The void howled.
What remained of the tournament arena now floated within the desolation of collapsed worlds—shattered constellations flickering in the abyss, fragments of time and space hovering like glass shards suspended in gravityless twilight.
And in that silence…
Muhan Lockhart vanished.
No sound. No signal. No warning.
Then—
CRACK!
Muhan's fist buried itself into See-hoo's gut with such cataclysmic force that reality itself fractured. The impact didn't just ripple across the battlefield—it annihilated seven parallel universes. Galaxies twisted and bled into stardust. Laws of physics wailed as entire realities collapsed from the sheer purity of power.
Time shivered.
See-hoo's mouth hung open in silent agony, his body buckling as though struck by the wrath of a god.
"GAAAH—!!"
But before his cry could even escape his throat—
WHAM!
Ji-hoon blurred in from behind like a divine spear of light, his foot igniting with Aura Flame as he slammed it into See-hoo's ribs with meteoric precision. The force shattered every rib instantly, warping his frame and launching his body across the cosmos like a cursed comet.
See-hoo's screams echoed through dimensions, carried by the dying wind of collapsed realities.
> ❖ [ 13 UNIVERSES DESTROYED ]
❖ [ DAMAGE LOG: SYSTEM CANNOT PROCESS SCALE ]
❖ [ WARNING: COSMIC LAWS THREATENED ]
See-hoo's broken figure staggered in the distance, caught in a swirling cyclone of temporal debris.
And then came the end.
Muhan appeared in front of him—already charging, his right fist burning with the uncontainable energy of his ultimate technique.
"—Extreme Punch: VOID EXECRATION."
His voice rang like a death sentence.
He struck.
The explosion that followed didn't just break worlds—it unwrote them. Color inverted. Sound turned into silence. Concepts of "up" and "down" ceased to exist. Five more universes were reduced to memory, their inhabitants blinking out of existence as if they had never been.
See-hoo's transformation shattered. The divine red in his hair faded back to black. His glowing eye dimmed. His body hung in the void like a puppet with its strings cut.
Then—his system stuttered.
> ❖ SYSTEM ALERT: COMBAT INFERIORITY DETECTED
Opponent's power exceeds maximum tier of measurable combat potential.
Retreat: Denied.
Recovery: Denied.
Fatal Outcome: INEVITABLE.
Initiating Final Memory Playback...
Images flashed across See-hoo's mind like broken glass:
Muhan's quiet strength. Ji-hoon's unshakable will.
His jealousy. His thirst for power. His betrayal.
The moment he chose to walk down the wrong path…
"I was… never stronger than them," See-hoo realized, tears of regret leaking from the corners of his dimming eyes.
"I just… didn't want to be left behind."
He finally understood.
And it broke him.
"I… was… wrong…"
BOOM.
In perfect unison, Muhan and Ji-hoon struck again—one from the left, one from the right. Their combined fists detonated like divine meteors, and See-hoo's body was torn apart, scattered across the multiverse. A shockwave rippled outward, tearing through five more universes, bringing the grand total to twenty destroyed.
Only silence remained.
But even then… a flicker.
On the nape of See-hoo's neck, a glowing sigil blinked—Hondon Sect.
A symbol.
A warning.
The true enemy had yet to reveal itself.
---
SYSTEM UPDATE: AETHER STATE RECOGNIZED
> ❖ Congratulations: You have transcended.
Muhan Lockhart
Level: 170
Class: Unknown
Experience: 150/1000
Strength: 150
Agility: 125
Intelligence: 70
Vitality: 200
State: Aether Awakening
Special Abilities: Extreme Punch, Rage State, Strength Suppression, Aether Pulse, Dimensional Recovery
Ji-hoon Kim
Level: 170
Class: Unknown
Experience: 165/1000
Strength: 150
Agility: 120
Intelligence: 70
Vitality: 200
State: Nova Awakening
Special Abilities: Aura Burst, Rage State, Strength Suppression, Solar Barrage, Momentum Overdrive
---
Back in the remains of the ring, Muhan stood with eyes like still flames, scanning the void. "How is the dimension still intact…?" he muttered.
The answer arrived in the form of ethereal light above them.
Jin-woo.
The top-ranked student floated midair, robes billowing like divine scripture. Runes swirled around his arms, maintaining a stability field with surgical precision. His presence alone held the broken pocket dimension together.
With a final wave of his hand, Jin-woo whispered, "Return."
And it did.
The shattered realm folded in on itself like a lotus blooming in reverse. The entire Wysteria Academy reappeared in a flash of light—undamaged.
Hover beds descended with the injured principal. Professors, once scattered across dimensions, were safely retrieved. A hush fell over the campus.
"...He's strong," whispered Professor Bora, watching Muhan from a distance, her knuckles white against her skirt.
---
Moments later, in the academy courtyard—
"You're my hero, Muhan…" Mi-cha sobbed as she threw her arms around him, burying her face in his chest. Her tears soaked into his uniform, her voice trembling with relief.
Muhan smiled and gently returned the embrace. "You never stopped believing in me," he whispered. "That's what gave me strength."
Nearby, Soo-ah pulled Ji-hoon into a hug of her own, laughing through her tears. "You idiot," she said, voice cracking. "You actually did it."
Ji-hoon chuckled, ruffling her hair. "Told you. Can't die without confessing first, right?"
---
Later that night, under a moonlit path—
Muhan walked Mi-cha back to her dorm.
"You were incredible," she said softly, her fingers brushing against his as they walked.
"You were there for me," he replied, voice low. "Even when I doubted myself… You stayed."
Mi-cha stopped. Her eyes shimmered like stardust. "When I saw you getting hurt... I thought I was going to lose you."
Muhan leaned down, brushing a strand of her hair behind her ear.
"You'll never lose me."
And then—it happened.
Mi-cha stood on her toes, eyes fluttering closed. Their lips met. Soft. Timid. Beautiful. A kiss of promise.
Then came the second kiss—deeper, hungrier, passionate.
As they pulled apart, Muhan whispered, "I'm glad I could be your hero."
Mi-cha smiled. "You'll always be mine."
---
Mi-cha's Dorm – 11:45PM
Still glowing from their kiss, Mi-cha opened her system.
> ❖ SYSTEM QUEST: Female Training
✅ 100 Kicks
✅ 100 Flosses
✅ 100 Twists
Her body moved instinctively—elegant and focused, but her heart fluttered with every thought of Muhan. His power. His presence. His kiss.
She bit her lip, cheeks burning. "He was so... hot when he fought," she whispered to herself, blushing furiously.
---
Muhan's Dorm – 12:00AM
After a quick shower, Muhan dried off, muscles still tense from battle. He exhaled and opened his quest log.
> ❖ SYSTEM QUEST: Male Training
✅ 100 Push-ups
✅ 100 Squats
✅ 100 Sit-ups
He powered through each set, body still buzzing with post-battle energy.
Then, he tapped the system and connected a call.
> ❖ CONNECTING TO FAMILY…
A warm light filled the screen.
"Mom? Dad?" he grinned, eyes soft. "You won't believe what happened today…"