Karin was already angry before the match started, and now she had a chance to let it out. The moment it began, she stepped forward, sword in hand, calm on the surface but clearly not holding back. Franz stood ready, but before he could react, Karin disappeared.
A few seconds passed. Nothing happened.
The crowd started murmuring. Even the announcer hesitated. "D-due to the opponent—"
Franz suddenly stiffened. His legs wouldn't move. He looked down and saw thin, nearly invisible strings wrapped tightly around his ankles. Before he could react, Karin reappeared in front of him, already mid-swing. He barely managed to block, but the impact still pushed him back.
The crowd reacted immediately.
Franz tore the threads apart with a burst of qi and jumped back, his expression changing. He charged forward, their swords clashing again with force. The impact pushed both of them apart.
Then Franz smiled.
A rune appeared beneath Karin's feet.
It activated instantly.
"Divine Judgment."
Pressure slammed down on her, forcing her to one knee. She gritted her teeth but didn't stop. She drove her sword into the ground, and dark qi spread across her body like armor. When she stood up again, even Franz paused for a moment.
He didn't hesitate long.
"Divergent Mode."
Light surrounded him. His sword shifted into a larger form, glowing with power. They both moved at the same time, colliding in the center of the arena. The shockwave spread across the stadium.
When it cleared, Franz was still standing. Karin was pushed back, breathing heavily, but still trying to move forward.
Then the ground between them exploded.
Both of them stopped.
Through the dust, someone stood there.
Isshin.
Karin stared, her expression shifting instantly.
Before anyone could say anything, Isshin spoke.
"I, Isshin Ryugen, shall carry out the execution of Franz Zeldyr for attempted murder"
The crowd reacted immediately.
Franz's expression twisted. "You—!"
He rushed forward.
Their swords met, sparks flying as the impact pushed Franz back. He looked surprised. Isshin was stronger than before.
Isshin checked his level quickly.
Nascent Soul Realm, 4th Stage.
Franz wasn't stronger anymore.
Isshin moved again, using flash step. Franz barely kept up, blocking each strike, but it was clear he was struggling.
The arena turned chaotic. Some teachers shouted to stop the fight. Others didn't interfere. The headmaster watched, then allowed it to continue.
This wasn't just a match.
Isshin stepped back briefly and helped Karin up. "Move back," he said quietly. "I'll handle this."
She hesitated, then nodded and stepped away.
Franz's expression changed again.
"You should have died in that cave!"
"Divergent Agent: Nox."
A large wyvern formed behind him, its presence covering the arena. It opened its mouth and fired a beam of qi.
Isshin raised his arm and deflected it, sliding back slightly.
He exhaled.
Then activated his technique.
"Thunder Domain: Raijin's Wrath."
The sky darkened.
Thunder echoed above as lightning spread across the clouds. The air grew heavy, charged with energy. A spear formed in Isshin's hand, spinning faster as lightning gathered around it.
When it struck the ground, the entire arena shook.
A massive thunder dragon appeared behind him.
The wyvern hesitated for a moment, then charged.
The two collided mid-air.
Lightning spread across the sky as they fought, their movements shaking the arena. The dragon overpowered it, tearing through it as thunder echoed across the battlefield.
The wyvern disappeared.
Franz staggered, coughing blood.
"No… stay back…" he said, stepping away.
Isshin didn't respond.
He threw the spear.
It pierced through Franz's chest.
Silence.
Then chaos.
Some teachers moved toward Isshin, ready to attack. Others stepped in to stop them.
"You're protecting him?" one shouted.
"You're acting without proof," another replied.
Before it escalated further, a voice cut through everything.
"Enough."
The principal arrived.
Everything went quiet.
Khalid stood beside him, along with another teacher who looked nervous.
Khalid gestured toward him. "He saw what happened."
The teacher stepped forward. "I… I saw Franz push Isshin into the cave."
Murmurs spread through the crowd.
Then a figure appeared.
Franz's older brother.
His presence was heavy, his intent clear.
The principal raised his hand. "We'll confirm it."
He asked one question.
"Did Franz Zeldyr push Isshin Ryugen intentionally?"
The teacher nodded. "Yes."
The tension shifted.
It was pretty obvious that a priest can't tell between a lie or a truth, but it was obvious that Franz pushed him, otherwise he had no reason to be angry and fight Isshin like he did, he also acknowledged that he tried to kill
Isshin during the fight, there was nothing much to prove.
Franz's brother clenched his fists, picked up the body, and looked at Isshin.
"I'll deal with you later."
Isshin didn't react much. "Do what you want."
The man disappeared.
The arena settled again.
Rune and Karin walked over.
The announcer took a moment before speaking again.
"With Franz eliminated, the final match is Isshin Ryugen versus Rune Kazehaya."
Rune stepped forward.
"I forfeit."
The crowd reacted again.
"I'm already tired," Rune said. "And I'm not beating him like this."
After a short pause, the officials accepted it.
"Isshin Ryugen is the champion."
This time, the crowd didn't cheer.
They just watched.
Isshin stood there quietly.
He wasn't thinking about the title.
Just the fact that he was still alive.
When it ended, the academy celebrated in a restrained way. Students talked among themselves, instructors gathered, and Isshin Ryugen's name spread quickly across the kingdom. But while there was noise and recognition in the capital, elsewhere things were quiet.
Franz's family wasn't celebrating.
His older brother had left the arena without saying much, carrying the body with him, but the tension around him had been obvious. Nora Zeldyr hadn't been seen on campus since. The situation wasn't over. Isshin knew that much.
Later that evening, Isshin sat with Khalid, Rune, Karin, and a few others inside Khalid's house. They were going over what happened in the cave. Isshin kept things simple, leaving out anything about Raijin or his inner world.
"So that's it?" Rune said, leaning back. "You were just down there fighting undead the whole time?"
"More or less," Isshin replied. "It wasn't that simple, but yeah. I kept fighting. The Skeleton King just kept sending things at me."
Karin frowned slightly. "Why would he let you go?"
"He didn't, at first," Isshin said. "But after a while… I kept winning. Maybe it turned into something else. Respect, or maybe he just didn't care anymore."
Khalid stayed quiet for a moment, watching him. "And that's everything?"
Isshin met his gaze. "That's everything you need to know."
Khalid didn't push it.
Later, in his room, Isshin finally had time to look at his rewards.
A high-level beast core.
A high-grade cultivation elixir.
And access to the Forbidden Pavilion.
He was about to use the core when Raijin appeared beside him.
"Don't take them separately," Raijin said. "Use them together That's how you get the full effect."
Isshin looked at both items. "That sounds unstable."
Raijin shrugged. "don't worry as long as it works."
Isshin didn't hesitate.
He consumed the core, then drank the elixir.
The reaction was immediate.
Energy surged through his body, fast and uncontrolled. The system activated instantly.
WARNING: Overwhelming Qi Surge. Stabilization Required.
Isshin clenched his jaw as the pressure built.
Raijin placed a hand on his back. "Don't fight it you need to guide it."
The energy kept rising.
It felt like his body was being torn apart and rebuilt at the same time. Time passed slowly as he tried to control it, keeping the flow stable.
Then—
The door opened.
"Isshin, are you—" Karin stopped mid-sentence. "You weren't answering…"
Raijin disappeared instantly.
A second later, a burst of light shot upward.
The ceiling broke apart as a column of qi rose into the sky.
Outside, Rune and Khalid looked up from the courtyard.
"…That's new," Rune said.
Far away, inside a quiet inn, two men noticed it too.
"You think he will be a problem?" one of them asked, holding a cup of tea.
"He shouldn't be—" the other stopped, staring at the light cutting across the sky.
They both went silent.
"…That's him," the first one said.
"Only one person would do something like that. Using both at the same time."
"Either reckless," the other said, "or confident."
Back at the academy, everyone noticed.
Students, instructors, even the principal looked up at the light.
Rune and Karin stood outside, watching it.
They didn't say anything.
They both understood.
They still had a long way to go.
Inside the room, the energy finally settled.
Isshin's system updated.
Isshin Ryugen
Level: 124
Health: 68
Strength: 71
Endurance: 73
Mana/Qi: 66
Intelligence: 52
Points Available: 4
Cultivation Level: Nascent Soul Realm – 4th Stage
The light faded.
Isshin opened his eyes slowly, his breathing steady again. Energy still moved under his skin, but it was stable now.
He looked around.
Karin. Rune. Khalid.
Then up at the hole in his ceiling.
"…Yeah," he said quietly. "That worked."