CHAPTER 9: SOUL GATE
Everyone was shocked and fascinated by the intense spar between the two Berserkers.
The barrier created by the other Berserkers was still completely covered in thick fog. Suddenly, a voice echoed from within.
"ONE EYE!"
It was Ichiro.
Lisa watched the battlefield in confusion as Arman immediately responded.
"CANCEL!"
A powerful clash echoed through the arena as the two Berserkers collided once again.
Lisa turned toward Reina.
Lisa: "What is that skill? They're just standing there and shouting 'One Eye' and 'Cancel.'"
Reina smiled slightly.
Reina: "One Eye is a skill created by Arman Alan himself. It's an extremely useful technique and can be used in several different ways during battle."
Lisa: "Like how?"
Reina: "One Eye sends various clones onto the battlefield. They are completely invisible to normal human eyes. Ordinary people can't perceive them at all."
Lisa's eyes widened.
Reina: "However, if someone focuses their mana into the eye opposite to the one being used by the caster, they can sense those clones."
Yuta looked toward the battlefield in amazement.
Yuta: "So... isn't that basically a cheat skill?"
Reina chuckled.
Reina: "You could say that. But every skill has a counter. One Eye can be cancelled by a technique developed by the Wolf Berserker himself."
Yuta: "Wooaah... this seriously feels like something straight out of a manga or novel."
Shinji watched the battle with wide eyes.
Shinji: "Woah... so they're both using techniques created by each other?"
Reina nodded.
Reina: "Yes. It is necessary for Berserkers to share their techniques with one another. By doing so, they learn each other's strengths and weaknesses."
She looked toward Arman and Ichiro as their swords clashed once again.
Reina: "A Berserker must understand the abilities of their allies just as well as their own. If they ever fight together, knowing each other's strengths allows them to coordinate better... and knowing their weaknesses allows them to protect one another."
Yuta looked back at the battle, even more amazed than before.
Yuta: "So that's why they know how to counter each other's skills..."
Reina smiled.
Reina: "Exactly."
Meanwhile, the clash between the two Berserkers continued to grow more intense.
Ichiro suddenly went completely on the offensive.
CLANG!
CLANG!
CLANG!
Arman's sword was struck repeatedly as Ichiro unleashed a relentless barrage of attacks.
Arman remained calm.
He continued blocking every strike.
CLANG!
Ichiro swung his sword with tremendous force, delivering a heavy blow to Arman's weapon.
Lisa gasped.
Lisa: "Brother!"
Arman was still defending.
Strike after strike.
Block after block.
Then...
Ichiro's eyes suddenly narrowed.
He had found an opening.
Arman's chest was completely exposed.
A smirk appeared on Ichiro's face.
Ichiro: "Got you!"
He launched a powerful strike toward Arman's chest.
But then...
Arman's lips curled into a slight smile.
The opening had been deliberate.
Arman released his grip on Night Slayer and stepped forward.
His hand clenched into a fist.
Ichiro's eyes widened.
Arman threw a powerful punch directly toward his face.
But just before the punch could land, Ichiro blocked it.
The two stared directly into each other's eyes.
Ichiro smirked.
Ichiro: "So... that's how you chose to play."
Ichiro immediately released his sword as well and threw a punch toward Arman's face.
Arman blocked it.
BOOM!
The entire arena fell silent.
Both Berserkers had abandoned their swords.
Now, they were fighting with nothing but their bodies.
The battle became even more intense.
BAM!
BOOM!
Their fists collided.
Then suddenly, both of them slammed their foreheads into each other.
BANG!
A violent distortion of wind exploded around them.
The spectators watched in disbelief.
At that moment, Arman noticed an opening.
He quickly kicked Ichiro in the stomach and used the momentum to perform a backflip.
Ichiro was pushed backward.
Arman stretched out his hand.
Arman: "NIGHT SLAYER!"
His pitch-black sword shot through the air and returned to his hand.
Ichiro raised his hand as well.
Ichiro: "MIKAZUKI!"
His white sword flew back toward him.
The two Berserkers stood silently.
Arman looked at Ichiro.
Ichiro smirked.
Ichiro: "Are you thinking about the same thing I'm thinking?"
Arman smiled.
Arman: "Yeah."
He raised Night Slayer.
Arman: "Let's do it."
Both of them stood still.
They raised their swords and gripped them tightly with both hands.
Suddenly, the expressions of the other Berserkers changed.
Kim's eyes widened.
Kim: "Wait... are they really going to do it?"
Jhon looked toward the arena in disbelief.
Jhon: "Have they gone mad?!"
Angela immediately stood up.
Angela: "We have to stop them!"
Lloyd shook his head.
Lloyd: "No. This spar was officially recognized by the Grandmaster. We can't interfere."
He looked toward the battlefield with a serious expression.
Lloyd: "But we can protect everyone else. We need to create another barrier around the arena using our aura."
Jhon nodded.
Jhon: "Yeah. You're right."
Kim stepped forward.
Kim: "Then what are we waiting for? Let's go!"
The four Berserkers immediately surrounded the arena.
Their powerful auras erupted.
A massive barrier formed around the battlefield.
Inside the arena...
Arman and Ichiro raised their voices.
"OPEN!"
For a brief moment, the entire world seemed to become silent.
Then—
"SOUL GATE!"
Inside Arman's consciousness...
His surroundings suddenly changed.
He found himself standing in a vast, empty space.
There was nothing around him.
Nothing...
Except millions of glowing green dots floating endlessly through the darkness.
Arman slowly looked around.
Arman:"This feeling..."
Suddenly, the green dots began moving toward him.
One by one...
Then hundreds...
Then thousands...
Millions of green lights rushed toward Arman and were absorbed into his body.
Back in the arena...
A powerful green aura surrounded both Arman and Ichiro.
Their eyes slowly turned bright green.
Everyone stared at them in shock.
The legends they had only heard about in stories...
Were now standing before them.
They were witnessing it with their own eyes.
SOUL GATE.
Arman and Ichiro suddenly launched themselves toward each other.
BOOM!
Their speed was so incredible that some of the spectators could barely follow their movements.
They both raised their swords.
Ichiro: "SEVEN STAR SWORD—FIRST TECHNIQUE!"
Arman: "ZERO STAR SWORD—FOURTH TECHNIQUE!"
Their voices echoed across the entire training ground.
Ichiro: "FALLING STAR!"
Arman: "DEATH STAR!"
The two techniques collided.
BOOOOOOM!!!
A massive wave of wind exploded across the arena.
The ground shook violently.
CRACK!
A crack suddenly appeared on the barrier.
Everyone's expressions changed.
Then...
A mysterious figure appeared outside the Main Pavilion.
A powerful voice echoed throughout the arena.
"BOTH OF YOU, STOP!"
Arman and Ichiro immediately stopped.
They turned toward the mysterious figure.
For a moment, Arman's face remained expressionless.
Then...
His eyes widened.
A bright smile appeared on his face.
For the first time in a long while, Arman looked genuinely happy.
Arman: "VALERIA!"
Lisa immediately turned toward Reina.
Lisa: "Who is she?"
Reina smiled.
Reina: "She's the person Arman was looking for earlier."
Lisa's eyes widened.
Reina: "And she's also the only child of the Grandmaster."
Sakura looked completely confused.
Sakura: "Wait... she's the daughter of the head boss?"
Yuta slowly turned toward Lisa.
Yuta: "Wait a second..."
He looked at Arman, who suddenly looked happier than ever.
Then he looked at Valeria.
Yuta: "Is your brother... and Valeria... a thing?"
Lisa stared at him.
Reina immediately shook her head.
Reina: "No."
Yuta sighed in relief.
Reina: "It's more like Valeria is an older sister to Arman. She took care of him during his time here."
Lisa tilted her head.
Lisa: "Older sister?"
Reina nodded.
Reina: "And she's married."
Lisa looked even more confused.
Lisa: "Wait... she's married, and you said she's like his big sister?"
Reina: "Yes. And Arman was actually the one who helped her get married."
Lisa's eyes widened.
Lisa: "WHAT?!"
Arman immediately tried to leave the arena.
But Ichiro stepped in front of him.
Ichiro: "Wait. Our duel isn't over yet."
Arman looked at him with an annoyed expression.
Arman: "No, it is."
He pointed toward Valeria.
Arman: "I forfeit."
The entire arena became silent.
The Grandmaster stood up.
Grandmaster: "According to the Sparring Laws of the Order, Ichiro Katsu is the winner of this duel."
Ichiro's eyes widened.
The Grandmaster continued.
Grandmaster: "Therefore, I grant him permission to enter Elyndra."
Ichiro immediately frowned.
Ichiro: "I do not accept this."
Everyone looked at him.
Ichiro: "I don't want it."
He pointed his sword toward Arman.
Ichiro: "I wanted to defeat him fairly."
The Grandmaster looked at him.
Grandmaster: "But I already announced that entering Elyndra would be the reward for the winner."
Valeria stepped forward.
Valeria: "Then why don't you give the opportunity to enter Elyndra to the winner of the EON Festival?"
Everyone looked toward her.
Valeria turned toward Ichiro.
Valeria: "Don't you agree, Mr. Ichiro?"
Ichiro looked at her before nodding.
Ichiro: "Yeah. I agree."
Then he looked toward Arman.
A suspicious smile appeared on his face.
Ichiro: "And this bastard knew I wouldn't accept the reward like this, didn't you, Alan?"
Arman shrugged.
Arman: "Who knows?"
Ichiro: "Don't play dumb."
Arman laughed.
Then, without wasting another second, he rushed toward Valeria.
The moment he reached her, his usual calm expression disappeared.
A genuine smile appeared on his face.
Arman: "Hey..."
He looked at her warmly.
Arman: "How are you, Valeria?"