Howard couldn’t believe his eyes. His meticulously crafted plan had crumbled in an instant, shattered by the overwhelming might of Dante. It had taken mere moments. He looked around, his stomach churning at the sight of his allies sprawled across the ground, their limbs severed. And yet, he realized with a shudder—it was mercy.They should have been teleported away by the emergency device before Dante's blade could fully claim them. But that hadn’t happened. Which meant one thing.Dante's sword had been faster than the device itself.Howard swallowed hard, dread sinking into his bones. If Dante had aimed for their necks instead, they would all be dead. He came to realize that in front of absolute power, strategy means nothing.“Wow, even the device couldn’t save them from Dante’s fury. Why do you think that happened?” one of the commentators asked Zane, voice thick with disbelief.“There’s only one explanation,” Zane responded, eyes fixed on the battlefield. “Dante’s sword was faster

By nightfall, Dante had eliminated more than a dozen S-rankers, and everyone feared that if this continued, Dante might actually end the competition in the second phase. The only ones spared from Dante's wrath were the A-ranks and below. He had ordered them to spread his agenda and eliminate themselves after delivering the message.The audience watched in utter disbelief as Dante ran rampant in the competition, and no one could stop him. Even the S-rankers, who had heard how easily Dante could defeat other S-rankers, began to fear facing him. At first, they had dismissed the rumors, but after hearing it from multiple competitors, they started to believe the terrifying truth.Dante, however, decided to rest, for he was exhausted. Although he might not show it, his mana was nearly depleted. Taking down the S-rankers had been more difficult than he had anticipated. After all, they were S-rank for a reason. The major advantage Dante held over them was his experience, and he knew that, to

"Send them all out!" Lucian yelled, drawing the organizers' attention to Dante's screen.Due to the arrival of the S-rank monster, everyone's focus had been on its battle with Leon. With only a few people paying attention to Dante, they had missed his brutal fight against nine S-rankers. Pushed beyond his limits, Dante was forced to evolve once again to eliminate the remaining opponents.Lucian, who had never taken his eyes off Dante, felt the shift in power the moment Dante leapt into the sky and roared before descending with the force of a falling star."Void Star!" Dante shouted, his sword brimming with converging void energy.Lucian could feel it—this power had the ability to erase all life. If Dante were to use such a technique at his peak, Lucian dreaded to imagine the destruction it could cause."Send them all out!" he yelled again.Just before Dante's sword could strike the ground, the organizers heeded Lucian’s warning and forcibly ejected the other competitors from the simul

The crowd erupted with excitement as the final round of the competition commenced. Only three contestants remained—Dante, Leon, and Celeste. The entire arena buzzed with anticipation, eager to witness who would emerge as the ultimate champion.“I know you all are as excited as I am!” Zane’s voice boomed across the arena. “Never before have we had such a final, and I doubt we’ll ever see another like it!”The audience roared in agreement.“Have you placed your bets?”“Yes! I bet on Leon!”“Me too.”The spectators spoke favorably about Leon, and it was expected. He had slain an S-rank monster alone—an almost impossible feat for a teenager, even if the creature had been weakened. So despite how unbelievable Dante’s victories had been, Leon’s accomplishment was considered even more impressive.Zane’s voice cut through the chatter. “The matchups have been decided. The first duel will be between Dante and Celeste. Whoever wins will face Leon!”Just as the anticipation reached its peak, Cele

Dante already knew something was wrong and that he was at a disadvantage, but he had managed to calm his nerves. He had realized that the more disadvantaged he was, the more he could tap into his true potential. Right now, he didn’t have the energy to deliver Void Star; even Void Rend and Void Crescent would be difficult to execute. His bones were broken, and his body was filled with injuries, but his mind had never been clearer.“You don’t seem worried?” Celeste asked Aria.Since everyone was watching, Vida and Aria didn’t sit in the VIP section with the headmasters; instead, they sat among the other students.“Not at all.” Even with Dante’s defeat seemingly inevitable, Aria and Vida didn’t appear concerned.“Are you that confident in him?” William Archibald asked. He still didn’t like Dante, but he was now aware that he wouldn’t last against him in battle.“You don’t know Dante,” Vida stated, drawing everyone’s attention. She was so beautiful and graceful that her presence demanded