The moment Kravtsov moved, the world ignited in lightning.

A thunderclap shattered the silence, and in an instant, he was gone—his body a blur of flickering afterimages, each step leaving arcs of electricity crackling through the ruined arena. His speed was beyond sight, beyond reaction.

Only pure instinct could save Yun Jin now.

But Yun Jin’s eyes were already glowing.

[Mana Eyes].

He activated it to the absolute limit, veins bulging against his temples as blood trickled from his eyes.

His body screamed in agony, but he ignored it

He wasn’t tracking Kravtsov’s movements. He wasn’t chasing the attack.

He was reading the mana itself.

And in that frozen second of clarity—

He saw it.

Everything.

The precise surge of lightning before movement. The shift in internal flow. The heartbeat before the attack.

There!

BOOM!

The sound reached him the moment the strike did.

Kravtsov was already in front of him, his fist tearing through the air like a thunderbolt splitting the heavens. Yun Jin’s body moved before his mind could fully register it, instinct overriding thought as he activated [Invincible Virtue] at the precise instant of impact.

CRACK!

A shockwave blasted through the arena. Yun Jin skidded backward, feet carving deep trenches into the fractured stone as his entire body trembled from absorbing the force. His arms ached, his bones rattled, but he had blocked it.

Kravtsov grinned. “Not bad.”

The next attack followed without pause.

Yun Jin met it head-on, exhilaration burning in his veins. This was the battle he had been waiting for. No room for hesitation. No time for mistakes. A single misstep meant death.

Lightning roared as they clashed again, tearing through the battlefield with every collision.

"HAHAHA! MORE!" Kravtsov’s laughter was like thunder, rolling across the ruins of the arena.

Yun Jin’s breath came ragged, his vision blurred from overusing [Mana Eyes], but his movements remained sharp. He wove between each strike, redirecting the force with [Redirecting Water], his counterattacks aimed at Kravtsov’s weak points—joints, fingers, eyes.

Then he layered his techniques.

[Aura Surge] flooded his body, amplifying his strikes. Qi-sealing techniques disrupted Kravtsov’s energy flow. Light Blade Sovereign Style honed every movement into something razor-sharp, each attack forcing the champion to react with precision rather than brute strength.

Kravtsov began to shift, dodging, blocking.

They clashed, strike for strike, blow for blow. The sheer force of their battle cracked the earth beneath them, sending shockwaves rippling through the air. Lightning clashed against light, raw power against absolute control. Their speed had reached a level where only the strongest guests in the crowd could follow the battle.

Then Kravtsov stopped.

Not out of exhaustion, but something else.

He stood firm, lightning crackling around his body, and exhaled. "I acknowledge you, young one," he said, voice steady despite the electricity surging in his veins. "But let’s see how you handle this."

Lightning condensed within his body, the charge building to a level that sent Yun Jin’s instincts screaming in alarm.

Dodge!

Yun Jin’s body reacted before he could think.

Kravtsov raised his hand, his palm glowing with pure energy, and fired.

A beam of lightning streaked toward Yun Jin’s heart.

Too fast!

He twisted—just barely avoiding a fatal hit—but the beam still grazed him.

SHHK!

A searing pain tore through his right arm as the attack burned deep into his shoulder. Agony shot through his body, nerves locking up from the aftershock.

His limbs froze—

Just for an instant.

But an instant was too long.

Kravtsov was already upon him.

"DIE!"

Yun Jin forced [Invincible Virtue] to activate, but the timing was off.

The full force of Kravtsov’s thunderous uppercut crashed into him, sending him flying toward the ceiling like a shooting star.

BANG!

Stone shattered as he struck the roof, debris and dust raining down. Pain flared through every inch of his body, but he refused to fall. Fingers gripped onto the fractured ceiling, keeping him steady as he forced himself back up. His breath was uneven, his muscles screamed in protest, but his mind was sharper than ever.

And still, he smiled.

Memories surfaced—his master’s voice, calm, unwavering.

"The only thing you lack, Yun Jin, is a worthy opponent. Someone truly trying to kill you. Few would dare while I still breathe. But if you stand before death itself, then in that moment, your blade will sharpen beyond its limits."

Yun Jin exhaled, rising to his feet.

"I understand now. I’ll admit it—you’re stronger than me."

With his uninjured arm, he raised his hand, mana coalescing into form. Ice spread from his fingers, condensing into the shape of a blade.

"So I’ll use everything to win!"

The crowd gasped.

The announcer’s voice rang in protest. "That’s against the rules—!"

From her private balcony, Madam Veyra raised a single hand.

"Quiet. Let him fight." A smirk tugged at her lips. "I want to see where this goes."

Yun Jin barely heard them. His focus had narrowed to a single truth.

I will kill him with everything I have.

[Aura Blade].

The ice sword pulsed as energy surged into it, [Aura Surge] amplifying the excess aura and transforming the blade into something beyond mere ice. Light gathered along its length, burning like a captured star, its radiance illuminating the battlefield.

Kravtsov narrowed his eyes, but his grin remained.

He charged another lightning blast.

He fired.

But this time, Yun Jin didn’t dodge.

Light Blade Sovereign Style: First Form – Arc Lightning

His body shot forward, slicing through the energy beam mid-air as if it were nothing.

Kravtsov’s eyes widened in shock.

"You—!"

But Yun Jin was already in front of him.

Light Blade Sovereign Style: Second Form – Thunder Break.

A single, devastating strike aimed directly at one of the body’s weakest points—the eyes.

Kravtsov’s instincts screamed at him. At the last possible second, he twisted, raising his arm to block, but it wasn’t enough.

Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere.

The blade bit deep, cutting through reinforced lightning armor, drawing blood for the first time in the fight.

A deep, rumbling laugh escaped Kravtsov, thick with exhilaration. "So you get it!"

The battlefield crackled as his aura surged, a raging storm of pure power. Lightning coiled around him, flickering like a tempest contained within flesh. He clenched his fist, and the raw energy burned through the wound Yun Jin had inflicted. With a single pulse, the searing heat cauterized the gash shut, sealing the injury in an instant.

But before he could regain his breath—

SHING!

A new blade materialized from nothingness.

Yun Jin’s focus never wavered. His body moved with instinctive precision, his mind sharper than ever. In his hands, another sword of ice manifested in the blink of an eye.

This time, his stance shifted.

Light Blade Sovereign Style + Wudang Sword Technique—Grave of the Firefly!

The rhythm of battle changed. No longer flowing like water, no longer darting in and out—Yun Jin stood firm. His strikes became relentless, each swing heavier than the last, each movement carrying the weight of inexorable force.

The afterimages of his sword burned in the air like fleeting fireflies.

His blade did not dance—it consumed.

Kravtsov’s brows furrowed. He gritted his teeth, his arms crossing defensively as he tried to endure the onslaught. Every block sent sharp tremors through his bones.

A deep cut formed across his forearm.

A gash along his ribs.

A strike shattered through his lightning-coated defense, tearing flesh as it left a freezing trail of raw pain behind.

The crowd fell into hushed awe.

For the first time, the champion was being overwhelmed.

Kravtsov growled, stepping back. He threw a counterpunch, his fist coated in thick lightning—but Yun Jin’s blade met it mid-air. A streak of ice surged across Kravtsov’s knuckles as his attack was redirected, nullified, and punished in one swift motion.

His muscles tensed. This level of technique…!

Kravtsov’s eyes widened in disbelief. "So… you were a sword master all along?"

A manic grin stretched across his face. He threw his head back and roared with laughter.

"I CAN'T BELIEVE IT! YOU’VE BEEN HOLDING BACK AGAINST ME!?"

His blood dripped onto the stone, sizzling from the lingering frost. He lifted his arms again, breath ragged but thrilled beyond measure.

"FINE!"

His gaze locked with Yun Jin’s—all doubt erased.

A slow, hungry grin spread across his face. "I ACCEPT YOU AS A TRUE WARRIOR!"

His aura flared with renewed ferocity.

Lightning surged around him, the crackling arcs now golden-white, as if the very air bent to his wrath. The air itself distorted, warping as he condensed every ounce of power into his next transformation.

"This…" His voice came out as a growl, vibrating through the battlefield. "I was saving this for Olag, but you've earned it too!"

Then—he unleashed everything.

A wave of pure lightning erupted outward.

The sheer force sent shockwaves ripping through the ruins of the arena. The broken stone beneath him shattered into dust, the ground caving beneath his might. Lightning did not leave him—IT BECAME HIM.

His form blurred, a living storm made flesh. The air itself crackled with overwhelming charge, arcs of golden lightning branching out, striking randomly across the battlefield.

The audience shielded their eyes as a deafening surge of energy rocked the ruined battlefield. The very barriers meant to protect the spectators cracked, their magic barely holding against the magnitude of Kravtsov’s unleashed power.

Yun Jin squinted through the storm of lightning, his breath steady despite the chaos. This was it.

This was the true form of the Champion.

Kravtsov hovered above the shattered ground, arcs of golden lightning coiling around his body like living tendrils. His muscles, already thick with war-hardened strength, pulsed with condensed power, his entire being a conduit of devastation.

Then—he vanished.

"VALKYRIE DROP!!"

Kravtsov descended like a god of thunder, his fist a bolt of destruction, crashing down with an impact that could shatter mountains.

For a single breath, silence reigned.

Then—light flickered. A faint, ethereal glow pulsed from the heart of the devastation.

Light Blade Sovereign Style: Thirteenth Form – Vector to Heaven.

[Sword Wave] cut through the thunderstorm.

BOOOOM!!

A cataclysmic explosion erupted as thunder and light collided, tearing through the battlefield and obliterating what remained of the arena.

The sheer magnitude of the clash sent a shockwave across the ruins, toppling the last standing pillars of the battlefield.

Dust and rubble rained down as the stadium trembled under the force of the collision.

The audience stood frozen.

Then, someone whispered.

“…He’s still alive?”

As the dust settled, the battlefield came into view.

There, half-standing, swaying yet unbroken—stood Yun Jin.

His right arm hung limply, shattered beyond recognition. One of his legs barely supported his weight. His body was scarred, bloodied, and bruised, but his eyes—his eyes still burned with fighting spirit.

The arena was gone.

The watching stands lay in ruin.

The high-ranking guests had already begun fleeing.

There was no more battlefield.

Only the two of them.

And Yun Jin wasn’t the only one injured.

Across from him, Kravtsov clutched his shoulder—where his left arm used to be.

For a moment, he stared at the severed limb on the ground, his breath steady as the realization sank in.

His expression twisted—not in pain, but in sheer admiration.

"HAHAHAHAHA!!"

Kravtsov’s laughter echoed across the ruins.

Blood dripped from his wound, sizzling as it touched the scorched stone. He pressed a hand against the bleeding stump, releasing a pulse of heat that cauterized the injury in an instant.

Yet even through the pain, through the loss of a limb, his grin remained.

He understood exactly what had happened.

This kid… he planned it?!

Kravtsov replayed the last exchange in his mind.

Vector to Heaven—a strike that required immense energy, a technique meant to finish fights in a single motion.

Yun Jin had known he couldn’t endure or dodge Valkyrie Drop.

So instead of trying to block or dodge, he sacrificed his own arm, aiming for the moment Kravtsov’s mana surged at its peak.

By severing his arm, Yun Jin had disrupted his energy flow, forcing his condensed power to rebound against him.

Kravtsov stared at Yun Jin and grinned.

"You crazy little bastard…"

Even through the pain, even through the cost, he couldn’t help but admire it.

Genius. Pure, instinctual combat genius.

"But you paid a steep price, huh?" Kravtsov smirked, his gaze sweeping over Yun Jin’s battered form.

His body was wrecked, his internal circuits strained beyond reason.

Yet Yun Jin’s expression was pure joy.

His breathless laughter came in ragged gasps, his entire body screaming in agony, but his spirit soared.

He had grown stronger.

Not because of the system. Not because of levels or gifted skills. He had grown through his own will, through battle, through the sheer force of pushing himself beyond his limits—both as a warrior and as a person.

And that was all he had ever wanted.

The two warriors exchanged glances.

No more words were needed.

They knew.

This fight would end with flesh, blood, and bone.

A final test of skill. An eye for an eye.

They lunged at each other at the same time, bodies colliding in a violent exchange of blows.

Kravtsov’s fist slammed into Yun Jin’s ribs, sending a deep shock of pain through his core.

Yun Jin retaliated with a sharp elbow to the jaw, the impact cracking like a whip through the ruined arena.

A knee struck his stomach. A spinning kick slammed into his side.

Neither of them relented, their movements fueled by sheer will.

Flesh clashed against flesh. Blood splattered across the fractured ground. Bones cracked under the force of their strikes. There was no more technique, no strategy—only raw instinct guiding their every motion.

The arena had long since crumbled, yet the battle raged on.

Yun Jin’s body screamed with every movement, his limbs heavy, his qi frayed, but his mind had never been clearer. His instincts sharpened past exhaustion, his vision cutting through the chaos. And in that instant, he saw it—

A single vulnerability. A gap so minuscule it barely existed.

He didn’t hesitate.

His fist clenched, qi surging in a final, decisive flood. [Aura Blade] ignited, not through steel, but through flesh, his arm itself becoming the conduit of his will. Every last drop of energy compressed into one motion, one strike meant to end it all.

But Kravtsov saw it too.

A lifetime of battle-hardened instinct screamed at him. He had overcommitted, left himself open at the worst possible moment. But he wasn’t done yet.

With a roar that shook the broken battlefield, he forced his body beyond its breaking point.

His circuits were damaged, his energy flow shattered by the backlash of Vector to Heaven, but he refused to accept it.

His magic circuit burned in open rebellion, his body on the verge of collapse, but sheer willpower crushed all hesitation.

If this was his final moment, then he would break past his own limit.

Lightning roared across his arm, golden arcs twisting, spiraling, compressing into something denser, sharper. His fist didn’t just charge—it supercharged, the sheer force warping the air itself. And for a fraction of a second, before Yun Jin could fully unleash his counterattack—

Kravtsov’s fist moved!

For that fleeting instant, he surpassed himself.

But Yun Jin was already beyond him.

His vision blurred, his body teetering at the edge of collapse, but he refused to let it end here. Just a little more. A fraction of an inch. A single breath past the self he was a second ago.

[Sword Wave]!

A thin, radiant arc of light shot forward, not as a mere extension of his blade, but as the very essence of his will.

Kravtsov’s eyes widened.

And then—his body split apart.