Darkness exploded outward across the arena as fractured space tore through the battlefield mercilessly.
For the first time since the battle began—
Silver's domain collapsed completely.
The crowd shielded their eyes as black mana and distorted space erupted throughout the arena in catastrophic waves.
Then—
a figure was sent flying out from the explosion.
Silver Ryker.
BOOM.
His body crashed violently across the ruined arena floor before skidding dozens of meters backward through shattered stone.
Silence filled the stadium.
Meanwhile—
I stood at the center of the battlefield while fractured space distorted around me unnaturally.
The pressure leaking from my body alone made the air tremble.
High above—
even several guild representatives had gone completely silent now.
Because everyone understood.
Space.
It was absurd.
An affinity that directly bent reality itself.
Inside the crater—
Silver slowly opened his eyes.
His breathing had become rough now.
Small traces of blood marked the corner of his lips.
Yet despite that—
his expression remained calm.
His silver eyes silently gazed toward me standing amidst distorted space.
What can I even do against that?
That thought naturally crossed his mind.
Because no matter how overwhelming his darkness became—
space simply ignored conventional rules entirely.
Distance.
Direction.
Momentum.
All of it could be manipulated freely.
It was unfair.
No—
worse than unfair.
Absolute.
Then—
Silver's eyes slowly narrowed.
Because suddenly—
he realized something.
Earlier—
when he accelerated through the fractured battlefield—
space had indeed distorted his movements.
But not immediately.
For a brief instant—
his darkness had resisted it.
Not the shadows.
Not Eclipse.
But specifically—
the concentrated darkness coating his blade.
A realization slowly formed inside his mind.
Darkness consumed.
Devoured.
Erased.
And space—
despite how absolute it seemed—
still required something to exist within.
Distance.
Coordinates.
Reality itself.
But what if—
that reality was swallowed first?
Silver slowly stood back up afterward.
The crowd erupted instantly seeing him rise again.
"He's still standing?!"
Meanwhile—
I quietly watched him.
Then—
for the first time during the battle—
Silver smiled.
Not coldly.
Not calmly.
But excitedly.
"…I see now."
Darkness slowly began gathering around his blade again.
Yet this time—
it felt different.
Far denser.
Far deeper.
The shadows no longer merely spread outward.
Instead—
they compressed.
Condensed.
Until eventually—
even light around the blade began disappearing unnaturally.
My eyes narrowed slightly.
What is he doing?
Silver slowly raised his sword.
The darkness around it no longer resembled mana anymore.
It resembled absence itself.
A void.
Then—
he quietly spoke.
"Darkness devours everything."
The space around his blade suddenly distorted violently.
Not because of my authority—
but because the darkness itself was erasing the surrounding space.
CRACKKKK.
For the first time—
my spatial distortion trembled.
And my eyes widened slightly.
Because Silver had found it.
The counter.
Not by overpowering space—
but by creating darkness so dense—
that space itself could no longer properly exist within it.
Soon, darkness spread through every corner of Silver's body.
Yet strangely… it did not feel suffocating.
It felt like enlightenment.
Memories flooded his mind.
The cold noble gatherings.
The whispers behind his back.
The accusations thrown at a child too young to understand hatred.
A child with black hair…
He's the reason Lady Ryker died.
Perhaps she was unfaithful…
The servants cursed him in silence.
The nobles mocked him with smiles hidden behind wine glasses.
His father was rarely home.
And when he was, the mansion only felt colder.
But even then…
The boy endured.
He stood proud through every insult, every glare, every whisper meant to break him.
Because Silver Ryker refused to believe he was a curse.
No.
He would become proof that he was a blessing.
And now—
Standing before the entire kingdom, sword raised toward the heavens…
Silver finally let everything out.
The air trembled.
The kingdom fell silent.
Nobles rose from their seats.
The strongest warriors widened their eyes in disbelief.
Even upon a distant battlefield, a silver-haired man suddenly turned toward the glowing screen before him.
For the first time in years—
The expression of the Alaric Ryker shattered.
"…Silver?"
His eyes widened.
Because he understood exactly what was about to happen.
There existed only one monster in history who could wield a Sword Field before reaching S-Rank.
And now…
There was another.
Silver Ryker.
Unlike the others, I wasn't shocked.
Instead, I smiled.
Because while Silver had found enlightenment within darkness—
I had also crossed that boundary.
Space itself distorted around me.
The arena cracked.
The sky twisted.
Reality screamed beneath our pressure.
I slowly raised my sword beside him.
And at that moment—
Two Sword Fields were born.
At the exact same time.
"Sword Field: Abyssal Blade Realm."
"Sword Field: Event Horizon."
...
A blinding light swallowed the arena.
No—
The entire stadium vanished beneath the clash of darkness and space.
The moment the two Sword Fields collided, the world itself seemed to lose balance.
Darkness spread like an endless abyss, devouring light, sound, and even fear itself.
At the same time, space twisted violently around us.
Reality cracked.
The ground beneath the arena shattered into countless fragments as spatial distortions tore through the battlefield like invisible blades.
The pressure alone forced thousands to their knees.
Even the elites seated high above the stadium felt their breathing grow heavy.
And then—
Crack.
A small sound echoed across the silent kingdom.
Everyone's eyes widened.
Because surrounding the stadium was an SS-Rank barrier.
A barrier said to withstand the attacks of national-level hunters.
Yet now—
A tiny fracture spread across its surface.
A tiny fracture spread across its surface.
Everyone stared in disbelief.
"…Impossible."
Shock turned into fear.
Because this was no longer the talent of geniuses.
This was the birth of monsters.
Inside the storm of darkness and distorted space, Silver and I stood opposite each other, our swords trembling from overwhelming power.
Black lightning surged around Silver's blade.
Fragments of shattered space orbited mine like broken mirrors.
The entire world felt as though it would collapse if either of us took another step forward.
Soon, we collided within the realm of chaos.
Again.
And again.
Every clash sent shockwaves across the stadium.
Darkness swallowed space.Space tore apart darkness.
Our swords moved faster than the eyes of ordinary hunters could follow.
To the audience, it no longer looked like a battle between students.
It looked like two natural disasters trying to erase one another.
The shattered arena continued collapsing beneath our feet as distorted space and abyssal darkness ravaged everything around us.
Then—
One final collision.
A deafening explosion erupted across the battlefield.
The remaining fragments of both Sword Fields shattered instantly.
Silence followed.
The darkness slowly faded.
The distorted space calmed.
Clouds of dust drifted across the ruined arena as the entire kingdom watched without breathing.
And then—
A single figure remained standing.
White hair fluttered beneath the ruined sky.
A sword rested silently in his hand.
While before him—
Another figure lay unconscious upon the broken battlefield.
Silver Ryker had fallen.
The announcer stared at the scene with trembling eyes, unable to believe what he had just witnessed.
Even his voice shook as he finally declared the result.
"WINNER…"
The entire stadium held its breath.
"…NOCTIS."