The road home felt longer than any journey William had taken across the universe.
It was a strange feeling.
He had crossed the void between stars.
He had stood in regions of existence where matter itself behaved differently.
He had traveled through dimensions where the laws of life and death no longer carried the same meaning.
Yet a path that could be crossed within days felt infinitely more difficult.
Because this was not a journey toward the unknown.
It was a journey toward everything he had left behind.
As William walked through the familiar lands of his homeland, memories resurfaced one after another.
The forests where he had played as a child.
The rivers where he had spent endless afternoons with Victoria.
The hills where his father had taught him how to hunt and survive.
The small roads his mother used to walk every morning.
At that time, he had considered this world enormous.
A vast place filled with endless mysteries.
Now he knew the truth.
Compared to the universe, this world was less than a grain of sand in an endless ocean.
And yet…
No galaxy.
No heavenly realm.
No palace built by cosmic rulers.
No treasure that could influence the laws of reality.
Could replace the warmth he felt while walking these simple roads.
For the first time in ten years—
William felt small.
Not because he lacked power.
But because he remembered the life that had existed before power.
When he finally reached his home, the sun was beginning to set.
The house was almost unchanged.
The wooden walls had aged.
The garden had grown.
The trees were taller.
Time had left its marks.
Just like it had left marks on everyone.
William stood before the door.
Silent.
His heart, which had remained calm before monsters capable of destroying worlds, began beating faster.
He had not been afraid before Mark.
He had not trembled before Merito.
He had stood against beings who could erase existence.
But this…
This was different.
What if they had changed?
What if they blamed him?
What if they looked at him as a stranger?
Ten years.
Ten years was enough for a child to become an adult.
Enough for friends to forget each other.
Enough for entire lives to change.
And he had not been there.
Not during birthdays.
Not during celebrations.
Not during the difficult days.
Not when his parents had grown older.
For the first time in years, guilt pierced his heart.
His hand slowly moved toward the door.
Then stopped.
He suddenly remembered the day he left.
His mother crying.
His father trying to remain strong.
Victoria holding his hand.
And him promising—
"I will come back."
His eyes closed.
"I made you wait too long."
A quiet voice came from behind the door.
"Then why are you still standing outside?"
William's eyes opened instantly.
That voice.
His mother.
Before he could move—
The door opened.
She stood there.
Older.
Her hair contained strands of silver.
The years had left gentle traces upon her face.
But her eyes were exactly the same.
The same warmth.
The same kindness.
For several seconds, neither of them moved.
Neither spoke.
The years between them felt too heavy for words.
Then his mother stepped forward.
Her fingers touched his face.
As if she needed to confirm that he was real.
"William..."
Her voice broke.
"You really came back."
At that moment—
The strongest candidate of the Immortal Physique.
The man who could manipulate the foundations of existence.
The warrior preparing to fight the greatest geniuses of the universe.
Disappeared.
Only a son remained.
"Mother."
That single word was enough.
She pulled him into an embrace.
And William did not resist.
For years, he had learned how to fight.
For years, he had learned how to destroy.
For years, he had learned how to control his emotions.
But in his mother's arms—
He allowed himself to be weak.
A heavy pair of footsteps came from inside.
His father appeared.
The same broad shoulders.
The same stern expression.
Though his hair had begun turning gray.
For a moment, the old man simply stared.
His eyes carefully examined William.
Searching.
Comparing the boy he remembered to the man standing before him.
Then he crossed his arms.
"You took your time."
William smiled slightly.
"That sounds like something you would say."
His father's expression remained serious.
For exactly three seconds.
Then he stepped forward and hugged his son.
A short embrace.
A man's embrace.
One that carried years of unspoken emotions.
"I am glad you survived."
Those words almost broke William more than his mother's tears.
Because his father was not a man who expressed emotions easily.
For him to say that…
He must have spent countless nights worrying.
"I'm sorry."
His father shook his head.
"Don't apologize."
The old man looked directly into his eyes.
"You came back."
That was enough.
The next two days became a treasure William did not know he needed.
They did not speak of cosmic battles.
They did not discuss ancient powers.
They did not mention the tournament.
Instead—
They ate together.
They repaired old furniture.
They walked through the fields.
They shared stories.
His mother complained about how little he ate.
His father criticized how soft his hands had become from "playing with strange powers."
William defended himself, explaining that he could destroy mountains with those hands.
His father laughed.
"Good. Then you can repair the fence in one second."
And William, who could manipulate the threads of existence, spent an entire afternoon repairing a simple wooden fence by hand.
Because his father insisted:
"If you use your powers, you are cheating."
It was ridiculous.
It was meaningless.
It was perfect.
During the second night, William sat outside with his parents.
The stars stretched across the sky.
The same stars he had walked between.
The same stars that contained beings who could erase galaxies.
Yet his parents looked at them with simple admiration.
They did not know what existed out there.
And William wondered if that was a blessing.
His mother looked at him.
"You are leaving again."
It was not a question.
William remained silent.
His father sighed.
"Something dangerous."
Again—
Not a question.
They knew him too well.
"Yes."
"Will you win?"
William looked toward the sky.
For a moment, he remembered Mark.
Merito.
Vladimir.
And the countless monsters he had yet to meet.
For the first time in his life—
He did not answer confidently.
"I don't know."
His mother lowered her eyes.
And that answer frightened her more than anything else.
Because her son had always found a way.
Even in impossible situations.
Yet this time—
Even he was uncertain.
She took his hand.
The same hand capable of rewriting reality.
But to her, it was still the hand of the boy she had raised.
"Then promise me one thing."
William looked at her.
"Anything."
"Do not lose yourself."
The words made him freeze.
She smiled sadly.
"I do not understand your powers."
"I do not understand your battles."
"I do not understand the world you have entered."
Her eyes became wet.
"But I know my son."
She squeezed his hand.
"Whether you become the strongest being in the universe or remain an ordinary man..."
Her voice trembled.
"I only want you to return as William."
For several seconds, he could not speak.
All his training.
All his knowledge.
All his power.
None of them prepared him for those words.
Finally, he nodded.
"I promise."
The morning of his departure arrived too quickly.
There were no dramatic speeches.
No tears.
No desperate attempts to stop him.
Only a quiet farewell.
Because they understood.
The path before William was one only he could walk.
His mother gave him one final embrace.
His father placed a hand on his shoulder.
"Come back and tell me you defeated all those cosmic monsters."
William smiled.
"And if I lose?"
His father snorted.
"Then come back and tell me how stupid they looked."
William laughed.
A real laugh.
One he would carry with him into battle.
His journey lasted an entire month.
He crossed mountains covered in eternal snow.
He traveled through ancient forests where terrifying beasts hid in the shadows.
He passed forgotten cities and lands ruled by powerful factions.
During that month, William did not train.
He did not chase greater power.
He simply thought.
About Andrew.
About his sister.
About his parents.
About everything he was preparing to protect.
Until finally—
On the horizon, a colossal structure appeared.
A gathering of enormous sects whose influence spread across the entire region.
The Black Cloud Sect Complex.
And at its center—
The Crimson Shadow Sect.
The place where his old life had once ended.
And where a new chapter was about to begin.
William stopped.
His eyes became cold.
Not from hatred.
Not from fear.
But from determination.
The boy who had once been dragged into darkness had returned.
Not as a victim.
Not as someone seeking revenge.
But as a man capable of facing his past.
The final nine months before the tournament had begun.