The Void Mirror's Primal Fusion

Thump. Thump.

The moment my eyes met Ellen's, my heart began to pound uncontrollably.

The killing intent was overwhelming.

Ellen was following my request and using her full strength. A top ranker known across the world was directing her murderous aura at me like this was a real battle. Just receiving it head-on made my stomach drop.

Her already massive hand swelled even larger. The fist filled my entire field of vision. In that brief instant, she had seen through Dantalion's illusion. As expected, she was incredible.

This looks dangerous.

It wasn't as if I hadn't anticipated her reading my attack. Sometimes you have to clash head-on to truly understand the gap between you. Instead of using Shrink to dodge, I chose a direct confrontation.

The instant our fists collided, a deafening boom erupted alongside a powerful rebound. The impact felt like standing directly in front of a cannon when it fired. A beat later, searing pain shot through my right arm.

Contractor! Your arm!

The energy that had covered my fist at the moment of release was gone. Now even the right hand that had wielded it was crushed beyond recognition by the overwhelming force. My elbow bone had popped out of its joint, and my shoulder, unable to dissipate the full shock, hung loosely.

Ellen had really gone all out. If that had struck my heart or head, regeneration wouldn't have mattered. It would have been instant death.

But instead of retreating, I took one step forward.

Ellen wasn't completely unscathed either. Her fist trembled. She didn't have any visible wounds, but my energy had seeped in and rattled her muscles and bones. If I backed off now, I'd lose any chance to attack again.

I twisted the Polar Night into a spiral. Several spears forged from pure darkness hurtled toward Ellen's body.

Without a flicker of panic, she deflected the Polar Night spears with her left arm. That's right. I knew you'd respond like that.

My right arm hung limp. The wide swing of her left arm to deflect the spears had left a clear opening.

Engulfed in flames from head to toe, I plunged into the opening. I poured every ounce of mana I could muster into the technique and hurled my flame-fused body forward before she could react. The fire roared violently within her guard. The sudden surge of mana had amplified Blazing Soul's power.

"Hup."

Ellen staggered backward. The damage wasn't severe, but stealing her momentum was enough.

I fell back, then surged forward again. My fist drove into Ellen's abdomen as she tried to regain her stance. The moment of impact triggered violent spasms. The stun effect had landed perfectly.

I extended my fingers straight, concentrating my internal energy into a single point, and stabbed it into her right arm.

Shunk!

The Light Western Finger pierced between muscles denser than stone. It sank roughly the length of a finger. No matter how hard I pushed, I couldn't drive it any deeper into her mana-reinforced body.

With Hundred Beasts Emperor Martial Arts, this much should have...

"Looks like my remaining attacks won't get through," I muttered.

I withdrew before the stun from Fierce Charge could wear off. Activating both Mutation and Regeneration at once, I restored my shattered right arm.

"Tsk."

It hurt so badly tears stung my eyes. Regeneration was one thing, but Mutation wasn't a normal recovery skill. It was a forbidden art that fused multiple creatures into a monster. The chimera's ability to reassemble bones and restore damaged flesh made the pain feel vividly, agonizingly real. Healing spells were far too inefficient by comparison.

Like rewinding time, the protruding bone slid back into place. The crushed skin stretched taut as fresh flesh bloomed beneath it. With the Earth Mother Goddess's blessing adding extra recovery power, my obliterated hand returned to normal.

"That regeneration ability of yours is no ordinary thing," Ellen said, clenching and unclenching her right fist with a frown. The deep puncture wound was the mark left by my Light Western Finger. No blood leaked from it, but it hadn't healed like mine would have.

With her Incredible ability, it was a minor wound she should have been able to restore instantly, yet...

"Why? Is something not working right?" I asked.

"To interfere with the body by infusing intent into qi..."

"You caught on quickly."

"Mr. Yu. Are you truly only a first-year climber?"

"You can check the records yourself."

"They say it takes martial artists years to gain even a single enlightenment..."

The reason players with martial abilities were looked down on was precisely because manifesting and using qi required immense time, effort, and insight. I couldn't exactly tell her that my regression had let me skip that entire process.

I answered with a smile.

Gulp.

Hong Yunsu's throat bobbed.

He's incredible.

His gaze darted back and forth. The strongest ranker in America and a player who had only just reached Silver were fighting with everything they had? When Jinho first mentioned requesting a duel with Ellen, Hong Yunsu had inwardly wanted to stop him. He had ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠recognized Jinho's talent while watching the spar with Shin Junseok, but Ellen was on another level compared to the two Korean rankers.

Based on the ability Jinho had shown against Shin Junseok, he shouldn't have been able to stand against a serious Ellen. Yet...

I was wrong.

Ellen was strong. Seeing it in person, the fight wasn't much different from the analysis he had made after watching her Diamond promotion match videos. Overwhelming power and speed. Her attack patterns were simple and lacked technique, but those two advantages overshadowed everything else.

Ellen's combat style relied on raw, linear aggression to crush opponents rather than finesse. Jinho, however, hadn't given her a single opening.

Kwaaaaang!

Ellen's fist slammed into the ground. The barrier surrounding the island prevented the earth from shattering, but the shockwave still raced toward where Jinho stood. It was like a tsunami of pure force. Just before the invisible wave could swallow him, power from the Polar Night erupted from beneath his feet and neutralized it.

"Ice Spear."

Mana rearranged in an instant. An ice spear materialized in the air and shot toward Ellen. She ignored the incoming magic and charged straight forward, forcing the spear's trajectory to curve. The wound from the Light Western Finger acted as a beacon. The intent carried within the materialized qi stabbed into the injury through the spear's tip.

Jinho relentlessly targeted the wound he had inflicted early in the fight, as if determined to prevent any recovery. As the accumulated damage mounted, Ellen's right arm gradually grew slower.

The fierce exchange of blows continued without pause. Even when his arms or legs ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠broke, Jinho recovered almost instantly. What would be a fatal injury to anyone else, he avoided like a slippery loach, always leaving himself room to heal.

In contrast, small wounds were steadily accumulating across Ellen's body.

If this keeps up, who knows what might happen.

The moment the thought crossed his mind, Hong Yunsu surprised himself. The idea that this overwhelmingly powerful woman might lose to Jinho? It was shocking that such a possibility had even occurred to him.

"Junior really is something else, isn't he?" Shin Junseok said with a grin.

"Now I understand why you fell for the guild master."

"Haha, right?" Shin Junseok let out a hearty laugh.

The bond they had formed through Jinho. Though they hadn't known each other long, they had quickly grown close through a sense of mutual understanding. Shin Junseok seemed to grasp exactly why Hong Yunsu was so astonished.

"I don't have the confidence to face Ellen Taylor head-on."

"Same here. I have no idea how long I could last against that monster."

Even the two men regarded as the best players in Korea were left speechless. And yet Jinho continued his precarious tightrope act against such an opponent.

"Doesn't look like we'll have any room to step in."

"Hehe, I planned to leave it all to my junior from the start."

"You're certainly taking it easy."

The two rankers chatted casually, but their eyes never left the movements of Jinho and Ellen.

Meanwhile, Ellen herself, the one locked in this life-or-death duel, was having similar thoughts.

She released the aura she normally kept melted into her muscles for physical reinforcement, pushing it outward. Blue mana wrapped around her straightened hand like a blade as she swung it with tremendous force.

Kwa-kwa-kwa-kwa!

The sheer momentum made the air itself vibrate, generating a powerful gust. Intense light flooded Jinho's eyes. Thousand Eyes, a type of mystic eye capable of reading every flow and current, activated.

Jinho's outstretched hand collided with Ellen's blade-like strike, then cleverly redirected the force. Her hand scraped across the ground.

Kwa-kwa-kwa!

The aura on her hand blade clashed with the barrier, producing a thunderous roar.

How is he reading every single one of my attacks?

A chill ran down Ellen's spine. It felt like trying to catch a ghost. The same feeling Shin Junseok must have had a few months ago when Jinho exploited his opening. She felt something eerily similar.

Is it because of that mystic eye? No.

The strange energy hovering in Jinho's eyes. She had noticed he was using a mystic eye from the very beginning. She had faced many opponents on her rise to the top in America, including other mystic eye users.

However, the way Jinho moved throughout this battle was different. He targeted her openings so exquisitely it was as if he could read her mind, making him incredibly difficult to handle.

My movements are slowing down too.

It felt like something foreign was lodged inside her body. Jinho's attacks hadn't inflicted major wounds, but looking back, she realized that every time she moved her arms or legs now, they felt gritty or sluggish. Like clothes slowly getting soaked by a drizzle. By taking all those consecutive hits with her body, the damage had built up more than she realized.

Truly astonishing. I never imagined Mr. Yu's skill had reached this level.

Ellen still couldn't believe he was only a first-year climber. Even if she pitted him against the Diamond-grade team member who climbed the Tower with her, she suspected Jinho would have the higher chance of victory.

This person. Even if we can't recruit him into the guild, we absolutely must make him an ally.

Ellen once again confirmed that William Rockefeller, the guild master of Gold Moon, had been right in his judgment. At the same time, she felt a pang of regret. If only Jinho were just a little stronger, he wouldn't have been forced to fight so desperately without any breathing room.

Still, the winner will be me.

The accumulated damage was real. However, Jinho's condition was far worse. Though his mana reserves were enormous, he couldn't prevent his stamina from plummeting. The energy consumed to recover from injuries was taking its toll. Without any other variables, this would clearly end in her ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠victory.

Still, it's good that I left Carla behind.

Staying at Jinho's side would allow her to learn far more. It would also make maintaining an alliance with Gold Moon much easier.

Organizing her thoughts, Ellen continued pressing Jinho relentlessly.

Damn it.

It hurt so badly I felt like I was going to die. Every time I moved my limbs, it felt like my nerves were on fire. My lungs burned as if they had been thrown into a furnace.

Goddess-nim should intervene now.

"Don't step in, Goddess."

This spar—no, this duel—I had decided to fight using only my own power. It was a golden opportunity to objectively measure my own ability. Ellen had even granted me the favor of going all out. I couldn't let a chance like this slip away.

I was only one step short of the world's top rankers. But surrendering now would leave a bad taste in my mouth.

I pulled out my final trump card, the one I had been saving until the very end.

Among the essences I could manifest with the Void Mirror, the most powerful was the Tyrannosaurus. The downside was that my arms would become too short, sealing away most of my martial techniques. I could safely take an orc's form, but that wouldn't be enough to defeat Ellen.

Wait a second.

What if I reflected two or more essences at once?

Pushed to my limit, a thought I had never considered before surfaced. It was worth trying.

Wait. This actually works...?

I barely managed to swallow the scream that nearly escaped me.

Ellen.

Since this is the end, let's burn it all brilliantly!