The people of the Dark Abyss watched death perform a naked dance right in front of their eyes.
Every viewer felt their life crawl up into their throat.
Tap... Tap... Tap... Tap...
The sound of running footsteps echoed.
Parth was running, a crippled disciple of their sect in his arms.
"Running won't change anything. Listen to me, Parth. Just give up here. Honestly, a filthy manaless like you should feel honored to be crippled by the hands of a great young master like me," Huniyang Kao said.
Huniyang Kao of the Huniyang family raised his sword and was about to land a powerful strike on Parth.
Then.
"Demon Death God Rising Meteor Swordfall."
Dev's voice rang out.
The sword made of mana inside Huniyang Kao's body responded to Dev's command.
In the next second, Huniyang Kao's arms, legs, and tendons separated from his body.
Parth kept running and gave a small smile.
"So this is the greatness of your family. Attacking someone weaker than you. You're no better than worms crawling out of a drain."
Dev's hands were still trembling.
He had just dropped Huniyang Kao to the ground. A precise strike. Not spine crush, but nerves dead. Crippled for life.
Huniyang screamed.
Dev just watched coldly.
"Touch Parth again and this is what happens."
Next second.
Nine disciples of the Soul Clan descended like shadows.
Formation perfect. Discipline perfect.
Humanity zero.
Parth was already carrying an injured disciple on his shoulder. His breathing heavy. Cuts all over his body. Mana almost gone.
Then they caught Dev.
Fast.
Methodical.
A textbook demonstration of tournament rules.
They didn't kill him.
They just kept breaking him.
One kick. One strike. Joint lock. Mana seal.
Dev kept trying to stand.
Then they forced him to his knees in front of Parth.
The leader smiled.
"Can't kill you. But we can make you unforgettable."
They grabbed Dev's hands.
Pressure.
Crack.
Fingers fell separately onto the stone.
No loud drama.
Just a small sound.
Like dry wood snapping.
The sound came from Dev's eyes, not his throat.
Parth froze.
Time stopped.
Mana was leaking onto the ground.
Red glow.
Warm.
Dev's life force slowly dissolving into the air.
Soul Clan laughed.
"You're next."
Parth gently put the injured disciple down.
Carefully.
Like placing broken glass.
Then he stood straight.
Didn't shout.
Didn't rage.
Just empty.
He knelt beside Dev.
Placed his hand on Dev's chest.
Leaking mana stuck to his palm.
Not like blood.
Like smoke.
Strange energy.
Black red.
Foreign.
Borrowed.
Forbidden.
Parth closed his eyes.
"Borrowing a little, brother."
Mana began spiraling around him.
The air distorted.
Like space had turned to rubber.
The nine disciples rushed.
"Finish him now!"
Parth pulled out Raj's blade.
The blade was normal.
The energy wasn't.
Dev's mana plus Parth's unknown aura.
Both merged.
No sound.
Just a thin line.
Like someone scratched reality with a pencil.
Slash.
Space tore open.
A dimensional rip.
The ground beneath the nine vanished.
They were dragged down.
Inside.
A different place.
Gravity inverted.
Mana poisonous.
Their cultivation draining every second.
Skin cracking from heat.
A respawn-like loop.
Fall. Burn. Merge. Return.
Endless.
No death.
No escape.
Only degradation.
Parth closed the dimension.
The arena went silent.
Spectators shocked.
Referee frozen.
"Dimension exile" didn't even exist in the rulebook.
Dev lay half-dead.
Parth sat beside him.
Blade to the side.
Hand shaking.
Face expressionless.
Only one sentence written in his eyes:
"Anyone who breaks my people… I erase them from existence."
Brutal.
Controlled.
Legal loophole.
Didn't kill them.
Just turned their lives into punishment.
Parth had just locked the dimension when a vertical slash tore through space and ripped the Soul Clan members back out. Half-burnt bodies fell in front of him.
In front of Parth stood Nityanshi in her war armor.
Her eyes and face filled with mercilessness.
Parth had used that strange energy before. But this time, mixing it with mana made his veins burst. Blood flowed from his eyes.
Still, one fact couldn't be denied.
An F-rank had defeated S-ranks.
If killing were allowed, all nine would already be dead.
Nityanshi rained sword slashes on him.
Parth's skin and muscles kept separating from his body.
Seeing Parth getting torn apart, Dev's eyes filled with bloodlust.
As Parth fell, Nityanshi spat on him and was about to cut his hand off.
Dev stepped in between.
Even with his mana sealed, he forced mana out and caught her blade.
The audience swallowed their fear.
On the Dark Lotus Sect throne, Raj and Lady Jasmine looked calm.
But their killing intent was overflowing.
Nityanshi threw Dev aside and launched a deadly slash.
Seeing Dev in danger, Parth, who already looked like wild dogs had torn him apart, stepped in front of him.
He lost his arm.
The moment it was cut, his blood splashed onto Dev's face.
Parth collapsed at Dev's feet.
Then.
Dev dropped to his knees beside him, hands shaking. He tried to lift Parth but his body felt strangely heavy, like half his life was gone. In the distance, Nityanshi stood straight, her blade coated in a thin layer of black mana. For her, this was just another fight. No emotional theatre.
Dev: "Parth… get up… please get up…"
Parth: "Stop shouting… my head's splitting…"
Dev: "Who did this… your arm… your arm…"
Parth: "Relax… it's just an arm…"
Dev: "Just an arm?! Are you insane?!"
Nityanshi shook the blood off her blade. Her voice was cold. Effortless. Like giving a weather report.
Dev looked at her.
For the first time, his eyes held pure hate.
Dev: "That slash was meant for me."
Nityanshi: "Obviously."
Dev: "You cut him on purpose?"
Nityanshi: "Removed an obstacle. Simple."
Something inside Dev snapped.
Guilt pierced straight into his chest.
If he were faster… stronger… Parth would still have his arm.
Dev: "Why do you always step in front of me…"
Parth: "Because you're slow, idiot…"
Dev: "Shut up… just once be selfish…"
Parth: "Stop the drama… you're alive, aren't you…"
Nityanshi moved forward, bored.
Dev slowly stood.
Mana pressure around him turned abnormal.
The ground vibrated.
Leaves lifted into the air.
His family technique surfaced automatically, like a beast breaking chains.
Nityanshi: "Interesting… this mana signature…"
Dev: "I normally don't use this…"
Nityanshi: "Don't. You'll die."
Dev: "Before that, you'll burn."
Dev formed a seal.
A circular pattern burned onto the ground.
Space cracked behind him.
A black-red mana gate opened.
Heat waves scorched the trees.
Normal blue mana merged with dark fire mana.
Air heavy. Suffocating.
Nityanshi: "H… Hell Gate Domain…"
Dev: "Late reaction."
Nityanshi: "You're insane."
Dev: "Maybe."
Dev condensed mana into a blade and swung without warning.
The slash cut through air.
Nityanshi activated her barrier.
Shockwave exploded.
Forest shook.
Cracks spread across the barrier like spiderwebs.
Last second, she dodged.
"Damn it… this power…"
"Run."
"Next time you two won't survive."
She retreated.
The gate collapsed.
Dev's mana hit zero.
He fell to his knees.
Parth crawled to him, grabbed his collar with his remaining hand, and gave a faint laugh.