Kai took a deep breath as he listened to Kain's words. He took the stance of the statue and breathed deeply, a determined look on his face. A broad smile appeared on his face.
"Don't worry, Kain. I will do my best to succeed in this art."
Kai put his fingers together and touched the statue with a serious expression on his face.
An energy from the statue began to enter Kai's body. At the same time, Kai crossed his fingers and began to send the will of the sword between his two fingers.
Kai and the statue drew energy in the same way, but the energy that entered the statue came directly to Kai. Kai hadn't entered the Red Lightning yet, so he couldn't learn the art yet, but as soon as he got his master's permission, he would enter the Red Lightning and learn the art of Two Finger Body Slash.
Kai closed his eyes. With every second that passed, he felt it. The power that was born between his fingers. The flow. The call he felt in his body. This energy gave him strength. His sword will deepened and he could cut through everything with his fingers like paper.
But Kai didn't do it. He couldn't. An art was a burden for the body and it was not like the art Kai had in his sword. He might have learned it but he couldn't practice it.
Kai did not open his eyes. A light shone between his fingers and his body grew stronger. Slowly, he brought his body back together and pulled his feet away. He brought his hands to the height of his stomach and held them like a sword.
Kai threw his right hand behind his back and stretched his left hand in front of him. It was as if he held two swords in both hands and threatened two enemies. Slowly, his legs tensed and his knee bent. An ancient sword will begin to emanate from Kai's body. This was Kai's will to win. The will to rise to the top with this art. He desperately wanted to reach level 5 of the Two-Finger World Slashing Art, but even the person who created this art couldn't reach that level. Nevertheless, Kai was determined to reach the top without being affected by anything.
Kai was unaware of the ancient aura emanating from his body, but his excitement made him stand up and look around with a smile on his face.
"If Kain has failed, where is his body? Even his body could be a great treasure for me. If not, I am sure the master will do something for him."
Kai began to look around, but there was nothing but a hole in the ceiling in the center of the cave. Even though there was a hole in the ceiling, it was only a trace, and the rest of the hole was covered with stone, but Kai recognized the trace and knew that there was something here.
Not finding anything else, Kai took a deep breath and stared at the statue. He started to laugh as a devilish expression appeared on his face.
"Heheheheheheheheh"
***
Meanwhile, inside the cave, Randal took a deep breath. Then he went outside and looked up at the sky. An aura of determination radiated from his body. His gaze seemed to challenge the heavens.
"It's time to move to the levels."
Randal clenched his fists and opened his hand. Not even a second had passed when a clock appeared in his hand.
"There's no point in waiting any longer. I will prove that I am not a coward!"
It was an alarm clock. Randal pressed the alarm clock's button. After a short time, the minute hand of the clock began to speed up. With each turn, energy was emitted from the clock. In time, six emotions were also emitted.
As Randal absorbed the energy into his body, the sky began to close. The change in the sky attracted the attention of many people in the Skylands and made them turn their attention in that direction. After all the time they had spent in this land, they had learned some things. Some of them understood that there was trouble, but they wondered who was causing it.
At that moment, the watch in Randal's hand ran out, and he crushed it and threw it aside. As he sat cross-legged on the ground, a pair of horns flew out of his head.
Randal was not meditating, but the power of the sky was enough to send him into an illusion.
***
Randal opened his eyes to find himself standing on a cliff. He couldn't help but grimace when he saw this cliff. It represented a time before his old body began to develop. When Randal was a 76-year-old shepherd.
Once again, Randal left his house at the top of the cliff and went to work in the fields. He did his daily work as well as he could and didn't notice that it was evening. As usual.
When Randal returned home, he was once again greeted by his wife, Izora. Though her body was aging, Randal still loved her. That smile had graced his life for 55 years. He was happy. Happier than he could ever be.
The first lightning struck.
Randal was home with his wife when an explosion ripped through the wooden house.
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Randal barely opened his eyes and struggled to get out from under the rubble of his destroyed house, but the boards were too heavy for an old man like Randal to lift.
Still, Randal used everything he had and managed to lift the board off of him. His head was bleeding and his eyesight was very bad, but he was still worried about Izora.
2. Lightning struck.
Randal looked at a young man in his twenties who had lifted his beloved wife by the neck in front of him. The man had boots on his feet, and on the boots were long feathers. He also wore a helmet, with feathers on both sides of the helmet, through which you could see his white hair. But Randal didn't care about any of that. All he cared about was his wife and her health. Izora was 75 years old and could be seriously injured if she continued to be lifted by the neck.
"Please! Please let her go!"
Randal could not find the words. Hermes, on the other hand, was completely calm. He turned his eyes and looked at Randal.
A smile appeared on his face.
"My prey has finally shown up."
"Please don't hurt him! I'll do anything you want! Please...just let her go..."
Hermes looked at Randal with a condescending expression.
3. Lightning struck.
Hermes broke Izora's neck.
"...."
Randal could not utter a word. His legs gave out and he fell to his knees. His heart had shattered into a thousand pieces and now Hermes was destroying them all.
"Once I have you, I will destroy the reincarnation cycle of Uranus."
As Hermes moved towards Randal step by step, Randal didn't care. What was the point of dying or having his soul destroyed compared to losing the love of his life?
When Hermes was in front of Randal, he raised his hand and it began to shake.
"You should never have been born."
4. Lightning struck.
Suddenly a sheet of water came at Hermes and he dodged the attack with his incredible speed.
Hermes laughed and looked at his brother coming toward him. His blond hair was blowing in the wind as usual. His blue eyes were focused on Hermes. Poseidon was as dazzling as ever.
"Brother, I didn't expect you to come here, but what makes you think you can beat me? I'm a born immortal..."
Randal didn't remember anything after that. All he remembered was that Poseidon's body was surrounded by the sea.
When Randal woke up, he was taken by Poseidon. Poseidon offered him food and a way to live. He then told him about the world of development, but Randal, still in the throes of his wife's death, had no idea. Until Poseidon's last words.
"Do you want your revenge?"
5. Lightning struck.
Randal and Poseidon trained deeply and worked hard for years. Finally, after 30,000 years, Randal was able to become Half Step Opening Sky, exactly 10,000 years after Uranus.
Poseidon touched Randal's shoulder and smiled at him.
"You can now enter levels, Randal."
Poseidon rarely smiled. To see him smile was something that happened once in a hundred million years. But Randal's fearful look quickly wiped that smile away.
"Master, are you sure? I'm... I can't! I need time to level up!"
Randal's words angered Poseidon.
"There is no time, Randal! War is coming! You must become stronger and save us all!"
Even as Poseidon said it, he saw the fear in Randal's eyes immediately after he said it. As Poseidon's eyes widened, he realized a detail he should have realized years ago. Randal was not the one. He could see his true feelings in his eyes. He didn't want revenge. Maybe a little at first, but not anymore. Poseidon had wasted 30,000 years. He understood what Randal felt.
"You're afraid..."
6. Lightning struck.
CRACKTT!!!!
Randal grabbed his shoulder with his hand as he woke from the illusion. There was a large lightning wound on his shoulder. But before he could do anything, another bolt of lightning appeared in the sky.
7. Lightning struck.
"RAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHRGG!!!"
Randal screamed in pain. His horns were torn off and every muscle in his body was about to explode.
"Hahahaa Master, look what I brought you!"
Kai struggled to drag the statue out of the cave. He was sweating. He was exhausted. The statue was heavy, and it had taken a lot of effort to get it out of the cave. He was out of breath. But he was excited and happy. He was looking forward to making jokes with his master. But that happiness could not last forever.
The smile on his face ended when he saw Randal. He dropped the statue from his back when the smile suddenly faded. At that moment, he saw the lightning gathering in the sky. As he looked at Randal with his eyes, he saw the look of despair on Randal's face.
"Don't come..."
Randal could only speak in a hoarse voice, but Kai understood what he was saying.
Kai could do nothing when the 8th Trouble's bolt of lightning fell from the sky and hit Randal.
"AAAAAARGH!!!"
Before Randal could scream anymore, he vomited a handful of blood and fell to the ground. He could barely breathe, but he knew he would not survive the last bolt of lightning that was gathering in the sky.
The last bolt of trouble fell from the sky in white flashes. As Randal awaited his death, a shadow appeared in front of him.
"THE ART OF BLACK LIGHTNING!!! 2ND LIGHTNING!!! ASCENDING BLACK LIGHTNING!!!!!"
"TRUE DRAGON FORM!!!"
The 6 lightning bolts in Kai's eyes turned black, and black lightning bolts began to emerge from Sirius. White Lightning and Black Lightning collided as Kai swung his Heavenly Elemental Sword up and down. At the same time, scales appeared on various parts of Kai's body, but unlike the Immortal Dragon Form, these scales glowed with red energy underneath the scales.
At the same time, there was a crackling sound that no one could hear, and Kai was at the peak of the Orange Lightning.
"RAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!!"
When Kai challenged the Trouble Lightning, the Celestial Trouble Lightning seemed unwilling to destroy his friend - the Black Lightning. But in time, he buried Kai in the ground. Kai had no chance against such power.
Randal's eyes lit up when he looked at Kai. He finally saw the answer. For the first time in a long time, his heart was at peace. He had been afraid for years, but not for no reason. And why now?
'Because he's not afraid.'
Randal's eyes filled with pity as he looked at Kai and forced himself to stand.
Kai saw Randal trying to get up and wanted to stop him, but he couldn't because he was blocking the lightning. But the lightning had become stronger the moment he saw Randal. He was like a dog with a bone.
The White Lightning blocked the Black Lightning and hit Randal.
Randal was destroyed by the White Lightning, but there were no screams or cries of pain. Kai looked at Randal in horror. His eyes were filled with tears.
Randal pulled Kai's head towards him and hugged him. He pulled his head closer and planted a kiss on Kai's forehead.
"Thank you..."
"I'm not afraid anymore..."
Kai listened painfully to his master's parting words, unable to stop the tears from falling from his eyes. Randal smiled at Kai one last time and pulled Kai into a hug.
Randal's body stilled. The lightning of trouble faded. As Kai cried and held Randal's body, his eyes flashed again, painting the sky red, but Kai didn't care. The death of his master in his arms had caused him the greatest pain of his life. Kai's tears dripped on Randal. But it didn't matter anymore. Randal was dead.