I thought I was strong...

But...

These people were monsters that could never be underestimated.

Compared to my own fight...

Both Ice Lord and Third Flame Lord possessed close-range and long-range combat alike.

Neither of them had any obvious weakness.

Attack...

Defense...

Attrition...

Environmental control...

Even beasts and summons.

As for Grass Puppet Lord...

He was truly powerful.

But defense was the defining core of his fighting style.

I barely suffered any direct attacks from him.

Everything he did...

Was slowly push me toward total exhaustion.

And all I tried to do...

Was eliminate him before my accumulation completely ran dry.

I sighed lightly.

"What exactly can I do..."

I whispered.

"When I face one of those monsters?"

Then...

I smiled.

That very thought...

Was what made the tournament enjoyable.

To place yourself before dozens of different combat scenarios.

To imagine...

How you would counter this.

How you would break that.

Which weapon you would use.

Which mistake could kill you.

I raised my gaze toward the arena.

Several Lords and organizers had already entered.

Some activated strange tools.

Others released different energies.

Meanwhile...

The traces of the previous battle slowly vanished.

The ice melted.

The lava faded away.

The shattered earth returned to normal.

Even the air...

Became strangely calm again.

After several minutes...

The arena had fully returned to its original state.

As though nothing had ever happened.

Then—

The announcer’s voice echoed once more.

Declaring the next match was about to begin.

Suddenly—

Music exploded through the stands.

Dozens of vendors leapt through the audience with astonishing skill.

Food.

Drinks.

Laughter and betting cries.

The entire place came alive again.

Several minutes passed...

Then the announcer shouted excitedly once more.

"Lord of the Solid Iron Mountain!!"

In the next instant—

A tall fighter stepped forward.

He wore a silver cloak decorated with several cloud patterns.

His black hair reached medium length.

Sharp eyes...

And thick brows gave him a stern appearance.

His footsteps were heavy.

Even the arena floor...

Seemed to react to his weight.

"Another Lord from one of the Five Sects."

I whispered.

The previous battle had included one as well.

And he had been terrifyingly strong.

His energy alone...

Had been enough to make the arena feel smaller.

Clearly displaying...

The overwhelming power of the major sects.

And now...

Another sect’s turn had come.

"And now entering the arena—"

The announcer interrupted my thoughts once again.

"Lord of the Killing Eyes!!"

My eyes instantly turned toward the opposite side of the battlefield.

Then—

He appeared.

A bald man.

Wearing a completely black robe.

No markings.

No ornaments.

Not even a visible weapon.

But...

His eyes.

Just his eyes...

Were enough to make the atmosphere tense.

"This..."

I whispered.

"The Lord who challenged me earlier."

He advanced with calm steps.

Until he stood directly before Solid Iron Mountain Lord.

Silence filled the arena briefly.

Then—

The battle bell thundered.

The instant the sound erupted—

Or perhaps a moment before...

I couldn’t tell precisely.

Killing Eyes Lord charged forward.

His speed wasn’t terrifying.

Nor did he leave flashes or explosions behind him.

Instead...

His charge looked strangely ordinary.

But...

The ground beneath him...

Shook with a mysterious heaviness.

One step...

Then another...

And with each step...

The arena emitted muffled sounds.

As though some invisible weight was crushing it.

Solid Iron Mountain Lord raised both hands.

Suddenly—

His entire body changed color.

His skin.

His cloak.

Even his short hair.

Everything transformed into shining silver.

The reflected light burst toward his opponent.

Some audience members even looked away briefly.

Then—

He roared in a rough furious voice.

"Today...

I’ll discipline you for what you did."

And he leapt directly toward Killing Eyes Lord.

Killing Eyes Lord smiled.

A small smile...

Cold.

Then he raised a hand before his opponent reached him.

He extended his palm toward him.

And suddenly—

BOOOOOOOOOOM!!!

Solid Iron Mountain Lord’s body smashed violently into the ground.

The arena exploded beneath him.

A massive crater formed instantly.

Dust rose high into the air.

"What was that?!"

I blurted in shock.

"What just happened?!"

I saw no strike.

No visible energy wave.

Only—

A raised hand.

Then the other man collapsed as though a mountain had fallen onto him.

But...

Killing Eyes Lord didn’t stop.

He continued advancing forward.

Meanwhile—

Iron Lord rose again from inside the crater.

His eyes glowed red.

The rage within them was obvious.

He thrust both hands forward violently.

Suddenly—

A hundred iron fragments appeared in the air.

Then two hundred.

Then a thousand.

Different sizes.

Different shapes.

Some resembled spears.

Others hammers.

Others spinning sharp metal plates.

Before Killing Eyes Lord could get closer—

Every piece of iron shot toward him simultaneously.

SWOOOOOOOSH!!

The air itself tore apart from the speed of the metal.

But...

Killing Eyes Lord stopped.

He slightly tilted his body.

Dodged the first.

Then the second.

Then the tenth.

Then the hundredth.

My eyes narrowed.

His movement...

Was strange.

Not fast.

Relatively slow, actually.

But...

His reactions were terrifyingly early.

He moved before the attack even arrived.

As though he already knew where it would come from.

A fragment passed his right side—

And he had already leaned away beforehand.

Another came from behind—

And he had already shifted half a step before it arrived.

Meanwhile—

Iron Lord looked increasingly comfortable.

His opponent’s advance had stopped.

And that alone was enough for him.

The iron fragments weren’t hitting his enemy.

But hitting him had never been the goal.

Instead...

It was to stop him. 𝑓𝓇𝘦ℯ𝘸𝘦𝑏𝓃𝑜𝘷ℯ𝑙.𝑐𝑜𝓂

Restrict him.

Prevent him from approaching.

And in the next moment—

Another two thousand iron pieces floated behind Iron Lord.

Like a gigantic metallic army.

While the first thousand continued attacking Killing Eyes Lord nonstop.

Another thousand iron fragments surged forward.

The movement intensified.

The pressure increased.

The danger escalated.

Even the sky above the arena...

Seemed entirely filled with flying metal.

Yet...

Killing Eyes Lord remained the same.

Dodging one strike...

Then another.

Taking a small step.

Tilting his body.

Turning.

Then continuing forward again.

"You bastard!!"

Iron Lord roared furiously.

"You won’t escape this time!"

He violently raised his hand.

The final thousand iron fragments...

Shot forward simultaneously toward Killing Eyes Lord.

Suddenly—

More than two thousand iron weapons attacked at once.

The scene became suffocating.

The sky closed off.

The ground filled with impacts.

Some audience members...

Could no longer even see Killing Eyes Lord’s body.

Yet...

No hit landed.

Not a single fragment struck him.

"Impossible!"

Someone shouted.

Then the stands exploded with noise.

Cheers.

Curses.

Angry shouting.

"Attack, coward!"

"Stop running!"

"Fight him directly!"

Most of them...

Were merely ordinary spectators.

Many weren’t even fighters.

If they had been...

They would have understood what was happening.

Iron Lord...

Had unleashed a terrifying large-scale assault.

And that style...

Consumed accumulation at horrifying speed.

It strained both body and mind simultaneously.

Meanwhile—

Killing Eyes Lord continued evading.

His calmness...

Was more irritating than anything else.

Then suddenly—

I noticed something.

"Hm?"

His evasion...

Had become more aggressive toward his opponent.

He was no longer simply escaping.

He had begun advancing through the metallic storm itself.

My eyes narrowed.

Iron Lord noticed as well.

He controlled the fragments faster.

Guiding them to predict his opponent’s path.

One piece dropped ahead of him.

Another from the side.

A third blocked his route.

Yet...

Killing Eyes Lord continued advancing with steady steps.

Neither hurried.

Nor slow.

As though...

He knew exactly what he was doing.

The skirmish continued for several minutes.

The sounds of metal...

Never ceased.

BOOOOM!

SHHHHK!

TAKH!

The arena...

Filled with craters and cracks.

But Killing Eyes Lord...

Never granted his opponent even a single moment of rest.

Every time the iron fragments decreased...

He immediately advanced toward Iron Lord.

Forcing the latter to create hundreds more...

Just to push him back again.

"But..."

I whispered.

My eyes never left the fight.

"A strategy like this..."

I narrowed my gaze further.

"How exactly does he intend to defeat him?"

Suddenly—

I heard footsteps approaching.

Despite the roaring crowd...

The Lords seated near me were all Rank Three and Four.

Everyone...

Watched silently.

No one spoke.

No one wanted to reveal their thoughts.

"What do you think?"

A voice whispered beside me.

I turned.

Then smiled lightly.

"It’s been an incredible match."

I said.

The owner of the white eyes calmly sat beside me.

"Yes."

Ice Lord laughed softly.

"It truly has."

"Do you have a question?"

Ice Lord added calmly.

I kept my eyes on the arena.

Then whispered:

"No."

I fell silent briefly...

Then continued.

"Every man has his reasons."

Ice Lord’s calm smile remained.

He turned toward the battlefield again.

"Then...

What do you think of this?"

he asked.

I silently watched the battle.

Suddenly—

The number of iron fragments decreased once again.

The gaps between them became more obvious.

And in the next moment—

Killing Eyes Lord charged forward.

This time...

He was extremely close.

Close enough that some audience members rose from their seats.

But...

Iron Lord launched no new attacks.

Instead he merely raised his fists.

Prepared for close combat.

"He’s reached his rank’s limit controlling that many iron fragments."

I whispered.

I looked toward the sky filled with scattered metal remnants.

"Every fragment formed through accumulation..."

I added.

"Becomes additional strain until dismissed."

Some fragments from the beginning...

Had already vanished.

But many...

Still floated in the air.

Silently consuming him.

Inside the arena—

Killing Eyes Lord extended his hand.

Suddenly—

BOOOOOM!!

Iron Lord crashed into the ground once again.

Another invisible strike.

No visible trace.

No visible energy.

Only—

Its result.

Killing Eyes Lord finally reached his opponent.

He approached calmly.

Then—

Sharp vapor extended from his hand.

Thin...

Long...

Like a transparent blade.

He raised his arm to strike.

And at that same instant—

"I surrender!!"

Iron Lord roared violently.

Silence filled the arena briefly.

Then—

The announcer declared the match over.

But...

Before the crowd could erupt—

A dark laugh exploded through the arena.

A heavy...

Sharp laugh.

"Your brother was weak just like you."

Killing Eyes Lord’s voice echoed cruelly.

He slowly concealed his vapor blade.

Then stepped half a pace closer.

"But..."

he said with even greater contempt.

"At least he possessed enough honor to die before surrendering in humiliation to the man who killed his brother."

His laughter rose again.

Loud...

Provocative.

Iron Lord lowered his head.

His fists clenched tightly.

Yet...

He said nothing.

"Life is cruel."

Ice Lord suddenly said.

Then looked at me.

I kept my gaze on the arena.

And on the man silently enduring humiliation before everyone.

Then whispered:

"It truly is."

I paused briefly.

Then added:

"But he’s right."

I narrowed my eyes.

"What kind of humiliation..."

"...is that man living through?"