Now we shift to Riyy.

  His body is covered in cuts — his arms, legs, back, neck… almost every part of him is wounded and bleeding.

  He’s completely unarmed. Large portions of his suit are torn apart, the hood is gone, and half of his mask is shattered and hanging loosely.

  Behind Riyy lies the dense forest. It looks like he’s standing at the bamboo forest’s final edge — but what lies in front of him feels like a scene straight out of a nightmare.

  The bamboo forest ahead is no longer a “ bamboo forest” at all — every single tree has been shredded into pieces.

  Not chopped — but ripped apart, as if torn by monstrous claws. The ground is split open in deep cracks, smoke rising from several places.

  There isn’t a single intact tree left. The ground isn’t even walkable anymore — The entire landscape looks like a dead zone.

  And in the middle of this devastation stand two brothers — Zerath and Kareth. Each of them holding an Urumi sword in both hands.

  Their blades glow with a strange red aura — like burning flames stretched into thin metal ribbons. Riyy slowly lifts his head and looks at them. His eyes are cold, sharp — dead serious.

  In a low whisper, he says:— “Their attacks… their movements… Everything is different. Those two together are the reason I’m in this condition.”

  As soon as the words leave his mouth, he starts calculating silently — their strikes… their techniques… their entire combat rhythm.

  And now, we slip into a small flashback — a glimpse of what happened just moments before.

  Riyy barely escaped the brothers’ strikes and stopped a short distance away. Kareth pushed himself up and said in a cold, razor-sharp voice:— “Big brother Zerath… killing this one is going to be fun.”

  Riyy instantly dropped into his fighting stance. He was trying to read their strategy — when suddenly, both brothers blurred into motion, sprinting off in two different directions.

  Riyy had no clue what they were planning. The two of them darted through the living forest at terrifying speed, using the dense trees to vanish completely from sight.

  All Riyy could do was track the sounds — the tremble of leaves, faint pulses in the ground, the pressure in the air — trying to catch their exact movements from every tiny hint the forest offered.

  Riyy was trying to track their exact movements when, out of nowhere, Zerath appeared behind him.

  With both hands, he spun his Urumi sword and unleashed a storm of slashes.

  Riyy flinched and glanced back, but he didn’t freeze — using his flexibility, he slipped past each strike with lightning speed.

  Right now, his speed and flexibility were unreal; dodging eight flexible Urumi blades at once was nearly impossible — yet he was doing exactly that.

  Riyy used every kind of movement to evade — sometimes dropping low during a spin for a quick duck, sometimes using a light twist for a slip-dodge.

  At times he redirected the blades with his hands like they were thin ropes, and other times he leaned aside for a sharp sidestep.

  Meanwhile, Zerath kept attacking at an inhuman pace — each slash rushing toward Riyy like a swarm of venomous serpents.

  As Zerath pushed forward, hundreds of bamboo stalks were chopped into pieces, but Riyy kept dodging, fighting to stay alive.

  Even so, countless cuts opened across Riyy’s body — his arms, legs, back… not a single part remained untouched.

  After enduring the relentless assault, Riyy twisted his body into a spin-evade, then hopped back and gained some distance, landing lightly on top of one of the blades.

  The final flurry of slashes he avoided mid-air with an aerial lean-dodge — for a moment, it looked like he was floating.

  And just as he began to register what was happening — Kareth suddenly appeared behind him and launched a terrifying side-slash like a bolt of lightning.

  Time seemed to slow for Riyy again — that chilling sense of death standing right in front of him.

  The moment the slash’s sound reached his ears, he dropped and rolled across the ground.

  He survived… but the strike tore his hood clean off. And Riyy — he was now far more wounded than before.

  Right after Riyy landed, Kareth dropped down as well. But the instant Kareth touched the ground, Riyy lunged at him at sonic speed. Pulling one arm back, he went for a devastating overhead punch.

  But Kareth slipped away instantly. Riyy’s fist slammed straight into the ground — and the impact was so powerful that the entire earth cracked open. Dust blasted outward, and the air grew heavy.

  All the bamboo trees around them were uprooted from the ground; even the broken pieces of bamboo lying everywhere were lifted into the air by the shockwave.

  Some of the trees tore apart entirely from the sheer pressure, and a dense storm of dust swallowed everything.

  Using that dust cover, the two brothers launched a relentless assault on Riyy. Riyy couldn’t counter in this chaos — he could only dodge attack after attack. Finally, Riyy burst out of the dust storm at extreme speed.

  As the dust cleared, the two brothers regrouped in one spot, gripping their Urumi swords tighter after witnessing Riyy’s abnormal strength.

  The moment they tightened their grip, the blades lit up with a fiery red glow — like they had just been forged in the furnace of hell.

  Seeing that, Riyy froze for a second — but he had no time to think, because in the very next moment, both brothers shot toward him like meteors and unleashed another barrage of slashes.

  Riyy began retreating at sonic speed, the blazing swords forcing him back. To keep them at a distance, he suddenly started punching the ground over and over with terrifying force.

  Each strike made the entire ground shake, the earth shattering and blasting dust into the air. Wave after wave of shockwaves kept the brothers from getting close to him.

  Their attacks were like a raging storm — as if a massive cutting machine was ripping everything apart in its path.

  With every slash, hundreds of bamboo stalks were sliced, shattered, and burned into ash.

  It felt like if this continued any longer, the brothers would cut, burn, and completely annihilate the entire bamboo forest.

  And it felt like Riyy had turned the whole forest into his battlefield. Now we return to the present. Riyy was standing completely still — no emotion in his eyes at all, utterly cold.

  Without wasting even a second, Zerath and Kareth lunged at him at lightning speed. Riyy didn’t stay still either — he dashed into the dense forest at sonic velocity.

  Their speed now burned so intensely it looked like streaks of light racing through a forest on fire.

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  Zerath and Kareth kept throwing slash after slash, and Riyy dodged each one with perfect precision.

  The three of them were now running across the treetops — It looked like twin lightning bolts chasing a shadow through the dark forest.

  From the brothers’ continuous attacks, Riyy was still getting a few minor cuts, but nothing like before.

  In fact, it was clear — Riyy’s speed was rising. His injuries didn’t seem to slow him down at all.

  A silent, icy calm had fallen over his eyes — as if the brothers' slashes were cutting only the air, meaning nothing to him anymore.

  While sprinting, Riyy whispered inside his mind:— “I’ve seen it all… their attacks… their Duo… their entire strategy. Which means… now I have to see the power at the edge of my limit.”

  Suddenly, while racing through the jungle, the three of them burst onto an old broken road hidden deep inside the forest.

  Riyy was moving so fast that the moment he hit the road, he rolled forward several meters before standing up straight again.

  On the road, he relaxed his entire body, head lowered. His mask was almost completely shattered — then, finally, it crumbled in front of his eyes and fell to the ground.

  The moment the mask hit the dirt, Riyy’s suit flickered and disappeared. And then it revealed — a pitch-black, skin-tight outfit paired with cargo pants.

  From his neck down to his waist, the outfit was so tight that every defined muscle across his upper body was visible — and the surprising thing was, despite all the injuries he had taken, the outfit didn’t have a single tear or scratch.

  A short distance away, Zerath and Kareth also dropped onto the road. Riyy looked at them, a faint smirk forming at the corner of his lips. Then in a cold, slow voice, he said:— “You two played enough… now it’s my turn.”

  Now we shift to the other side —to Nazar. The moment Nazar pushed open the massive gate, he saw the base controller sitting on a throne inside.

  The Controller stood up — dressed in white, both hands behind his back. He moved just one step, and the air instantly grew heavier. No anger in his eyes, yet looking at him felt like time itself had stopped. He slowly walked toward Nazar. No rush — as if time itself slowed down just for him.

  He wore a pure-black robe. The fabric was torn and light, yet from within it a faint glow pulsed like hidden fire — very subtle, but the vibe was on another level.

  The sleeves were long and slightly loose at the ends. No extra decoration — pure minimal drip. With each step, the robe swayed softly, like even the air bowed in respect. The Controller spoke in a cold, slow voice:— “Come inside. We have a long conversation ahead.”

  On his right stood Void Shepherd, drowned in shadow. His face calm, eyes empty — like the void of an entire galaxy lived inside his gaze.

  On his left stood the Serene Executioner, wrapped in a red–black coat. No sound, no anger. Yet it felt like if he wanted, he could slice down an entire forest in a single breath. As Nazar walked deeper into the hall, he suddenly asked in a serious tone:— “So… you’re the Boss here?”

  The Boss answered in a calm voice:— “Don’t call me Boss. The word feels outdated. Call me the All Controller… or Emperor.”

  Before the Emperor could finish, Nazar cut in with full attitude:— “Titles later. First tell me — Why do people like you ‘Bosses’ always live in these giant halls?”

  Hearing Nazar’s words, the Emperor went silent for a moment. Then he answered plainly:— “I knew from the very beginning… you’d be a fun toy for me.”

  He paused for a few seconds, then added in a cold, razor-sharp voice:— “I only want to play with you. Remember this:— who lives and who dies here… depends entirely on my mood.”

  The moment the Emperor finished speaking, he appeared right in front of Nazar before Nazar could even blink — and instantly launched a shockingly powerful jab.

  Nazar reacted in a split second, grabbing the Emperor’s arm with both hands and blocking the punch.

  But before he could even process what happened — The Emperor used his other arm and landed a devastating cross straight into Nazar’s chest.

  A massive shockwave blasted through the hall. The huge gate behind Nazar cracked with deep fractures.

  That one punch made Nazar stumble back several steps, clutching his chest. His breathing turned sharp as blood trickled from his mouth and nose.

  Seeing Nazar’s condition, the Emperor said in a cold, direct tone:— “You made a grave mistake coming here. You’re a Bloodfang — I acknowledge that. But at the end of the day, you’re just a child.”

  Hearing this, Nazar slowly smiled. There wasn’t a trace of fear in his eyes. He lifted his head and said with total confidence:— “Then this’ll embarrass you even more… because you’re about to die to that very ‘child.’”

  The second Nazar finished speaking, the Emperor blitzed forward again. Lowering his body slightly, he unleashed a brutal uppercut from below.

  The punch connected cleanly with Nazar’s face — blood sprayed out. But this time, Nazar didn’t fall back.

  Before dizziness could even set in, he swung diagonally and slammed a heavy overhand power punch onto the Emperor’s back.

  The impact was monstrous — the Emperor was hurled straight into the ground, and the floor shattered beneath him, chunks of earth exploding upward and floating in the air.

  Wasting no time, Nazar spun his body and landed a lightning-fast roundhouse kick into the Emperor’s side ribs.

  The kick hit so hard that the ground beneath them bulged upward and cracked apart, and the Emperor was launched straight through the earth — skidding, tearing, and smashing his way into a distant wall.

  Nazar didn’t wait even a second. At sonic speed, he appeared right beside the Emperor and drove a brutal body shot straight into him.

  The Emperor rolled across the ground again, thrown far away. He groaned from the impact, then slowly lifted his head with a strange smile and said:— “You… managed to impress me.”

  Nazar replied with pure attitude:— “But you didn’t impress me at all.”

  Without finishing the sentence fully, he blitzed forward again at lightning speed, aiming a fast jab right at the Emperor’s face.

  But suddenly, the Emperor’s speed spiked unnaturally. He effortlessly tilted his head aside — and instantly countered with a clean slip-jab straight into Nazar’s face.

  The impact made Nazar stagger back. At that exact moment, the Emperor grabbed Nazar’s arm, trapping him — and unleashed a flurry of rapid jabs straight into Nazar’s face.

  Then, lifting his body off the ground, the Emperor fired a powerful flying kick directly into Nazar’s chest.

  Nazar shot through the air like a bullet and crashed into the wall behind him. Blood started dripping from his mouth again.

  Dust and broken chunks of earth spun wildly through the air, like a mini-storm trapped inside a battlefield.

  Nazar dragged himself out of the wall and grinned — straight-up joyful, like he’d been waiting for this exact moment:— “So then… let’s begin.”

  He stood up as if smashing into the wall two seconds ago meant nothing. Nazar and the Emperor started walking toward each other — No rush in their steps, but the vibe? Pure killing intent.

  A few steps in, suddenly — Both of them lunged forward at lightning speed.

  And then the storm of punches began. They struck each other non-stop — Jab, Cross, Hook, Uppercut, Overhand, Body Shot, Slip–Jab Counter, Step-in Cross, Double Jab… Everything blending into pure chaos.

  But the crazy part? Not a single attack was being dodged. Their speed was so insane that every punch ripped the air, exploding into massive shockwaves.

  Those shockwaves cracked the walls, shattered the floor, and knocked debris down from the ceiling. The whole place was falling apart — And yet both of them were smiling.

  Because right now — This wasn’t just a fight anymore. It was pure enjoyment. They were genuinely having fun with this insane power clash.

  Finally, both of them poured every last bit of strength into one final full-power punch — BAM! The impact split the ground apart as they were blasted backward, skidding across the floor and tearing deep cracks behind them like something was dragging them away.

  Right after that clash came the biggest shockwave yet, The entire hall trembled, the walls started splitting apart.

  Within seconds, the ceiling and every single wall collapsed and shattered into debris, dust, bricks, metal, shattered concrete — everything turned into a massive ruin.

  But the crazy part is… Once the hall collapsed, a new layer of walls and space revealed itself above and around them — Meaning the hall was actually way bigger than it looked, It was a hidden arena all along.

  The Emperor slowly stood up. A faint smile on his face, cold energy in his eyes. In a calm tone, he said:— “Young boy… bringing you here was not a mistake. You were entertaining. Now I’ll kill you and create a powerful Gearborn out of your body.”

  Nazar pushed himself up, kept his voice cold, and asked:— “What do you mean by that?”

  Hearing that, the Emperor’s tone sharpened as he replied:— “I mean you walked in here alone… and left your partner all by himself out there — that was your biggest mistake.”

  Then a twisted, demonic smile curled onto his lips:— “All of you Bloodfangs will die. And it’s already begun… starting with the one who came here with you.”

  The moment the Emperor said those words, Rayn’s face flashed in Nazar’s mind, His heartbeat suddenly spiked, his eyes widened, and sweat started sliding down his forehead.

  Right now it felt like time itself had stopped for Nazar, He couldn’t think straight. In a shaking, panicked voice he muttered:— “Y-You… you’re lying…”

  Hearing that, the Emperor replied in a cold, straightforward tone:— “What? Am I lying? Think about it—why would I lie? When this fight ends, only one of us walks out alive. Either you… or me.”

  Nazar’s voice froze completely. And then, slowly, memories of Rayn filled his mind — How Rayn climbed into the top 10, his intelligence, his calm nature…

  and finally, Yuqeen’s face. Nazar broke down, whispering to himself:— “What am I supposed to do now…? I came here as everyone’s leader… What will I even say to his family… or to that girl…”

  His lips trembled as he spoke. Anger started flooding into his eyes. Without another thought, he charged at the Emperor in pure rage.

  But as soon as he got close, the Emperor instantly grabbed his arm, spun him around, and slammed him straight into the wall.

  Nazar got up and lunged at him again — but it didn’t matter.The Emperor didn’t even move from his spot. Without the slightest effort, he drove a hard jab straight into Nazar’s face.

  Then the real assault began — Devastation Cross, Phantom Step Hook, Meteor Hammer Punch, Reaper Roundhouse, Dragon Fang Knee, Void Breaker Kick

  Each strike sent Nazar crashing through walls, rubble flying everywhere, It was clear — Nazar’s strength was actually starting to fade.

  After the final hit, Nazar collapsed on the ground, In a broken voice he said:— “You people are emotionless… How could you ever understand the pain of losing someone?”

  Hearing that, the Emperor slowly walked up to him. In a cold, razor-sharp voice he replied:— “I’m not at fault. People like you sowed the seeds of your own destruction — by creating the weakness called emotion.”