After the conclusion of the previous battles, the tournament continued without a single moment of rest.
The surviving candidates had already proven that they belonged among the greatest talents of their era.
Every remaining battle was a clash between monsters.
And among those monsters—
some stood at a level where even other geniuses could only feel despair.
Merito's Battle
The battlefield of the Eternal Nullified Physique ended exactly as everyone expected.
There were no surprises.
No reversals.
No hidden trump cards.
Merito walked forward with his usual slow, silent steps.
His opponent unleashed every technique he possessed.
Storms of energy.
Dimensional blades.
Mental attacks.
Even techniques capable of affecting the soul.
Yet none of them reached their target.
Everything that approached Merito simply disappeared.
Not destroyed.
Not blocked.
Not absorbed.
Cancelled.
The concepts behind the attacks were erased before they could even become a threat.
His opponent attempted to create distance.
Distance disappeared.
He attempted to hide his presence.
The concept of concealment was nullified.
He attempted to defend himself.
The meaning of defense itself ceased to exist.
Within moments—
the battle was over.
The referee announced the result.
Victory: Merito, Candidate of the Eternal Nullified Body.
No one was shocked.
For someone who could erase even the concepts of time, space, and perception on a superficial level, defeating an ordinary special physique was expected.
But the next battle—
was entirely different.
Karen vs. Kashmir
The battlefield darkened.
Not because of the destruction around it.
But because the shadows themselves began to move.
Kashmir, the candidate of the Shadow Physique, stood calmly with his eyes half closed.
The shadows beneath his feet expanded like a living ocean.
From them emerged soldiers.
Dozens.
Then hundreds.
Dark warriors carrying blades, spears, and shields.
Each one a fragment of Kashmir's own power.
On the opposite side stood Karen.
The candidate of the Life-Thief Physique.
Her black robes moved gently despite the still air.
Her eyes were fixed on the army before her.
She understood immediately.
This was a battle of endurance.
A battle that favored her.
The more life around her—
the stronger she became.
A faint smile appeared on her lips.
"You made a mistake."
Kashmir opened his eyes.
"Oh?"
"You gave me a battlefield full of food."
Without hesitation—
she moved.
Dark chains of spiritual energy erupted from her hands and pierced through the nearest shadow soldiers.
The moment the chains connected—
she began absorbing their vitality.
The black soldiers started becoming pale.
Their movements slowed.
Their bodies became hollow.
Their life force flowed into Karen like a river.
Her aura immediately became stronger.
But then—
Kashmir smiled.
"You misunderstand."
He raised his hand.
The shadows connected to his soldiers changed.
The remaining traces of vitality inside them were forcibly drained.
Not by Karen.
By him.
He consumed the last fragments of their existence and transformed them into pure shadow power.
His own aura expanded.
Karen's expression changed.
She realized her mistake.
The soldiers were not independent beings.
They were extensions of Kashmir.
Every bit of vitality she tried to steal could become another source of power for him.
Suddenly—
his body disappeared.
He merged with the shadow beneath Karen's feet.
Her eyes widened.
Too late.
A blade emerged from her own shadow, aiming directly for her heart.
She twisted her body at the last possible moment.
The blade grazed her side, drawing blood.
Yet before Kashmir could retreat—
Karen attacked.
Her spiritual chains exploded outward and wrapped around his arm.
A violent sucking force emerged.
Kashmir felt his vitality leaving him.
The expression in his eyes finally changed.
For the first time—
he was caught.
Without hesitation, his body dissolved into shadows.
The chains were dragged with him.
A terrifying collision occurred between the two abilities.
The Shadow World rejected the Life-Thief power, while Karen's chains attempted to devour the essence of the shadows.
The conflict produced a violent backlash.
BOOOOM!
Both of them were thrown away.
Karen's arms trembled.
Blood flowed from the corners of her mouth.
Kashmir emerged from another shadow several meters away.
His breathing had become slightly heavier.
A significant amount of vitality had been stolen.
But not enough.
Not nearly enough.
Kashmir's expression became serious.
He no longer treated Karen as someone he could defeat through tricks alone.
The shadows around him multiplied.
More soldiers appeared.
They attacked from every direction.
Spears.
Swords.
Arrows.
Karen moved like a dancer in the middle of death.
She flipped through the air.
She twisted between attacks.
She slid beneath blades.
Every movement was perfectly calculated.
But there were simply too many.
One cut appeared on her shoulder.
Then another on her leg.
Then her back.
Then her arms.
Her body slowly became covered in wounds.
Every injury weakened her.
Every second pushed her closer to defeat.
The spectators understood.
The battle was ending.
But Karen refused.
Even when her body was shaking.
Even when her vision became blurred.
She moved.
One final desperate attack.
She abandoned all defense.
She dashed directly through the army of shadows.
Several blades pierced her body.
Blood flew into the air.
Yet she reached him.
Her fingers touched his face.
A long wound appeared across Kashmir's cheek.
The moment blood emerged—
she absorbed a portion of his vitality.
For an instant—
her exhausted body regained some strength.
Kashmir looked at the wound on his face.
Then at Karen.
Silence filled the battlefield.
A faint smile appeared on his lips.
"Impressive."
Karen attempted to stand again.
But her body finally gave up.
She collapsed onto one knee.
She had taken too much damage.
The stolen vitality was not enough to reverse the battle.
The referee's voice echoed through the arena.
"Karen can no longer continue."
"Victory: Kashmir, Candidate of the Shadow Physique."
The shadows returned beneath Kashmir's feet.
He looked at his defeated opponent for a moment before turning away.
He had won.
But unlike many of his previous battles—
he had paid a price.
And everyone watching understood one thing.
Karen may have lost.
But anyone who underestimated the Life-Thief Physique after this battle—
would be making a fatal mistake.