Sometimes, there are cases where an artifact, having endured for so long that the passage of time is forgotten, gains a sense of self. Such artifacts were called Ego Swords. A prime example was the weapon wielded by Gunther, who in the future would be known as the Master of Twin Blades among the 11 Thrones.

Ganjiang and Moye—legendary weapons that, through the long passage of time, had transformed into Ego Swords.

―Do you want to defeat that guy?

The Heaven-Splitting Divine Sword that Sungshik was holding was one such weapon. Over its long existence, it had developed an ego.

In a way, it was only natural. The Heaven-Splitting Divine Sword was of the [Myth] grade. That it possessed an ego was hardly surprising.

The ego of the Heaven-Splitting Divine Sword, which had long slumbered, had just awoken, stirred by Sungshik’s intense will and the blood he had shed in the recent battle.

―If you need power, I can lend it to you.

Once again, the voice of the Heaven-Splitting Divine Sword resounded. Even in the midst of battle, Sungshik was startled and stared at the sword.

‘Was that… you speaking?’

―Yes, that’s right. I am the spirit of the ‘Heaven-Splitting Divine Sword.’

‘The spirit of the sword? You mean, you’re the spirit of the Heaven-Splitting Divine Sword?’

―That’s right. I am the spirit of the ‘Heaven-Splitting Divine Sword,’ and my name is ‘Heaven-Splitter.’

‘Heaven-Splitter? That’s your name?’

―Yes. The 6th Master of Heaven-Splitting Sect gave me that name.

It was true. The 6th Master of Heaven-Splitting Sect, the first in all history to reach the realm of ‘Transcendence,’ had once wielded the Heaven-Splitting Divine Sword. When he split open the very heavens with his power, the impact of that moment had given birth to the ego of Heaven-Splitter. Because it had been born from the heavens being torn asunder, it was named ‘Heaven-Splitter.’

“Are you tired? Are you giving up now?”

At that moment, Park Tae-sik’s voice snapped Sungshik back to reality. He had many questions about ‘Heaven-Splitter,’ but his immediate concern was how to deal with the opponent before him.

‘Alright, Heaven-Splitter. I need power right now. But how exactly can you lend me your strength?’

―You can use my skill, ‘Great Opening.’ There will be severe aftereffects for a while, but it will grant you tremendous power in the moment.

The Great Opening skill. The moment Heaven-Splitter explained it, Sungshik immediately understood what kind of skill it was. It was literally the power to open a new world. A skill that forcibly granted Sungshik strength by drawing upon Heaven-Splitter’s power and his own latent potential. A kind of ‘latent explosion’ skill.

However, the price for using it was substantial—after activating it, he would be left unable to properly wield his strength for some time.

‘Right now, the skill Park Tae-sik is using, ‘Descent of Lü Bu,’ is also a form of latent explosion.’

That was right. The ‘Descent of Lü Bu’ skill supposedly borrowed Lü Bu’s power, but in reality, its foundation was the user’s latent potential being drawn out to the utmost. The aftereffects of its use were similar.

‘Fine. An eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth. I’ll use the Great Opening skill.’

The moment Sungshik resolved to use the Great Opening skill, a strange power surged into his body through the Heaven-Splitting Divine Sword.

―Activating [S-rank] Great Opening skill.

Gu, gu, gu—

A whirlwind of power raged inside him. His entire body surged with energy.

Sungshik recognized this sensation. It was the feeling of surpassing his own limits. Through the Great Opening skill, he had temporarily broken past the barrier of 4-stars and ascended to the level of 5-stars.

And then—

―Ah… wait, what’s happening?

Suddenly, Heaven-Splitter’s voice rang out in confusion. At the same time, a system notification echoed in Sungshik’s ears.

―The [S-rank] Great Opening skill of the ‘Heaven-Splitting Divine Sword’ is reacting with the [??-rank] Key of the Heavens.

―…The Key of the Heavens and Heaven-Splitter’s power are resonating.

―A special trait has been detected. [EX-rank] Consumption is activating. Consuming [S-rank] Great Opening skill.

As the notification rang, a massive surge of energy drained from the Heaven-Splitting Divine Sword and was absorbed into Sungshik.

At the same time—

―Ah… no, I just… woke up……

The fading voice of Heaven-Splitter reached his ears.

―Consumption complete! [S-rank] Great Opening skill has been upgraded to [SSS-rank] Future Vision skill.

―Congratulations. You have obtained the [SSS-rank] Future Vision skill.

Hearing that notification, Sungshik was stunned. He was so shocked that he even forgot to speak to Heaven-Splitter, whose voice had been fading.

This skill—he had never seen anything like it before. But the moment he activated it, he instinctively understood what it was.

[SSS-rank] Future Vision.

―The user borrows the power of a realm they will one day reach in the future.

At that moment, his vision turned pure white.

A space filled entirely with dazzling white light. Within it, an endless staircase stretched upward. The staircase changed colors at regular intervals, and at each section, another version of himself was climbing.

‘Ah.’

Sungshik instinctively understood. That staircase represented the gradations of power, the different levels of mastery. And the figures climbing at each section—those were his future selves, who would eventually reach those levels.

He approached the nearest version of himself. This other Sungshik had stopped climbing and turned to look at him. It was likely the version of himself that had just reached 5-stars.

“Do you need power?”

‘Yes.’

As Sungshik answered, the 5-star version of himself reached out a hand. But just before taking it, Sungshik hesitated and looked higher.

‘Wait a moment.’

Leaving behind the 5-star version of himself, Sungshik looked up toward the top of the staircase.

5-stars, then 6-stars, then 7, then 8.

And then—ah, that’s me at the realm of Transcendence.

The moment he saw the man ascending an emerald-glowing staircase, Sungshik understood. This was the self he had glimpsed when he obtained the ‘Heaven-Splitter Martial Arts’—the self who had single-handedly wiped out 100,000 monsters with overwhelming power.

And yet, that self was still climbing.

Beyond the emerald staircase, there was yet another, one that radiated a brilliant, prismatic light.

And there—another version of himself undeniably existed.

‘Ah.’

The moment he recognized that existence, he felt a pressure so overwhelming that his very soul seemed to constrict.

And then—

―Tch. That place is beyond you for now. Even looking at it is too much.

As I ascended the emerald staircase, another version of myself turned around and spoke to Sungshik. The moment those words reached him, the overwhelming presence that had been crushing his very being suddenly dissipated, allowing him to regain his senses. Surprisingly, the other version of himself, standing on that distant emerald staircase, had exerted his influence from afar.

“Huff.”

The Sungshik before him, the one at the 5-star level, tilted his head slightly as he observed him.

“What’s wrong? I’ll lend you my strength.”

With that, he placed his hand on Sungshik’s shoulder. In that instant, the world flipped upside down.

Guooooo—

A surge of power coursed through his entire body. It felt as though he had broken through his limits and been reborn. Sungshik felt an immense energy welling up within him.

―[SSS Rank] Future Sight skill has been activated.

‘This… I’ve surpassed the 5-star barrier.’

Along with the notification ringing in his ears, Sungshik understood. He had borrowed the power of his future 5-star self.

“What the…?”

Park Tae-sik, witnessing Sungshik’s transformation in real-time, could not hide his shock. Just moments ago, Sungshik had been like a flickering candle, struggling to even stand. But now, as if he had become an entirely different person, he was standing firm, radiating an unmistakable presence.

“Phew… Thank you for waiting, senior.”

Facing Park Tae-sik once more, Sungshik expressed his gratitude with a slight smile.

“Hah— Would you look at that. So you had a hidden card too, huh?”

Park Tae-sik let out an amused laugh.

“Then I won’t hold back anymore. We don’t have much time left—”

Before he could finish speaking, Park Tae-sik launched into a relentless offensive, pressing forward with a storm-like assault.

Having borrowed the power of Future Sight, Sungshik was now able to fight Park Tae-sik, who was using Lu Bu’s Descent, on equal footing.

Their battle became even more dazzling than before, filling the entire arena with an intricate display of combat. The sword aura and spear energy clashing between them only added to the spectacular exchange.

[Wow, this is insane;; What is happening? Did Heo Sungshik just awaken into a Super Saiyan mid-fight?]

[What is this? Is this Dragon Ball?;;]

└ For real, this is like watching Son Goku vs. Vegeta.

[LOL this finals is insane. Both of them are crazy strong.]

[I knew it! Didn’t I say there would be an upset?!]

└ Are you the guy who predicted a Heo Sungshik vs. Park Tae-sik finals?

└ That’s right. Praise my foresight.

└ LOL, you’re getting cocky. I’ll acknowledge it if Heo Sungshik wins.

└ Ugh, people are getting ahead of themselves. It’s obviously Tae-sik’s win.

The spectators were more fired up than ever. And, as if to respond to their energy, the two fighters clashed with their full strength, leaving no room for retreat.

After all, the Lu Bu’s Descent skill Park Tae-sik was using was not an ability that could be sustained indefinitely. Its duration was around 20 minutes, and only about 10 minutes remained.

‘That doesn’t mean I’ll just focus on defense for the next 10 minutes.’

Sungshik’s Future Sight had the same duration—20 minutes. If he were to simply defend for the remainder of the time, his victory would be assured.

But Sungshik had no intention of winning that way.

‘Winning like that would mean nothing.’

His goal was to surpass the 11 Thrones and reach a realm where he stood alone at the pinnacle. A victory gained by stalling for time held no meaning for him.

‘Besides, there’s no need for that.’

Because he was overflowing with confidence—the confidence that he could defeat the Park Tae-sik standing before him. Now that they were on a similar level, no matter what Park Tae-sik tried, Sungshik believed in his own ability to counter it. Their experiences and the years they had endured were different.

‘And now, my talent is more than enough.’

That was why Sungshik threw himself into the fight with everything he had.

Boom—! Kwa-kwa-kwa-boom!

His confidence was well-founded. He was pushing Park Tae-sik back, step by step, without yielding an inch.

[Wait… Am I the only one who thinks Park Tae-sik is starting to get overwhelmed?]

└ Nope, I see it too. It looks like the momentum has shifted to Heo Sungshik’s side.

└ Whoa, is this for real? Is Heo Sungshik actually going to win??

└ Kek, this is why they call him ‘Always Winning Sungshik’!

└ LOL, the ‘Always Winning Sungshik’ spammer is back. But honestly, it looks like Park Tae-sik is losing.

└ Wait, huh? Didn’t ‘Always Winning Sungshik’ originally mean ‘Obviously, the winner is Park Tae-sik’?

└ ??? What? Wasn’t ‘Sungshik’ referring to Park Tae-sik? Dude, are you trying to shift the narrative?

└ LOL, epic narrative manipulation.

[Still, you never know. Just wait and see. There’s no way ‘Overwhelming’ Park Tae-sik is going to lose.]

Just as many of the spectators were starting to believe that Sungshik had gained the upper hand—

“Haha, you’re incredible. I admit it. I thought no one at the academy was stronger than me, but that was my arrogance. I acknowledge it now. The real monster here is you, Heo Sungshik.”

“You flatter me, senior. But you still have more left in you, don’t you?”

Despite Park Tae-sik’s sudden praise, Sungshik remained on guard.

“No, no. I’m completely out of tricks now. If this next move doesn’t work, I’ll admit defeat.”

Park Tae-sik smiled freely as he spoke. His demeanor made it seem as if he had truly run out of options.

‘But there’s no way this is the end.’

Sungshik remembered. He had seen it before in the event match from his past life. Back then, even without the Fang Tian Hua Ji, Park Tae-sik’s final move had been devastating. But now, he had that very weapon in his hands.

“Alright, take this. It’s my final move.”

As soon as he said that, Park Tae-sik’s aura grew even more ferocious. At the same time, a violent energy began to condense at the tip of his Fang Tian Hua Ji.

Gwooooo—

As that power reached its peak, Park Tae-sik raised the Fang Tian Hua Ji diagonally above his head—

And then swung it fiercely toward Sungshik.

“Unrivaled—”

Fwoooosh—!

A terrifying storm of spear energy surged toward Sungshik. It was a ferocious tempest of raw power, as if it could tear apart the very heavens.

“Hoo…”

Sungshik knew exactly what this technique was. If he focused solely on evading and defending, he could endure it and claim victory.

‘But.’

He tightened his grip on the Heaven-Splitting Divine Sword.

‘If I can’t break through even this—’

He loosened his body, took a deep breath—

‘Can I really become the strongest?’

Smirk—

With a cynical smile, Sungshik dashed forward, straight into the raging storm of energy.