Wei pushed himself up from the ground with a swift, fluid motion—almost like a practiced martial arts recovery.
He steadied himself and raised a hand slightly.
"Alright… we didn't come here to fight, mister," Wei said calmly. "We were just looking for food and a place to relax. If we've done something wrong, then we apologize. We'll leave."
His voice carried a rare humility.
Master Yen's eyebrow lifted.
"Leave?" he repeated coldly. "You think criminals like you can walk out of here that easily?"
His gaze sharpened.
"I'll make sure at least one of you doesn't."
Amy's eyes shifted between them—then upward. She saw it.
The glowing title above their heads.
Her expression fell.
"So… you're not really merchants," she said softly, disappointment in her voice.
Wei didn't respond.
The silence said enough.
Master Yen stepped forward, confidence radiating from him.
"If you have any honor," he said, "you'll fight me one at a time."
Wei walked past Ryo, rolling his shoulders.
"Ryo," he said quietly, "this guy doesn't deserve our blades."
He clenched his fist.
"I'll handle him. No killing… just a lesson."
Ryo gave a small nod. "Don't drag it out."
Wei stepped forward, a smirk forming.
"Alright, mister," he said, cracking his knuckles. "You seem hungry for a fight."
His eyes sharpened.
"I'll make sure to feed you plenty of punches."
Master Yen's lips curled into a confident smile.
"We'll see about that… Legion Slayer."
Wei's eyes shifted upward.
A glowing screen hovered above Master Yen's head.
GUARDIAN
LEVEL 70
Wei let out a short chuckle.
"Guardian?" he said. "Of what… this restaurant?"
He rolled his shoulders, unimpressed.
"Level 70, huh? Not bad—but not enough to pick a fight with someone like me." He smirked. "You might actually make a decent punching bag."
Master Yen's expression didn't change.
"Enough talk," he said coldly. "We move this elsewhere."
He turned slightly, his voice steady but firm.
"You're the only one who'll be destroyed today… not this city."
Ryo's eyes narrowed.
Amy took a step back, tension rising in her chest.
Wei cracked his neck, grinning.
"Fine by me."
A glowing circle of teleportation magic flared to life beneath Master Yen's feet, intricate symbols spinning slowly with a soft hum.
Amy rushed forward and stepped into the circle beside him.
Light surged—
And in an instant, both of them vanished.
The air settled.
Behind them, the rabbit-like waiter approached, gently guiding Garbaru forward.
"Your companion, sir," he said, offering the reins.
Wei took them with a nod. "Thanks."
The waiter bowed slightly. "Please proceed to the far side of the islands. Master Yen will be waiting for you there."
Wei and Ryo exchanged a brief glance—
Then nodded.
Wei mounted Garbaru first, gripping the reins. Ryo followed, settling behind him.
"Let's go," Wei said.
With a powerful flap of his wings, Garbaru took off once more—cutting through the sky toward the distant edge of the floating islands, where their next battle awaited.
Garbaru cut through the clouds and descended toward the far edge of the floating islands.
The peaceful town behind them faded into silence.
Ahead—
The land changed.
The island's edge opened into a vast, circular plateau carved from smooth white stone, like a natural arena suspended in the sky. Ancient markings were etched across its surface—faintly glowing, forming rings within rings, as if countless battles had once been fought there.
Beyond the platform, there was nothing.
Just open sky.
Endless.
Cliffs dropped straight down into a sea of clouds, their edges jagged and weathered. Powerful winds howled upward from below, swirling around the arena and tugging at anything that stood too close to the edge.
Floating fragments of rock hovered nearby, slowly drifting—some large enough to stand on, others spinning lazily in the air like broken pieces of a shattered world.
At the center of the arena—
Master Yen stood waiting.
Still. Composed.
His robes fluttered slightly in the wind, his gaze fixed on their approach.
Amy stood several steps behind him, her expression tense, uncertain.
The moment Garbaru landed—
The ground beneath them pulsed faintly.
As if acknowledging their arrival.
This wasn't just a battlefield.
It was a place meant for decisive fights.
Wei and Ryo jumped down from Garbaru's back, boots landing firmly against the smooth white stone.
The wind howled around them.
Wei stepped forward, cracking his neck.
"Hey you!" he shouted. "Ready to become my punching bag?!"
Master Yen smirked, unmoving.
"Why don't you come here… and find out who the punching bag really is."
Behind him, Amy took a few uneasy steps back, her voice trembling.
"Yen… don't kill him, okay? Just knock him out and let them go…"
But neither of them listened.
A boiling blue liquid ignited around Wei's right fist, swirling like a raging flame. Steam hissed into the air as the energy intensified.
Wei vanished in a burst of speed.
"OPEN YOUR MOUTH, YOU SILLY GUARDIAN!!" he roared. "I'VE GOT A BURNING HOT FIST FOR YOU!"
He lunged—
His fist inches away from Yen's face—
But Yen moved.
Faster than sight.
He caught Wei's arm mid-strike.
With a sharp twist of his body, Yen redirected the momentum and hurled Wei across the arena.
BOOM!
Wei slammed into the ground and rolled violently across the stone before skidding to a stop.
Yen straightened calmly.
"Oh?" he said with a faint chuckle. "Looks like you missed your target."
Then—
Something shifted.
From the ground beside Yen, a dark liquid began to gather.
Blood.
It seeped upward, twisting and shaping itself silently—forming a body.
Xue.
Before Yen could fully react—
A glowing, boiling red aura ignited around Xue's fist, raging like bloodfire.
He struck.
BOOM!
Yen turned just in time, raising his arm to block.
The impact detonated on contact, a violent burst of crimson energy exploding outward.
The force pushed Yen back—his feet screeching across the stone as he slid several meters away.
He stopped himself, stance steady… but his expression had changed.
His eyes sharpened.
"…A clone," he muttered.
Across the battlefield, Wei pushed himself up, wiping blood from his lip—grinning.
"Told you," he said, voice low and excited. "You'd make a great punching bag."
"Xue… don't hold back."
Xue's eyes glowed faintly red. "I never do."
The two moved at the same time.
WHOOSH—
Wei dashed from the front, his fist blazing with boiling blue energy—
While Xue melted into the ground again, vanishing into a ripple of blood.
Yen's gaze locked onto Wei.
Predictable.
Wei closed the distance in an instant, unleashing a barrage—
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
Punch after punch, each strike bursting with explosive force.
Yen met them with precise movements—parrying, redirecting, stepping just enough to avoid direct impact.
But then—
A ripple beneath his feet.
Too late.
SHHHK!
Xue erupted from the ground behind him, fist already cocked back, burning with blood-red energy.
Yen twisted—
Barely managing to raise his arm.
BOOOOM!
The impact exploded against his guard, forcing his body forward—
Right into Wei.
Wei grinned.
"Got you."
His fist surged brighter—
BOOM!
A direct hit to Yen's chest.
The combined force detonated between them, sending a shockwave across the arena.
But Wei didn't stop.
He grabbed Yen's arm mid-stagger—
"Xue—NOW!"
Xue vanished again—
And reappeared above.
Mid-air.
Spinning.
His leg coated in swirling blood energy.
CRASH!
A downward kick slammed into Yen's shoulder, driving him toward the ground—
But before Yen could fall—
Wei pulled him forward again—
A perfectly timed setup.
"Eat this!"
Wei's knee drove upward—
THUD!
Connecting with Yen's torso.
The air cracked.
The combo was seamless.
Relentless.
Front. Back. Above.
No escape.
Yen slid back across the stone, feet grinding to a halt.
Dust rose.
Silence.
Then—
He straightened.
Slowly.
A faint mark on his clothes.
A shallow bruise forming.
But his stance?
Still perfect.
Still calm.
"…Good coordination," Yen said quietly.
His eyes sharpened.
"But not enough."
The wind around him shifted—
His aura rising.
Yen's aura flared—sharp, controlled, suffocating.
Wei stared at it…
Then laughed.
"Should I be scared now?" he said, grinning. "I don't think so." He waved a hand casually. "Don't worry—I'll call my clone off. I think we're already too much for you."
Before he could even finish—
FLASH!
Yen vanished.
He reappeared right in front of Wei, his fist already driving forward—fast, precise, unstoppable.
THUD—!
His punch connected cleanly with Wei's mouth.
But then—
Something felt wrong.
Yen's eyes narrowed.
His fist—
…was gone.
No—
Not gone.
Liquefied.
From the knuckles down, his arm had turned into a splashing mass of fluid, as if his strike had broken his own form apart. It rippled unnaturally, like water forced out of shape.
SPLASH!
Droplets scattered across the air before pulling back toward his arm.
Yen instantly stepped back, creating distance, his expression sharpening for the first time.
"…What did you do?"
Wei didn't move.
He just stood there, smiling.
Behind Yen, Xue slowly rose from a pool of blood, eyes glowing faintly.
Wei cracked his neck.
"You hit me," he said calmly. "So your body paid the price."
His grin widened.
"Welcome to my territory."
The air around them shifted—
Subtle.
But wrong.