The battlefield was finally quiet.
After an entire night of destruction, the sun had begun to rise over the horizon.
Leo was still lying on the ground.
His body was exhausted, his clothes were torn, and his eyes remained closed.
The warm sunlight of sunrise slowly touched his face.
For the first time in what felt like an eternity, there was no explosion.
No beam.
No enemy charging toward him.
Just silence.
Then—
"LEOOOOOO!"
A familiar voice came from far away.
Leo's eyes suddenly opened.
He recognized that voice immediately.
Leo: "Lily…?"
Footsteps rapidly approached.
Lily came running toward him.
The moment she reached him, Leo immediately pushed himself up.
Lily didn't even give him time to speak.
She threw her arms around him.
Lily: "What were you thinking?!"
Leo froze.
Lily tightened her hug.
Lily: "Demon Queen attacked us! Demon King attacked us! The entire world was almost destroyed!"
Her voice trembled.
Lily: "What were you thinking?! Do you really think your son and I can live without you?"
Leo looked at her silently.
Lily pulled away just enough to look directly into his eyes.
Lily: "Don't ever do something like that again."
Leo: "Lily…"
SLAP!
Leo blinked.
Lily had slapped him.
But before he could react, she immediately hugged him again.
Lily: "Idiot!"
She refused to let go.
Leo slowly smiled.
Leo: "I'm alive, aren't I?"
Lily: "That's not the point!"
Leo: "Okay, okay…"
He gently placed his hand on her back.
Leo: "I'm sorry."
Lily didn't answer.
She simply held him tighter.
A little distance away, another figure approached.
Leo looked over.
His expression immediately changed.
Leo: "B-Big Brother…?"
Renge Akihana was walking toward them.
Or, more accurately, he was being helped forward by the medical team.
His entire body was wrapped in bandages.
His arms.
His chest.
His legs.
Even his head.
Bandages covered his eyes, making him look like a walking mummy.
Leo stared at him.
Leo: "What happened to you?!"
Renge slowly raised one hand.
Renge: "Little Brother…"
Leo: "Who did this to you?!"
Renge pointed weakly toward a nearby doctor.
Renge: "That doctor…"
The doctor immediately looked nervous.
Doctor: "I-I was only treating him!"
Leo stared at Renge.
Then at the doctor.
Then back at Renge.
Leo: "You look like a mummy."
Renge: "I know."
Leo: "A very expensive mummy."
Renge: "That's not comforting."
A familiar woman approached from behind.
Mei Lian.
She looked exhausted, but she was still standing.
And beside Renge…
Shion Kisaragi arrived.
She quietly stopped next to him.
Their hands were close.
So close that their fingers touched.
Shion looked down.
Then, without saying anything, she gently grabbed Renge's hand.
Renge froze.
His face slowly turned red.
Leo stared.
His eyes widened.
Leo: "…"
He looked toward the battlefield.
Then toward the ruined city.
Then back at Renge and Shion.
Leo: "The battle literally just ended…"
He sighed.
Leo: "My brother almost died…"
He looked at Shion holding Renge's hand.
Leo: "…and romance has already started."
Renge: "Little Brother!"
Shion's face became slightly red, but she didn't release Renge's hand.
Leo began laughing.
Then another familiar figure appeared.
Chenwei.
He was badly injured but conscious, supporting himself as he walked.
Yuna was beside him.
Chenwei looked at Leo.
Leo looked at Chenwei.
For a moment, neither said anything.
Then both smiled.
Leo raised his fist.
Chenwei raised his own.
Their fists met.
Fist bump.
Leo: "We won."
Chenwei: "Finally."
Leo: "Finally."
They both laughed.
After everything they had gone through…
The temples.
The Guardians.
The Demon Queen.
The Black Hell Dragon.
Kaito.
The Mask Men.
The entire night of destruction.
It was finally over.
Leo started walking forward.
Before leaving, he stopped.
He turned toward Mei Lian.
Leo simply nodded.
Mei Lian understood.
She nodded back.
No words were necessary.
Mei Lian then turned toward the remaining Mask Men.
Raizen Kuro, Shirogane Rei, Vega, Akane Tsukishiro, Jinro, Mika, Raven, Darius, Noir, and Kurohane were still standing together, supporting one another.
Mei Lian contacted headquarters.
Mei Lian: "Hello?"
She looked toward the Mask Men.
Mei Lian: "Send a few soldiers here."
She paused.
Mei Lian: "We need to arrest the Mask Men."
Two soldiers soon arrived beside her.
Mei Lian pointed toward the group.
Mei Lian: "You heard them earlier. They said they would confess their crimes."
She looked at the soldiers.
Mei Lian: "Put the handcuffs on them."
The soldiers moved forward.
The Mask Men didn't resist.
They had already made their decision.
Meanwhile, Leo continued toward Kaito.
Kaito was standing with Aoi Hoshizora in his arms.
Aoi was still unconscious, but her breathing was steady.
Leo stopped in front of him.
Leo looked at Aoi.
Then at Kaito.
Leo: "So…"
He pointed toward Aoi with his eyes.
Leo: "Is this the girl you caused all that destruction for?"
Kaito remained silent.
Leo: "You destroyed so much before this."
He looked around at the ruined battlefield.
Leo: "And today, you almost destroyed everything again."
Kaito lowered his eyes toward Aoi.
Kaito: "I'm sorry."
Leo raised an eyebrow.
Kaito: "I became blind."
He looked at Aoi.
Kaito: "Blind because of love."
Then he looked toward Leo.
Kaito: "Blind because of revenge."
Leo waited.
Kaito suddenly gave a small smirk.
Kaito: "What?"
Leo: "I thought you'd say something dramatic."
Kaito: "Don't expect that from me."
His expression became serious again.
Kaito: "Don't forget."
He looked directly at Leo.
Kaito: "Our hatred goes back to our clans."
Leo nodded.
Kaito: "We are not friends."
Leo smiled.
Leo: "Hmm."
He looked at Kaito.
Leo: "You never say it…"
Leo's smile became slightly wider.
Leo: "But you're actually a good person."
Kaito: "Don't misunderstand me."
Leo: "I didn't."
Kaito looked toward the sunrise.
Kaito: "I don't want to do anything anymore."
He adjusted Aoi carefully in his arms.
Kaito: "I'm cutting ties with everything."
He paused.
Kaito: "But there's one condition."
Leo: "What?"
Kaito looked at him.
Kaito: "Every year, there will be one rivalry match."
Leo blinked.
Kaito: "Between you and me."
Leo: "Seriously?"
Kaito: "Yes."
He continued.
Kaito: "And someday, it can become a rivalry between our children too."
Leo placed a hand on his head.
Leo: "Oh, great…"
Kaito: "The loser must listen to whatever the winner says for one year."
Leo sighed.
Leo: "Fine."
He smiled.
Leo: "Deal."
Kaito looked toward the sunrise again.
Leo: "By the way…"
Kaito glanced at him.
Leo: "What are you going to do now?"
Kaito remained quiet for a moment.
Then he answered.
Kaito: "Nothing."
He looked down at Aoi.
Kaito: "I bought a small house while working with the organization."
His expression softened slightly.
Kaito: "I'll take her there."
Aoi remained peacefully unconscious in his arms.
Kaito: "I'll surrender myself."
He looked toward the sunlight.
Kaito: "I'll accept my punishment."
Then he quietly added:
Kaito: "And after that…"
His eyes returned to Aoi.
Kaito: "I just want to live peacefully."
He paused.
Kaito: "I don't have much left to lose."
He held Aoi carefully.
Kaito: "I only have her."
Mei Lian approached.
Mei Lian: "Kaito."
Kaito looked toward her.
Mei Lian: "I don't really want to do this…"
She glanced toward the World Martial Art headquarters soldiers.
Mei Lian: "But the World Martial Art organization needs people like you."
Kaito remained silent.
Mei Lian continued.
Mei Lian: "We capture criminals. We stop dangerous people. And when something comes from outside Earth…"
She looked toward the ruined battlefield.
Mei Lian: "…like the Demon Queen…"
Kaito understood.
Mei Lian: "If you join the organization, your prison sentence can be reduced to one month."
Kaito looked surprised.
Leo stepped forward.
Leo: "And if you want…"
Kaito looked at him.
Leo: "I can help you get a house."
Kaito said nothing.
Leo: "Or, while you're serving your sentence…"
He glanced at Aoi.
Leo: "…she can stay with us."
Kaito remained completely expressionless.
His pride was still there.
The aura of the old Kaito Jin hadn't disappeared completely.
Kaito: "Fine."
Leo: "That's it?"
Kaito: "What else do you want me to say?"
Leo laughed.
Behind Kaito, the remaining Mask Men suddenly approached.
Raizen Kuro: "Boss…"
Shirogane Rei: "Are you really going to do this?"
Vega: "You're seriously going to surrender?"
Mika: "Boss!"
One by one, they surrounded Kaito.
Then they hugged him.
Kaito froze.
Kaito: "…"
Another Mask Man hugged him.
Kaito: "…"
Then another.
Kaito: "Enough."
Nobody listened.
Kaito finally shouted:
Kaito: "ENOUGH WITH THE LOVE AND AFFECTION!"
The Mask Men laughed.
Kaito: "Get away from me!"
Leo started laughing from a distance.
Chenwei laughed too.
Even Yuna smiled.
For a moment, the battlefield didn't feel like a battlefield anymore.
It felt like the beginning of something new.
Then—
WHOOOOOSH!
A helicopter appeared above them.
Everyone looked up.
A man stepped out.
Leo recognized him immediately.
The legendary host from the World Martial Art Tournament in Volume 1.
He held a microphone.
Host: "LEO!"
Leo looked up.
Host: "The World Champion!"
A camera was already recording behind him.
The host jumped down and immediately pushed the microphone toward Leo.
Host: "Today, you fought against an alien army and saved our lives!"
Leo blinked.
Leo: "Wait, wait, wait…"
He looked around.
Leo: "How did you know there was a battle here?"
The host laughed.
Host: "You thought we didn't know?"
He pointed toward the camera.
Host: "We have a legendary cameraman!"
Leo: "What?"
Host: "Your attacks didn't stop him."
The cameraman waved proudly.
Host: "He recorded your entire battle from beginning to end."
Leo stared at him.
Host: "And we broadcasted it live."
Leo: "…"
Host: "The whole world saw it."
The host raised the microphone.
Host: "Leo…"
The crowd began gathering.
Host: "You are a hero."
He pointed toward Leo's friends.
Host: "And your entire team is now considered heroes too."
More helicopters appeared.
News crews arrived from across China.
The media surrounded Leo and his friends.
Questions came from every direction.
"Leo, how did you defeat the Demon Queen?"
"Who was the mysterious warrior fighting you?"
"What happened to the Guardians?"
"Are the Mask Men really surrendering?"
"Is this the end of the war?"
Lily stood beside Leo.
Yuna stood beside Chenwei.
Renge stood beside Shion.
Mei Lian tried to control the media.
Chenwei laughed.
Leo looked around.
The same world that had been terrified only hours ago…
was now cheering.
Then people began coming out of the forests.
Ordinary citizens.
Families.
Children.
Old people.
People who had hidden throughout the night.
They gathered around the heroes.
And then—
"Hero!"
"Hero!"
"LEO!"
"WORLD CHAMPION!"
The voices became louder.
Leo looked around.
For a moment, he didn't know what to say.
He simply smiled.
The sunlight of morning illuminated everyone.
Then another helicopter appeared.
This one carried the symbol of the World Martial Art Protectors.
The organization had arrived.
Mei Lian looked toward everyone.
Mei Lian: "Looks like it's time."
Leo nodded.
One by one, everyone boarded the helicopter.
Leo.
Lily.
Chenwei.
Yuna.
Renge.
Shion.
Mei Lian.
The surviving fighters.
Even Kaito and the remaining Mask Men.
Everyone had survived.
Everyone had changed.
And as the helicopter slowly rose into the sky, Leo looked down at the battlefield.
The ruined land.
The citizens.
The rising sun.
Then he smiled.
The Chinese Celestial Realm had finally come to an end.
But somewhere far beyond Earth…
Beyond the universe…
Beyond everything Leo could see…
There was another place.
The Multiverse of the Demon King.
The Demon King stood inside his enormous realm.
Beside him stood Sera, the cute office-worker girl who had once been the black Samsung phone.
Suddenly, Lily appeared nearby.
Lily: "Hey, Demon King!"
The Demon King turned around.
Demon King: "Mom?"
Lily pointed toward him.
Lily: "We need to go meet them."
Sera nodded.
Sera: "Yes. We should probably go see them."
The Demon King immediately shook his head.
Demon King: "But, Mom…"
Lily: "What?"
Demon King: "I can't send you there."
Lily slowly walked toward him.
Demon King: "M-Mom?"
Lily grabbed both of his ears.
Lily: "What did you say?"
Demon King: "Ow!"
Lily: "You can't send us?"
She pulled his ears slightly.
Lily: "Why?"
Demon King: "Mom!"
Lily: "Are you the only child I have?"
She pointed toward the direction of Earth.
Lily: "Aren't they your brothers too?"
The Demon King lowered his head.
Lily: "Don't treat your brothers like that."
Demon King: "…"
He sighed.
Demon King: "Okay, Mom."
He raised one hand.
Snap.
A portal appeared.
Lily and Sera looked at each other.
Then—
FLASH!
Both disappeared through the portal.
The Demon King stood alone.
He sighed.
Demon King: "Moms are scary…"
And somewhere beyond that realm…
Something else was already waiting.
A new story.
A new world.
A new journey.
But not today.
Today…
World Martial Art had finally reached the end of Volume 2.
The sun had risen.
The war was over.
The heroes had survived.
The villains had surrendered.
And for one brief moment…
Everyone could finally breathe.
WORLD MARTIAL ART – VOLUME 2: CHINESE CELESTIAL REALM — END.
Author's Note
Guys…
Honestly, while writing Volume 2, I went through a lot. 😂
I struggled so much with this volume that sometimes I literally forgot the names of characters I myself had created.
There were moments when I even forgot the rules I had established for my own characters and accidentally changed them. 😂
Bro, writing Volume 2 exhausted me.
And now I'm sitting here thinking…
What is going to happen to me when I write Volume 3? 😂
But there's one thing I'm not revealing yet.
The name of Volume 3.
Nope.
I'm not telling you.
You'll have to wait.
How long?
I don't know.
Maybe a long time. 😂
Until then, if you're waiting for Volume 3, go read my other stories too.
Thank you for staying with World Martial Art through all the chaos, battles, jokes, broken rules, forgotten character names, and completely insane plot twists.
We'll meet again someday.
Goodbye, guys.
And someday, I'll return with Volume 3.
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.