The dueling ground was already crowded when Daniel arrived.

  Cold stone beneath his boots. Countless gazes pressing down on him from every direction. Elders stood with folded arms, disciples whispered behind sleeves, and even distant branch members had gathered.

  At the center of it all stood his opponent.

  The Fifth Brother.

  His sword hummed faintly with circulating force, his expression sharp with restrained fury. This duel was not about pride alone—it was about hierarchy. About erasing a stain.

  Daniel stepped onto the platform.

  The noise slowly died.

  The Patriarch watched from above, unreadable.

  “Begin,” an elder announced.

  The Fifth Brother moved first.

  Fast. Ruthless. A direct opening strike meant to overwhelm.

  Daniel raised his sword.

  Steel met steel.

  The impact rang out sharply, echoing across the dueling ground. Daniel slid back half a step—but did not lose balance.

  A murmur spread.

  The Fifth Brother frowned and pressed harder, chaining strikes together, forcing force into each swing.

  Daniel’s sword moved.

  Clean. Minimal. Efficient.

  He wasn’t retreating.

  The Patriarch’s fingers tightened slightly on the armrest.

  That control…

  Daniel stepped in.

  “Yama Arts,” he said softly.

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  “First Form.”

  Soul Slash.

  The blade cut through the air.

  The Fifth Brother barely managed to block—but the force behind the strike sent him skidding backward, boots carving lines into the stone.

  His eyes widened.

  “That art—!”

  He attacked again, anger bleeding into his movements. Force surged wildly, attacks becoming heavier, less controlled.

  Daniel absorbed it all.

  He was pushed back. Pressured.

  But he did not fall.

  Even after several exchanges, the Fifth Brother remained standing.

  Daniel exhaled slowly.

  “So that’s as far as it goes.”

  The air changed.

  A suffocating heaviness settled over the platform—not force, not mana, but something deeper. Something primal.

  Several elders stiffened.

  The Fifth Brother felt it first.

  Fear.

  Real fear.

  Daniel lifted his sword again.

  “Soul Annihilation Art.”

  The name alone made the air tremble.

  “First Form.”

  Simple Slash.

  There was no violent clash.

  No explosion.

  The slash passed through space itself—silent, absolute.

  The Fifth Brother froze.

  His pupils shrank. His breathing collapsed. An overwhelming terror crushed his will, his instincts screaming death.

  His sword slipped from his fingers.

  He collapsed onto his knees—then forward—unconscious, his spirit completely shattered.

  For a heartbeat—

  No one spoke.

  Then the Patriarch stood.

  “The duel is decided.”

  His gaze locked onto Daniel.

  “You have won,” he said. “Come to my office. Alone.”

  The crowd erupted into whispers.

  “A Sword Beginner…” “That fear—was that a title?” “One slash… just one…”

  Daniel stepped down from the platform without looking back.

  Previous Night

  Daniel sat alone in his room, candlelight flickering softly.

  Ding.

  A familiar sound.

  [ Job Acquired: Sword Beginner ]

  [ New Energy Type Unlocked: Demonic Energy ]

  [ Demonic Energy replaces Mana ]

  [ Conversion Rate: 1 Demonic Energy = 1 Mana ]

  [ Acquisition Method: Slaying monsters or living beings ]

  Daniel opened his eyes slowly.

  “So this is the real path…”

  He circulated his energy.

  There was no resistance.

  No pain.

  Asura and Yama no longer clashed—they flowed.

  Free.

  Real time

  The Patriarch’s Office

  “What do you want?” the Patriarch asked directly.

  Daniel stood straight.

  For a moment, he considered power. Resources. Authority.

  Then he shook his head.

  “My mother,” he said.

  The Patriarch paused.

  “I want her to receive the privileges granted to mothers of those who surpass rivals in the succession war.”

  Silence.

  Then—

  The Patriarch smiled.

  “…Granted.”

  As Daniel turned to leave, the Patriarch watched him carefully.

  He didn’t ask for strength, he thought.

  He asked for protection.

  This child… has truly grown.

  A Promise

  His mother froze when she saw him.

  Then she hugged him tightly.

  “You didn’t need to do this,” she whispered, voice trembling. “You’re putting yourself in danger.”

  Daniel gently wiped her tears.

  “I’ll bring everything to your feet,” he said quietly.

  “So please… just watch over me.”

  She looked at him through tears.

  Daniel smiled—soft, genuine, unshaken.

  “This is only the beginning.”