[Longevity County, Underground Vault]
The hualala sound of falling debris continued. The screen of Caroline's tactical tablet, secured to her waist, was already covered in cracks from the violent shaking, yet she was oblivious, staring blankly ahead.
More than two-thirds of the vault floor had collapsed into a giant sinkhole over a hundred meters in diameter. The rock layers on the pit wall were scorched into a vitreous state by the high temperature, gleaming with an eerie metallic sheen.
Although this sinkhole appeared smaller than the one Tendo created during his fight with Wilfred on the beach, in reality, the appearance of this sinkhole was far more terrifying.
This was because the sinkhole currently looked like a bottomless abyss. Countless pieces of debris fell into it, and the echo of their landing could not be heard even after a long time.
Clearly, Tendo and Enite had intentionally controlled the direction of the aftershocks to avoid greater destruction to the surroundings.
Equally shocked by this scene was Jing Liuli, standing beside Caroline.
She sniffed, only to find her nostrils still filled with a mixed burnt odor of ozone and scorched energy.
This was the lingering scent left by the collision of the Vector Field and the Gluttony energy during Tendo's battle with Enite's memory clone.
Although she and Caroline had their time temporarily suspended by Enite using the Law of Libra, their consciousness had allowed them to witness the final, destructive moment of the battle.
The exaggeration of that energy storm was so immense that even as mere spectators, their consciousnesses were blanked out for three seconds.
"This is no longer within the scope of a 'powerful individual,' is it..."
Jing Liuli's voice held an imperceptible tremble. She looked down at the faint dream energy in her palm, which was like a firefly compared to the residual energy fluctuations in the center of the sinkhole—the difference was like that between a firefly and the sun!
Thinking of this, Jing Liuli couldn't help but say, "Caroline, is there a possibility that Tendo and the others are not from the same world as us? Otherwise, why are they both Star Envoys, yet they can reach such a level?"
"Is it that our talent is too poor, or is their talent too good..."
Caroline did not answer Jing Liuli's soul-deep question. Instead, she took out her tactical tablet and checked the energy detection records logged on it.
Although the record was incomplete, the peak energy from Tendo and Enite's final moments of battle was comparable to the result of a nuclear bomb detonation in the old era.
Yet, this terrifying energy fluctuation was forcibly endured by their bodies.
To others, Caroline and Jing Liuli were already 'geniuses' beyond imagination.
A Calamity-level expert was a peak that most people dared not even dream of.
Although they were well aware that neither Tendo nor Enite were ordinary people, the battle between Tendo and Enite completely shattered their perception of 'strength.'
It was like ants who could never understand the storm stirred up by the fight between a lion and a giant dragon.
Because both entities were existences too powerful for the ants to defeat.
Sometimes, understanding the gap might not be a good thing.
Because the 'despair' of never catching up, no matter how hard one tries, can easily make a person lose the will to 'struggle.'
Just like Caroline and Jing Liuli now, they believed that they might reach the level of the current Tendo and Enite's memory clone in the future.
But they felt they would never catch up to the two of them.
After all, they would improve, but Tendo and Enite's rate of progress would only be faster than theirs.
Consequently, the gap would grow... wider and wider, until it became an unbridgeable 'chasm.'
Amidst the silence of Jing Liuli and Caroline, the camera of the anime series swept past the bottomless 'sinkhole' and focused on Enite.
Einte's memory clone was kneeling on one knee at the edge of the sinkhole.
His black trench coat had long turned to ashes. His transparent body was dissipating from the waist down, turning into speckles of golden light that merged into the air, clearly on the verge of vanishing at any moment.
Despite this, his sharp golden eyes showed no sign of defeat and instead burned with an almost fanatical excitement, so much so that even his current breathing carried a hint of a smile.
"Cough, cough... Now that's more like it."
Enite raised a hand to wipe away the golden energy 'blood foam' spilling from his lips. His voice was somewhat faint but full of the exhilaration of having fought a satisfying battle.
"What a long-lost excitement. How many years has it been? I can't remember the last time I had such a fulfilling time."
As Enite sighed, the anime camera followed his gaze and landed on Tendo on the other side of the sinkhole.
To the great surprise of the Dimensional viewers, Tendo was actually injured!
[Real World, Site 13, Bullet Screen Area]
'Damn! Tendo is injured?!'
'Did I see that right? His right arm is bleeding!'
'The current generation's chosen one has met the previous generation's chosen one, huh? Truly an evenly matched battle.'
Tendo, at this moment, was indeed lacking his usual calmness and composure, looking somewhat 'battered,' a rare sight.
He was leaning against a broken piece of reinforced concrete. The tactical suit on his right arm was completely shredded into rags. The exposed skin was covered in fine cuts, and blood snaked down his arm, pooling into a small puddle of dark blood on the ground.
As the camera zoomed in, Tendo's other injuries were also revealed to the Dimensional viewers.
A distinct, dark brown fist mark was clearly branded onto the tactical suit on Tendo's chest. The fabric around the fist mark was carbonized, and bruising could faintly be seen beneath the skin.
Tendo slightly lowered his head, his fringe wet with sweat, obscuring half of his face. Only his occasional chest heaving and labored breathing confirmed that while his injuries were not light, they hadn't reached the point of Enite's memory clone, who was about to vanish.
Whether it was a mere illusion for the Dimensional viewers or a deliberate effect by the Star Productions team, as the cyan light in Tendo's Star-Eater Eye dimmed, he looked no different from an ordinary teenager.
But even so, Tendo's unyielding spine, which hadn't bent even in injury, still exuded reassuring power, silently attesting to the worth of the four words: 'The Apex of the Stars.'
Under the gaze of the Dimensional viewers and Caroline, Tendo raised his hand and pressed it against the wound on his chest.
The Vector Field condensed into an invisible film in his palm, quickly covering his chest and suppressing the turbulent rush of blood within his body.
After doing all this, Tendo looked up at Enite. Although his voice was a bit hoarse, it carried a similar excitement and a hint of a smile.
"This memory clone of yours is much stronger than the ones I encountered in the simulated fallen zones before."
"That last punch almost completely shattered my Vector Field. If my body weren't extraordinary, the person who lost this game... would have been me."
Surprisingly, Enite was unconcerned about winning or losing and instead focused on the so-called 'simulated fallen zone.'
"A simulation with only seventy percent of my power when I was younger. That thing doesn't count as a battle."
Seeing Enite suddenly start to criticize his past self, the corner of Tendo's eye twitched slightly.
This old man was not only powerful but also incredibly stubborn in his words.
When he got serious, he even cursed himself!
However, Enite didn't care about any of this now. He scoffed, his body suddenly becoming more transparent, and even his speech began to sound intermittent.
"Your 'Vector Control' is very interesting. I'm guessing there's still a lot more potential to unlock in that Star Source of yours, right?"
If it were anyone else, Tendo wouldn't have discussed his future 'cultivation direction' with them.
But with Enite, it was a different story.
"Mm."
Tendo stood up, enduring the tearing pain from his chest, and said seriously, "The limit of Vector Control has never been such simple destruction. Its creativity... far surpasses the imagination of most people."
He paused, his gaze falling on the massive, half-collapsed Libra scale not far away, and said meaningfully, "Changing vectors that are visible and tangible is nothing. What I truly want to change... are the things that are neither visible nor tangible."
Upon hearing this, Enite's eyes lit up, and then he suddenly laughed.
Golden speckles of light continuously fluttered with his laughter, and parts of his body began to slowly dissipate.
"Tendo, I am... increasingly looking forward to the day you fully mature."
His gaze became incredibly earnest, as if passing on a legacy.
"Some people are too conservative, and Dragon is a bit lacking. After all, he has good ideas, but it's hard for him to turn all those ideas into reality... Only someone with both ideas and ability like you has the potential to help me break the current situation."
Tendo did not reply but watched him quietly.
He knew what Enite meant. This legend, who had lived for most of his life, had already reached his limit within his capabilities.
However, this limit was not the limit he desired.
His appearance had shown Enite the possibility of the 'unknown,' the hope of surpassing the existing framework.
After what seemed like a long time, Tendo looked at Enite and nodded softly, his voice resolute... and clear.
"Don't worry. That day... won't keep you waiting long."
"Is that so... that's wonderful."
Enite's smile grew even brighter. He raised his hand and made a 'thumbs up' gesture.
Then, his transparent body finally completely turned into golden speckles of light, leaving behind only one final, smiling message.
"Remember, don't be constrained by existing rules, because true power means having the ability to break everything and define the so-called 'rules' yourself."
As the golden light scattered with the wind, the residual energy fluctuations in the center of the sinkhole gradually subsided.
Tendo looked at the empty space before him and slowly retracted the Vector Field around him.
Although the pain in his arm and chest persisted, his eyes became brighter and brighter.
The battle just now not only gave him a glimpse of the strongest contemporary figure, Enite, but also elevated his understanding of Vector Control to a new level.
Although he and Enite had different Star Sources, in a sense, the path they were taking was the same.
From Enite, Tendo gained many 'answers' he hadn't known before.
This would allow him to avoid many detours in his future cultivation.
He figured that after this trial ended, it wouldn't be long before he could break that 'boundary' and truly step into the so-called 'Calamity' level.
Tendo genuinely looked forward to that day.
"Are you alright?"
Not long after Enite's memory clone disappeared, Caroline had approached him and asked with concern.
Tendo smiled and replied, "It's nothing, I'll be fine after a little rest."
Despite his words, Caroline quickly considered the situation and took out a special rainbow-colored candy from her pocket.
This candy was none other than Jing Liuli's 'Sweet Dream Candy.'
Similar to when she was younger, but with a slight difference.
Now that Jing Liuli's strength had increased, the effect of her 'Sweet Dream Candy' was also considerably stronger than before.
"Here."
Tendo didn't refuse the Sweet Dream Candy offered by Caroline.
With his Tendo Cells, he could indeed recover from his injuries with just a little rest.
But who would refuse a faster recovery?
While Tendo ate the Sweet Dream Candy and began to rest, Caroline took the initiative to pull out a spare medical kit and swiftly bandaged his arm wound.
"Tendo, you knew the Grand President would appear here, right?"
Tendo paused, then turned to look at the earnest Caroline, and smiled, "Mm."
Seeing Tendo still being nonchalant about it, Caroline knew he wouldn't listen or change his mind.
But she still couldn't help but say, "Tendo, even though I've said it many times, I still want to say, if there's ever anything 'dangerous' like this again, can you please tell us in advance, instead of making a private decision all by yourself?"
"Dangerous?"
"Yes, dangerous."
"..."
Seeing Caroline's serious expression, Tendo knew that if he continued to be stubborn, Caroline wouldn't say much, but he would likely be 'intensively trained' for the next few days.
Therefore, adhering to the principle of avoiding unnecessary trouble, Tendo smiled and replied, "Alright, then I will try to ask for your opinions more before taking action."
"You better," Caroline said testily, forcefully tying the bandage on Tendo's arm.
Noticing Tendo's slightly pale face, Caroline took out another Sweet Dream Candy she had acquired from Jing Liuli and indicated for Tendo to eat it.
Tendo waved his hand in response, then looked up at the vault's ceiling.
The ceiling of the vault had been pierced by a massive hole from the great battle between Tendo and Enite, allowing them to see the bright night sky of Longevity County.
Moonlight shone through the gaps in the clouds, landing in his dusty yet bright eyes.
Finally, Tendo spoke out of the blue.
"Caroline, what do you think would happen if I were to pull Enite down and take the position of Grand President myself?"
Caroline: "???"