But before the magistrate could announce the result—
Sogen stepped forward.
His voice was calm.
"I request a final match."
All eyes turned.
Rhaziel's brow lifted slightly.When Sogen stepped forward and said calmly,"I request a final match."
The clearing did not erupt immediately.
For a single breath, no one understood what he meant.
Then realization spread.
Murmurs started to begin.
"Final match? Against who?"
"Letinca still has their third representative."
"Yufeng…"
On the Letinca side, someone let out a low chuckle.
"Does he think he can defeat a Golden Hawk Sect disciple?"
Another voice followed, sharper.
"Even if he wins by some miracle, the score will still stand at two to one."
"Yes. Felix already lost twice."
"Victory requires two wins out of three. They have none."
The logic was simple.
Even some among Felix's own ranks shifted uneasily.
"He's strong," one mercenary muttered, "but this isn't about strength anymore."
"The rules are clear," another said under his breath. "Two losses mean defeat. A third fight changes nothing."
Across the platform, Rhaziel's lips curved faintly.
"Your man has spirit," he remarked to Khamas in a low voice. "But spirit does not rewrite mathematics."
Khamas did not answer.
His eyes remained on Sogen.
Meanwhile, whispers continued.
"Yufeng is Sixth Stage mid rank."
"A direct disciple."
"His technique alone is enough."
"And even if Sogen defeats him…"
"Felix still loses the tournament."
The doubt wasn't malicious.
Because by all visible logic—
The Crimson Dust Tree already belonged to Letinca.
And Sogen?
He stood alone at the edge of the platform.
Calm.
Unmoved by the noise.
As if the outcome everyone had accepted… was not the one he intended to follow.
"The terms?" the magistrate asked cautiously.
Sogen stepped onto the platform and with a big smile he announced.
"I will face your remaining three."
Silence.
Shock rippled outward.
"A three-versus-one duel."
The crowd's whispers spread like wildfire, each voice laced with undisguised ridicule.
What had once been a simple murmur soon swelled into a tide of mockery, crashing endlessly against Sogen's name. Laughter rang out in sharp bursts, cutting through the air as though his very decision had become a spectacle for their amusement.
"Did he truly think himself worthy of a duel?"
"How laughable… a man blind to his own limits."
Every word, every chuckle carried a sting—subtle to some, but merciless in its persistence. To them, Sogen's request was not an act of courage, but a foolish leap into humiliation.
And so, beneath the weight of their scornful gazes and hushed derision, the atmosphere grew thick with contempt, as if the outcome had already been decided long before the duel could even begin.
Rhaziel smiled faintly.
"Bold," he said. "Or reckless."
He's swinging the axe at his own leg by asking for a one-versus-three match. Has his mind gone dull?"
Siana's voice cut through the murmurs, sharp and unrestrained.
"Even if he's stronger than me—or even Gale—does he really think he can withstand their combined assault? Power alone isn't enough to defy numbers."
She let out a faint scoff, her gaze fixed ahead, cold and unwavering.
"It seems the saying is true… give a fickle man a taste of power, and he'll lose himself in it entirely."
Her words spread like ripples through Felix's side.
Some lowered their heads and nodded in reluctant agreement, their expressions grim.
Others simply stood there, faces stiff and helpless, unable to refute her claim—yet unwilling to accept it either, waiting for any miracle to happen but in their heart they also knew that it was impossible.
Sogen's gaze settled on Letinca's final representative—
Yufeng.
Earth Realm, Sixth Stage Mid rank.
The Golden Hawk Sect disciple's presence was different from the mercenaries. Refined. Controlled. His robes bore golden patterns shaped like wings.
The magistrate hesitated.
Then nodded.
"So be it."
The moment the signal dropped—
All three attacked.
Varek from the front.
Malric from the flank.
Yufeng descending like a hawk from above.
But Sogen moved.
His cultivation had quietly reached Fifth Stage peak, thanks to the system's daily rewards.
His spiritual energy surged.
A blade flickered into Sogen's hand, its cold gleam slicing through the tension in the air.
Across the arena, the Letinca side did not hesitate.
Malric stepped forward first—his aura surging violently as dense qi erupted around him. Varek followed, his energy coiling like a storm ready to burst. And then Yufeng moved, silent yet swift, his presence sharp as a hawk descending upon its prey.
In the next instant, all three charged.
They did not hold back.
Three white-grade techniques bloomed at once, their power intertwining as they surged toward Sogen like an unstoppable tide. The pressure alone caused the air to tremble.
The crowd erupted.
"They're using their strongest attacks!" "He's finished!" "He'll be lucky if he survives—he'll be crippled at best!"
Even among the spectators, shock rippled when they saw Yufeng unleash yet another white-grade technique.
But what they didn't know… what no one knew—
Sogen already possessed two green-grade techniques.
That alone was enough to rival opponents a realm above him.
And beyond that…
The faint heat coiling within him was not ordinary qi—it was the power of the Schimitar Bear Flame. Hidden even deeper was something far more terrifying—
Sogen was a spiritualist.
As for the blade in his hand—
A Grade-1 weapon.
A treasure he should never have been able to afford in this town or even province with his little wealth. Bought through the system with coins earned from looting Dima Loan Sharks base and daily rewards. Even now, Sogen couldn't comprehend its pricing—as if the system operated by rules beyond this world.
But none of that mattered now.
His eyes sharpened.
His mind stilled.
Three devastating attacks were already upon him.
"You're talented," a voice rang out amidst the chaos.
It was Yufeng.
"At such a young age, reaching the peak of the fifth stage of the Earth Realm… Admit defeat. We'll withdraw our attacks. I'd rather not see such talent destroyed."
For a brief moment, it seemed like mercy.
But Sogen—
Smiled.
In that instant, his aura changed.
The blade in his hand trembled, then ignited with blinding radiance.
"Solar Swordsmanship…"
The very air grew heavy.
"…Ninth Form—"
Light condensed, compressing into a single, terrifying point.
"—Eternal Sunfall."
BOOM!
A radiant explosion engulfed the arena.
Light swallowed everything.
For a moment—no one could see.
The world turned white.
Gasps, screams, and mocking laughter overlapped blindly.
"He's dead for sure!" "There's nothing left of him!" "What a fool—challenging three at once!"
On the Letinca side, smiles had already formed.
Victory seemed certain.
Then—
The light faded.
Silence fell.
And what remained…
Shattered every expectation.
Malric.
Varek.
Yufeng.
All three had been blasted out of the arena.
Their bodies lay beyond the stage, breathing—but injured. Not gravely… yet undeniably defeated.
A collective gasp rippled through the crowd.
"How… is this possible?" "Are we dreaming?"
Disbelief spread like wildfire.
Even the magistrate stood frozen.
Khamas and Rhaziel narrowed their eyes, shock evident in their expressions. When the light had erupted, even they had been momentarily blinded—unable to witness what truly transpired.
And now—
No one could understand it.
At the center of the arena stood Sogen.
Unmoved.
His blade still faintly glowing.
Like the sun that had just fallen—
And risen again.