Director Tim Ayr did not understand what Shi Yun Lan had said. He looked toward Shiu Won Lan, who stood there in utter arrogance and conceit. The scroll hovered above his head, a sword in his right hand and a lantern in his left. Under the glow of the black stars, he resembled an evil overlord descending upon the earth to bring catastrophe.
Then Shi Yun Lan's voice reached his ear:
"Welcome back, you disobedient disciple."
Shiu Won Lan turned around with incredible speed, yet found no one there.
Thought inwardly, 'The master?!! No!! No! He can't be here! It must be hallucinations because of a long...'
"What? Did you not miss me?"
Shi Yun Lan's voice struck him again softly but a look of terror spread across Shiu Won Lan face, and everyone noticed it.
"What is it this time?" asked Brad Sano.
Miral Flair continued, "His gaze is terrified. His hands are trembling, and he can barely stand."
The director looked deeply and pondered. "Could it be that the terrifying power that repelled us earlier has returned?"
Everyone was surprised but considered this and nodded, believing it to be the case.
As for Shiu Won Lan, he looked around in panic and horror. "Where are you, coward?!" he screamed madly, nearly collapsing from fear. Sweat drenched his back as he waved his sword wildly.
"Master of the Shi! I rebelled once, and I will do so again! I am not afraid of you!"
His body trembled as Shi Yun Lan's voice pierced his mind and the depths of his soul. Sweat covered his entire face. When the voices around him finally quieted—and then completely stopped—Shiu Won Lan vomited from the sheer intensity of the situation.
But what caught everyone's attention, beyond his pitiful state, was the phrase:
"Master of the Shi."
The director thought to himself, 'The Master of the Shi? I have never heard of such a family in the kingdom. Could he be from another kingdom?' But he set that aside for now and ordered,
"Everyone retreat except those who can fight at peak strength in the Seventh Level!"
Solan Neumann said, "Leave Sora as well. If things worsen, we can use Bloom to cast a blood spell on him and turn him against that bastard."
The director asked, "Are you certain you can control that blood spirit?"
"Yes. There's a lot of manners to control the spirits but now I used the most dominating one, the spirit's true name" as they heard before, the blood spirit said "Bloom".
The director asked, "However I don't know a lot about the spirits but I think this spirit isn't purified yet"
"Yes. There are two ways to purify spirits: either through a pure purification spell, or by something worse that absorbs that evil energy—which is what we are witnessing now."
She pointed toward the man within the scroll's field.
Shiu Won Lan's body trembled for a while before calming down. In that brief period, no weak individuals remained in the arena. Present were the director, Miral Flair, Brad Sano, Ryan Shine, Solan Newman, Kin Light 'Lily', Glass Sano 'Yossi Sano', several Seventh-Level heroes from both families, and the traitor Sora Neumann in case of unforeseen circumstances.
They now faced Shiu Won Lan.
He returned to his arrogance and sneered, "Seventh-Level ants. I can deal with them."
Ryan Shine mocked him. "Who was writhing on the ground a moment ago, frightened by mere hallucinations?"
Shiu Won Lan looked at him with a trace of fear and muttered, "Hallucinations?! Fools like you would never even comprehend who the Master of the Shi is. A terror beyond measure."
He wiped the sweat from his forehead and continued, "He flayed me alive, severed my limbs, and made me conscious through it all. Then he summoned vengeful spirits to torture me for ten years—until someone finally sealed me."
Everyone recoiled in fear upon hearing this; some instinctively stepped back.
"I tried to recruit many students to get me free, but they always abandoned and betrayed me because of him as they feared him. Until the last one—he learned everything from me… and then sealed me as well!"
He clenched his teeth in fury.
"The Radiant Star! He was my final disciple—the one who sealed me!"
Shock spread across the crowd.
The director was shocked, 'How old is The Radiant Star?!'
"But none of that matters anymore," Shiu Won Lan said coldly. "Because I will kill you all!"
He raised the Spirit Lantern and muttered softly:
"(Black Paths)."
His domain expanded, covering everyone. Seven lights emerged around him, black radiance flowing from them, shattering everything. The others tried to resist, but under the scroll's influence, its power doubled. Even all the Seventh-Level fighters could not withstand it.
Miral Flair and Brad Sano intervened, activating their domains. The director activated his spell:
"(Time Magic: Acceleration)."
He cast it on Solan, who used:
"(Spirit Magic: Soul Convergence)."
Her power intensified rapidly. Then she invoked another spell:
"(Spirit Magic: Soul Awakening)!"
She used it on Kin Light. Though her strength was insufficient to fully awaken the Moon Sorceress Lily, a small flame was enough. Outside Kin's body manifested a beautiful woman with black hair and beauty that shamed the moon, clad in purple robes matching her eyes.
The director cast Acceleration on her as well, enabling her to recover her magic swiftly.
"I did not expect to face a Seventh-Level brute like that arrogant fool," Lily said.
Then she smiled gently at Ken. "At least the boy will learn a thing or two today."
She raised her hand, eight magic circles forming as her domain activated:
"(Moon Gravity Domain)!"
Shiu Won Lan was lifted off the ground before scoffing, "Is that the best you can do?! I thought I would face something worthwhile!"
With a flick of his hand, the scroll shone and suppressed the domain instantly.
A cold smile appeared before him.
"Another insect joins us."
Yossi Sano stepped forward. "I did not expect someone like you. But since you are not Ninth Level, it is acceptable."
He spun his spear, its tip exuding freezing cold. Eight magic circles shone around him; eight stars ignited.
"(Personal Domain: Sano Arena)."
His domain transformed into the Sano Family training ground, layered with ice and freezing air.
Shiu Won Lan grew serious. "Only Transcendent can create Personal Domains. Though you are a dead emperor, you can still do so. Impressive. Unfortunately, you face me!"
Yossi took a throwing stance. "Unfortunately for you, you are my target—and you will not escape!"
With a majestic voice,
"(Sano Technique: Absolute Freeze)!"
Everything within his domain—energy, magic, even Shiu Won Lan—froze. Unable to move, he thought,
'The scroll is drawing upon the power of the stars to regenerate continuously. That is enough for the old man alone—but now I face that ice fiend as well.'
He communicated with the scroll:
"(Black Star Travel)."
Yossi hurled his spear with full force. It pierced the scroll and Shiu Won Lan's body, freezing him solid.
But Solan sensed something wrong and sent Bloom toward Sora.
"Bloom, if anything seems off, use Sora to restore your strength."
"As you command, my lady."
Bloom bowed and approached the bound Sora but...
The next moment shocked everyone.
The Spirit Sword pierced Sora's chest, extracting his soul.
Shiu Won Lan raised his sword skyward and roared:
"I am the Black Star, Shiu Won Lan! Though only at King Level, I will slaughter everyone here!"
His power exploded, seven aura stars forming within his body—or more precisely, within his sword. He gathered his full strength, creating a Simple Domain. Spotting Bloom, he swung to cut her down.
"Bloom, retreat at once!" the director and Solan shouted.
Solan exerted her authority over the scroll, disrupting it briefly. The director invoked:
"(Time Magic: Time Restraint)!"
Shiu Won Lan froze in place.
He tried to reclaim the scroll but felt his connection weakening as Solan attempted to seize it.
The Eighth-Level fighters moved simultaneously:
"(Great Sea Domain)!" "(Land of Ten Thousand Thunderbolts Domain)!" "(Moon Gravity Domain)!" "(Personal Domain: Sano Arena)!"
He was drowned, shocked, crushed by gravity, and frozen. Paralyzed from all sides, he could no longer wield sword or lantern.
Everyone charged him—even the Seventh-Level fighters unleashed Simple Domains and devastating techniques capable of shaking entire armies.
Shiu Won Lan's mind raced for a solution—when he felt sharp pain deep within his soul.
Shion Lan was fighting to break free.
A sinister expression crossed his face.
"I will not die alone."
Kin Light and Glass Sano sneered, "Arrogant to the very end of your li—!"
They could not finish.
His features shifted back to their original form.
Though the disguise had deceived seasoned warriors, they now knew the one before them was Shion Lan—no one else.
But it was too late to stop the attacks.
The director acted swiftly:
"(Time Magic: Reversal)!"
All attacks halted and returned as energy to their owners.
They saw Shion lying unconscious. Solan screamed at him to wake, but he did not respond.
Suddenly his form shifted again—gripping his sword, Shiu Won Lan roared and struck in all directions as defenses had been lowered.
"(Personal Domain: Rivers of Stars)! (Star Sovereignty)! (Black Stellar Vortices)!"
Stellar rivers encircled everyone. Black vortices formed within them, shining with sinister brilliance, containing massive stars that shattered everyone's resolve.
Attacks surged everywhere.
Solan and the director tried to regain control, but Solan lost control of the scroll. Shiu Won Lan briefly restrained the director, dominating the battlefield.
Miral Flair, Brad Sano, Yossi Sano, and Lily intervened with their domains, blocking most of the assaults.
Shiu Won Lan looked coldly at Lily and Yusi before they were forcibly withdrawn due to Kin Light and Glass Sano suffering severe injuries from earlier attacks as they tried to hold up but they reached their limits.
An opening appeared.
Shiu Won Lan broke through the Seventh-Level ranks, staring at them like corpses awaiting execution.
Miral Flair blocked his first strike; Brad attempted an ambush, but Shiu Won Lan raised his hand, subjecting them to crushing pressure under the scroll.
"(Black Star Travel)!"
He appeared before the director, who had regained his strength. The two exchanged decisive strikes. The director accelerated to evade, but Shiu Won Lan pressed him relentlessly.
Miral and Brad intervened again, enduring the pressure.
Shiu Won Lan smiled cunningly, forcing all three under maximum pressure, then pointed his sword toward the remaining Seventh-Level fighters.
But Solan moved, striking him from behind.
"(Spirit Magic: Soul Release)!"