Ji-Hoon's feet scrambled frantically against the giant stone as he climbed at full speed, grabbing for any grip he could find. He was desperate to escape the coming explosion.
On the battlefield below, the Asura Wolf and the Lightning Mirage Fox tore toward each other at the speed of light, their bodies nothing but blinding streaks of radiance, driven by pure bloodlust.
Ji-Hoon didn't look back. A single glance would waste precious time. He wasn't some frightened deer freezing before a predator; he was a lone wolf running on pure survival instinct.
"If that Qi hits me directly… my skin will burn off," he muttered through clenched teeth.
He had only climbed a few steps since Layla's warning, but his palms were already scraped raw. He felt no pain. His entire mind was focused on one thing: upward.
The stone continued to rise. If he could just reach the top and find a small cave, or even a deep crack between the rocks behind it, a mere place to sit would be enough.
But Ji-Hoon's luck was as cruel as ever. Like always, fate dragged him toward misfortune. He dug his fingers into the stone wherever he could, blood seeping from his nails, yet he felt nothing. He kept climbing.
This time… even if I'm unlucky, I will survive.
Just one or two more steps.
His hand finally touched the edge. With a final burst of strength, muscles screaming, he hauled his body onto the top.
Ji-Hoon glanced down.
The battlefield below was glowing, every beast shimmering under violent currents of Qi. The Lightning Mirage Fox was wrapped in crackling lightning from mouth to tail, electricity flowing like living veins. Across from it, the Asura Wolf had entered full rage mode—froth spilling from its jaws, its face monstrous. Its skin had turned deep crimson, muscles bulging, a faint navy-blue aura leaking from its massive frame. The wolf was nearly three times the fox's size.
On the ground, lightning surged from one side, blue Qi from the other. Two raging tides rushed toward each other like colliding storms.
An unnatural silence fell.
Under the giant stone, hundreds of beasts trembled and whimpered.
Above them,a single boy stood.
Ji-Hoon had reached the top. He looked down once more—at the countless beasts and the two lights about to collide—then turned and ran.
He had barely taken three steps.
Then—
The two beasts surged forward simultaneously, intent on mutual destruction.
Ji-Hoon's face twisted in terror. "Oh no—"
The next instant, they met.
The battlefield went completely, eerily silent.
Ji-Hoon froze, fear paralyzing his body. I don't want my skin to burn…
Suddenly, Layla's voice sliced through his panic. "It's too late. The only thing we can do now is lie flat on the ground."
Ji-Hoon didn't reply. He just ran.
"Run as far as you can before the explosion reaches you!" Layla shouted. "And when you can't run anymore—drop face-down! Cover your head! Don't let your face turn to coal! Hurry!"
Then—
The two lights collided.
A small, brilliant flash appeared at the center of the battlefield.
For a single second, everything was silent, like the calm of a deep night.
Then the entire valley turned pure, blinding white.
A terrifying Qi tsunami erupted, tearing across the mountains. Trees were uprooted, stones pulverized, and beast corpses were hurled through the air. That tiny point of light exploded into a massive wave of energy, obliterating everything in its path.
The mountains shook.
Star-Heaven Valley roared.
Even distant peaks trembled.
The giant stone Ji-Hoon had climbed shattered. Chunks broke apart and fell, half of it collapsing completely.
A massive wall of pure Qi surged toward him like a tidal wave. The first wave lacked destructive heat, its spiritual, moon-infused power ripping through the sky before vanishing into the air.
Then came the second wave.
A devastating tsunami that burned, tore apart, and uprooted everything it touched. This was no ordinary explosion. The power of those two beasts was overwhelming.
Low-tier beasts were thrown like dry leaves. Corpses burned or were flung into the distance. Panic spread as survivors fled in all directions.
The Qi wave moved insanely fast.
In seconds, it reached Ji-Hoon.
Stones were ripped from the ground around him. Wind-blade currents sliced the air with violent whooshes.
The wave slammed into him.
Ji-Hoon couldn't even react. He had been lying face-down, covering his head, but the moment the light touched him, his body was thrown like a leaf into the storm.
For several seconds, he was trapped inside the Qi tsunami. His mortal body couldn't endure it. The upper layer of his skin burned. His face, back, hands, and legs were laced with countless small cuts.
Then—
He crashed into a massive black stone embedded deep in the mountain.
His body rebounded violently and fell again, this time into dense bushes beside a tall, pitch-black rock formation.
The giant stone he had stood on was nearly erased, its surface stripped away, its size drastically reduced.
The explosion continued to race across the valley. Though not world-ending, it was the power of a beast—enough to destroy trees, shatter stones, and scatter corpses across the land.
And somewhere within that ruined valley—
Ji-Hoon lay motionless.
---