Leo was on his knees.
His hands were pressed against the ground, his body trembling from exhaustion.
The Beast Merge that had once covered him in overwhelming golden spiritual energy was now barely holding together. The lion ears remained, but even his transformed appearance was beginning to fade.
Across from him stood Kaito Jin.
Or rather…
The body of Kaito Jin controlled by the Black Dragon.
Black scales covered his body. His dragon tail moved slowly behind him, and the horn in the center of his forehead remained firmly in place.
Black Dragon looked at Leo.
Black Dragon: "I thought your new form would finally go beyond me."
He slowly raised his head.
Black Dragon: "But I was wrong."
Leo lowered his eyes.
Black Dragon: "In the end…"
A dark aura spread around Kaito's body.
Black Dragon: "My clan won."
Leo looked up.
Black Dragon: "You killed members of my clan. Your clan destroyed mine."
His voice became colder.
Black Dragon: "And now only you and I remain from our clans."
Leo coughed.
A small amount of blood escaped his mouth as he breathed heavily.
Leo: "I don't know…"
He wiped his mouth.
Leo: "I don't know why the people from my clan did what they did."
He slowly raised his head.
Leo: "But remember one thing."
His eyes focused on Kaito.
Leo: "You and I…"
He clenched his fist.
Leo: "…are the only ones left."
Black Dragon raised one hand.
A massive black sphere of spiritual energy began forming above his palm.
The surrounding air became heavy.
Black Dragon: "Then prepare yourself."
The sphere grew larger.
Black Dragon: "Dragon Breath."
The black energy compressed into a gigantic beam.
Black Dragon: "Prepare to die."
Leo stared at the enormous attack.
Then he smiled.
Leo: "Who said I'm the one who's going to die?"
Black Dragon's expression remained cold.
Leo slowly stood.
His legs were shaking.
But he forced himself upright.
Leo: "I'm not going to die like this."
His golden aura flickered.
Leo: "I'm not going to lose."
He looked around at the ruined Earth.
Leo: "I'm not going to let this world die."
His voice became stronger.
Leo: "I'm not going to let myself die."
He pointed toward Kaito.
Leo: "And I'm not going to let you die either."
Black Dragon narrowed his eyes.
Leo: "I'm not letting anyone die."
Then Leo glanced at Kaito's transformed body.
Leo: "And there's something else you shouldn't forget."
Black Dragon: "What?"
Leo smiled.
Leo: "You created this body while fighting me."
His golden eyes sharpened.
Leo: "Not while fighting someone else."
For the first time, Black Dragon became slightly irritated.
Black Dragon: "Enough."
He stepped forward.
Black Dragon: "This is over."
But inside Leo's mind…
Everything became silent.
Leo stood inside his own consciousness.
In front of him was the enormous black door.
The same door that had sealed the terrifying power of the Black Sword.
Leo stared at it.
Leo: "Can I really beat him?"
For the first time, doubt entered his mind.
Leo: "Can I actually win?"
He clenched his teeth.
Then he remembered.
The Black Sword.
The power behind the door.
Leo: "I know releasing it is dangerous."
He walked closer.
Leo: "But I don't need to open the entire door."
He placed his hand against it.
Leo: "Just a little."
The door remained silent.
Leo slowly pulled it open.
Only a tiny gap.
Barely the width of one finger.
KRRRRRRR...
The instant the gap opened—
BOOOOOOOOOOM!
An unbelievable pressure exploded from inside.
Leo's consciousness shook.
Black spiritual energy poured through the tiny opening.
Only a finger-width gap…
Yet the pressure was enormous.
Back in the real world—
Leo's entire body suddenly lifted from the ground.
His feet left the earth.
His hair rose.
His remaining Beast Merge aura exploded outward.
The black energy surrounding him began mixing with the golden spiritual energy of his Beast Merge.
The golden energy wrapped itself around the black aura like an outline.
Black within.
Gold around it.
The two energies continued combining.
Leo's lion ears became sharper.
His eyes changed again.
His claws returned.
His Beast Merge began rebuilding itself.
But this time…
Something was different.
Much darker.
Much heavier.
Leo looked at the energy surrounding his body.
Leo: "This power…"
The black aura whispered around him.
It felt almost alive.
Leo could feel something inside it.
A deep sadness.
A darkness that seemed to have been born from countless years of suffering.
Leo: "It almost feels…"
He closed his eyes.
Leo: "…like this power was created from depression itself."
The black energy moved closer.
Leo felt its influence.
It seemed to whisper to him.
Use me.
Destroy them.
Kill them.
Leo opened his eyes.
Leo: "No."
His golden aura became stronger.
Leo: "I'm not doing that."
He clenched his fist.
Leo: "I won't use you to become a monster."
The black energy continued surrounding him.
Leo: "I'll use your power…"
His eyes sharpened.
Leo: "…without becoming your prisoner."
The battlefield trembled.
It had already been hours since the battle began.
The darkness of night had covered Earth.
The clock was approaching 5:00 a.m.
All around the ruined battlefield, citizens were watching from forests and hidden shelters.
Nobody dared to move.
Nobody dared to make a sound.
They could only watch the two figures standing beneath the dark sky.
Leo raised one hand.
Golden and black energy gathered around his palm.
The energy compressed.
A sphere began forming.
Larger.
Larger.
Larger.
Leo looked directly at Kaito.
Leo: "Beast Cannon."
The sphere continued growing.
Leo: "Fire Power…"
The golden energy became brighter.
Leo: "Golden Power…"
Black energy wrapped around the outside.
Leo: "Merge Cannon!"
BOOOOOOOOOOM!
A gigantic energy cannon formed in Leo's hands.
Black Dragon stared at it.
Then his own spiritual energy exploded.
Black Dragon: "Dragon Breath!"
The massive black beam launched.
Leo released his attack at exactly the same moment.
FWWWWWWWWOOOOOOOOSH!
The two attacks collided.
For one second…
Nothing happened.
Then—
KRAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAASH!
The collision created an explosion so enormous that the entire battlefield disappeared inside a storm of light and dust.
The citizens hiding in the forests screamed in fear.
Even those who had spent the entire night watching the battle instinctively covered their faces.
The shockwave raced across the land.
At the healing camp, Lily was standing outside.
She looked toward the battlefield.
Her face went pale.
Lily: "Leo…"
Beside the camp, Chenwei's mother, Mei Lian, also stared toward the enormous explosion.
Mei Lian: "What was that…?"
The blast grew larger.
Lily's expression became filled with fear.
She had already seen Leo pushed to the absolute limit.
She knew how badly he had been injured.
And now…
She couldn't see him anymore.
Lily: "Please…"
Her voice became quiet.
Lily: "Don't die."
The explosion continued.
BOOOOOOOOOOOOM!
Then another shockwave.
And another.
The night sky itself seemed to shake.
Finally…
Silence.
The light disappeared.
Dust slowly began falling.
The battlefield appeared again.
A figure was standing in the middle of the destruction.
Leo.
He was still standing.
His Beast Merge form remained for only a few seconds.
His golden-and-black aura flickered.
Once.
Twice.
Then—
It disappeared.
The lion ears faded.
The claws disappeared.
His transformed appearance slowly returned toward normal.
Leo's body could no longer maintain the form.
He dropped onto his knees.
Leo: "Haa…"
He took a deep breath.
Leo: "Haaah…"
His entire body was exhausted.
Then he smiled.
Leo: "Finally…"
He looked toward the other side of the battlefield.
Leo: "Finally…"
His smile widened.
Leo: "Victory."
His body tilted sideways.
And he collapsed onto the ground.
Far away…
Kaito was also lying motionless.
For several seconds, there was no movement.
Then Kaito's fingers moved.
His eyes slowly opened.
The first thing he noticed was his body.
The black scales began disappearing.
The dragon tail faded.
The horn on his forehead slowly vanished.
His eyes returned to normal.
Kaito immediately remembered.
Aoi.
He pushed himself up.
Kaito: "Aoi…"
He looked toward the place where she had been left behind.
Then he ran.
Despite his injuries.
Despite his exhaustion.
He ran as fast as he could.
He reached the rubble.
Kaito began moving the broken pieces aside.
Kaito: "Aoi!"
He finally found her.
He lifted her carefully into his arms.
For a moment, he froze.
Then he felt it.
She was breathing.
Her breathing was weak, but steady.
Kaito's eyes widened.
Kaito: "Thank God…"
He held her closer.
Kaito: "Thank God."
His voice trembled.
Kaito: "I can't lose you again."
Behind him, footsteps approached.
The remaining Mask Men had returned.
They were badly injured and supporting one another as they walked.
Raizen Kuro helped one member.
Another supported someone else.
Slowly, one after another, they removed their masks.
The masks fell onto the ground.
Clack.
The leader looked at them.
One of the Mask Men spoke.
Mask Man: "Leader…"
Kaito looked back.
Mask Man: "We've decided something."
Kaito: "What?"
The Mask Man looked toward the ground.
Mask Man: "After everything is over, we'll confess our crimes."
Another Mask Man nodded.
Mask Man: "We won't run anymore."
Kaito was silent for a moment.
Then he smiled.
Kaito: "Okay."
He looked down at Aoi.
Kaito: "I've already gotten what I wanted."
The others looked at him.
Kaito: "She's alive."
He gently looked at Aoi.
Kaito: "I don't want anything else."
A faint smile appeared on his face.
Kaito: "I'll marry her someday."
He looked toward the peaceful horizon.
Kaito: "Then I'll live quietly."
For the first time in a very long time…
Kaito Jin didn't look like a warrior.
He simply looked like a man who wanted a peaceful life with the person he loved.
And far away…
Leo was lying on the battlefield.
His eyes were closed.
The night was slowly disappearing.
The horizon began turning orange.
The first rays of sunlight appeared.
Sunrise.
Golden light spread across the ruined land.
It touched the citizens hiding in the forests.
It touched the exhausted fighters.
It touched the healing camp.
It touched Lily.
It touched Mei Lian.
It touched the remaining Mask Men.
It touched Kaito and Aoi.
And finally…
It touched Leo.
The battle was over.
The long night had ended.
The war had ended.
Only one final chapter remained.
One final chapter before World Martial Art – Volume 2: Chinese Celestial Realm came to its complete end.
To be continued…
So, guys… the chapter has ended. The story has ended. But someday, somewhere in a new universe, from another corner of existence… we'll remember it again.