Continent realm. Meanwhile, Lucius and Frelia appeared at the same place, the Tower Pillar Realm. Lucius asked Frelia while looking down from the edge of a steep ravine, "Where's Verion?" Frelia looked around, seeing it full of rock fragments of various sizes, resembling the result of compacted lava vomit that had been flung out and then congealed from a massive volcano.
"It seems we've been separated from Verion," said Frelia.
The faint sound of soldiers' footsteps.
Lucius ran toward a different ravine to avoid the troops. Without meaning to, he grabbed Frelia's hand; when he stopped, Lucius realized it and immediately let go. A large boulder hurtled toward them; Lucius deflected it, splitting it in two, after which a massive monster appeared, shaped like an octopus with tentacles and the body of a gorilla.
Frelia looked at the creature with an uneasy and anxious heart. Lucius protected her by deflecting and withstanding several tentacle attacks, as well as punching the monster with his weapon. Lucius quickly enclosed the long, massive tentacles one by one, searching for the monster's weak point, located in its heart. In a single motion, with a flash of lightning, Lucius pierced the monster's heart, causing it to fall dead.
Then he stood before Frelia. "The monster really was terrifying to look at, but it's dead now, nothing left to fear." Frelia's eyes sparkled as she gazed up at Lucius's tall figure.
Different space, different fate. A gust of wind swept dry leaves across the ground; Verion realized he was standing on the surface of a small continental landmass floating above the clouds.
"System detecting a mysterious object approaching."
Verion turned around and saw the silhouette of a large body with glowing red eyes. Without hesitation, Verion immediately activated the Omni technique to keep his distance. The ground trembled, the air formed waves — the General arrived carrying a powerful, murderous aura. Verion watched him seriously; the system warned him to be careful.
"Why is there a child here?" he said, his heavy tone threatening Verion.
With a single stomped step, gravitational pressure bore down on Verion, nearly forcing him to his knees. Verion released his energy in all directions, causing the pressure to fade, he used the Omni technique's step again to flee from the General. However, given the vast difference in power, the General merely let out a small laugh, his eyes full of cruelty. He chanted a spell that formed a dimensional rift portal toward Verion, causing Verion to be swept into it.
The General then immediately punched Verion's right cheek hard, sending him flying into and crashing through many large trees. Verion's mask caught the General's attention.
"Your mask is quite tough — it even scraped my fist," the General praised.
With his intentions now shifted, the General aimed to forcibly seize Verion's mask and kill him. Verion rose from his fall, standing firm, gripping the Olvateria sword tightly, biting his finger and using his blood to enhance the sword's power.
The Olvateria sword began reacting, fusing with Verion's blood, and its power doubled. With that, Verion sensed a chance for victory before him, unleashing a slash that moved like lightning in broad daylight. The General struck back against Verion's slashes one by one, causing turbulence to erupt each time he parried, while Verion kept adding variations to his attacks.
The two of them were like badminton players, clashing power against speed. The General gathered energy in two fingers on his right hand before launching it, moving like a long laser that split the trees around them. Verion deflected the shot; the General then repositioned and punched Verion's left shoulder extremely hard while Verion was still airborne.
Verion was flung until he slammed hard into the ground, dragged roughly across it — yet with his spirit never fading, he rose again without hesitation, drawing out the Punisher whip.
Verion cracked the whip with an arrogant feeling, creating a swirling tornado wrapped in thunder.
"The Punisher whip?! Kid, where did you get that!" the General panicked.
Verion murmured to himself that the General seemed afraid and threatened upon seeing the Punisher whip. Without needing to ask further, he knew victory was within reach.
The General drew out his sturdy-looking spear weapon, using it to block Verion's fierce thunder tornado, causing himself to be knocked quite far back. Gripped with near-fatal panic, the General tried to flee. However, Verion wouldn't allow it; without hesitation he kept attacking until the General was cornered.
The Punisher whip coiled around and bound the General's left arm, and Verion yanked it until it was severed. The General pulled out a ring artifact that could let him escape even faster. Before he could use it, Verion first blocked his one remaining arm, seized the artifact, then kicked the General, sending him crashing into the ground.
Verion continued his assault, spinning the Punisher whip from up in the sky, launching the whip's strike to move like an arrow. From the tip of the whip, it pierced the General's chest, making him cough blood and shed tears made of blood; the whip lodged itself in like a spear.
The General's final gaze faced the fate that had come to punish his sins, holding onto the whip with a faint smile.
"Who would have thought — my death, stolen by an innocent, wet-behind-the-ears kid. Sky, you've given me quite a surprise," the General mused before finally dying as Verion pulled out his whip.
His body began to dissolve into particles of light that returned to nature's chain. All of the General's wealth lay scattered on the ground; Verion stepped forward, taking all the treasure along with the pouch of gold coins.
"What kind of fan is this? Every pattern on it depicts the sky and the earth. And what's this black paper, with golden script written in sharp, angular curves? I'm also curious about what secret lies behind this Punisher whip." Verion pondered, and in the end decided to postpone finding the answers for now — what mattered most was finding a way out of the Upper Continent realm.