Ten months.
That was all that remained.
Ten short months separated William from the greatest gathering of monsters the universe had ever known.
For ten years, his life had been consumed by training.
The ocean had taught him to listen.
The volcanoes had taught him patience.
The desert had taught him endurance.
The forest had taught him communication.
The mountain had taught him awareness.
The white chamber had taught him control.
The threads of existence had taught him the difference between destruction and creation.
And the horrors of his own memories had taught him the most important lesson of all.
To no longer fear the person he used to be.
He had transformed.
Not only in power.
But in spirit.
Yet despite everything he had learned...
There was one thing he had not touched for a very long time.
Home.
Inside the palace, Andrew stood silently before a floating gate of swirling darkness and light.
The portal was unlike the ordinary spatial passages William had seen before.
The energies within it felt softer.
More stable.
As though it was carefully crafted not merely to travel through space.
But to connect two worlds.
William stood before it in silence.
He understood.
No explanation was necessary.
Andrew spoke anyway.
"Less than ten months remain."
William nodded.
"I know."
The old man's eyes rested on him.
"The tournament will determine your future."
Another nod.
"It may determine the future of this entire universe."
William's expression did not change.
He had long accepted the burden of the Immortal Physique.
"Then why are you sending me away?"
For a moment, Andrew said nothing.
Then a small smile appeared on his ancient face.
"A person who forgets what he protects will eventually become a monster."
The words struck William deeply.
Because they were true.
For ten years, he had fought.
He had learned.
He had become stronger.
But strength without purpose was meaningless.
The old man looked toward the portal.
"Go."
"See them."
"Remember them."
William remained silent.
Then he bowed his head.
Not as a student.
Not as a warrior.
But as a child expressing gratitude toward the person who had saved his life.
"Thank you."
Andrew simply waved his hand.
"Do not make me regret giving you a vacation."
For the first time in years, William laughed.
A genuine laugh.
The silver-haired woman looked at them with quiet surprise.
She had seen Andrew talk countless beings across endless ages.
Yet rarely had she seen him treat anyone like this.
William stepped toward the portal.
But before entering, he stopped.
"Old man."
Andrew looked up.
"Yes?"
"If I win..."
The room became quiet.
William looked at his own hand.
The hand that could manipulate atoms.
The hand that could touch the threads of existence.
The hand that had once been chained.
"I will return."
A smile appeared on Andrew's face.
"I know."
And William walked through the gate.
The familiar world greeted him.
The air felt different.
Heavier.
Simpler.
After spending years in places where even breathing required conscious understanding, ordinary air felt almost strange.
He closed his eyes.
The smell of the earth.
The sound of the wind.
The distant voices of people.
For a moment, William simply stood there.
Enjoying something he had once considered ordinary.
His first destination was the place where Victoria decided to stay
The disciples guarding the entrance noticed him immediately.
At first, they saw only a young man dressed in simple clothes.
Nothing special.
No overwhelming aura.
No terrifying presence.
The greatest predators rarely needed to announce themselves.
One of the guards stepped forward.
"State your identity."
William smiled.
"I am here to see Victoria."
The guard frowned.
"Do you have a name?"
A brief silence followed.
How long had it been since someone had asked him that question?
Not "Candidate of the Immortal Physique."
Not "Disciple of Andrew."
Not "A being capable of touching existence."
Just a name.
A simple human name.
He smiled softly.
"William."
Moments later—
A figure rushed through the gates.
"William!"
Victoria.
She had changed.
She was older.
More mature.
The childish features he remembered had disappeared.
Her eyes carried the experience of someone who had walked through her own struggles.
Yet the moment she saw him...
She became the same little sister from years ago.
She ran toward him without hesitation.
William opened his arms.
And she embraced him.
Tightly.
As if letting go would make him disappear again.
"You idiot."
Her voice trembled.
"You disappeared for years."
William smiled sadly.
"I know."
"No letters."
"I know."
"No messages."
"I know."
"No explanations."
He lowered his head.
"I know."
She pulled away.
Her eyes were already wet.
She wanted to be angry.
She had prepared thousands of words.
Thousands of complaints.
She had imagined this moment for years.
Yet when she finally saw him...
All she felt was relief.
She hit his shoulder.
Not hard.
Just enough.
"You are still annoying."
William laughed.
"That hasn't changed."
They walked through the sect together.
Victoria spoke endlessly.
About her training.
Her friends.
The difficulties she faced.
The masters who guided her.
William listened to everything.
Every small detail.
Because he had missed all of it.
Eventually, she noticed something.
Something in her brother's eyes.
A depth that had never existed before.
"William."
"Yes?"
"Where have you been?"
The question carried more meaning than the words.
William became quiet.
How could he explain ten years?
How could he explain seeing the universe?
Learning the nature of existence?
Meeting beings who considered stars insignificant?
After a long silence, he answered.
"Far away."
Victoria sighed.
"That's a terrible answer."
"It is the only one I can give."
She looked at him.
Then smiled.
"Then give me the terrible answer."
For the first time, William began speaking.
About the tournament.
About the candidates.
About the celestial physiques.
About beings capable of controlling light, erasing perception, and burning space itself.
With every sentence—
Victoria's expression became more shocked.
She knew her brother was powerful.
She had always known.
But she never imagined the scale of the world he had entered.
When he finished, she remained silent for a long time.
Then she whispered:
"You are going to fight those monsters?"
William looked at the sky.
"Yes."
"with your Willingly ?"
A small smile appeared.
"No."
That answer made her laugh.
The two siblings remained there, laughing together.
A simple moment.
A peaceful moment.
Perhaps one of the few William would have before stepping into the battlefield that would decide his fate.
The next morning, William prepared to leave.
Victoria stood before him.
For the first time, she did not tell him to be careful.
She did not ask him to return.
Because she understood something.
Her brother was no longer walking a path where simple wishes could protect him.
So she did the only thing she could.
She embraced him again.
"Come back."
A simple request.
Yet it carried the weight of a universe.
William closed his eyes.
"I will try."
She smiled.
"No."
She stepped back.
Her expression became firm.
"Not try."
She looked directly into his eyes.
"Promise me."
For a moment, the warrior who could face cosmic monsters disappeared.
Only a brother remained.
And he nodded.
"I promise."
And with that promise...
William left the Crimson Shadow Sect.
His next destination—
The Home