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Tears Beneath the Korzian Sky
That afternoon, the canopy sky of the Korzian dimension was plated in a breathtaking golden hue. The twilight sun pierced through the gaps in the leaves of the colossal crystal trees, reflecting a silvery-blue luminescence that pacified the soul. Shortly after the semifinal round in the mortal realm concluded, Ken cleaved through space and strolled slowly into the God Training Room to meet Diyah.
The moment he crossed the threshold of the obsidian stone door, Ken could palpably feel the ambient air vibrating violently. The gravitational field within the chamber felt astronomically denser and more oppressive, as if an invisible titan stood ready to pulverize the bones of anyone who dared to enter. Ken casually leaned his back against the wall near the entrance, crossing his arms over his chest. From that blind spot, he observed Diyah, who was engaged in a life-and-death struggle.
The maiden was currently confronting a Crystal Automaton—a training golem plated in ancient energy, moving with the agility of a demon, and programmed to process absolutely zero pain.
Ken meticulously scrutinized every single one of Diyah’s movements. Her robes were entirely drenched in sweat, her breathing sounded steady even though her lungs were working furiously to pump oxygen. Her silver spear shot forward to thrust, slashed the air, then bounded backward with exceptionally nimble footwork maneuvers.
Hmm… She has elevated the gravity to Level Five, Ken mused. The corner of his eye swept toward the runic panel near the door, which displayed the glowing numeral. Incredible. It appears she has begun to acclimate to enduring this multiplied gravitational burden. Her muscular cellular evolution is phenomenally rapid. A faint smirk, heavily saturated with absolute pride, slowly carved itself onto the corner of Ken’s lips.
In the epicenter of the arena, Diyah spun her body one hundred and eighty degrees, evading a sledgehammer punch from the automaton by the breadth of a single hair. Wasting no momentum, she unleashed a consecutive barrage of assaults. The thunderous clanging of metal and ice echoed so violently it caused the chamber floor to quake. Exploiting a fraction-of-a-second opening, Diyah channeled her golden Qi and drove a full-power thrust straight into the automaton’s core chest.
BLAAAR! Her golem adversary was blasted into the air and slammed brutally against the floor, before finally shattering into a million fragments of energy that drifted like stardust.
The maiden stood panting heavily, her chest heaving up and down. However, a beautiful smile of absolute satisfaction bloomed upon her pale lips. Exactly as she turned her head toward the door to regulate her breathing, her eyes caught a highly familiar silhouette.
”Brother Ken?!” Diyah gasped, her eyes widening into perfect saucers from sheer shock. She immediately sheathed her spear and broke into a light jog to approach him. Her visage was still smeared with sweat, but her gaze instantaneously brightened, radiating joy. “Since when have you been standing there, Brother Ken?” she asked with a bashful smile, tucking a stray strand of hair that clung to her forehead.
Ken offered a light shrug, smiling gently. “I only just arrived, Princess. An exceedingly impressive spectacle.”
Diyah chuckled softly upon hearing the praise. She then reached into her Spatial Ring and extracted a pill that radiated a luminescence of pure energy. “Oh right, this is the final Pancasona Pill you bestowed upon me, Brother Ken.” Without a microscopic sliver of hesitation, she swallowed the pill. Instantaneously, a thin mist of emerald-green energy enveloped her mortal shell, mending her torn muscle fibers. Her breathing stabilized once more, and the remnants of her exhaustion evaporated.
Witnessing this, Ken’s brows furrowed. His gaze shifted to one of profound seriousness. “Wait a moment… So, the Princess has swallowed and exhausted all five of those high-dosage pills?”
Diyah gave a firm nod, entirely devoid of guilt. “Yes, Brother Ken. The battle against the absolute dominion of Prince Raden from the Water Kingdom truly slapped my consciousness awake… The explosive yield of my assaults is still astronomically far from sufficient. If I wish to secure absolute victory in the finals tomorrow, I must continuously torture myself in here. I absolutely cannot squander this golden opportunity. Therefore, every single time my body hit its limit and shattered, I swallowed one pill, recovered, and immediately returned to train against the gravity.” Her tone sounded exceedingly resolute, yet the traces of psychological exhaustion remained clearly imprinted beneath her eyes.
Ken drew a very deep breath, feeling a concoction of awe and profound worry regarding this maiden’s sheer stubbornness. “I profoundly appreciate your lunatic resolve. But for the time being, it is best we step outside and rest your mind,” he decreed. Ken took a step backward, gesturing for Diyah to follow him out of the gravitational field.
However, Diyah instead lowered her head momentarily. When she looked up again, her eyes radiated a blazing conviction. “But Brother Ken… I feel this is not yet enough. I must continue to elevate the foundation of my power in this chamber. If I may…” She bit her lower lip, hesitating for a heartbeat before bargaining. “I wish to request a few more Pancasona Pills from you.”
Ken immediately shook his head. His tone mutated into something exceptionally stern and unquestionable. “Absolutely not, Princess! The maximum tolerance limit for normal human meridians to consume a Level Three Pancasona Pill is exactly five pills within a three-day cycle. If you swallow even one more pill right now, your blood vessels will detonate from an energy overdose.”
Diyah’s eyes widened, genuinely shocked to hear that medical absolute. “Hah… i-is that truly the case, Brother Ken?”
Ken stared at her with a gaze brimming with ruthless patience. “Yes. Unless… a cultivator has successfully breached and condensed a Red Star Seal within their veins. Only with a god-tier foundation such as that can an individual’s skeletal and muscular structure withstand an intake of up to ten pills within a single day.”
Diyah fell silent, lowering her gaze to the jade floor. “Hmm… very well then, Brother Ken,” she murmured. The tone of resignation and disappointment echoed clearly in her voice. Realizing it was utterly futile to argue against the medical god, she finally sheathed her weapon and obediently followed Ken’s steps, walking out of the torture chamber.
The two walked side-by-side through the long corridors of the golden palace, then descended several flights of marble stairs. Ultimately, they arrived at the palace’s front courtyard—a phenomenally vast, open balcony that bordered directly on the abyss of clouds and a panorama of a colossal forest. Ancient trees down below towered high like sentinel spires, floating ice cliffs hung majestically, and the twilight sky canopy cast a mesmerizing gradient of golden-red hues that hypnotized the eyes.
Diyah seated herself upon one of the marble steps, hugging her knees while gazing at the expanse of the Korzian Realm, which never failed to leave her in awe. The evening wind blew exceedingly gently, toying with the strands of her silver hair, which was still slightly damp from the sweat of her cultivation.
”Brother Ken…” Diyah called out softly, turning to gaze at the youth standing beside her with an incredibly tender look. “Was the theatrical farce that transpired during the semifinal match earlier… the result of your intervention, Brother Ken?”
Hearing that razor-sharp inquiry, Ken fell silent for a heartbeat. A small, awkward smirk appeared on his lips, yet he averted his gaze, evading the maiden’s eyes. “Umm… I merely bestowed upon Raden a slight enlightenment regarding reality. Nothing more than that.”
Dammit, what exactly did that Raden babble to her? Ken began to feel restless inwardly. How could the Princess astutely deduce that I was the mastermind pulling the strings behind the curtain to pressure him?
The smile on Diyah’s face only bloomed sweeter upon realizing Ken’s nervousness. “Hmmm… was it truly merely an ‘enlightenment’? In that case, thank you immensely, Brother Ken,” she expressed, lowering her visage slightly. She then raised her head again, continuing her sentence with a tone of warm, absolute conviction. “I know full well, Brother Ken orchestrated all those complex scenarios because you couldn’t bear to step in and personally batter me in the arena, right?”
Ken flinched in shock. His flat expression crumbled instantaneously, replaced by an awkward visage he exceedingly rarely displayed. “Wh-what do you mean by that conclusion, Princess?”
”Do not pretend anymore. I know exactly how absolute Brother Ken’s power is,” Diyah stared straight, piercing through Ken’s eyes. “If Brother Ken had entered to represent the team, sooner or later we would have inevitably clashed in a sparring session or a struggle for power. That is why Brother Ken deliberately refused to enter the arena and chose to utilize the hands of others to smooth my path. My logical deduction is correct, isn’t it?”
Ken scratched the back of his head, which was not the slightest bit itchy. “Hm… well… it wasn’t entirely like that, Princess.” Ken sighed inwardly. This girl… from the outside you indeed appear incredibly innocent and naive, but your political intellect and your sensitivity in evaluating situations are truly razor-sharp.
Diyah chuckled softly, the sound of her laughter echoing as lightly as the chiming of crystal bells. “Hahaha! I profoundly adore that aspect of Brother Ken, always acting from the shadows like that. But remember your vow… one day, when I have grown into a truly powerful warrior… Brother Ken must draw his sword and fight me for real. Deal?” Diyah raised her right hand, offering a thumbs-up with a smile full of spirited challenge.
Witnessing the pure sparkle in the maiden’s eyes, Ken’s defenses finally crumbled entirely. He nodded. “Very well. I promise. When the time arrives, I shall personally serve as your final crucible, Princess.”
”It’s a promise, then!” Diyah cheered softly, her crisp laughter once again filling the evening air. “In that case, I must squeeze my blood to grow strong as rapidly as possible. Hehehe.”
Ken joined her smile, though he maintained his usual calm demeanor. “Yes, indeed.”
The two then dissolved into a peaceful silence, permitting their souls to absorb the breathtaking panorama of the dimension. Colossal primordial birds flew past in formation far in the heavens, and the echoing rumble of spiritual waterfalls could be heard faintly sweeping across the valley. The Korzian Realm seemingly embraced the two of them in a single blanket of eternity and peace.
However, that heavenly tranquility shattered instantaneously when Diyah parted her lips once more.
”Oh right, Brother Ken… at the absolute end of this journey… do you still intend to level the Fire Kingdom to the ground?”
Ken stared dead ahead at the crimson horizon. His jaw hardened. His voice sounded soft, yet it was heavily laden with the weight of non-negotiable death. “Yes. That is a destiny that cannot be altered. But for the time being… my unilateral accumulation of power is still not sufficiently secure to confront all the monsters slumbering there.”
Diyah bit her lower lip, fighting back the tempest in her chest, then spoke with a profoundly fragile voice. “Brother Ken… if, perchance, I fall and am defeated in the tournament tomorrow… I beg of you, I do not wish to be dragged away to the Fire Kingdom. I absolutely refuse to bow and surrender my life to that disgusting regulation ratified by the council of kings.”
The maiden’s voice began to tremble, saturated with the terror of her future. “Perhaps… what if Brother Ken simply takes me and we flee this continent? I am willing to discard my royal title and follow wherever Brother Ken’s steps may lead. We can hide and spend the remainder of our lives within this realm. I… I feel so overwhelmingly happy and safe as long as I am here with you.”
Ken turned his head slowly. His eyes radiated a profound pity witnessing the vulnerability of a maiden who was usually so resilient. Ken remained silent for quite some time before finally delivering the reality. “Hiding and fleeing will never eradicate the root of the problem, Princess.”
That single, absolute sentence pulverized Diyah’s defenses. She could no longer dam the flood of her tears. Warm droplets fell heavily, soaking her pale cheeks.
”I just… I just don’t want to see Brother Ken sacrifice your life and take a suicidal risk fighting them. I am already an orphan… I have lost my Father and Mother to their demonic conspiracies. I cannot bear it if I must lose Brother Ken as well for a second time…” Diyah’s sobs finally broke. She no longer cared for noble etiquette, allowing her body to lean forward, resting her head upon Ken’s sturdy shoulder, weeping uncontrollably as she unleashed her greatest terror.
Ken froze for a heartbeat. Yet this time, he did not evade. He offered no empty words of consolation; he merely allowed his shoulder to serve as her sanctuary and absorb the maiden’s tears. After several minutes had passed and Diyah’s sobs began to subside, Ken finally parted his lips.
”I cannot turn my steps to retreat, Princess,” Ken stated with an exceedingly deep tone. “The absolute sole reason my heart still beats to this day… is purely to eradicate every single one of them from the face of the earth. If I chose to flee with you now, their tracking hounds would never cease hunting us, no matter which corner of any dimension we hid in.”
Ken stared far into the distance, his eyes blazing once more with the inferno of holy vengeance. “The absolute sole path to ultimate freedom is to relentlessly climb and evolve into the invincible. I must grow strong… so that I possess the absolute authority to shield you, shield those who stand by my side, and shield the lives of the innocent populace. Because upon that mortal continent… our adversaries are not merely the tyrants of the Fire Kingdom. There remain countless dark entities and other primordial powers lurking in the shadows, awaiting their moment.”
Diyah still whimpered softly, but her tear-soaked gaze began to sparkle anew, discovering the light. “Brother Ken is right… forgive my cowardice just now.” She wiped her tears and flashed a faint, far more genuine smile. “Before destiny crossed my path with yours, Brother Ken, I cared absolutely nothing for the value of my own life. I was merely a puppet, resigned to following the currents wherever my kingdom’s destiny dragged me. But… ever since Brother Ken arrived to act as my aegis… I have harbored a selfish desire to continue living by your side. It was that terror of loss that rendered me weak for a moment.”
Ken stared into the maiden’s swollen eyes with profound sincerity, his protective aura radiating warmth. “I promise, everything will conclude flawlessly. Entrust your back to me, Princess.”
Diyah nodded slowly, a smile of relief and peace gracing her visage once more. “Mm-hmm. My faith in you is absolute, Brother Ken.”
An exceedingly comfortable silence enveloped the two of them once more. The evening wind blew softly, carrying a fusion of the scent of eternal pine leaves and the magical dew from the Korzian air.
Shortly after, Ken rose to his feet and gently patted the crown of Diyah’s shoulder. “Very well. The mental warm-up is concluded. It is now time I step in to assist you in filling and condensing the seventh Star Seal within your meridians.”
Diyah hastily wiped away the residual traces of tears on her cheeks. Her eyes instantaneously sparkled, brimming with newfound hope and enthusiasm. “Is my physical vessel ready to contain it, Brother Ken?” she asked, verifying her qualifications.
Ken stared at her with absolute conviction, akin to a god blessing his disciple. “Yes. Your physical container was flawlessly tempered in the gravity chamber earlier. Prepare to welcome the agony, Princess.”
Diyah straightened her posture, nodding firmly without a shred of hesitation. “Hmm… understood, Brother Ken. I am ready in body and soul!”
The night deepened, crawling across the dimension. The false full moon’s light from the Korzian solar system gently unveiled the silent sky.
After enduring hours of meridian-torturing processes, Diyah finally succeeded in absorbing and assimilating her seventh Star Monster Core Orb. As the golden energy aura enveloping the maiden’s body began to subside and restabilize into the core of her meridians, Ken could finally exhale a breath of relief.
Ken stood up, then turned his head toward the shadow of a tree where his black-cloaked intelligence operative had been standing guard, accompanying them the entire time.
”Guard her and stand by her side while I am gone,” Ken commanded with a firm tone that nonetheless carried veiled concern. “Monitor every fluctuation of energy that occurs within her. If anything goes awry, contact me immediately.”
The shadowed silhouette bowed his head, offering absolute reverence. His voice was hoarse yet pacifying. “As you command, My Lord. I swear to guard her with my very life.”
Ken nodded, took a step back, and allowed his mortal shell to slowly fade, swallowed by the darkness of the dimensional portal’s night, rushing back to breach the borders of the Ice Kingdom capital.
Meanwhile, in a desolate, torch-lit outer corridor of the Ice Kingdom pavilion.
Wisa and Arung were seen pacing back and forth with visages of utter bewilderment, as if they had just lost their map within a palace labyrinth.
Arung cast a restless glance around, then leaned toward Wisa. “Hey, Wisa… look down there at the end. Perhaps we could ask that white-haired maiden for directions,” Arung suggested, pointing at a cold-visaged teenage girl walking by herself.
Wisa crossed his arms over his chest, casting a fleeting, lazy glance. “If you’re the one in need, you go charm her and ask.”
”Yeah, yeah… very well, if you lack the guts, let this handsome prince handle it,” Arung retorted with an overly confident tone. He puffed out his chest, adjusted the collar of his robes, and strolled toward the maiden. With an arrogantly casual demeanor and a forced, charming smile, he greeted her, “Ehh, excuse me, Beautiful Lady. Do you happen to know the exact coordinates of Master Ken’s resting pavilion?”
The maiden addressed—Svara—instantly jolted, halting her steps. Master Ken? So… these two idiotic youths are the new disciples Master mentioned last night? Svara analyzed rapidly.
Her eagle-like gaze immediately darted down to the right wrists of the two youths, verifying the presence of the glowing runic seals identical to her own. With invisible reflex, Svara immediately concealed her own hands within the folds of her robe sleeves with extreme caution.
”Hmm… yes, his pavilion is at the very end of that corridor over there. It is highly fortuitous that my destination also lies in the exact same sector. If you wish, simply follow my steps,” Svara answered with a flat tone that projected profound distance.
Arung smirked triumphantly, looking back to shoot a wink at his comrade. “Wah, what a profitable coincidence! Hurry up, Wisa.”
The three of them walked side-by-side, cleaving through the night air. Arung, with his innately restless nature, attempted to shatter the ice between them. “Hey, by the way, judging from your robes, you must be a native noble of the Ice Kingdom, yes? Let me introduce myself, my name is Arung, Prince of the Earth Kingdom,” he greeted with a deliberately drawn-out, flirtatious tone.
However, Svara did not turn her head in the slightest. She merely kept her gaze lowered and continued walking with a constant rhythm, as if her ears were entirely immune to such cheap seduction.
Hah? Why did she suddenly go mute? Was my voice not loud enough? Arung turned to Wisa in confusion, then whispered softly. “Wisa, does my face look too terrifying at night? Why is she absolutely ignoring my charm?”
Wisa snorted softly, suppressing a mocking laugh. “Perhaps… she simply possesses excellent taste, and you indeed look exceedingly annoying and pathetic in her eyes.”
Arung clicked his tongue in annoyance, cursing his best friend, while Svara, walking ahead of them, was instead engulfed in internal conflict. Judging by their auras, they are Princes of great kingdoms. By right… what is the proper formal address for them now? Seniors? Senior Martial Brothers? Or should I just call them ‘Brats’?
Upon arriving at the desolate courtyard of Ken’s pavilion, the silhouette of their Master was already standing there, awaiting them in the center of the ice courtyard, his black robes fluttering majestically. Svara immediately accelerated her pace, overtaking the two youths. The moment she arrived before Ken, she bowed her body ninety degrees with absolute reverence.
”Reporting, Master. These two youths appeared entirely bewildered searching for your whereabouts, so I guided them here,” Svara reported with an exceedingly polite tone.
Hearing that title of address, Wisa and Arung spontaneously exchanged horrifying glances. Arung’s jaw nearly dropped to touch the earth.
”HAH?! W-wait a minute! So… this block-of-ice girl is actually also one of Master’s disciples?!” Arung exclaimed, pointing at Svara with a trembling index finger.
Ken flashed a faint, profoundly mysterious smirk. “Yes. Meet Svara. And for your intelligence, Svara took the oath and officially became my disciple before the two of you.”
Ah, so… these two princes genuinely hold the status of my Junior Martial Brothers, newly recruited by Master last night? Svara thought, sighing in relief yet covertly elevating her instinctual vigilance.
Realizing the new hierarchy, Arung hurriedly corrected his posture and demeanor, even though his pretentiously cool smile remained plastered on his face. “Hehehe… in that case, forgive my insolence earlier, Senior Martial Sister. A formal greeting, I am Arung, from the Earth Kingdom.”
Svara glanced at him from the corner of her eye with a blood-freezing stare, then answered with an exceedingly flat intonation. “I am not deaf. I heard your babbling introduction in the corridor earlier.” Her tone, which abruptly morphed into something highly dominant and cold, instantly rendered the night atmosphere utterly rigid and paralyzed their courage.
Arung gulped immediately. Dammit! So she heard all my whispers with Wisa this entire time?! I’m dead!
Attempting to salvage the situation, Wisa stepped forward with the grace of an amicable prince. “Allow me to introduce myself, I am Wisa, representing the Water Kingdom. It is an absolute honor to meet and cultivate alongside a prodigious princess such as yourself.”
Ken nodded in satisfaction seeing the dynamics of his disciples beginning to take shape, then stepped to assume his position in the center of the courtyard. “Very well. Because your bureaucratic introductions have concluded, tonight we shall dive straight into the main menu of torture training.”
Svara drew a deep breath to pump her tranquility. So now… the total number of Master’s active inheritors amounts to exactly five individuals…
”We are ready to execute your orders, Master!” the three answered synchronously, their voices shattering the silence of the night.
Ken stared straight at Wisa and Arung sequentially, then dropped a command that sounded entirely devoid of logic. “The two of you, draw your weapons and attack Svara simultaneously. I wish to measure the absolute limits of your teamwork, velocity, and defensive capabilities.”
Hearing an edict that degraded his masculinity, Arung immediately protested vehemently. “HAAH?! Are you serious, Master! The two of us… are ordered to gang up on and fight this one single girl?” An arrogant and condescending tone echoed glaringly from the end of his sentence.
However, before Arung’s mouth could unleash his next syllable of protest, Svara had already concentrated her ice Qi and moved as fast as a flash of lightning. In a thousandth of a second, she rocketed forward and slammed her frost-coated palm flawlessly into Arung’s chest.
BAM! The explosive shock value of that strike launched Arung’s body through the air, sending him tumbling several times across the snow.
Arung winced in agony, clutching his ribs which felt flash-frozen, while Svara stared down at him with an intimidating gaze akin to a goddess of death.
”As your Senior Martial Sister, it appears I must indeed intervene to discipline your tongue and teach you the proper etiquette of responding to Master’s absolute directives,” Svara stated with a lethally authoritarian tone. Without granting a single second of respite, she immediately spun her sword and shot forward to assault the still-shocked Wisa.
An asymmetric battle detonated instantaneously—two high-tier princes forced to fight a life-and-death struggle against a single maiden possessing the pure ice element.
Despite being relentlessly pressured and hunted by the lethal combined assaults of earth and water elements, Svara showcased her absolute class. She danced amidst the rain of slashes, parrying, and utilizing the energy-efficiency maneuvers Ken had just taught her yesterday to perfectly withstand and fracture every ounce of their aggressive pressure.
At the edge of the courtyard, Ken stood with his arms crossed, observing meticulously and evaluating every single detail of movement, weakness, and tactical decision-making from his three new disciples.
After a profoundly intense exchange of martial arts that raged for nearly an hour, Ken finally retracted his aura pressure and raised a single hand, delivering an absolute signal to halt.
”Enough.”
His voice echoed exceedingly tranquilly yet brimming with magical authority, compelling the three to reflexively arrest the swing of their swords mid-air and vault backward.
Svara immediately sheathed her sword and stood tall. Her breathing sounded as steady as a professional killing machine’s, even though a thin layer of glistening sweat bathed her temples. Her visage maintained a serious expression, her gaze losing absolutely none of its sharpness.
Conversely, Arung and Wisa exchanged glances, panting heavily with their chests heaving. The two stared at Svara with a complex amalgamation of emotions—profound awe at her lethal techniques, combined with intense annoyance that their pride as elite princes was utterly incapable of effortlessly matching the maiden’s agility.
Ken strolled slowly, cleaving through their battlefield, halting exactly in the center of the courtyard. A faint smile of genuine pride finally dawned upon his rigid visage.
”Tonight’s warm-up is more than sufficient. Starting tomorrow, the three of you shall undertake intensive independent cultivation quotas in accordance with the evaluations of your weaknesses tonight. When I convene you again later, I demand to witness an evolution of power that is exponentially more savage than this.”
”As you command, Master!” the three answered synchronously, bowing in deep reverence. Their voices echoed firmly, slicing through the air, even though their throats still ravenously gasped for oxygen.
The silence of the night slowly re-blanketed the pavilion area. The false full moon hung high on the horizon, radiating its silver light that fell gently to caress the visages of the exhausted disciples. With synchronized steps, they bowed their bodies once more to offer respect, then pivoted and walked away toward their dormitories, leaving Ken standing alone. Deep within their respective chests, the embers of resolve to become the absolute strongest under the banner of the god of war had ignited eternally.
Ken stared at the retreating backs of his three disciples as they grew smaller, swallowed by the shadows of the night. A faint, genuine smile remained faithfully carved upon his visage.
Very well… the earthly affairs here are concluded. Now I must hasten back across space. I calculate the Princess will shortly finish absorbing the absolute limit of that monster core’s energy, Ken thought, his mind anchored back to Diyah within the Korzian dimension.
A fraction of a second later, devoid of sound or a flash of light, Ken’s silhouette vanished entirely from the ice pavilion’s courtyard, leaving behind only the swirling hiss of the night wind blowing softly, sweeping the residual snow dust from the arena.