Chapter 12 > The test is over
The blue sphere never reaches the ground.
Romen appears in front of the Beast in an instant.
For the first time...
The Beast stops smiling.
It never expected him to move that fast.
High above, Punk stares in disbelief. His fists tighten with frustration.
"I can't accept that you're above me..."
Suddenly, Romen's expression changes.
He senses multiple powerful energies approaching from behind the Beast.
Without hesitation, he steps back and lands on the ground.
Two figures emerge from the darkness.
Both look human.
But neither feels human.
Their presence alone makes the battlefield heavier.
Romen turns his head.
"...Help has arrived?"
For a brief moment, he believes the Ascension Gods have come to rescue them.
One of the newcomers wears a white uniform.
He smiles calmly.
"The test is over now."
"Enough."
The Beast looks directly into his eyes.
A woman wearing a dark purple uniform steps forward.
"It's gone too far."
"Enough, Lee."
Lee sighs.
"Fine, Brittne."
He looks toward the Beast.
"Alright."
"You're not a god anymore."
"You're a monster."
The Beast's eyes turn completely white.
Without warning—
It charges straight at Lee.
Its punch flies toward his face.
But...
It never reaches him.
The fist stops in midair as if an invisible wall blocks it.
The Beast roars and attacks again.
Punch after punch.
Faster.
Harder.
Relentless.
Yet not a single attack reaches Lee.
He doesn't even move.
Romen's eyes widen.
He can hardly believe what he's witnessing.
Above them, Punk whispers in disbelief,
"What... is this?"
"It's impossible."
Romen calms himself.
"...It's a technique."
Punk shakes his head.
"I don't believe he's an Ascension God."
Romen continues staring.
"Amazing..."
"I've never seen anything like this."
After another barrage of attacks, the Beast finally steps back.
Brittne folds her arms.
"Come on, Lee."
"Stop playing."
Lee smiles.
"Weren't we supposed to test these three..."
"...and Goul?"
He casually gestures toward the Beast.
"That's what we call him."
Romen steps forward.
"What kind of test?"
Lee's smile widens.
"To see whether you're worthy of serving Lord Garrow."
"He stands above all of you."
Lee pauses.
"And the results are..."
"You all passed."
Brittne smiles softly.
"Congratulations."
Suddenly—
Goul lets out another terrifying roar.
Lee simply looks at him.
Immediately...
Goul falls silent.
His eyes become blank.
No movement.
No emotion.
He stands like a statue.
Punk lands beside Romen.
"Is this some kind of joke?"
"Who are you people ?"
Romen narrows his eyes.
"I don't think they're here to help us, Punk."
Lee chuckles.
"Finally."
"You figured it out."
Punk shouts,
"This is insane!"
"Am I a joke to you?"
"If your so-called Lord is really above me..."
"Bring him here!"
"Like a real man!"
Brittne glances at Lee.
"Do it."
Lee nods.
He leaps into the air...
...and lands directly in front of Punk.
"I choose you first..."
"Mr. Ego."
Punk cracks his knuckles.
Romen immediately becomes serious.
"Fine."
He looks toward Brittne.
"I'll fight you."
The charming goddess smiles.
"As you wish."
"But..."
"I'm not even going to sweat."
Lee laughs.
"Here we go."
Behind them—
Goul roars again.
The battlefield trembles.
Punk whispers,
"...Goul."
Romen quietly repeats the name.
"So that's his real name..."
Nearby, Paul slowly opens his eyes.
He wipes the blood from his face and looks around.
He sees Romen and Punk standing against the Beast...
...and two more humans whose energy feels divine.
Paul steadies himself and walks toward them.
Before the battle begins again, Romen speaks.
"Before we fight..."
"I want to know your intentions."
Lee smiles.
Before he can answer, Brittne speaks.
"We can't explain everything here."
"We're standing in the middle of a battlefield."
Punk frowns.
"I've heard about Corrupted Gods."
"I thought they were sealed forever."
Lee nods.
"That's true."
"But not all of us."
Romen asks quietly,
"And who is..."
"Lord Garrow?"
Lee clears his throat.
"The one whose orders are about to change your fate."
Paul finally reaches them.
Brittne smiles.
"So..."
"It's three against three now."
Punk slowly removes both of his gloves.
"Fine."
"I'm choosing you, Lee."
Lee gives him a simple glance.
"As you wish."
"But this will be your last battle against me."
Punk smirks.
"We'll find out."
Paul whispers to himself,
"I doubted it..."
"But it was actually true..."
Suddenly, Brittne notices the Balance Ring on Romen's finger.
She quietly points it out.
Lee smiles.
"I didn't notice that."
"Thanks."
"I thought they had hidden it somewhere."
"But I forgot..."
"You don't possess cosmic abilities."
"Only attack..."
"...and defense."
He laughs.
"How stupid."
Punk's patience finally breaks.
"LIMIT BREAKER!"
His aura erupts violently.
He charges straight toward Lee.
His fist flies forward—
But the exact same thing happens.
His punch strikes an invisible surface before reaching Lee.
Punk attacks again.
And again.
And again.
Every single blow stops against the unseen barrier.
"What kind of trick is this?!"
"My attacks keep hitting something!"
"It's surrounding you!"
Paul immediately realizes it.
"It's a shield!"
"He covered himself with an invisible shield!"
Punk jumps backward.
"Then I'll break it!"
Lee smiles calmly.
"You can certainly try."
"But you won't succeed."
Punk roars.
Energy gathers between his hands.
A massive sphere forms.
"I call this..."
"Death Sphere!"
He launches it directly at Lee.
The sphere races across the battlefield.
It collides head-on.
Smoke explodes everywhere.
Silence.
The smoke clears.
Lee is still standing.
Exactly where he was before.
Not a single scratch.
He hasn't moved even one inch.
High above, Punk's confidence begins to shake.
Brittne suddenly shouts,
"Lee!"
"That wasn't part of the plan!"
"Escape first!"
Before anyone reacts—
Goul roars again.
He charges directly toward Romen.
Romen dodges backward.
He enters his Enhanced State.
Goul's fist crashes into Romen's chest.
Blood bursts from Romen's mouth.
At the same time—
Brittne appears before Paul.
Paul activates Limit Breaker.
It fails.
Before he understands why—
Brittne grabs both of his wrists.
She whispers something into his ear.
Paul tears himself free.
He enters Enhanced State and attacks.
Brittne effortlessly dodges every strike.
That alone tells Romen everything.
"They're above us..."
Meanwhile—
Lee still hasn't moved.
He simply stands there.
Smiling.
Punk senses something deeply wrong.
He charges again.
The invisible barrier blocks every attack.
Even now.
Punk whispers,
"Even my strongest attack failed..."
"He's just standing there..."
"...like time froze around him."
Goul becomes even more aggressive.
He overwhelms Romen with relentless attacks.
Romen crashes into a mountain.
Yet somehow...
He lands on his feet.
Still standing.
Goul grabs him by the throat.
Romen struggles—
But can't escape.
Punk rushes toward them.
Instantly—
Brittne intercepts him.
She kicks Paul away.
Lee suddenly appears before Paul.
Brittne blocks Punk again.
Punk drives a knee into her stomach.
This time—
It lands.
At the same moment—
Goul slowly begins draining Romen's energy.
Punk appears beside them.
Goul grabs Punk's throat with his other hand.
Now...
One hand holds Romen.
The other holds Punk.
He leaps high into the sky...
...and slams both of them into a mountain.
Blood explodes from their heads.
Punk's hands tremble.
Romen's legs shake.
His breathing becomes unstable.
Brittne raises one hand.
An Air Cannon erupts.
Romen reacts too late.
The attack pierces straight into his chest.
He collapses.
Barely breathing.
"Punk..."
Punk screams.
He forces himself onto one knee.
His eyes search the battlefield.
Romen lies barely breathing.
Then he looks at Paul.
Paul is still standing exactly where he was.
Not moving.
Not blinking.
"...Paul?"
Punk's eyes widen.
"He's... frozen?"
Before Punk can react—
Lee suddenly lands on Punk's body.
Punk cries out in agony.
Lee simply smiles.
"Finished."
He grabs Punk by the hair...
...and repeatedly smashes his head into the ground.
Across the battlefield—
Brittne walks toward Romen.
She kneels beside him.
Slowly...
She removes the Balance Ring from his finger.
Romen doesn't resist.
He can't.
He's barely alive.
Punk's eyes widen.
"NOOO!!"
He slams his fist into the ground.
"That..."
"...was our last hope."
Chapter 12 Ends.