This chapter is equivalent to Chapter 4 of Volume 2.
For the Volume 1: The Awakening of The legendary King, it is polished and completed in Amazon: https://a.co/d/0f0nCyAq
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A gloomy aura radiated from Nguyen; one side of his hair concealed a red birthmark and a pupil-less crimson eye—the Eye of Eris.
"You came. Let's see what that power of yours can actually do."
"Alright! Let's begin!" Long replied with firm confidence. A powerful determination surged within him. Last night, he had grasped his own strength, the color of his own power. But…
Nguyen suddenly appeared behind Long, a faint smile on his lips. "Have you really begun?"
Startled, Long spun around. Nguyen vanished—then reappeared right in front of him.
"Let's make it simple—touch me once, and you win. Drop before that, and you lose."
Anger flared within Long as he threw a punch at Nguyen.
"Don't underestimate me!"
Once again, Nguyen disappeared, then reappeared midair about a meter above the ground. He gathered momentum and unleashed a crushing strike, sending Long crashing face-first into the ground.
Long pushed himself up, his eyes filled with resolve.
"Dreamy, create a shield!"
Dreamy "King" looked at Long and slowly raised his paws. A small blue spark flickered into existence—then vanished.
Silence fell over the battlefield.
Panicking, Long pinched Dreamy's cheeks. "Oh come on, Dreamy! Yesterday you said I could use my own power without EN!"
Dreamy rested his chin on his front paws, looking thoughtful. "I believe you lack the skill to convert 'that' energy."
Long shouted, "Why didn't you say that sooner?!"
The moment he finished speaking, Nguyen was once again in the air, preparing a spinning kick aimed at both Long and Dreamy.
"Move to the left!" Long ordered.
But Dreamy veered to the right.
"I said left! Why are you going right?!" Long snapped.
"But I think the right side is better," Dreamy argued.
When Long turned back, Nguyen had already vanished. A surge of unease rose within him. He steadied himself and scanned his surroundings. At the moment, he couldn't use magic—but at least he still had his combat skills.
In the next instant, Nguyen appeared on Long's right side, throwing a punch. Acting on instinct, Long lowered his body and extended his left leg backward to sweep Nguyen's legs.
The attack was effective—Nguyen began to fall.
Long immediately twisted his body and rushed forward to grab him. Nguyen smirked. "Ridiculous." He disappeared instantly, causing Long to lose balance and crash to the ground.
Nguyen used his magic to reappear behind Long, hovering about a meter above the ground, driving his knee down toward him. Dreamy rushed in, trying to knock Nguyen down with his little body, but Nguyen evaded.
Long quickly gathered momentum and rolled away two or three times, escaping the danger zone, breathing heavily.
He now stood in the middle of a river, his body drenched. His inner shirt was torn to shreds, revealing a toned, muscular physique covered in scars from years of training in Hope Village.
And the fight went on like that—Long weaving and dodging as Nguyen flickered in and out of sight like a phantom. Every time he tried to strike back, his blows met nothing but air.
As the fight dragged on, sweat soaked through Long's body, his breathing turning ragged and uneven. He was pushing himself past his limits. And yet, it was precisely those years of training that allowed him to hold out this long against Nguyen's strange magical power.
Dreamy spoke, "Shall I use my own power to help you? I can imprison him within a mind world—but I'll need quite a long time to cast the spell. I used up a lot of energy yesterday, and I'm not sure if my current body can handle it!"
Long replied firmly, "No. I want to rely on my own strength and use only my own magic!"
At some point, Long's hair tie had snapped. His long hair flowed freely, whipping in the wind, his face set with intense focus as he stared at Nguyen.
Dreamy smiled faintly, then turned toward Nguyen.
"Alright, I understand. Let me fight as your own AI Witch."
Memories flooded back into Dreamy "King." Somewhere within them, he saw a figure from his past—a figure radiating blue light, illuminating the entire universe; hair flowing in the wind, a powerful, majestic body exuding an overwhelming presence…
The feeling became strangely familiar—so familiar that even an AI King Witch like him could not explain it.
Nguyen laughed confidently.
"Your physical combat skills are impressive. You must have trained very hard—I'll give you that."
He narrowed his eyes slightly, touching the red eye, as if a brief pain had struck.
Nguyen looked at Long and Dreamy.
"Sorry, but it's time for me to end this fight earlier than planned!"
The Eye of Eris suddenly glowed with an eerie crimson light.
As if realizing something, Mai shouted loudly, "Careful! Don't look into his eye!"
But the warning didn't reach Long in time. His eyes began to turn vacant.
Long found himself standing on the surface of a calm lake. Occasionally, he heard soft ripples, like droplets falling onto the water, forming expanding concentric circles drifting toward him. A bright white light flashed, causing him to squint—then he opened his eyes.
The scene before him felt incredibly familiar.
It was the rice field of Hope Village.
He could smell the fragrance of ripening rice. The surroundings were bathed in a warm golden hue; the wind gently swayed the stalks, creating beautiful golden waves. He looked down at his hands—they had surprisingly become small, like those of a child.
A stone struck his head. Blood trickled down his forehead.
"Go home, freak! We don't want to play with you anymore!" a child shouted.
Long rushed forward and punched the child, but his strength was as weak as that of a seven- or eight-year-old. The child burst into tears, and his parents came out to shield him and scold Long.
An indescribable pain filled his chest. Deep down, Long had always wanted to meet his real parents, he felt lonely. Sometimes, he irrationally blamed himself—thinking they had abandoned him because he was too worthless.
With cold eyes, he curled himself up. Darkness closed in from all sides.
Within that darkness, a candle flickered to life. Holding it was Ms. Huong. Beside her stood Dreamy AI Witch, the old Dreamy, wagging its tail, its tongue sticking out.
By instinct, Long broke into tears and ran to embrace her. The "old" Dreamy licked away his tears, and warmth returned to his heart.
Then, in the darkness, Ms. Huong lay weakly on a bed, slowly closing her eyes forever. Dreamy AI Witch stared at Long for a long moment—then vanished into the darkness.
The candle went out.
Long covered his face, sobbing uncontrollably, whispering unconsciously:
"Ms. Huong… Dreamy… I miss you so much…I'm so tired…"
Back in reality, Long's eyes were dull. He dropped to his knees, looking up at the sky as tears streamed down his face.
Nguyen silently turned away.
"The result is clear. You need to be stronger, Long. Or you should give up and go home."
Mai scolded him, "He's already strong! He's been through so much, and getting here already took immense effort—I believe he will never give up!"
She ran toward Long, shaking him violently and shouting at the top of her lungs:
"Wake up, Long! You can't give up like this! What about Ms. Huong and your Dreamy? You can't let them down!"
In the pitch-black void, Long sat curled in a corner. Suddenly, another candle appeared.
It was Mai, holding the candle. Beside her floated Dreamy "King."
Mai smiled. "Long, my kind friend—don't give up."
Dreamy "King" leaned back with both front paws behind his head, glancing sideways at Long. "Hmph, you useless kid. Come grab breakfast with me—breakfast is good for your health."
Long smiled faintly. It was as if he had found a small source of light and warmth from these newly met friends.
A gentle hand touched him.
It was Ms. Huong. Beside her stood Dreamy AI Witch, the old Dreamy, its golden eyes glowing.
Ms. Huong smiled kindly. "Long, be a kind and strong person. I will always watch over you. Get to know your new friends and your new destiny. Be brave…my child, I love you…"
Dreamy AI Witch gently wagged its tail, its golden eyes illuminating the entire space.
"Master, I will always protect you… We will meet again when you complete your journey."
Long murmured, "My journey… I want to fulfill my dream…"
Boom! Back in reality, a deafening explosion rang out. Dreamy "King's" eyes suddenly flared with a brilliant blue light.
Nguyen turned around—
And unexpectedly, Long charged forward, delivering a punch wrapped in a blue shield. Nguyen couldn't react in time; the blow left him momentarily stunned, a trace of blood appearing at the corner of his lips.
Nguyen remained standing—but the Eye of Eris's magic had been broken.
Long staggered, his body worn down by mental strain and physical exhaustion after a long fight.
"Nguyen… remember this… I will never give up on my dream."
As he spoke, Long clenched his fist tightly.
Then he collapsed, still murmuring:
"I… will never give up…"
Nguyen said nothing. He turned his back calmly, flicking two fingers lightly.
"Alright. Let's call it a draw. You look pathetic."
With that, he disappeared.
The battle was over.