Near a towering hill of ice, Yuki lay motionless on the frozen ground, his body drenched in blood. Standing before him was Illman, silently watching with an expressionless face.
Yuki could only stare back.
Fear, despair, shock, and trembling filled his eyes as tears slowly streamed down his face. It was as if he wanted to beg for mercy without speaking a single word.
Illman ignored him completely.
Without the slightest emotion, he slowly raised his leg...
Then stomped.
Bang!
"Ha...! Agh...!"
Bang!
"Ahh...!"
Again.
And again.
And again.
There was no anger.
No hatred.
No enjoyment.
Only endless, emotionless violence.
The only sounds echoing across the endless ocean were the dull impacts of Illman's kicks... followed by Yuki's agonized screams.
After several brutal kicks, Illman finally stopped.
Yuki, who had desperately tried to stand moments ago, was now completely collapsed.
Blood continued to pour from his broken body, staining the white ice beneath him. The warmth of the crimson blood slowly melted the frozen surface.
His eyes were completely closed.
His breathing had become incredibly faint.
He was barely alive.
Illman slowly reached toward Yuki, intending to grab him.
The moment his hand touched Yuki's body...
He paused.
Something unexpected.
Something that brought the first genuine expression to his emotionless face.
A calm...
Satisfied...
Almost peaceful smile.
It wasn't creepy.
It wasn't disturbing.
It looked as though he had finally found something he had been searching for.
Before Illman could do anything else—
A familiar voice echoed inside Yuki's fading consciousness.
"Congratulations."
"Your skill 'Sokku Saktoo' has met all evolution requirements."
"It can now evolve into 'SAHITYAK.'"
"Would you like to proceed?"
Yuki was standing somewhere between life and death.
His mind had already stopped functioning.
Everything felt distant...
His thoughts were blurry.
"...Hm..."
"...Wh... what's... happening...?"
"...Whatever..."
"...Yes..."
The crystal core inside his chest suddenly shone brilliantly.
Its color became brighter than ever before.
Chichi's voice rang out once more.
"Evolution complete."
"'Sokku Saktoo' has successfully evolved into 'SAHITYAK.'"
Silence followed.
For several long seconds...
Nothing happened.
The scene returned to reality.
Illman was still standing over Yuki.
The instant he removed his hand—
Chichi calmly announced,
"SAHITYAK has been activated."
Immediately...
Yuki's wounds began healing.
His shattered muscles reconnected.
Broken bones repaired themselves.
His strength rapidly returned.
The blood covering his body and staining the ice remained where it was...
But the injuries themselves disappeared at an unbelievable speed.
Illman quietly watched the entire process.
His satisfied smile slowly faded.
His face became emotionless once again.
Instead of attacking...
He calmly stepped backward.
Almost as if...
He wanted Yuki to recover completely before continuing the battle.
Several moments later—
Yuki's eyes suddenly flew open.
"Huh?!"
He immediately jumped to his feet.
"What...?"
"How...?"
"Illman... I was beaten by him..."
"...Then why am I completely healed?"
He looked at Chichi in confusion.
"Did you save me?"
"Was it because you evolved my skill?"
Chichi calmly replied,
"No."
"Master Precious ordered me to guide you—not interfere in your battles."
"Your skill fulfilled every evolution requirement on its own."
"I merely approved the evolution."
Yuki frowned.
"But... skill evolution doesn't even exist in Elaria anymore."
"It disappeared years ago."
Chichi answered without hesitation.
"This isn't Elaria."
"Within this world..."
"My rules apply."
Yuki slowly nodded.
"I see..."
"...Then why did my skill suddenly fulfill all its conditions?"
"And..."
"What exactly does SAHITYAK do?"
Throughout the conversation...
Illman never moved.
He simply stood there.
Watching.
Waiting.
Like a statue observing its prey.
Finally, Chichi answered.
"SAHITYAK still stores the force of attacks just like Sokku Saktoo."
"However..."
"It now converts that stored force into natural regeneration."
"The stronger the attacks you receive..."
"The faster your body heals."
"Every strike from your enemy strengthens your recovery."
"As for why the evolution conditions were suddenly fulfilled..."
"I cannot answer that."
"But I can assure you..."
"It wasn't my doing."
Yuki remained silent.
Then he smiled.
"...Fine."
"Then I'll kill that bastard."
"Now every attack he lands only makes my healing stronger."
"This fight has finally become fair."
Without another word, two massive tridents appeared in his hands.
He threw one high into the sky.
Illman calmly watched the spinning weapon.
The instant his attention shifted—
Yuki hurled the second trident directly toward him.
Illman effortlessly caught it.
But...
Yuki suddenly vanished.
Kolambia.
He instantly teleported to the trident Illman had caught.
For the first time...
Illman's eyes widened ever so slightly.
Yuki drove a powerful punch toward his face.
Illman disappeared just before impact.
He reappeared several meters away.
Without wasting a second—
Yuki activated Kolambia again.
This time...
He teleported to the trident he had thrown into the sky.
Illman briefly looked around.
Yuki had disappeared.
Then...
Realization struck him.
He looked upward.
Too late.
Yuki descended from above with another devastating punch.
Illman narrowly dodged.
The punch crashed into the frozen ocean instead.
BOOM!!
The entire ice field shattered beneath Yuki's fist.
He plunged straight into the freezing water.
Illman reappeared nearby.
Although the attack had missed...
The shockwave alone had burned away half the skin on Illman's face.
His exposed muscles were clearly visible beneath the destroyed flesh.
Illman noticed it...
Yet ignored the injury entirely.
As though nothing had happened.
Suddenly—
The broken ice exploded upward.
Yuki emerged from beneath the ocean with sword already drawn.
He slashed toward Illman.
Immediately—
Thousands of insects swarmed between them, forcing Yuki to retreat.
Illman calmly widened the distance once again.
Yuki dismissed his sword.
A glowing bow formed in his hand.
Wairua Kural: Bow.
Arrow after arrow shot toward Illman.
He dodged every single one effortlessly.
Soon...
The frozen battlefield was covered with countless glowing arrows.
Yuki dismissed the bow.
Then charged forward himself.
He threw a straight punch.
Illman caught it.
At the same moment—
He countered with a crushing punch of his own.
Yuki vanished.
Kolambia activated once more.
He teleported to one of the arrows embedded in the ice.
Illman hesitated for only a fraction of a second.
That was enough.
Yuki rushed again.
Leaping high into the air...
He descended with a powerful kick.
Illman sidestepped.
Yuki landed hard against the ice.
Without losing momentum, he twisted his body and launched a relentless barrage of punches and kicks.
One after another.
Relentless.
Merciless.
His passive skill—
AVAKHO
—activated.
For five precious seconds...
Illman's defense revealed tiny openings.
Yuki immediately exploited them.
His first kick forced Illman back a single step.
The impact wasn't as overwhelming as the punch inside the Domain...
But it was enough.
Illman looked confused.
Something felt different.
Yuki never stopped.
Punch.
Kick.
Punch.
Kick.
Every strike pushed Illman farther backward.
Even after AVAKHO's five seconds expired...
Yuki continued overwhelming him with close-range attacks.
Illman failed to counter.
It almost seemed...
As though Yuki had become too fast for him to react.
Then—
CRAAACK!!
A massive section of the frozen ocean collapsed beneath them.
Yuki immediately leaped away.
An enormous portion of the battlefield sank beneath the sea.
Illman disappeared with it.
For a brief moment...
He was nowhere to be seen.
Suddenly—
Dark vines burst from beneath the water.
They shot toward Yuki, trying to bind him.
He instantly drew his sword.
Slash!
Slash!
Slash!
Every vine was cut apart before reaching him.
Yuki landed safely on another sheet of ice.
Then—
CRASH!!
Something enormous slammed into him.
"Agh...?!"
"...A rhino?!"
The impact sent him skidding backward across the frozen sea.
When he finally regained his footing...
His expression froze.
Every direction...
North.
South.
East.
West.
He was surrounded.
Dozens of gigantic rhinos...
Each one completely black...
Each one staring directly at him.
Illman was nowhere to be seen.
Yuki tightened his grip on his sword and shield.
Although SAHITYAK allowed him to recover from injuries...
Pain still existed.
And if Illman landed a true killing blow...
There would be no second chance.
Taking a slow breath...
Yuki stood in the center of the encircling beasts.
Waiting.
Watching.
Preparing himself for whichever monster made the first move.