Right before Elazul left the library, on the left side of the door, he saw a picture of Grorax on a piece of old paper.

Written on the paper was Grorax's name along with congratulatory words celebrating his rise to the rank of hundreds.

"He was a famous person. No wonder he acted so highly," commented Elazul.

Leaving the library, Elazul started wandering aimlessly once again and soon found another interesting building. It was a place meant for pirates and mercenaries, where they could find jobs by taking a card placed under a screen. The screen showed the kind of job offered and how much it would pay.

Here, Elazul saw Grorax standing alone, looking at the screens while deciding which job to take. Elazul thought about approaching the octopus captain when suddenly, the city trembled heavily, followed by a booming voice.

"END WHALE! I HAVE COME TO CLAIM YOUR LIFE! MY NAME IS STARWORLD FROM THE NORTHERN SECTOR, AND I CHALLENGE YOU TO A DUEL!"

Elazul looked around in confusion, not knowing where the voice came from or what to do. He was supposed to be afraid, but Elazul realized that the people around him appeared calm and collected, as if it were a common occurrence.

HHRRRMMMMM

Another sound echoed around the city, this time coming from the city itself. Elazul quickly got out of the building and saw something rising from the middle of the city.

It was a humanoid creature, its size comparable to the city itself. Its face was that of a whale, with normal hands and a mechanical lower body. The creature wore a robe made of an unknown material but acted as if it were silk.

The humanoid slowly floated upward until it reached the top of the city's dome. Without stopping for even a second, the creature floated and touched the dome.

As if it was doing something entirely normal, the creature suddenly phased through the glass-like dome and left the city to face the challenger.

"Starworld from the north, welcome to my city, the Void Jellyfish. Are you sure you want to challenge me?" asked the gigantic creature, which was End Whale.

"Yes! I have heard of your name and the atrocities you committed. Today, everything ends, and your space pirates will vanish from this intergalactic society!" roared Starworld.

"Fine. State your name and level. We will make this duel official," answered End Whale calmly.

"Fine! I am Starworld, Wearer of Modern Tech and a Five-Star Magician!" declared Starworld.

"I am End Whale, Wearer of Future Tech, a Five-Star Magician, and a Stage Six Cultivator. You may start first."

After declaring their names and titles, End Whale allowed his opponent to deliver the first attack. Starworld, eager to kill End Whale and earn fame, quickly performed a set of movements.

Five planet-like balls of energy quickly appeared around Starworld, moving in an unknown formation.

"Take this! Five-Star Formation Spell—Frozen Constellation!"

The five planets circling Starworld quickly glowed with icy blue light and shot toward End Whale, intending to freeze him to death. End Whale countered by summoning his planet, which quickly moved to form a shield in front of him, shining with dark purple light.

"Five-Star Formation Spell—Shield of Reverse Gravitation!"

The two spells collided, the blue and purple energies clashing in a spectacular display. Both spells tried to overpower each other, but they were evenly matched.

Soon, the energy faded and vanished, leaving the two fighters facing each other with calm hatred.

"Now, please accept my attack. Ray Gun."

End Whale's mechanical lower body quickly spun and transformed into a large cannon, humming with power. The cannon charged for a second before firing a high-density energy beam at Starworld, who quickly formed his defenses.

Five planets quickly appeared again, creating another formation exuding purplish-blue energy. The energy coalesced into a circular object that absorbed End Whale's attack.

"Five-Star Formation Spell—Space Mirror!"

End Whale's Ray Gun attack was absorbed by the mirror and, after a second, re-emerged, shooting back toward him.

End Whale didn’t even flinch. He quickly formed another spell, creating ripples in the space around him that manifested into an object.

"Law of Space and Gravitation—Gravity Shift."

Unauthorized duplication: this tale has been taken without consent. Report sightings.

The Ray Gun blast suddenly curved away when it neared End Whale, redirected into empty space before vanishing a few seconds later.

"I have to say, you're quite good, Starworld," commended End Whale as his attack disappeared.

"And I believe your name is bigger than your abilities," Starworld responded cockily.

"That attitude will bring you disaster one day. Trust me, I know from experience," End Whale warned.

"I don’t need your advice. Now take this!"

Starworld suddenly pulled out a bottle, removed the cap, and drank its contents. As he drank, his pupils quickly contracted before expanding again, larger than normal.

Energy quickly surged into Starworld, multiplying his power several times. He grinned, his face twisting with mad joy.

"Six-Star Formation Spell—Ice Galaxy!"

Suddenly, a blue star appeared between End Whale and Starworld. The star radiated cold energy, freezing nearby space and solidifying it into a block of ice. Moments later, a planet appeared near the star, and the freezing energy intensified, spreading twice as fast.

"Die, End Whale!"

Grinning like a madman, Starworld believed he had won. He had used a secret medicine to gain the power of a Six-Star Magician. With this much power, he thought he could destroy solar systems.

Starworld believed End Whale, despite his reputation, couldn’t stop him now.

That belief shattered moments later.

"Law of Heavenly Space—Endless Heaven."

With just one move, the blue star and planet suddenly vanished into nothing. Not a trace of them remained—no ice, no energy, nothing.

"Everything in this world belongs to the heavens, you and me, and everything we create or possess.

I have sent your spell to the heavens ahead of you, and now it's your turn to follow."

End Whale's mechanical lower body transformed again, this time into two metallic loops with a ball of condensed electrical energy between them.

End Whale placed his hands behind the energy and charged it with his own. The left side glowed purple, while the right became clear and glass-like.

"Accept your end with grace.

Combination Technique—Existential End."

The two balls of energy shot out from the loops, hitting Starworld simultaneously. He had no chance to respond.

Starworld’s body quickly faded and, within seconds, disappeared completely.

End Whale slowly floated back to Void Jellyfish, a frown on his face. It seemed he regretted using such a powerful technique, though he knew it was necessary to finish the battle quickly.

*****

Elazul witnessed the entire battle unfold, and all he could do was stare blankly. His mind struggled to process the events before him, too overwhelmed to even feel surprised. Everything that had just happened was beyond anything he had ever imagined, far surpassing the limits of his understanding.

"Is that really how people at higher stages fight?" he muttered to himself, his voice barely a whisper. The sheer power and magnitude of the fight left him awestruck as if he had just glimpsed a world far beyond his reach.

He remained rooted in place, still dazed and unmoving, even as End Whale descended back to the Void Jellyfish, submerging beneath the city once more. The massive creature slipped back to where it had come from as if nothing had ever happened.

Around him, the citizens of Void Jellyfish stood tall, their expressions filled with pride. Elazul noticed that none of them seemed shocked or concerned, as if they had seen this kind of spectacle many times before. It became clear to him that these kinds of battles were not a rare occurrence here, and perhaps this time, the opponent had simply been stronger than the last.

As Elazul observed the calm faces of those around him, he began to realize that this world, this life in the city, was different—far more dangerous and extraordinary than anything he had known. It dawned on him that these battles, these duels of immense power, were just a part of daily life for them.

*****

For the rest of the time they spent in the city, Elazul filled his days reading in the library or strolling around the streets.

He tried out several forms of entertainment he found around the city, but it seemed like a few key aspects made the entertainment ‘not suitable for anyone other than Fish-Tech.’

Luckily, Elazul found a few things he could do, including working part-time in the nearest public area.

Cleaning up trash, wiping plates, and carrying items, Elazul spent his time doing anything he could to earn a little extra money for an additional portion of food.

For the remainder of his time in the city, Elazul aimed to make the most of his stay. He spent many hours reading in the library or strolling through the streets, taking in the strange sights and culture of Void Jellyfish.

He also tried out a few forms of entertainment, though most seemed designed for the Fish-Tech residents rather than someone like him. Nonetheless, Elazul discovered a few activities he enjoyed, including part-time work in the public area. He took on odd jobs—cleaning up trash, wiping down tables, and carrying various items to make a little extra money for food.

Near the end of his time in Void Jellyfish, Elazul found a small local event where a competition was held.

They held a simple arm wrestling contest where everyone placed bets on the contestants. The one who lost had to buy the winner a drink, while the winner had to continue accepting challenges as long as they kept winning.

The game would stop once someone won ten games in a row or if the event ran too long.

Elazul joined in this competition, along with Kirix, who spotted Elazul and decided to challenge him again.

The games commenced, and Elazul managed to win quite easily in the first two matches, probably because his opponents used real hands rather than mechanical ones.

In the next three matches, Elazul won after putting some thought into the games.

Then came the sixth match, where Elazul faced a crab person with bulky pincers full of living muscle. The game was tough, and there were a few moments when Elazul felt overwhelmed by the crab’s strength.

Fortunately, Elazul's stamina saved him. The crab person grew too tired to maintain the push, allowing Elazul to make his final push and win the match.

Then came another easy match, where Elazul barely even tried until he finally reached the final.

His opponent was Kirix, the one and only lobster flying under the Grorax flag of a pirate.

They both sat down and stared at each other like arch-nemeses. When their hands met, they silently pushed against each other while pretending to be relaxed.

When the jury started their match, the first thing that happened was the table they used for arm wrestling shattered into pieces.

The jury had to fetch another table, and then, as if sharing a silent understanding, Elazul and Kirix began the match with a controlled level of strength, slowly escalating it.

Once again, Elazul managed to win by relying on his enduring stamina, defeating Kirix, who had grown stronger over the past few weeks.

When they returned to their spaceship, Kirix and Elazul walked side by side, sharing their daily experiences in the city.

This puzzled the other crew members, but none were curious enough to find out why the two rivals suddenly became friends.