WHAT! I Have To Kill Heaven's Son To Live!

The final round began.

Without hesitation, chaos erupted.

One by one, disciples lunged at each other like wild beasts.

Clang!

"Eat my sword, bastard!"

A furious roar echoed as a disciple slashed forward with bloodlust.

Clang!

His opponent blocked just in time, their blades shrieking against each other.

"AGHHH!"

With a growl, the defender twisted his stance and parried the strike, retaliating with a brutal counterattack.

"Take this!"

But before his sword could land—

Splurt!

"ARGHH!"

A third disciple blindsided him from behind, sending him crashing to the ground.

There was no order.

No mercy.

The arena had become a battlefield of desperation.

Disciples used whatever means necessary to defeat anyone who stood in their way…

Fists flew. Blades flashed. Hidden weapons shot through the air.

Explosions of Spiritual Energy lit up the Grand Platform as disciples unleashed every ounce of power they had.

Some roared:

"I'll make it to the Radiant Sky Pavilion!"

"Dream on! That spot's mine!"

Every strike, every move—they all had the same goal:

To be one of the last ten standing.

But… was it that easy?

Of course not.

Not with monsters lurking among them.

Not while the true predators of the Outer Sect were still in the ring.

In the midst of the chaos, there were a few who hadn't even moved.

Like still shadows amidst a storm.

They didn't panic.

They didn't flinch.

They hadn't even drawn their weapons yet.

They simply watched… waiting.

And no one dared to approach them either.

Among them stood Reon.

Calm, composed, hands still behind his back.

Not even a flicker of fear in his gaze.

"Hmm… Why isn't anyone coming to challenge me?"

But then, something caught his eye—not the surrounding chaos, but a figure standing just a few meters ahead.

Another calm figure.

A young figure with sharp purple eyes.

She, too, hadn't drawn her weapon.

She, too, radiated stillness amidst madness.

Their eyes met for a brief, electric moment.

What the…?! Why is she near me?!'

Reon's eyes narrowed as the figure began to approach—slow, deliberate steps echoing across the stone floor.

"S-She's coming this way…"

"Oh my god, move aside! I'm not standing near her!"

"Same here! Out of the way, now!"

"It's her! I don't want to die!"

Anyone in her path scrambled aside, like sheep fleeing from a lion, faces pale with panic.

She stopped a few steps before Reon, wearing a polite yet clearly fake smile.

"Well, well. How have you been, Brother Xue? Did you enjoy forcing me to apologize and humiliate myself—defeated by my own technique in front of everyone?"

It was her.

Yi Ran.

Reon returned the smile with equal politeness.

"Of course. Very much so, Sister Yi. I was thrilled, actually."

For a brief moment, Yi Ran's expression twitched. Her flawless mask nearly cracked, lips twitching as her teeth clenched.

But she quickly reined herself in.

"Haha… I see. Very well, then. Care to relive that glorious moment? I'm sure you'd love it."

"Haha, no need. I don't enjoy humiliating people too often."

Reon casually turned away, heading toward the other side of the Grand Platform.

'Just my damn luck. Of all the people… why does she have to be beside me?!'

'Why did she come to me? Is she here to get revenge for what happened last time? No doubt about it! That's definitely it!'

Behind him, Yi Ran's smile sharpened into a grin.

Then—

WHOOOSH!

A devastating sword slash tore through the air toward him, infused with the sheer power of Awakening-Stage Saber Qi.

Reon turned, eyes widen.

"Damn it! I knew it!"

Reon leapt just in time—

BOOOOM!

A thunderous explosion echoed as a massive crack split the Grand Platform clean in half, stretching from the spot where Reon had stood all the way to the far end.

Dust billowed into the air.

The ground trembled beneath their feet.

Chaos erupted.

Panic surged like wildfire through the disciples.

"W-What the hell just happened?!"

"That destruction… it split the entire platform in two!"

"It's gotta be the top disciples fighting—no one else could cause that!"

"I-It's her! The G-Goddess Yi Ran! And the Mimic Lord! They're going at it again!"

"Shit! Shit! I'm not staying here! I'm not trying to get sliced in half!"

"Same! Screw this! I'm out!"

"If I knew they were going to fight, I'd have stayed in the Waiting Area with some popcorn!"

"Damn it! This isn't worth it!"

One after another, disciples raised their hands in surrender—

Whoosh!

Whoosh!

They vanished in flashes of light, teleporting off the Grand Platform.

In mere seconds, over twenty disciples had escaped, fleeing the growing devastation.

On the far side of the arena, Reon landed lightly, his eyes narrowing as he stared ahead, chest rising and falling.

His gaze was locked on Yi Ran.

"You ever learn not to ambush people from behind?" he asked sharply.

Yi Ran, unfazed, stepped forward with a faint, dangerous smile.

"Yeah… no one ever did. Everyone always praised me, pampered me—revered as a Goddess, treated better than even the Princesses of Great Kingdoms."

She stepped closer, her aura crackling.

"No one ever dared to correct me—let alone make me apologize. No one… except you."

In a flash, she was in front of him.

Whoosh!

A blinding slash tore through the air.

Reon flipped backward, twisting in midair—

BOOOOM!!

Another deafening explosion. A fresh crack ripped across the Grand Arena, splitting more stone and scattering gravel like shrapnel.

More screams. Ten more disciples bolted toward safety.

Reon landed, sliding back on his feet, and gritted his teeth as he faced her again.

'Damn… What the fucking hell…?!'

His eyes darted to her saber, where sharp arcs of Purple Saber Qi wrapped around the blade.

'...She's awakened Saber Qi?! At this stage?! How the hell is that even possible?! In the original novel, she wasn't supposed to reach this point until much later!'

'Was it because I defeated her during the Monthly Dueling Event… an outcome that was never meant to happen?'

His fists clenched.

'But even so… how did she grow this much? From the Refinement Stage of Aura Expansion to Awakening-Stage Saber Qi in less than two months?'

'That means she jumped from an Apprentice Saber Adept to a Novice Saber Elite—something even Yang Lie couldn't do this fast!'

'Just how insanely monstrous is her talent?!'

He took a step back, steadying his breath as Saber Qi shimmered around Yi Ran's Saber.

'How am I supposed to... defeat her now?'