Amidst the chaos, while blades clashed and rain soaked the earth, two figures moved like titans in a cage.
Mae-Bi and Yo Gun-Sik were already mid-fight.
No words. Just fists.
Every strike held killing intent.
CRACK!
Mae-Bi blocked a punch — barely. The impact jolted his bones.
He's faster than me... way faster.
Gun-Sik grinned, teeth sharp like an animal.
"What's wrong, kiddo? Can't keep up? Or is my fist just too damn legendary?"
BOOM!
Another punch.
Mae-Bi reeled back, forced to leap sideways. He retaliated with a spinning low kick—
But Gun-Sik smirked, sliding under it like water.
"Nice try."
WHAM!
He caught Mae-Bi's leg, lifted him one-handed, and slammed him into the dirt.
Once. Twice. Three times.
Like a rag doll.
BAM. BAM. BAM.
Mae-Bi coughed blood.
The world spun. His ribs screamed. His vision blurred.
[System: Would you like a little help?]
"It appears you're really enjoying the pain."
"Damn it, system," Mae-Bi hissed in his mind. "Not the time to be a sarcastic bitch."
[Sarcasm module: Active.]
"Noted. You're getting ragdolled by a pervert twice your size. Cute."
Gun-Sik hurled him again.
Mae-Bi's body smashed into a tree trunk, cracking the bark. He slid down, barely breathing.
He's two stages above me.
And I can't read his patterns... his flow is too wild.
Gun-Sik cracked his neck, stretching like a predator that hadn't finished playing with its food.
"Not gonna lie," he said, walking toward him, "I expected more from the so-called prodigy of the fifth division."
Mae-Bi stood — slowly.
Blood dripped from his lip.
But his eyes sharpened.
"System... unlock the observation field. Give me everything."
[Permission Granted.]
[Field Expansion: 30%.]
[Enemy Combat Style: Acquired.]
[Analyzing... Yo Gun-Sik – Martial Profile: "Rending Beast Form"]
Mae-Bi's pupils constricted.
That explains it. His movements aren't martial — they're primal. Wild. Unpredictable.
But...
There's still rhythm.
A breath between each blow.
A slight twitch in his left shoulder before a cross.
A flex in his toes before he lunges.
Mae-Bi inhaled slowly.
The pain didn't fade.But now, he could see.
Gun-Sik charged again.
Mae-Bi didn't dodge.He stepped into the attack.And ducked.The punch grazed past his ear.
Now.
WHAM!
A palm strike to the liver.
Gun-Sik's eyes widened—
Mae-Bi spun, elbowing his jaw, then leapt back before the beast could recover.
"Not bad," Gun-Sik coughed, rubbing his cheek. "Finally standing up, huh?"
Mae-Bi lunged.
His fists blurred through the air — one, two, three, four strikes in rapid succession.
Gun-Sik grunted, arms up in a guard, but he was being pushed back.
Left shoulder twitches before he shifts weight.
Drop in center gravity means a low counter—
Mae-Bi was reading him like a book.
Thanks, system.
[Combat Flow: Synchronized – 86% Efficiency]
But then—
Gun-Sik's grin faded.
"Alright," he muttered. "Joke's over."
BOOM.
A violent burst of Qi exploded from his body, the ground cracking beneath his feet.
A blood-red aura surged around him, swallowing the air like fire devouring oil.
Everyone on the battlefield flinched.
Even Mae-Bi had to raise his arm to shield his eyes from the pressure.
"That's—!"
Yuri's voice caught in her throat.
Jin's eyes narrowed. "That's not just Qi... that's aura."
Stage Five: Core Forging Realm.
At Stage Four, a martial artist could imbue weapons with raw Qi, forming a blade of invisible energy that could slice steel like paper.
But at Stage Five?
Their Qi left their body — and obeyed them.
A living aura. A weapon on its own.
And now, Gun-Sik was wrapped in it.
His muscles surged. Veins bulged.
His eyes glowed like molten coals.
Mae-Bi gritted his teeth.
Two stages above me.
This wasn't just power.
It was an entirely different world.
Gun-Sik raised his arms. The air around his fists howled, as if the wind itself feared getting too close.
He cracked his neck.
"Let me show you what happens when a beast stops playing."
Across the field, one of Gun-Sik's men smirked.
"You think your cute little commander stands a chance?" he scoffed, arms crossed. "You're dreaming, kid."
CRACK.
The man's head snapped to the side from a brutal punch.
Jin's fist.
"You talk too much," Jin said, stepping forward, rage burning in his eyes. "You got something to say—say it to me."
He looked at Mae-Bi.
"Kill that bastard already!"
Mae-Bi turned slightly, blood dripping down his chin.
"...Stop yelling like I'm not busy," he muttered, cheeks slightly flushed.
Jin blinked. "Wait, are you—blushing?!"
"Shut up!"
Gun-Sik's aura flared again, snapping the tension like a whip.
"Enough flirting," he growled.
He stepped forward—
And the entire field shook with his killing intent.
Mae-Bi exhaled slowly, eyes narrowing, red irises gleaming under the rain.
[Blood Eyes: Full Synchronization Activated]
"Alright then," Mae-Bi said quietly.
"Let's end this."
Gun-Sik vanished.
To the untrained eye, he simply disappeared.
But to Mae-Bi—
He appeared in front of him in a flash, face inches away, breath hot with bloodlust.
Too fast.
Mae-Bi's pupils shrank.
His body moved on instinct—
Backpedal. Step—!
Too late.
CRACK!
Gun-Sik stomped down on his foot, pinning Mae-Bi in place.
"Where you going, runt?"
Fists rained down.
Left. Right. Gut. Ribs.
Mae-Bi tried to dodge—tried to block—
But every strike was wrapped in Qi, each hit piercing deeper than just flesh.
BAM!
A punch to the chest sent Mae-Bi flying across the battlefield, smashing through a tree and skidding across the mud as the rain poured harder.
"Mae-Bi!!" Jin roared from the distance.
Gun-Sik didn't wait.
He chased.
Before Mae-Bi could even lift his head, a shadow fell over him, and—
BOOM!
Gun-Sik grabbed him by the collar and slammed his fist into his face, again... and again... and again.
Blood spilled.
Teeth cracked.
His aura flared violently—not just attacking Mae-Bi, but sending a message.
To everyone watching:
"This is your leader?"
Gun-Sik hurled Mae-Bi into the dirt like a bag of waste.
"Then surrender now," he snarled, eyes glowing red. "Or die beside him."
"MAE-BI!!"
Yuri ran forward, reaching out—only for Gun-Sik to turn and throw a brutal punch in her direction.
But—
"YURI!"
Rak shoved her away, taking the hit square in the ribs.
SPLURT.
Blood flew from his mouth as he crumpled beside Mae-Bi.
"Rak...!" Yuri dropped to her knees beside him.
Gun-Sik scanned the field.
The team was frozen.
Scared..
His own squad smirked in satisfaction.
"That's what you get..." Gun-Sik's voice was low, cruel, almost calm.
"...when you defy me."