2nd Phase Ends

The fight had welcomed quite a few strange, colossal changes but finished with an incredible turnaround of Elements. In the end, a humanoid fish was convulsing and having seizures despite not being struck by any Soul attacks. Immediately, even those who wanted to still pursue Elena and demonstrate to her their valor and superior strength felt apprehensive, turning their heads away from their previous goals to go after some more... realistic short-term achievements.

When Heian Ciemnosc warped outside the ring, no longer bathed in water and anything else. He became slightly pensive. This virtual world could copy one’s items, even if they were incredible ones, into the rings so they could use them without suffering. For example, if one used their blood essence in the virtual world, their bodies would be unaffected, and they would at least show their capabilities.

Such as Allen’s desperate struggle, only to be destroyed in bits by Heian Ciemnosc’s subsequent cutting wind blades. When he fought Patric, those blades might have appeared cloudy white and as normal as before. But they were surrounded by a multitude of water being pushed in its direction. Not only being parted away by the pushing wind blades but manipulated to add to their landing strike without using any Water elemental manipulation.

Heian Ciemnosc kept his other Elemental techniques hidden. Still, he discovered that doing something like those cutting wind blades drained his dark Power Energy to an impossible degree. Heian Ciemnosc was sure that not even a Broken Crystallization realm 1st stage’s storage would be enough to create a cutting wind blade, let alone 3, and effortlessly manipulate them with just his dark Soul and Spirit Sense guiding and maneuvering.

In fact, he believed only those at the 10th stage should have a similar storage than his, making him feel like his battle prowess hadn’t been weakened. Still, it was his utmost primal insufficiency of mighty. His dark Power Energy was weaker than any rigorous Power Energy. It couldn’t contend for long in an all-out energy face-off if it wasn’t because of its devouring peculiarity. His dark Power Energy had been improved several times during the Spirit Formation and the Spirit Rebirth cultivation realms.

Its quality in each realm was vastly more powerful, especially since it became unlimitedly enhanced since his Spirit Image was nothingness. There was nothing to draw prowess from, but at the same time, it was like he was that Spirit Image, everything he is. Thus, his dark Power Energy didn’t need to have anything trigger inside him to become stronger. It had been eternally improved even if he were to exhaust his storage.

However, when the crowd saw the negotiated rules before the fight began, they didn’t expect to see a humanoid fish having seizures and spasming below the bleachers, bleeding and coughing organ matter nonstop despite no Soul attacks during the fight. This fella had still shaken the crowd when they saw the ‘minor’ punishment for trying to harm Heian Ciemnosc or betray him in any way… Anyone who had Heian Ciemnosc in their eyes decisively decided to simply look away. And if Elena were to look, she would have felt so proud!

“Heian Ciemnosc?!”

However, when Heian Ciemnosc exited the ring and was about to walk through the green platform, a voice called him out. He turned around, realizing who the person behind that voice was. He looked at the young woman with a team behind her. They had just warped here with a thought. Meeting with Heian Ciemnosc head-on, they had slightly conflicting emotions, but the young woman, their leader, spoke as she stepped forth.

“It’s good that we’ve found you.” The young woman relievedly said. She clasped her hands and bowed towards him. She wasn’t being subservient, just apologetic. Heian Ciemnosc fully turned to face her as he waited for her to continue. She stood with her back straight and began, “In the name of the Opposing Poles Cult, I’d like to invite fellow participant Heian Ciemnosc to become good friends with us. We are a Universe close to the Wrath Nihility Academy. But we have never had the chance to start any contact with each other… until now.”

“I see,” Heian Ciemnosc said. His tone was polite. He stepped towards the young woman and nodded. Right away, both fell into a little chat, with Allen’s matter being quickly forgotten. They spoke of different, slightly significant things. Among them, a possible meeting between both parties’ people after the 2nd phase ended. After all, the 3rd and last phase wouldn’t start immediately after the 2nd ended. It would somehow lose credibility.

When Heian Ciemnosc and the young woman finished their chat, Allen wasn’t even mentioned again, as the other party left without making a scene. Those feeling slightly conflicted even began to see Heian Ciemnosc and the Academy as a beneficial ally they wouldn’t mind having. But all this was quickly resolved without something substantial happening in between. Afterwards, Heian Ciemnosc walked away, deciding on someone else to fight. His next victim’s face was precise in his mind, one of Elena’s pursuers from the day he arrived at the Wind door’s mountain.

Warp~. Heian Ciemnosc’s vision changed and, not feeling any exhaustion from the previous fight, relishing on the sensation of being able to go all-out without any qualms, Heian Ciemnosc appeared before a tall, blond, and gentlemanly-looking young man. When the latter saw him, his eyes widened, mostly in terror than surprise. It was like this young man had been waiting for such a possibility but hoped it wouldn’t really come to this.

Now that the young man saw Heian Ciemnosc, he dropped whatever his mind was on and looked at the pale young man. Heian Ciemnosc tilted his head to the right and spoke upon seeing the other party hesitate, “Let’s fight. You dared to do something stupid without my presence, so you should be undoubtedly capable of doing worse in my presence, am I right?”

Heian Ciemnosc’s calm words attacked the young man’s honor and manliness. Although the latter wanted to avoid feeling this way, he couldn’t help it. He became silent, and when a negotiation panel appeared before him, he looked at Heian Ciemnosc sternly. “Heian Ciemnosc. I do admit I am smitten by Elena. But she’s a person, not your property. I will fight and show her you are not the only one in the world!”

The rules were simple. They would fight at the Broken Crystallization realm 5th stage. The young man was in the 8th stage and, as many others, had seen what monstrosities Heian Ciemnosc was capable of. But with his honor put on the table and Elena’s aura appearing in his mind, he unhesitatingly accepted. Yet, all Heian Ciemnosc gave him in return was an equally calm response. “Good. I would have had to find you another day if you didn’t accept this.”

“...” The young man coldly sweated. He didn’t realize it and believed he just felt startled, nothing else. Heian Ciemnosc disappeared first, and a second later, the young man followed. Immediately, the crowd was astounded at Heian Ciemnosc’s third challenge being used straight up. Their little brains and tired hearts were expecting a break after seeing his incredible, dark-horse-like performance a little later. Not right now!

“Holy shit!... Heian Ciemnosc’s fighting again!” - “Quick, spread it everywhere! We must watch another victim go off!” - “My gods, why is he so handsome? Does he have a wife?” - “Well, it’s rumored he had a couple wives before Elena, from the Academy, so-” - “My gods! He’s so charming. I want him more!”

While some people on the bleachers felt surreal and shook their heads, most were excited and cheering when they saw Heian Ciemnosc enter another field. The spoken words were loud and heavy in emotions. When a few particular people exited their rings and noticed the commotion, they looked to where most were observing. Although Heian Ciemnosc’s capabilities were top-notch, without a doubt, since he was a Spirit Rebirth realm still, many thought his methods only worked for those who could face him with his battle prowess.

Only those slightly older or experienced Second Step cultivators or higher understood what Heian Ciemnosc’s doing meant. Even when he was fighting Allen, if the latter was a couple stages above Heian Ciemnosc’s battle prowess, the latter’s Wind techniques would’ve been enough to do the same. Allen had Water elemental affinity but was brainless compared to Heian Ciemnosc’s moves.

One of those specific fellas was… Elena! When she exited her second challenge, she felt really upon seeing her Dark Wind’s absolutely mighty prowess. However, when she looked up and saw Heian Ciemnosc’s back moving back and forth as he employed Wind techniques, she started feeling some comprehension. Her brown eyes dulled, and she looked towards Heian Ciemnosc’s ring in the green platform. Nobody within could be seen from the outside, only the fighting participants.

Many thought she was feeling anxious, or maybe the love was lost on her side. But all inside her head was a synergy that would fit her, Dark Wind, and the future in which she saw herself where she would fight and move the wind of Kingdoms and in space. While Heian Ciemnosc did sudden strikes and convoked Wind around him to besiege the enemy, she wanted to swipe her halberd and send the enemy down at once. Or after mortally wounding them until their bodies were unrecognizable to their loved ones, just to put an example.

If you come across this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it.

… In Heian Ciemnosc’s ring, several tornados were twirling and advancing towards the young man, as 8 wind blades surrounded Heian Ciemnosc. The young man was already within a hurricane, trying to fly outside its eye. But he was incapable and was severely injured each time he attempted it. He had no Elemental affinity, so he could only barge at from the inside with his Mortal weapons and a few tools to no avail.

“Why are you doing this to me?!” The young man shrilly screamed, losing all decorum and decency he showed a minute earlier. His left arm looked like tigers used it as a toy to relax. Wide open wounds all around the young man’s body bled as he added, still in a shrill. “I only wanted to court her! Why is this so troublesome? I’ll surr- NO, never mind, I said nothing! AAH!”

The young man was about to say the magic words to escape the terrifying fate of others. But when he did, a notorious dark tube exploded from below, under the floor, in correlation to where he was floating in the hurricane’s eye. The young man immediately stopped, fearing it would come upwards and torture him. By now, Heian Ciemnosc’s Vocón Link was the most feared. Even more so than his unknown dark Soul attacks, which he didn’t plan to use too much.

“...” Heian Ciemnosc offered no words as he looked indifferently at how things happened. Deciding that it was enough and seeing the young man wail, humiliating himself and honor, raised his right hand. Only his index finger was lifted, which he immediately bent. At once, the 8 wind blades around him shot forwards as the tornados still headed towards the young man.

Wheesh, wheesh, wheesh, wheesh… WHOOOSH- WHIIIISTLEEE, CRUUUSHHHH~~...

The wind blades slowly started in a general direction, each heading with the same trajectory and slowly forming part of the same body as they flew forth and arched downwards, attempting to fall on the young man from above. Meanwhile, the tornados slowly crushed into the hurricane. Their bodies merged into it as the insides were welcomed with raging, bursting slight traces. The young man inside it was forced to go all-out just to defend himself from being cut off from any of his limbs.

WhooOOOOOOSH… WhiiiiiiiiiiisTLLEEEEEEEEEEEE~~...

The 8 wind blades became a cutting wind blade, a dozen meters long, and came crashing down on the hurricane’s eye, whose body had increased after the tornados merged with its body. Dark Power Energy undulated from everywhere, coming off as darkness, its tentacles, and electric sparks atop the hurricane’s raging wind. The young man, still in the middle of its eye, looked up after fending off against countless wind remnants, his clothes mostly gone but covered by a green layer around his intimate parts.

When he looked up, he saw the cutting wind blade effortlessly passing through the hurricane’s inner walls with its extremes, flowing through them like a surfing board in the waves. As it came lower, its sharpness increased, and so did its width. When it was about to land on the young man’s face, whose body was impaled by several cloudy white limbs projected from the hurricane’s inner walls, the cutting wind blade’s length remained, but its width increased to 40 meters!!

The crowd was awfully silent. Elena remained stunned, watching the fight about to end. Heian Ciemnosc casually crossed his arms as he witnessed his first victim from Elena’s pursuers receive their well-deserved reckoning. His face was expressionless, and his darkest eyes serene and ultimately cold. When they saw the young man’s face light up to the grayish transparent yellow energy, the crowd suddenly acted instinctively, cheering the hell out of their mouths!

CRRRRRUUUUUUUSHHHH… POOOOOOOOOOOM, WHOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOSHHHHHHH…

“WOOOOOOAHAAAAAAAAAAA!!!” - “That’s just… amazing!!” - “Can Broken Crystallization realm cultivators really have this kind of power? That’s so stupid!” - “In…credible!” - “Boss Heian Ciemnosc! Please take me as your subordinate! Your disciple! No, just your servant is enough!” - “Holy shit! Is he a Wind element Chosen? This is absurd!” - “The Wrath Nihility Academy will raise in this Change. For sure! Fucking hell!”

Excited cries burst everywhere, even from the doubters who once prayed for his fall. It might have been only because of the spur of the moment. But it was nice to have an entire arena’s bleachers all look towards one side in particular and exclaim out loud for one person. Even those from other rings stopped fighting and observed Heian Ciemnosc’s fight culminating. Elena’s brown eyes regained their vividness as her mouth lightly grinned.

The young man’s body was halved, his eyeballs popping out for an instant before being mangled and turned to nothingness by the cutting wind blade’s explosive self-destruction, blasting everything in 50 meters to literally emptiness. Even the already empty ring became emptier. Just to showcase Heian Ciemnosc’s Wind element’s manipulation and prowess.

“Heh,” after watching her hubby explode someone’s body with a series of Wind techniques, she felt amused, encouraged, and her blood boiling. Directly wanting to face someone in the Broken Crystallization realm 3rd stage, she disappeared from her spot under the crowd’s ill-thinking minds. One after another, Heian Ciemnosc’s people began to do the same. Their team leader had already started it. How could they be left behind?!

… In the following couple of hours, Heian Ciemnosc was challenged, and he accepted each of them. He accepted those who demanded for a fair fight with the same battle prowess as his, where some Spirit Rebirth realm cultivators even dared to duel him. Of course, this wasn’t because they felt like kicking down the king from glory, but because they felt... Inspired.

Those challengers who wanted to fight him with a battle prowess 2 stages above him were ignored. He couldn’t control his strength in this virtual world. If he accepted, it was like facing a strange lifeform with its cultivation in the Broken Crystallization realm 8th stage instead of in the 5th stage. He would, obviously, just fucking die. However, those who wanted to challenge him merely wanted to know him, spar with him, or test their Elemental affinity with him.

Heian Ciemnosc accepted many Fire elemental Geniuses who realized their miserable understanding of the Fire element, as Heian Ciemnosc even stole their fire from them to create raging, flaming tornados, wind blades, and spheres that exploded worse than their own, most powerful Arts.

After Heian Ciemnosc wiped their butts, leaving them red and bleeding, they understood all their misgivings, lost in thought and dazed as they gained comprehension. Seeing this, more and more participants with varying Elemental affinity wanted to spar with him. Besides, unless one of those people had pursued Elena before, even just once, Heian Ciemnosc would let them surrender when they wanted or try a couple moves before sending them out.

However, after several challenges, the virtual world finally decided to put Heian Ciemnosc outside the list. He had already used up his 3 challenges, and only by being challenged could he fight again. In the end, a pouty Heian Ciemnosc had to sit, in tranquility, beside Elena on the green platform as they waited for the 2nd phase to conclude. She had already finished her battles and only lost one against a challenger 2 stages above hers. It was one of her pursuers. All he asked was Heian Ciemnosc would let him be and forgive him as he bet a measly general flora stalk.

Elena did her best but was defeated. However, she was already pleased with her progress. She could feel that, with Heian Ciemnosc’s help, she could cultivate efficiently and rapidly. Reaching the Second Step’s peak may take her less than 1,000 years! Something similar to her co-wives, which already left her internally emotional. Slowly, the other Concealed Ornament Team members joined them, sitting and watching the rest fight until they were put outside the list.

The turmoil Heian Ciemnosc caused was quelled, a couple hours went by, and the last person to reunite with them was Fera, who fought someone in the Broken Crystallization realm 1st stage as a Spirit Rebirth realm 10th stage cultivator. She fought as her Power Energy materialized, was colored, and struck in unusual, impossible angles and methods that only Heian Ciemnosc could immediately see through.

At last, it ended in a draw, but the real victor was the other party, who received a few pills and a tool in return. Not everyone did as Heian Ciemnosc, fighting others at the same level or within a stage below his current cultivation base. Although it was a draw, seeing someone capable of such things at such a young age, many began thinking that a future prominent powerhouse would be raised by the already powerful Obscure Orb Sect.

Finally, Fera returned to their side and rested her tired, virtual head on his right thigh as Elena sat on his left, watching a few thousand fights happen around them before the last ring finally dimmed out. At that moment, Bajo reappeared as a digital image within the green platform inside the virtual world and hovered above the platform in the real world. His arms were resting to his sides as he spoke while looking straight ahead in a specific direction.

“With this, the Change Merit Trials’ 2nd phase is over! Let me inform everyone that the 4 organizations hosting this event have decided to delay the 3rd phase’s start. Due to your excellent collection and competition this time, everyone will have 3 months to prepare for the last phase! Good luck to everyone who wishes to take a decisive rank within the 3rd phase. This will be the biggest event in several Ages, and we welcome other Existences to watch it with us!!”

“Dismissed!” In the end, the participants who were surely not going to participate in the 3rd phase became excited. Their eyes shone, Bajo announced as the crowd was swept in waves and waves of cheers and loud exclamations. Who didn’t want to be the mightiest cultivator of their generation in the entire world? But limiting their goals to the adjacent Existences was more than enough!

Heian Ciemnosc, however, was already walking within the platform, no longer the virtual world, with his wife on his left, under his arm, and his future daughter-in-law on his right, holding hands. His thoughts were on only one motivation to keep going besides making his Master proudly and contentedly smile.

‘Gora… Kilah… Interchanging Dust Dynasty… Diego? Hmm…’ Heian Ciemnosc’s darkest eyes somberly twinkled. Elena noticed but ignored it and continued to chat with Fera, praising this little growing monster to no end. Fera blushed and felt like family. As Teno watched this, he felt like not bothering to even congratulate them, lest he pricks Heian Ciemnosc’s nerves again. He had only started amending his previous reckless, anxious actions to check on Fera’s cultivation base. Which had obviously grown further during this 1st phase’s month.

Everything smoothly proceeded as they exited the arena, soon to be immeasurably expanded…

…