The hour of the fourth fight had at last come.
Two weeks of intense training and internal cultivation had gone by, and Isshin was stronger—his cultivation now at the 8th level of the Golden Core Realm. The energy that flowed through his body was purer, denser, and most importantly—deadly.
He entered the battlefield with unshakeable concentration.
All over the grounds, his opponent appeared: Zolfyq.
The name rang out like a gong within the arena. The formerly defeated warrior had been given a second chance by the Skeleton King to redeem himself. Isshin could immediately sense a change—Zolfyq's aura was much more refined, sharper. This was not the same man that he beat before.
Zolfyq was similarly Level 230 and had achieved the 2nd Stage of the Nascent Soul Realm.
"I won't fall again," Zolfyq muttered to himself, his eyes fixed intently on Isshin with a fierce resolve. "Not this time."
Wasting no more time, Zolfyq struck.
His sword cut through the air and landed on Isshin's guard, pushing him a couple of meters away. Dozens of mana swords appeared around Zolfyq before Isshin could recover his footing and launched themselves like projectiles.
Isshin's reflexes kicked in. His own sword danced within the storm, deflecting strike after strike with precision. Sparks flew. Craters were formed where stray blades bit into surfaces.
Seizing the chance, Isshin counter-attacked with his sword Aura.
Waves of blades made of compact aura burst out, each one trying to pressurize Zolfyq. Zolfyq didn't budge. He adjusted his body, dodging each attack with swift steps, then leaped forward again.
Isshin's hand glowed.
"Thundercrack Burial"
Pillars of stone imbued with thunder erupted from the earth to surround Zolfyq—but yet again he broke through, jumping between them with impunity and closing the distance. Swords met once more. This time, Isshin was ready for the power of the strike.
He gripped his other hand and lashed out.
"Thunder-Qi Fist" The strike hit—booming thunder crackled in the air upon impact. Zolfyq groaned, his body blown backward a few feet. But he did not fall. He clenched his teeth and retaliated with a strike of his own, hitting Isshin's shoulder with a thunder-reinforced dark palm.
Boom!
A dark blue cloud of Qi dispersed near Isshin's shoulder, like smoke. He grimaced. The pain was burning, but the system responded fast, initiating the repair sequence.
Nevertheless, Isshin wasn't finished.
He launched himself at Zolfyq, now afire with combativeness, and headbutted him with the power of his Qi. The two of them flew backward. Isshin's shoulder burned with pain
Zolfyq's body unexpectedly dissolved into smoke.
Dozens of copies surrounded Isshin in a circle—each one of them wielding a sword and giving off the same pressure.
Isshin's eyebrows creased.
Just as panic was going to set in within his heart, Raijin's voice sounded calmly in his mind.
"Don't be deceived. It's a trick. The more you believe it, the more real it is. Utilize the system. Have faith in yourself."
Isshin drew a deep breath.
While all the Zolfyqs closed in on him with swords drawn to attack, Isshin remained still, invoking the analyzing function of the system.
In the final second—he found him.
The real Zolfyq was not even in the fake crowd. He was upstairs.
Yet Isshin didn't flinch.
The blades of the phantom Zolfyqs went through his body—nothing occurred. They dissipated like fog.
The audience gasped in shock together.
Then—BOOM!
Isshin rotated upward and launched his technique.
"Thunder Sword: One Slash"
A huge burst of thunder-charged sword aura detonated overhead, straight into Zolfyq—who had been swooping in for a finishing attack.
Zolfyq's eyes widened in shock.
CRASH!
The strike exploded in intensity, flinging Zolfyq against the arena wall. Debris and smoke obscured the battlefield. The silence followed.
And then—cheers. Roars. The zombie horde broke out cheering again. Isshin was standing. Panting. But still upright. When he turned to face the Skeleton King, ready to exchange words… The king appeared right in front of him. Furious.