After long seconds of silence, light, and dust—
the storm that had covered the arena finally began to fade little by little.
Shhhhhhhhhhhhh…
Small rocks were still falling from above, while gray and blue smoke filled the battlefield, and every disciple's eyes remained locked onto the center of the arena without anyone daring to speak.
Then—
the dust finally split apart.
And the moment the arena became visible… everyone's breath froze.
"W…what?!"
"T-this…!"
"Impossible…!!"
Lin was standing with difficulty directly in front of Daren.
His spear was pointed toward Daren's chest, almost touching it, while Daren himself had his gigantic hammer aimed at Lin's chest from an extremely close distance.
Both of them… had landed their attacks.
But what made the scene truly terrifying—
was their condition.
Blood was flowing from Lin's mouth and nose, and even his left eye had swollen visibly, while the arm holding the spear trembled violently from exhaustion.
As for Daren—
his state was even worse than anyone expected.
The shoulder that had been pierced could no longer properly support the hammer, forcing him to hold it with only one hand, while blood poured endlessly from his shoulder and dripped onto the shattered arena… drop by drop…
Even his breathing sounded heavy and painful.
"Hah… hah…"
He suddenly coughed.
"Cough…!"
Drops of blood scattered from his mouth instantly.
Complete silence filled the arena.
No one screamed.
No one moved.
Even the wind itself seemed to have stopped out of respect for that scene.
Then—
Daren laughed softly despite the pain.
"Haha…"
He raised his eyes toward Lin with difficulty.
"…Looks like… we really destroyed each other."
Lin replied while breathing heavily and struggling to remain standing:
"Tsk…"
He wiped the blood from his mouth.
"…You're annoying even at the very end."
Daren laughed again despite coughing.
"But seriously…"
He raised his hammer slightly with difficulty.
"…You were strong, Lin."
Then he smiled tiredly.
"Your speed was disgusting."
He exhaled quietly.
"It's a good thing we're in the same sect…"
"…because I'd truly hate fighting you to the death."
Lin's smile widened despite his condition, and he began laughing as well.
"Hahahaha…"
"That's honestly embarrassing to hear, Daren."
He coughed violently.
"Cough… cough…"
Then continued while raising his head toward him:
"I'm not used to hearing this kind of thing from you."
He slowly shook his head.
"…Good grief."
"I think I'm barely standing at this point."
At that moment—
Lin's hand suddenly trembled.
Then—
his spear slipped from his grasp.
Tnnnnng…
On the opposite side—
Daren's heavy hammer slid from his shoulder and crashed onto the shattered ground as well.
Boom…
The two raised their eyes toward one another for a brief moment.
Then—
they smiled.
And slowly began walking toward each other with exhausted steps.
One step… then another…
But after only two steps—
Lin's body shook violently.
And almost at the same moment—
Daren staggered as well.
"Hah…?"
"Tsk…"
Then—
both of them collapsed onto their knees together.
Boom…
They tried to stand again—
but their bodies no longer obeyed them.
And in the very next instant—
both of them fell completely onto the ground.
BOOOOOOM!!
Only one second of silence passed—
then—
the entire arena exploded.
"Impossiiiiiiiiible!!"
"They both fell?!"
"What kind of monsters are these?!"
"This isn't a disciples' fight anymore!!"
"Damn it! I seriously thought one of them would die!"
"A draw?! Did it really end in a draw?!"
"My God… this is the greatest fight I've ever seen!!"
"I swear I didn't breathe during that last minute!!"
Even some of the first-generation disciples—
were staring at the arena in genuine shock this time.
As for the Third Elder—
he stood up from his seat unconsciously.
"Whooooa?!"
Then stared at the arena with widened eyes.
"Did it really end… like this?!"
Meanwhile, the Fifth Elder—
remained silent for a long time while staring at the completely devastated arena.
The ground had practically disappeared, stones were scattered everywhere, and the marks of spears and hammer strikes covered the entire battlefield.
Then he finally sighed.
"There is no winner…"
He slowly shook his head.
"…What the hell are these children eating these days?!"
As for the Fourth Elder—
he merely smiled faintly while leaning against his seat.
"This…"
"…is what happens when two people who don't know how to retreat meet each other."
At that moment—
the healers rushed toward the arena.
Meanwhile, Lin—
struggled to raise his head while lying on the ground, then looked toward Daren…and laughed.
"Haha…"
He coughed blood.
"Cough…!"
"…Next time…"
He pointed toward him weakly.
"…I'll crush you."
As for Daren—
he didn't even open his eyes, merely smiling lightly while lying atop the rubble.
"…Just try it."
Then—
at nearly the exact same moment—
their smiles slowly faded, and both closed their eyes.
They lost consciousness together.
At the side of the arena…
the Fifth Elder finally raised his hand.
"Because both fighters have fallen together…"
He took a deep breath.
"…I declare this round…"
Silence filled the arena.
"…a draw!!"
BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!!!
The stands exploded with screams and excitement more violently than ever before.
"A draaaaaaw!!!"
"My God, this is insane!!"
"Daren and Lin are absolute monsters!!"
"What kind of battle was that?!"
Even Shin was screaming wildly:
"Hahahahahaha!!"
"Damn, that was incredible!!"
As for Shirin—
she placed a hand over her chest while breathing in relief.
"I honestly thought one of them was going to die…"
At that moment, the Fifth Elder was still staring silently at the arena, but suddenly—
his eyes froze slightly.
"…Wait a moment."
He frowned.
"That was the final match…"
"And because there were fewer participants this year…"
He began thinking quickly.
"Kael won the first round…"
"Faiser won the second…"
"And the third…"
He looked back toward the arena.
"…ended in a draw."
His eyes widened slightly.
"…Then."
A hesitant smile appeared on his face.
"The final match will be between…"
He exhaled slowly.
"…Kael and Faiser!!!"
A brief silence echoed inside his mind before he laughed softly.
"Haha…"
"What the hell is about to happen now?"
He raised his gaze toward Faiser, who sat calmly in the distance.
"I know Kael is most likely to win no matter what…"
"…but that boy."
He narrowed his eyes.
"…gives off a strange feeling."
"…An unsettling feeling."
"As if his very existence itself is unclear."
Then he sighed again.
"Aaaah… this is annoying."
"I'm already thinking about the final round."
He laughed softly.
"Good grief… what exactly awaits us after this?"
Finally—
he raised his voice loudly across the arena.
"Ahem… well then, disciples!"
The noise gradually began calming down.
"Since this round was the final round of the tournament…"
"…and since it ended in a draw."
The disciples exchanged glances rapidly, some already beginning to understand.
"Don't tell me…"
"Wait… does that mean—"
"Impossible!!"
Meanwhile, the Fifth Elder—
raised his voice even louder.
"The next round…"
"…which will be the final round after a short break."
Everyone's heartbeat rose.
"…will be between the winners of the previous two rounds."
And the instant everyone understood—
the arena exploded with screams before he could even finish.
"Noooooooooooo!!"
"Impossible!!"
"Are we really going to see this?!"
"Kael versus Faiser?!"
"Damn… good heavens!!"
Even the Fifth Elder finally smiled as he continued loudly:
"The final round…"
He raised his hand toward the arena.
"…will be between."
Heavy silence fell.
"…Faaaaaaaaiiiiiiser."
Then his smile widened further.
"…and Kaaaaaaaael!!!"
BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!!!
The entire arena erupted.
"Finallyyyyyyy!!"
"The monsters are going to fight!!"
"Kael will crush him!"
"Don't underestimate Faiser, idiot!"
"After what he did to Shal?!"
"That's different! Kael is on another level!"
"But Faiser is way too strange!"
"Damn it, I seriously don't know who'll win anymore!"
Even Shin—
was staring at Faiser with obvious tension.
"Aaaah… this is bad."
He quickly shook his head.
"I mean… Faiser is strong, sure."
"…But his opponent is Kael!"
Even Shirin seemed worried.
"Kael isn't like Shal…"
"That man is genuinely terrifying."
As for Faiser—
he merely smiled calmly while resting his chin on his hand.
Inside his mind—
the book burst into laughter.
"Hahahahahahahahaha!!"
"Finallyyyyyyyyy!!"
"The fun part has finally arrived!!"
As for Faiser—
he simply narrowed his eyes while looking upward.
"…Hmm."
On the Elders' platform—
the Third Elder laughed excitedly.
"Hahahahaha!"
"So I'll finally get to see that boy fight!"
Then he lightly shook his head.
"Although Kael will most likely crush him…"
"…from what I heard from you, Fourth."
He smiled.
"…that boy truly sounds interesting."
Meanwhile, the Sixth Elder—
let out a cold and insane laugh.
"Hahahahahahahahaha!!"
"Finally!"
A sinister smile spread across his face.
"And finally that arrogant brat will learn his true place before Kael!"
Then he muttered within his mind:
"Seriously… even luck was on my side."
"Hahahaha!"
"…I'm counting on you, Kael."
"Crush that bastard."
As for the Fourth Elder—
he remained leaning silently against his seat, a tiny smile appearing on his face.
"…Finally."
Then he closed his eyes briefly.
"…If what I'm thinking is correct."
He slowly opened his eyes again.
"…then this fight will change many things within this sect."
At the top of the stands—
Kael was staring directly at Faiser.
Then—
a wide and vicious grin appeared on his face.
"Haha…"
He slowly stood up.
And a red aura gradually began rising around his body.
"…It's finally time."
He lifted his gaze directly toward Faiser.
"…to crush you, you purple-haired brat."
As for Faiser—
he simply smiled.
But—
the instant their eyes met—
the air inside the arena trembled briefly…
as if the final round had already begun…
before either of them had even stepped into the arena.