1 VS 1 Tournament Finals. The outcome of this 1 VS 1 tournament final was something everyone had predicted. It was expected to be ridiculously one-sided.

However, once the battle began, the reality was entirely different from what everyone had imagined. Heo Sungshik's strength was enough to stand against Park Tae-sik.

“Still, the winner will be Park Tae-sik.”

Yet, everyone believed that the champion would undoubtedly be Park Tae-sik. It was an obvious conclusion. The difference in the results they had shown so far was like heaven and earth.

Even though Heo Sungshik was currently exchanging fierce blows with Park Tae-sik, most people thought that this was the extent of his ability.

“Wow, but still, the fact that he's able to go toe-to-toe with Park Tae-sik is incredible.”

There were only a handful of people who had ever fought Park Tae-sik to this degree, so even this much was considered an incredible feat.

However, those who knew Park Tae-sik’s true strength understood—this was not his full power. Everyone who was aware of his abilities thought that he was merely enjoying the moment. The moment he got serious, Heo Sungshik would be swiftly overwhelmed.

That was why, when Park Tae-sik’s spear was dented, the entire audience was left speechless in shock.

“What the hell? Is Park Tae-sik actually going to lose?”

This reaction was only natural. No matter how exceptional Park Tae-sik was within the Superhuman Academy, he was still bound by the limitations of his weapon. Reaching a level where one could fight without relying on weapons was an unexplored realm, one even the highest-ranked warriors had yet to attain.

Seeing Park Tae-sik without his weapon, everyone began to think—perhaps he might actually lose. No matter how strong he was, defeating Heo Sungshik barehanded would be a nearly impossible task.

“Damn, Park Tae-sik has the worst luck. How the hell did his weapon get dented like that?”

“Even in the finals, Heo Sungshik's ‘great fortune’ still holds up?”

Everyone assumed that Park Tae-sik losing his weapon was just another stroke of Heo Sungshik’s infamous luck.

At that moment, when everyone was beginning to entertain the possibility of Park Tae-sik’s defeat, an unexpected turn of events occurred.

Gwoooooo—

A massive surge of energy began to swirl around Park Tae-sik. Facing that power head-on, Heo Sungshik felt as if an enormous mountain was pressing down on him.

“Incredible. I never thought I’d have to use this power.”

Amidst the growing whirlwind of energy, Park Tae-sik spoke with genuine admiration.

‘This power…’

Heo Sungshik recognized the force radiating from Park Tae-sik.

‘Lu Bu’s Descent. That skill.’

“I was saving this as my trump card.”

As soon as he spoke those words, a dazzling light seemed to explode from Park Tae-sik’s body.

―[SSS-Rank] Lu Bu’s Descent Activated!

A massive presence enveloped Park Tae-sik.

“Hoo.”

Exhaling slowly, he opened his eyes.

Fwoosh—

His gaze burned like a raging volcano.

It wasn’t just a metaphor—his originally black irises had turned a brilliant blue, and a vibrant blue aura flickered around his eyes.

And that wasn’t all.

“Skill. ‘Heavenly Halberd’—Summon.”

“What?”

A single calm utterance.

‘Heavenly Halberd’—Summon.

At the sound of that name, Heo Sungshik’s eyes widened to the size of lanterns.

Crackle—

The air trembled, and the shape of a massive spear began to materialize in the void.

Clench.

The moment Park Tae-sik grasped the spear,

Ziiiiiing—

A strange resonant hum filled the arena as the surrounding mana violently surged.

‘The atmospheric mana is converging?’

Indeed, an immense amount of mana was coalescing into the form of that spear.

“Ha—”

Heo Sungshik let out a low sigh at the sheer density of power.

When the swirling mana finally settled, Park Tae-sik stood holding a jet-black spear that radiated such intense energy it made one’s skin tingle.

Park Tae-sik had unveiled his trump cards—‘Lu Bu’s Descent’ and ‘Heavenly Halberd Summon.’ Fully prepared, his blue eyes gleamed with ferocity, his entire being exuding a terrifying aura, while he gripped a spear that crackled with overwhelming energy.

“…This is insane. Isn’t this basically cheating?”

The words slipped from Heo Sungshik’s lips.

It was a sentiment shared by every single spectator.

[What the hell is this?!] [Something… something absolutely insane just happened.] [Wow, is this what they call a Super Saiyan?] [The protagonist awakening in a desperate moment is such a classic trope!!] [It’s over! It’s won!! Damn it, Park Tae-sik, I never doubted you!!]

Watching the tables turn so dramatically, the audience erupted into a frenzy.

A protagonist in crisis! Awakening at the brink of defeat! The most cliché scenario, yet one that never failed to ignite excitement!

While the entire crowd cheered, Heo Sungshik alone was cursing inwardly.

‘I expected Lu Bu’s Descent… but Heavenly Halberd too?’

Having memories from his previous life, Heo Sungshik recalled how Park Tae-sik had showcased his abilities after winning the tournament, during an exhibition match. Back then, he had defeated a 5-Star instructor using ‘Lu Bu’s Descent’ alone.

‘But he didn’t use the ‘Heavenly Halberd’ skill then?’

Back then, Park Tae-sik had only needed ‘Lu Bu’s Descent’ to win.

‘I thought he wasn’t able to use ‘Heavenly Halberd’ yet… but he simply didn’t need to?’

Indeed, in his past life, Park Tae-sik had never found it necessary to reveal this skill.

‘Damn, I miscalculated.’

Heo Sungshik understood just how terrifying Park Tae-sik had been in his fully unleashed state. Even without his past memories, the pressure he felt right now was overwhelming.

“Phew, as expected, you’re incredible. This is going to be… really tough.”

Heo Sungshik took a deep breath to calm himself and cracked a joke to ease the tension. Park Tae-sik, amused, let out a chuckle.

“And yet, your eyes are still burning with determination? So you still think you have a chance?”

Park Tae-sik was right. Despite his words, Heo Sungshik’s fighting spirit only burned brighter in response to Park Tae-sik’s transformation.

“No way. Phew… Alright, then. I’ll be the one to attack first.”

Smiling slightly at Park Tae-sik’s remark, Heo Sungshik immediately lunged at him. He knew that if he lost the initiative here, there would be no way to recover.

Bang!

Heo Sungshik’s full-power offensive was relentless. Compared to before, it was as if he had only been warming up until now.

Boom, boom.

Each time they clashed, a loud explosion erupted, and the shockwaves rippled outward from their center. The strength they unleashed had already far surpassed the average combat power of a Superhuman Academy student.

[Wow, insane;;] [At this level, aren’t they basically at instructor level?] └ [Yeah, they’re both displaying 5-star performance right now. Most instructors are 5-star, so they’re definitely at instructor level;;] [This is absolutely crazy. ㅡㅡ And what’s up with Heo Sungshik?] └ [I have no idea; maybe he was a hidden powerhouse all along; insane.]

Everyone watching the match was in shock. The two had already surpassed academy graduates and reached the combat level of instructors.

Despite the seemingly even match, in truth, the fight was anything but balanced.

‘I’m losing in strength.’

He realized it from the first clash. The moment Sungshik’s sword collided with Park Tae-sik’s Heavenly Halberd, he had nearly lost his grip on his weapon.

The sheer force made his hands go numb! His grip almost tore apart from that first impact alone.

‘I’m also behind in speed.’

His speed was lacking as well. Tae-sik could read all of his attacks and movements, whereas Sungshik could barely keep up with Tae-sik’s movements by relying on his [Hyper-Senses] trait.

He had heard rumors about the ‘Descent of Lü Bu’ skill before his regression. A skill that borrowed the power of Lü Bu, the god of war. The higher one’s rank, the more of Lü Bu’s strength could be drawn upon, and at its peak, the god of war himself would fully descend.

Even though Tae-sik was only at 4-star and could only borrow a small fraction of that power, he was still summoning the transcendent strength of a god of war. Even with just a fragment of that strength, Tae-sik’s combat prowess had reached 5-star.

That alone made him an overwhelming opponent, but then he summoned ‘Heavenly Halberd’?

Sungshik had assumed that if he broke Tae-sik’s weapon using Heaven-Splitting Martial Arts’s sword techniques, then even with ‘Descent of Lü Bu,’ victory would be his. No matter how much power Tae-sik borrowed, it shouldn’t be enough to surpass the limitations of his weapon.

But Sungshik’s strategy crumbled in the face of Tae-sik summoning ‘Heavenly Halberd.’

Boom!!

“Urgh.”

Drip—

Sungshik groaned as he was forcefully pushed back, barely withstanding Tae-sik’s spear strike. After just a few clashes, he was already reaching his limit.

Drip. Drip.

To make matters worse, his grip had torn open, and drops of blood trickled down the blade of his Heaven-Splitting Divine Sword.

[Whoa, Heo Sungshik is bleeding, isn’t he?] [Yeah, his grip must have torn open.] [I thought he was barely hanging on earlier, but I guess this is his limit.] [Heo Sungshik put up a good fight, but… Park Tae-sik’s Super Saiyan mode is just too much.] └ [Agreed, I never expected him to have a trump card like that.]

[As expected, Park Tae-sik… As always, Tae-sik is supreme!]

Everyone watching had reached the same conclusion—Park Tae-sik would win. Heo Sungshik had done an incredible job holding out, but the wall that was Tae-sik seemed insurmountable.

‘Is this it?’

After several clashes, he came to a realization. Right now, Park Tae-sik had far surpassed the 5-star threshold, whereas he himself had yet to break past that barrier. The gap between them was far greater than he had initially thought.

If not for ‘Heaven-Splitting Martial Arts,’ a supreme martial art, he wouldn’t have even lasted this long. Without it, he would have fallen long ago.

‘I thought he wouldn’t be able to maintain that form for long.’

Sungshik had assumed that, even if he couldn’t win, he could hold out against Tae-sik’s ‘Descent of Lü Bu’ and stall for time. There was no way such an absurd skill could last indefinitely.

But even buying a little time was proving difficult.

“You’re really something else. Truly astonishing. I never imagined you’d be able to hold out against me like this.”

Tae-sik was genuinely impressed that Sungshik was still standing. He had assumed that once he activated this skill, no cadet in the Superhuman Academy would be able to withstand a single move from him. Even Han Hyeryeong, one of his past rivals, would likely be incapable of standing against him.

Yet, unexpectedly, Heo Sungshik had put up a remarkable fight.

“You’ve done well. No one will think of you as the loser of this match. Let’s end this now.”

Recognizing Sungshik’s efforts, Tae-sik decided to finish it.

Guoooo—

Energy gathered at the tip of his Heavenly Halberd.

“Half-Moon Slash.”

With those words, he swung his weapon horizontally. A crescent-shaped spear strike shot toward Sungshik.

Clang!

“Cough.”

Sungshik barely managed to block the attack but vomited a mouthful of blood. He had raised his sword to absorb as much of the impact as possible, letting the force pass through his body, but he couldn’t dissipate all of it. Once again, he suffered severe internal damage.

His struggle, from an outsider’s perspective, seemed utterly desperate.

[Ah… I want to throw in the towel for him.] [He fought so well. Let’s just stop here, Sungshik. ㅠㅠ] [This is too tragic. ㅠㅠ]

Even the spectators felt pity watching Sungshik desperately hold on.

“…Isn’t this enough? Why are you holding on so stubbornly?”

Even Tae-sik furrowed his brows at Sungshik’s sheer tenacity. In truth, Tae-sik had been holding back slightly in his attacks. If he had gone all out from the beginning, Sungshik wouldn’t have lasted this long. However, he had worried that using his full power might inflict serious injury.

He had expected Sungshik to surrender, given the overwhelming gap in power. But seeing him endure until the bitter end made Tae-sik wonder what was driving him.

“Huff, huff… I can… still… continue.”

Sungshik, catching his breath during a brief lull, expressed his will to keep fighting.

“…Even speaking seems painful.”

Anyone could see that Sungshik was in no condition to continue.

But he refused to give up. Before his regression, he had survived worse situations by sheer determination. That was how he had managed to endure until the very end, despite his inferior abilities. When the trials of the night descended, every battle was a fight for survival.

‘This is nothing compared to that.’

Compared to the hell he had experienced, this was nothing. And he had a plan. Facing such an overwhelming opponent and pushing himself to the absolute limit was a rare experience. The more he was pushed, the more his ‘Pocket Watch’ trait would accumulate experience.

‘Hah, I really wanted to take down Park Tae-sik, though.’

And then—

—Do you want to defeat him?

A whisper echoed in his ears.