The moment the announcer's voice echoed through the arena, the crowd erupted into a roar.
"Winner! Salma! She is advancing to the final round!"
The energy in the stadium was electric, a mix of excitement and awe at the dominant performance. Batu sighed off to the side, but no one spared him a glance. The match ahead had stolen every ounce of attention.
Weh leaned back, arms crossed. (I was wondering if she couldn't pull it off, but it seems like I worried for nothing.)
Then, the announcer's voice cut through the cheers—not loud, but sharp and commanding. The entire crowd instinctively quieted.
"Now..." he said, his voice laced with an almost theatrical weight. "The moment one of our fighters has been waiting for. And perhaps—the drama unfolding!"
The tension in the air thickened.
"It's Yuanggai... versus Kazel!"
The crowd roared once again, eager for what promised to be the most intense match of the day.
Jin Shui leaned forward, his grin widening. Mei Rong folded her arms, watching closely. Xie Lian's sharp eyes followed the movements below. Salma stood at the side, her cold gaze locked onto the two figures stepping onto the battlefield.
The underdog had become the alpha.
Mei Rong smirked. "Heh. Kazel owes me for this."
Jin Shui raised a brow. "Oh?"
Mei Rong chuckled, nodding toward Yuanggai. "Look at him. He's already running on fumes. I softened him up. Now Kazel gets to eat the cake."
Jin Shui laughed under his breath, his eyes, however, remained fixed on the battlefield.
—
Yuanggai stood before Kazel, chest rising and falling in heavy, labored breaths. His knuckles tightened around his sword hilt. Opposite him, Kazel stood loose, relaxed, his breathing steady, his expression unreadable—save for the ever-present smirk tugging at his lips.
Two fighters. Two opposite worlds.
One was drained. The other was brimming with untouched power.
Yuanggai's frustration boiled over. He raised his sword, pointing it straight at Kazel. "KAZEL!"
Kazel barely reacted. He only tilted his chin slightly. And then—he smirked wider.
"Oh, by the way," Kazel said, voice almost too casual. "I just met Luo Shen back there."
Silence fell like a heavy stone.
Yuanggai's body stiffened. The crowd collectively gasped.
Luo Shen, standing in the tunnel, felt his pulse quicken. His eyes widened.
Kazel continued, stepping forward, slow and deliberate. "It seems like he didn't have much confidence in you."
Yuanggai's grip trembled. "W-What?"
Luo Shen took a sharp step forward. "NONSENSE!" his voice boomed through the stadium, but it only made the moment heavier.
Kazel chuckled under his breath. His blue eyes gleamed. "He didn't believe you could win."
Yuanggai's face twisted with emotion. His sword trembled at the tip.
"LIES!" he bellowed.
He couldn't hear the crowd anymore. He couldn't hear the announcer.
All he could hear was the roaring fire in his heart, burning with rage.
With a snarl, Yuanggai lunged forward.
"F-Fight!" the announcer stammered, barely getting the word out before the battlefield exploded into action.
Yuanggai's sword slashed through the air, sending waves of scorching flames toward Kazel, forcing him to navigate a battlefield of fire. The sheer heat distorted the air, turning the space between them into a burning mirage.
Kazel, however, only grinned. Without hesitation, he flicked his wrist, and suddenly—a spear materialized in his grip.
"A spatial ring?!" Pao Pao blurted out, eyes wide. "Where did he get that?!"
Even Noel, who had been nonchalantly observing, leaned forward, intrigued. "Hmm?"
Yuanggai scoffed, flames reflecting in his seething gaze. "What can your little spear do?!"
Kazel's smirk deepened. "This."
In one fluid motion, he spun the spear with expert control before launching it—not by throwing, but by kicking it. The sheer force sent it tearing through the air like a comet, slicing clean through the fiery wall.
Yuanggai barely had time to react.
Shnk!
The spear struck his left arm, drawing a sharp gasp from the crowd. Blood splattered against the scorched ground. But before Yuanggai could even process the pain, a figure burst through the wall of flames.
Kazel emerged—a blur of motion and momentum.
His smirk was razor-sharp. "Let's dance!"
His sword came crashing down. Yuanggai barely raised his own in time to block, but the force of Kazel's strike sent tremors through his already-weary arms. Sparks flew as their blades clashed, ringing through the air.
From the stands, Saya, a seasoned swordswoman, narrowed her eyes. "This is a waste of effort. He could end it at any moment."
Yelan, however, chuckled. "More like a masterful mind game."
Saya arched a brow. "How so?"
Yelan crossed his arms, watching Kazel's relentless assault. "To you, this might seem inefficient. But he isn't aiming to win immediately—he's aiming to break his opponent. He's forcing Yuanggai to exhaust himself beyond his limits."
Saya's eyes widened slightly in realization.
"He's not fighting to defeat him," Yelan continued, smirking. "He's fighting to destroy him."
The crowd was a storm of roaring cheers, their excitement reaching a fever pitch. Every clash of steel, every exchange of attacks—it was a spectacle none could look away from.
But amidst the deafening noise, Yuanggai could only hear one thing—his own heartbeat, thundering in his ears. His vision blurred at the edges, exhaustion weighing him down. Yet through it all, one image remained crystal clear—the arrogant smirk of his opponent, the one toying with him, breaking him down piece by piece.
"Pathetic."
Kazel's voice was cold, sharp like a blade—before he followed up with a brutal kick straight to Yuanggai's chest.
Thwack!
Yuanggai staggered backward, his feet scraping against the ground. But instead of collapsing, his lips curled into a grin. This space—this was all he needed.
"Fool!"
With a roar, he gripped his sword and pulled it back over his shoulder.
Mei Rong's eyes snapped wide open. "That move!"
She gritted her teeth, watching his stance. "Can he even perform it again…?"
Salma, standing to the side, furrowed her brows. There was an uncharacteristic look of concern in her cold gaze. Her fingers twitched—should she interfere?
But then, her breath caught in her throat.
Kazel… was looking at her.
Not at Yuanggai. Not at the battle. At her.
His smirk deepened, a silent taunt in his expression. A provocation.
Salma clenched her fists. He was daring her to step in.
She knew what it meant. If she interfered—she would be disqualified.
"Yuanggai…" she muttered under her breath, a storm raging in her eyes.
And yet, Kazel had already turned away.
He was giving his back to his opponent.
Not out of arrogance—out of utter disrespect.
His arms crossed, his entire demeanor relaxed, he looked straight at Luo Shen, standing in the tunnel's shadow.
"Now then…" Kazel's voice rang out, calm and casual, yet dripping with menace. "There is a safe word for this."
Gasps rippled through the audience. He wasn't even acknowledging Yuanggai anymore.
In the stands, Yiren let out a low whistle.
"Oh my, what a sinister fella," she murmured, her eyes shimmering with amusement. "And he's, what, sixteen? Seventeen?"
Her lips curled into a wicked smile. "But I can't deny it—it's attracting."
Beside her, the cloaked figure shifted, and for the first time, her hood slipped slightly, revealing Lana's intrigued expression.
"Ohhh?" she hummed, her blue eyes flickering with interest.
Kazel's back was still turned, his posture utterly composed.
He wasn't just fighting Yuanggai anymore.
He was playing with him.
"Noel, your son is something else," Bai Rong muttered, eyes locked on the battlefield.
Beside him, Noel leaned back in his chair, arms crossed, a small smirk tugging at his lips. "He is, isn't he?"
Bai Rong, however, wasn't smiling. "But that technique is dangerous." His voice was lower now, edged with concern. "You need to stop this. If it goes too far—"
Noel didn't even look at him. His gaze remained on Kazel, watching the way his son moved—the effortless control, the unwavering confidence, the complete lack of fear.
"This?" Noel scoffed. "This is hardly a challenge, Bai Rong."
Bai Rong clenched his jaw. (Is he blind to the risk, or does he truly believe in his son that much?)
In another section of the stands, Nobu let out a low whistle. "This fella... He wields that sword as if it's his own limb."
Wurong tapped his fingers on his knee, his expression shifting as realization set in. "And the best part?" He exhaled, shaking his head. "He hasn't even used his beast yet."
Silence fell between them as the truth hit.
Kazel was dominating.
And he wasn't even at full power.
The air grew tense. Even those who had doubted him before were now sitting forward, breathless.
Yuanggai, his body aching, his arms heavy, could hear nothing but the pounding in his ears. His vision swayed, but his fury burned hotter than ever.
"DIE!! KAZEL!!"
With a final, desperate roar, he unleashed it again.
A storm of fire and fury, the last card he had left.
Kazel rolled his shoulders, loosening them as he let out a slow breath. His gaze flickered toward Luo Shen, who remained frozen, refusing to utter the safe word.
(So that's how it is, huh?) Kazel sighed.
For a brief moment, the Mustang Black Rabbit manifested behind him—its sleek black fur rippling, its red eyes gleaming. And then—
He vanished.
A burst of dust erupted from where he once stood, the shockwave shaking the arena.
"How well do you know your fire?"
Kazel's voice was soft—but ice cold.
Yuanggai's entire body stiffened. Goosebumps. Every hair on his skin stood on end. Instinct screamed at him—move!
He twisted, swinging his sword with everything he had—but Kazel didn't even bother to draw his blade.
A swift, effortless parry—his bare hands dismantled the attack in an instant. And before Yuanggai could react—
CRACK!
Kazel's leg snapped up in a devastating kick, sending Yuanggai's sword lobbing out of his hand before sending another powerful kick in succession, sending the sword away.
"—?!"
Yuanggai staggered, barely able to catch his breath—
BOOM!
Two palms slammed into his chest.
A force like a hammer blow sent him rocketing backward—straight into his own fire tornado.
The inferno swallowed him whole.
Luo Shen's eyes widened in pure horror.
"YUANGGAI!!"
Without hesitation, the patriarch of the Jade Lotus Sect leapt from the tunnel, diving into the raging flames.
The fire tornado collapsed instantly. Luo Shen landed in the middle of the scorched arena, his robes fluttering as the embers faded into the air. He hunched over Yuanggai's charred body—his once-proud disciple now groaning in agony, his skin marred with second and third-degree burns.
But Kazel?
He wasn't even looking at them.
His gaze had already shifted.
The crowd followed his line of sight—
And all at once, the Rising Stone Sect's elders went rigid. Their pupils shrank in pure shock.
Up in the patriarchs' row, Weh sat frozen in his chair with his head tilted.
His fingers were gripping the armrests so tightly that his knuckles had turned white. Because impaled into his seat—mere inches from his head—
Was Yuanggai's sword.
A single lock of his hair drifted to the ground.
The realization hit like a thunderclap.
Kazel had redirected the sword.
A warning.
A clear, unmistakable message.
Kazel smirked. Slowly, he crossed his arms.
For a long moment, there was only silence.
Then—
"W-W-WINNER… KAZELL!!!"
The arena exploded into cheers.
"Holy shit!"
"Incredible, incredible!"
"What in the—HOW?! HOW did he pull that off?!"
The crowd erupted in sheer disbelief.
Some stood frozen, mouths agape. Others clutched their heads, as if trying to process the impossible. Even the most composed warriors couldn't hide their astonishment.
From the stands, Jin Shui let out a low whistle. "Tch. That's not a fighter, that's a demon in human skin."
Mei Rong's lips parted slightly before she chuckled. "I told you, he gets to eat the cake. Though... I never thought that's how he chose to eat it."
Xie Lian simply crossed his arms, his owl-like gaze sharp. (Not a single wasted movement... no hesitation... no fear. This guy is dangerous.)
Salma, still recovering from her own match, narrowed her eyes. She had expected Kazel to be strong—but this? This was something else.
Above them, Saya clenched her jaw. "Unbelievable... he played Yuanggai like a puppet."
They had underestimated him.
They had all underestimated Kazel.
And now, the entire sect tournament—no, the entire arena— knew it too. And the final match to bring a close to the ordeal was nigh.