The moment Andrew's question echoed through the silent cosmic arena, William did not answer immediately.
His body was still trembling.
The black blood that had escaped his mouth remained on the ground, carrying a corruption that even the greatest beings in the universe found unsettling.
But William did not care.
For the first time in years, his mind was not focused on power.
Not on the Eternal Body.
Not on the recognition of the primordial physiques.
Not even on the secrets of identity and absolute truth.
Only one thing remained in his thoughts.
A feeling.
A connection.
A disturbance he had ignored.
The warning that had appeared when he stood before the Eternal Body.
A warning from Earth.
A warning from his family.
His eyes slowly rose toward Andrew.
And for the first time since the old man had found him as a broken child, Andrew saw the same expression on William's face.
Fear.
Not the fear of an enemy.
Not the fear of death.
William had faced beings who could erase worlds.
He had stood before the origins of existence itself.
He had looked at powers capable of manipulating time, space, life, death, and reality.
Yet none of them had made him look like this.
Because the only thing William had never truly defeated...
was the fear of losing the people he loved.
"Take me to Earth."
His voice was low.
Almost broken.
Andrew remained silent.
"William—"
"Now."
The word came out like a desperate plea rather than an order.
For a moment, the entire arena became quiet.
The rulers and ancient beings watching them were shocked.
This was William.
The man who had stood against Merito's nullification.
The man who had walked through the realm of the Eternal Body and questioned the responsibility of changing reality itself.
And now—
he looked like a child who had just realized he might return home too late.
Andrew closed his eyes.
He understood.
He had felt the disturbance as well.
The old man raised his hand.
The fabric of reality opened effortlessly.
A doorway appeared.
A passage crossing countless galaxies and dimensions.
"Go."
William disappeared before the word was even completed.
Earth.
The world where everything had begun.
The world where William had suffered.
The world where he had found the only reason to continue living.
He appeared above the familiar land.
For a brief second, hope remained.
Maybe he was wrong.
Maybe the feeling had been a mistake.
Maybe—
His thoughts stopped.
Below him was his village.
Or rather...
what remained of it.
Black smoke still rose toward the sky.
The fields where children had once played were reduced to ashes.
The roads he had walked as a boy were covered in destruction.
Homes that had carried the warmth of families were nothing more than broken ruins.
Silence.
A horrible silence.
Not the silence of peace.
The silence that remained after screams had ended.
William did not move.
His eyes stared at the destruction.
His breathing became shallow.
His mind desperately tried to reject what he saw.
No.
No.
No.
This was impossible.
He was strong enough to manipulate existence itself.
He could cut the connections between concepts.
He could touch the foundation of reality.
So why—
Why was he standing before ruins again?
Why did every place he loved become a graveyard?
His fists trembled.
A terrible aura began leaking from his body.
The air around him fractured.
The connections between nearby objects started shaking violently.
For a brief moment, the entire planet seemed to fear his despair.
But then—
William forced himself to calm down.
Slowly, painfully, he took a breath.
"They are alive."
He whispered those words repeatedly.
Not because he knew.
Because he needed them to be true.
Then he moved.
He arrived at the sect that had sworn to protect his family.
The moment he entered, every remaining disciple froze.
Their eyes widened.
"William..."
His name spread through the damaged halls like a whisper.
The sight before him made his heart sink even further.
The once-proud disciples were broken.
Some had their bodies covered in wounds that had not completely healed.
Some had lost arms.
Others could not even stand without support.
The atmosphere was not only one of physical pain.
It was defeat.
Guilt.
Shame.
The shame of warriors who had failed to protect what they promised.
One of the disciples lowered her head.
"We are sorry..."
Those three words felt heavier than any attack William had ever endured.
He did not blame them.
He could not.
Because he understood.
He had once been powerless too.
He knew the feeling of doing everything possible and still failing.
But that understanding only increased his fear.
If even they had been defeated...
what had happened to Victoria?
What had happened to his parents?
His family?
Without speaking another word, William closed his eyes.
The world disappeared.
His consciousness spread.
The endless web of connections appeared before him.
Thousands.
Millions.
Every relationship.
Every memory.
Every trace.
He searched through the connections between the disciples and Victoria.
He followed the broken threads of their battle.
The injuries.
The chains.
The place where they had been taken.
His eyes suddenly opened.
He found her.
Alive.
But—
Something was wrong.
Without a word, he vanished.
Victoria sat in a corner in her room.
Her body had healed from most of her injuries.
But her soul had not.
Her eyes remained open.
Tears continuously escaped from them.
Yet she made no sound.
No cries.
No screams.
Only silent tears.
Because she had cried so much that even grief itself seemed exhausted.
Then—
she felt a presence.
At first, she did not react.
She thought it was another illusion.
Another cruel dream created by her desire to see him one more time.
Slowly, she raised her head.
And she saw him.
William.
For several seconds, neither of them moved.
William's heart stopped.
The sister he remembered was always strong.
Always smiling whenever he visited.
Always trying to reassure him despite her own fears.
But the person before him—
looked like someone who had lost the reason to smile.
"Victoria..."
His voice trembled.
Her eyes widened.
Disbelief.
Hope.
Fear.
All of them appeared at once.
"Brother...?"
The word was barely audible.
William took one step forward.
She took one step backward.
As if she was afraid he would disappear.
As if touching him would reveal he was merely another dream.
Then William reached her.
And that was enough.
The wall she had built around herself for days completely collapsed.
She threw herself into his arms.
"William!"
Her voice broke.
The tears she had been holding back exploded.
She held him with all her strength.
As though letting go would make him disappear again.
"I failed..."
She cried.
"I couldn't protect them."
William froze.
Those words.
Those simple words.
They struck him harder than any attack he had received during the tournament.
His hands slowly moved around her.
He embraced his little sister.
But inside—
something was breaking.
Because the greatest fear he had carried since his days on Earth was now standing directly in front of him.
He had become powerful.
Powerful beyond imagination.
A being capable of competing for the highest powers in existence.
And yet...
he had still been too far away.
Too late.
The old helplessness he had sworn to destroy was returning.
For a long time, neither of them spoke.
The only sound inside the cold prison was Victoria's crying.
Hours seemed to pass before her tears finally became quieter.
Her breathing gradually returned to normal.
Slowly, she released her brother.
She wiped her eyes.
Her hands were still shaking.
William looked at her.
Every part of him feared the words that were about to come.
He had faced the truth of the universe.
Now he was about to face the truth of his own home.
Victoria lowered her gaze.
And finally—
she began to speak.