William stared at Kate and the Third Elder.
He did not speak.
He did not move.
He simply looked at them.
One second.
One minute.
Ten minutes.
An hour.
Time gradually lost meaning.
At first, both men returned his gaze with hostility.
Then with caution.
Then with discomfort.
Eventually, something strange happened.
Neither of them could continue looking into William's eyes.
There was no anger there.
No hatred.
No madness.
Nothing.
Just an emptiness so deep that it felt suffocating.
The Third Elder looked away first.
Kaite followed shortly afterward.
Neither of them understood why.
They had faced monsters before.
They had slaughtered countless enemies.
Yet sitting before William felt worse than standing before death itself.
Finally, William spoke.
His voice was calm.
Too calm.
"Kate."
The man instinctively raised his head.
"The Third Elder."
The old cultivator looked toward him.
William's gaze remained unchanged.
"I have decided what to do with you."
The two remained silent.
For the first time since their capture, genuine curiosity appeared on their faces.
William continued.
"You will become punching bags."
Silence.
Then—
Kaite laughed.
The Third Elder laughed as well.
Not because they found it funny.
Because they found it ridiculous.
After everything that had happened...
after all the terrifying power William had displayed...
that was his punishment?
A sparring tool?
A training dummy?
Compared to death, it sounded almost merciful.
Compared to the horrors they had imagined, it sounded laughably easy.
Their relief became visible.
William noticed.
But he did not care enough to comment.
Slowly, he raised his hand.
Ancient symbols appeared throughout their bodies.
They spread through flesh, spirit, energy, and existence itself.
The two immediately sensed something terrifying.
The seals were not restricting their power.
They were doing something else.
Something far worse.
William answered before they could ask.
"Whenever your bodies are damaged..."
"These seals will restore you."
Their smiles disappeared.
"...and whenever you attempt to escape..."
"The seals will return you."
The relief vanished completely.
For the first time, uncertainty appeared.
William stood up.
Without another word, he seized both of them.
Reality folded.
Space shattered.
And the three disappeared.
When the world became stable again, they had already arrived among the stars.
The neutral galaxy.
The location of the tournament.
The gathering place of countless geniuses and cosmic powers.
Andrew immediately noticed their arrival.
He looked at William.
Then at the prisoners.
Then back at William.
A long silence followed.
The old man had known William for years.
Long enough to recognize every expression.
Every mood.
Every hidden thought.
And what he saw now disturbed him.
Because William was not angry.
He was not grieving.
He was not even seeking revenge anymore.
It was as if something fundamental inside him had gone quiet.
Andrew slowly sighed.
Something terrible had happened on Earth.
He did not need anyone to tell him.
William's silence was enough evidence.
The old man chose not to ask.
Not yet.
Nearby, the remaining contestants and cosmic spectators turned toward the newcomers.
Their eyes landed on Kate and the Third Elder.
Confusion spread.
The tournament was already ending.
Why bring prisoners?
Before anyone could ask, a tremendous pressure descended from above.
The presiding judge appeared.
The entire arena fell silent.
His voice echoed across countless worlds.
"The tournament has concluded."
Every remaining spectator focused their attention.
"The final trial has ended."
"The inheritances have been distributed."
"The worthy have received recognition."
His gaze swept across the candidates.
William.
Merito.
Maria.
Vladimir.
Javier.
Sarah.
And the others.
Each carrying the results of their journey.
The judge continued.
"The champions of this era have been determined."
A wave of applause erupted across the colossal arena.
Many of the candidates smiled.
Others remained calm.
A few were already reflecting on their future paths.
The atmosphere gradually lightened.
For everyone except William.
The applause sounded distant.
Meaningless.
Eventually, the ceremony concluded.
The judge vanished.
The spectators began discussing the results.
And for the first time since arriving—
William spoke voluntarily.
"Before everyone leaves."
The arena quieted.
Every eye turned toward him.
William pointed toward Kate and the Third Elder.
The two men immediately felt a bad premonition.
A very bad one.
Then William said:
"I have a proposal."
Even Andrew raised an eyebrow.
William's expression remained completely serious.
"We have all become stronger."
He looked toward the ten finalists.
"We have all gained a deeper understanding of our powers."
Then he pointed again at the prisoners.
"So why not conduct one final evaluation?"
The candidates exchanged confused glances.
William finished his sentence.
"Using these two bags of garbage."
The entire arena froze.
Kate's face turned red instantly.
The Third Elder nearly exploded from humiliation.
Among all the possibilities they had imagined...
none included becoming public training equipment.
Merito looked at them.
Then at William.
Then back at them.
A faint smile appeared on his face.
Vladimir burst out laughing.
Sarah covered her mouth.
Even Maria struggled to suppress her amusement.
Javier simply shook his head.
For the first time since arriving, William saw something other than grief around him.
The reactions of his companions.
The people who had fought beside him.
The people who had grown with him.
Yet even then...
the emptiness remained.
Andrew watched silently.
He understood.
William was not doing this for entertainment.
Nor for revenge.
He simply did not consider Kate and the Third Elder worthy of anything else.
Not enemies.
Not rivals.
Not even prisoners.
Just trash.
And thus—
before the greatest talents of an entire era—
the humiliation of Kate and the Third Elder officially began.