The wind that swept through the northern courtyard was no longer gentle.
It howled like a storm held back by ceremony. The morning sun failed to warm the earth beneath the cold banners of the Iron Wall Sect, fluttering like slabs of steel in the breeze.
Kang Mu-Jin stood at the center of the field.
Massive, unmoving, his armor looked forged from raw stone. No flourishes. No symbols. Just presence.
His eyes—gray and flat as cold iron—settled on Baek Sun-Ho as he approached.
No crowd had gathered this time.
This was not a duel for drama.
It was for dominance.
So-Ri exhaled slowly. "He doesn't speak much, does he?"
Ma-Rok studied Mu-Jin's stance. "He doesn't need to. His fists speak in craters."
"Lovely," Yul-Rin muttered, already prepping a salve.
Master Jang sipped tea near the shade of a pine. "The mountain has come to meet the storm."
Ji-Mun raised a brow. "And if the storm doesn't move it?"
The master smiled faintly. "Then the storm learns to flow through stone."
---
The Challenge
Kang Mu-Jin finally spoke. "No blade."
Sun-Ho paused. "What?"
"Fists," Mu-Jin said. "You and me. No steel. No flame. No tricks."
Sun-Ho tilted his head. "And if I refuse?"
"Then you've already lost."
The audience—though sparse—went utterly silent.
So-Ri leaned forward. "He's baiting you. If you accept, he'll try to prove his fist is stronger than your legend."
Yul-Rin added, "If you refuse, you look afraid. This is a trap either way."
Sun-Ho smiled.
"I accept."
---
Iron vs Lightning
The circle was drawn in dust. No officiant needed. Just will.
Mu-Jin charged first—no roar, no wind-up. His step cracked the stone beneath him. His punch was a cannon.
Sun-Ho dodged sideways, feeling the wind rip past his ear.
BOOM—
A crater bloomed where his head had just been.
Sun-Ho responded with open palms, redirecting momentum, brushing past Mu-Jin's guard and landing three strikes to the chest. Each strike sparked faintly—controlled bursts of lightning qi.
Mu-Jin barely flinched.
He pivoted—elbowed—and caught Sun-Ho on the ribs.
CRACK—
Sun-Ho slid back five feet, breath stolen.
Yeon visibly winced. Ji-Mun cursed under his breath.
Sun-Ho coughed, then laughed.
"Alright," he muttered. "You want force?"
He surged forward.
Flicker. Flash. Thunder.
He didn't use a single technique—just raw mastery of motion. His strikes came from odd angles, his footwork dancing around Mu-Jin's grounded center.
But the Iron Wall lived up to its name.
No matter how Sun-Ho shifted, Mu-Jin endured.
They clashed again—forehead to shoulder, fist to palm, elbow to knee.
The ground cracked. The trees swayed.
Then—finally—
Sun-Ho dipped beneath a punch, swept Mu-Jin's leg, and drove his shoulder into the titan's chest.
Mu-Jin stumbled.
A single step back.
But he didn't fall.
Instead, he raised a hand.
"I yield."
Everyone froze.
Sun-Ho blinked. "You what?"
Mu-Jin breathed deeply. "You didn't win. But I lost."
Sun-Ho smiled, bruised and battered. "I'll take it."
---
Aftermath
Mu-Jin sat beside Sun-Ho, both covered in sweat and dust.
"You fight with too much heart," he said flatly. "It's inefficient."
"You fight with too much weight," Sun-Ho replied. "It's rigid."
Mu-Jin grunted. "Balance, then."
Sun-Ho nodded. "Balance."
So-Ri handed him a cold cloth. "Well, that was... ugly. But beautiful."
Yul-Rin offered a glowing balm. "Your ribs need prayer."
Ji-Mun collapsed beside them. "Please tell me the next rival is allergic to punching."
---
Elsewhere – Gathering Storm
In the furthest wing of the fortress, behind veiled screens and protective formations, the final rival watched the battle end.
A voice whispered beside her.
"Shall I challenge him next, Lady Seong?"
The woman raised a hand. "Not yet. Let him exhaust the belief that every storm can be weathered."
She stared at Sun-Ho's silhouette through the crystal window.
"When I move," she murmured, "I don't need to win. I only need to remind him that storms aren't always natural. Some are made."
---
Late Night – Lightning Beneath Calm
That night, as the others slept, Sun-Ho knelt in quiet meditation near a withered pine overlooking the inner courtyard.
Lightning stirred faintly beneath his skin—not chaotic, but quiet, like a tide waiting for command.
Crack—
The flash was small. Controlled. He'd found a new balance.
A new thought occurred.
He extended both palms and tried something bold—blending a flame flicker within a lightning surge. Normally, they repelled. But with a slower current...
Whoosh… zap.
A small bolt erupted, sheathed in firelight.
His breath caught.
Harmony.
The beginning of elemental fusion.
Not merely five elements—but five as one.
He whispered into the wind, "Just a little more…"
So-Ri's voice surprised him. "If you explode, I'll be mad."
He looked back. "Can't sleep?"
"Not while you're glowing like a divine torch."
She walked to his side and sat. "You're close again, aren't you?"
"Yes. The body's ready. Mind's focused. Heart..." He paused. "Still learning."
So-Ri smiled. "That's the only part that can't be rushed."
---
End of Chapter 85 – Iron Will, Silent Edge