The crowd's cheers filled the stadium. How could they not? Kieran was the nine-time consecutive defending champion of the Strearia Fire Combat Tournament.Kieran's fans were the most fanatical and numerous among all the fighters.The MC waved to the audience. "Yeah! This spirit is Kieran's spirit!""I've always loved it!"Not long after, a thin man in a tight black t-shirt and combat pants sprinted from the participants' section and circled the ring, leaving what looked like afterimages in his wake. The spectators were mesmerized. They felt hypnotized."What kind of fighter is he?""Why does he look like there are many of him?""It's an illusion! There's only one of him!""This is crazy and unbelievable!"Moments later, those afterimages coalesced into one right beside the MC. The man in the white shirt turned to the side, his eyes wide. "Oh, you!""Oh my God, I'm so shocked you suddenly appeared here!"They shook hands. "Shadowstep! This time, you'll be facing our defending champion."

The spectators stared at the ring in confusion.“So what are we even watching now?”“We can’t even see the two of them!”“He’s just fighting a newcomer. Why is it this serious?”“You’re right. I think Frost sees something we don’t.”Meanwhile, in the contestants’ section, even though he said nothing, Kieran Farley watched the ring with a focused gaze.At the same time inside the ring, the icy wind spun faster and faster, yet Adrian stood firm, completely unaffected. The chunks of ice swirling within the tornado didn’t harm him in the slightest.“Is this all you’ve got?”Frost’s face darkened.Damn it. He’s not affected by the ice tornado at all!If he were really a beginner, he should’ve frozen to death by now!Who the hell is he?Why doesn’t he have any track record?Frustrated, Frost began launching massive chunks of ice, each the size of a barrel or even larger. Those massive blocks joined the spinning tornado.Every time one of them came crashing toward Adrian, he punched it, shat

At the edge of death's abyss, Dylan concentrated fully. With the last of his strength and consciousness, Dylan attempted emergency self-recovery. He entered the realm of the universe's core power.At that moment, Dylan's body entered autopilot mode. As a result, his body moved on pure reflex, not by his own will. This was a special ability possessed only by Grand Master level martial artists or higher.In the realm of the universe's core power, Dylan floated in an empty void with distant stars around him.He raised his arms upward."Thunder that roars in the sky!""One that splits the earth!""One that burns flesh and nerves!""One full of wrath!""Don’t you hold back!""Destroy!""Annihilate!""Obliterate!"For a moment, there was no answer. Nothing happened except emptiness.But the thunder answered from afar.Instantly, the distant stars moved at full speed, approaching, drawing closer to Dylan from all directions. There was no place left for him to escape. The stars crashed into h

The referee raised Kieran’s hand.The MC shouted, “The winner of this match is Kieran Farley!”Kieran’s supporters erupted in cheers.“Lord Kieran! Lord Kieran! Lord Kieran!”Not long after, the medical team carried Anders away from the ring. The MC approached Kieran. “Mr. Farley, that was quite a shocking fight.”“I actually thought the Horned Crocodile might be able to defeat you.”Kieran replied calmly, “At the beginning, I intentionally let him attack me because I had never faced a crocodile mutant before.”The MC frowned. “You did it on purpose?”He paused, thinking. “What do you mean?”“I don’t understand.”Kieran explained, “I let him attack so I could measure his strength.”“His punches, claws, bites, and so on.”“From that, I can get a clearer picture, whether for my personal records or to plan my next move.”The MC nodded. “Ah, so you were collecting data?”Kieran gave a slight nod. “You could say that.”The MC smiled. “Incredible. You’re confident enough to let your opponent

The crowd's cheers had not yet subsided after the final was announced. Adrian's name was still being shouted from every corner of the stadium. "ADRIAN! ADRIAN! ADRIAN!" But amid the euphoria, other voices began to emerge. Debates were inevitable. "I'm telling you, Adrian's going to win!" "Seriously? He's strong, but he's up against Kieran Farley!" Some spectators looked extremely excited. Their eyes sparkled with conviction. "You saw it yourself earlier, right? Aurox was crushed without a real fight!" "If he could do that to Aurox, it's not impossible he could beat Kieran too!" But not everyone agreed. Others simply shook their heads. "You're jumping to conclusions too quickly." "Adrian is strong, but Kieran is different." "He's not the kind of fighter who can be beaten by strength alone." "Kieran analyzes his opponents." "He doesn't fight carelessly." "And most importantly..." "He hasn't shown his true abilities yet." The debate grew more heated. On one side, Adrian's