After the conclusion of the sixth round, the atmosphere within the cosmic arena had completely transformed.
At the beginning of these friendly battles, many candidates had entered merely to test the limits of their abilities. But after six consecutive rounds of clashes between monsters, something unexpected happened.
Everyone had evolved.
Mark's understanding of light had reached a terrifying level.
Merito had begun exploring deeper layers of nullification.
Maria's adaptability had become more refined after encountering powers she could not simply imitate.
Daniel's understanding of the relationship between space and time had expanded.
Vladimir had learned how to make his flames more efficient instead of relying only on their overwhelming destructive nature.
Sarah had achieved a breakthrough in her understanding of destruction itself.
Kashmir had improved his shadow domain.
Tiago had refined the control of his cosmic gravity.
And William…
William had taken another step toward understanding the very foundations of existence.
Therefore, the seventh round was no longer a simple exchange of techniques.
It was a battle between beings who were slowly approaching the true nature of their physiques.
The judge raised his hand.
"The seventh round will begin."
The names appeared in the sky.
William vs Javier.
Merito vs Daniel.
Maria vs Vladimir.
Mark vs Sarah.
Kashmir vs Tiago.
The moment the first match was announced, the entire arena became silent.
William and Javier.
The man who manipulated the connections of existence.
The swordsman whose path could cut anything.
Two powers that represented completely different philosophies.
One changed the rules.
The other cut through them.
William vs JavierThe Battle Between Understanding and the Absolute Blade
The two entered the battlefield silently.
No arrogance.
No unnecessary words.
Both already knew the danger of the other.
Javier was the first to speak.
"Your battle against Merito was interesting."
William smiled.
"And your battle against Maria showed me that some things cannot be copied."
Javier placed his hand on his sword.
"Unfortunately for you, they can still be cut."
William raised his hand.
"We shall see."
The judge lowered his arm.
"Begin."
Javier disappeared.
No light.
No spatial movement.
Only a perfect motion.
His sword had already reached William's neck before most candidates could even perceive the draw.
But William was the person who had faced Mark's speed during his first training.
His consciousness expanded instantly.
He perceived the countless relationships connecting the attack to himself.
The force.
The direction.
The point of impact.
And he severed them.
The sword passed through his body.
But it was as if the strike had never acknowledged him as a target.
Javier's eyes narrowed.
"A clever defense."
He moved again.
Thousands of slashes appeared.
Each cut carried his path.
A path that did not depend on energy or a law of nature.
Therefore, William could not simply dismantle the source of the attack.
His previous methods were ineffective.
For the first time, he was forced to rely on something else.
Adaptation.
He began changing the battlefield itself.
The space around Javier was filled with altered relationships.
Distance became unreliable.
The connection between Javier's body and the surrounding forces became unstable.
His movements became slightly less perfect.
Only slightly.
But against warriors of this level, a fraction of a moment was enough.
William attacked.
His fist moved.
Not toward Javier directly.
He struck empty space.
The energy hidden between the particles exploded.
A wave of power that ignored ordinary trajectories appeared behind Javier.
Javier turned and swung his sword.
The attack was cut.
However, his expression changed.
The force did not disappear.
The severed pieces of energy maintained their relationships with each other.
They changed direction and attacked him again.
A new application.
Something William had developed after observing countless battles.
Javier smiled.
"Excellent."
For the first time in the tournament, he was forced to retreat more than a single step.
The battle continued.
A sword that could cut all things.
A power that could alter all connections.
The arena was repeatedly repaired by the cosmic system as invisible damages accumulated.
At some moments, Javier gained the advantage.
His absolute blade was too direct.
It bypassed many of William's complex manipulations.
A single mistake would have meant defeat.
At other moments, William dominated the battlefield.
Every piece of matter, every energy wave, every interaction became a weapon under his control.
Neither could overwhelm the other.
The fight reached its peak.
Javier closed his eyes.
The phantom swordsman appeared behind him.
The same phenomenon that had once divided the heavens.
His absolute path.
William became serious.
He knew this attack could not be analyzed.
It could not be copied.
It could only be faced.
He extended his perception beyond matter and energy.
Beyond simple connections.
He reached the deeper structure that allowed reality to remain coherent.
A countless number of glowing threads appeared around him.
For the first time in the battle, Javier's expression became completely serious.
"Interesting."
The sword descended.
William did not block it.
He altered the relationship between the attack and the reality around him.
The sword cut the universe itself.
The surrounding dimensions split apart.
Yet the final connection leading to William was displaced.
At the same time, William's counterattack reached Javier.
A massive shockwave spread.
Both warriors were thrown backward.
William's chest was covered in a deep sword wound.
Javier's arm trembled, blood falling from his fingers.
Both had landed their attacks.
Both had reached their limits.
The judge appeared between them.
"Enough."
The two looked at each other.
Neither lowered their gaze.
The judge announced:
"The result of this battle is a draw."
The entire arena remained silent.
Another draw for William.
Another draw for Javier.
Two fighters whose powers were fundamentally difficult for the other to overcome.
However, the experienced candidates understood something.
If the battle had continued, the outcome would have depended on who achieved a new breakthrough first.
At their current level—
they were equals.
The seventh round had begun with a battle worthy of the final stages of the tournament.
But four matches still remained.
And among them were confrontations that would reveal even more about the monsters competing for the throne of the universe.