The moment the word “kill” was uttered, nearly everyone felt a chill crawl down their spine. It was as if the temperature in the air had suddenly dropped by more than ten degrees.

Before the last syllable even faded, Lucky’s body began to undergo a startling transformation. Veins bulged across his forehead, and his muscles swelled rapidly, nearly tearing apart his bright yellow martial robe.

In an instant, his entire frame looked a full size larger than before. But it was not just his body that changed, his strength surged violently as well. A storm of violent energy burst out from within him, spreading outward and sending nearby debris flying into the air.

The ground trembled, and even space itself seemed to ripple faintly.

When his aura finally reached its peak, Lucky’s skin had turned a dark bronze, his pupils gleamed with a cold light, and an overwhelming, terrifying pressure radiated from his body.

This was his ultimate hidden technique—Bloodburning Art. An ancient forbidden spell once used by sorcerers of old. It drew power by burning one’s own vital blood essence, granting a temporary but tremendous boost in strength.

The cost, however, was severe…each use drastically reduced his ability to reproduce. Moreover, after the bloodburning subsided, the body would be left weakened for anywhere between a single day to ten.

Unless driven to desperation, he would never willingly reveal this card. Yet this was also the very ace that had allowed Lucky to return to Cathay and sweep across the whole world with unmatched dominance.

Only with such a trump card had he dared to flaunt his might upon his return.

“Th-this… this has to be a lie…” As he felt the aura radiating from Lucky, Grandmaster Ota’s eyes widened, his pupils contracted sharply, and disbelief spilled from his trembling lips. For the aura Lucky now radiated was unmistakably at the level of an Advanced Grandmaster!

“This man actually kept such a card hidden,” Pixie remarked in surprise. She faintly guessed that Lucky had used some kind of forbidden technique to reach such a state.

“It must come at some cost,” Mylene commented flatly, her tone calm and detached.

“You’re not worried about Princess?” Pixie turned to her and asked.

“Just look at her, does she look like someone who needs our worry?” Mylene gently shook her head.

Pixie glanced at Yae-hime, only to find that she too bore the same calm expression, as though she regarded Lucky’s temporary surge in strength as nothing worth mentioning.

‘Just how strong has Princess become?’ An irrepressible curiosity stirred within her heart.

Apart from Mylene and Pixie, every other expert present had their full attention locked on Lucky. It was as if they were seeing him for the very first time, their faces openly displayed shock, and even a trace of dread.

No one had expected Lucky to still be hiding such a terrifying trump card. Had they not witnessed it with their own eyes, none would have believed that someone could forcibly break through to a higher realm in such a manner.

The majority of those watching the live broadcast could only stare in vague awe, not truly understanding. Only a few managed to faintly perceive the truth. Yet, since they were not at the scene, they could not feel the sheer intensity of Lucky’s aura.

Otherwise, they too would have been stricken with fear and trembling.

“Two seconds have passed,” Yae-hime’s voice rang out just then. Her tone was calm and level, betraying not a single hint of fear or surprise.

Could it be that she felt no shock at all? That she did not find this terrifying in the slightest? Or perhaps, she simply did not realize just how overwhelming her opponent’s strength had become?

Grandmaster Ota sighed inwardly, as though he could already see the tragic scene of her death playing out before his eyes.

After his initial shock, Grandmaster Kim’s expression quickly returned to calm. He spoke softly, “A woman who cannot see the situation clearly, it is time for her to wither.”

“Oh, my Yahweh!” Thunder God Johnny stared fixedly at Lucky, every hair on his body standing on end as a tidal wave of shock crashed within him.

Just moments ago, he had believed himself to be the strongest one here. Who could have guessed that Lucky would suddenly transform into a hulking brute, his strength soaring to a level Johnny could no longer even hope to reach.

Truly, there was always a higher sky, always someone stronger beyond oneself!

“Three seconds.” As though oblivious to the situation and blind to her opponent’s newfound power, Yae-hime continued her leisurely count.

“Scared stiff already?” Lucky turned toward her, the corners of his mouth curling upward. “Didn’t you say earlier that you’d give me fifteen seconds to pray? Heh, let’s see if you can even last fifteen seconds!”

The instant his words fell, Lucky vanished from sight. He appeared before Yae-hime like a phantom flash, and if not for the deafening boom that followed and the cloud of dust exploding behind him, the crowd would have believed he had truly teleported.

“Five.” Yae-hime remained unruffled even as she looked at the towering figure, now bulkier than before.

Such composure was deeply infuriating.

“Go to hell!” Having been ignored again and again, Lucky was now seething with rage. His strike came at full force. His fist, larger than an iron pot, shot forward, the gale it stirred so fierce it was visible to the naked eye. The destructive power was beyond imagination!

As the colossal fist closed in, reflected in her eyes, Yae-hime’s expression finally shifted. She seemed to become just a little more serious. Her toes tapped the ground, and she shot backward in retreat.

Lucky’s savage blow missed, yet the spiraling fist wind still howled toward her, chasing her down. That powerful gale swept up gravel and dust along its path, its destructive force multiplying.

If struck head-on, she would surely be battered and bloodied.

“Six.” Facing such a fierce torrent of force, Yae-hime quickly steadied her stance. With a graceful hand thrust forward, her aura surged outward, forming a barrier wall.

Almost simultaneously, the fist wind slammed into it with a thunderous boom. Dust and stone fragments blasted in every direction. The strike looked overwhelming, yet in truth, it did not injure Yae-hime in the slightest.

“Give me your life!” No—this had only been a feint. Lucky’s true killing move had just arrived. Out of the dust, a blurred figure streaked forth. One hand pierced through the energy wall, its five fingers forming a tiger’s claw that lunged straight for Yae-hime’s chest.

It was the same martial form, yet the power was entirely different. The onlookers felt as if they were witnessing a ravenous tiger pouncing upon a helpless little girl, ready to devour her whole.

“Seven.” Yet this *helpless girl*… no, Yae-hime, still did not treat Lucky as worthy of concern. She continued her count even as she stepped forward and threw a straight punch to meet his ambush head-on.

“Hah! You think too highly of yourself!” Lucky laughed in fury at her audacity, and his tiger claw swiped down with ferocity.

A muffled thud rang out. The next instant, a figure was hurled backward. It was Yae-hime. She had been struck by that ferocious claw and sent flying.

“Pathetic, not even worth a blow!” Having landed a solid strike, Lucky rushed after her without pause. His Bloodburning Art could only last for three minutes. Once that time was up, his body would weaken severely.

‘I must kill her quickly and return to the ship. If my weakness is exposed, it will put me at a disadvantage!’

“Nine.” Even as she flew back, Yae-hime did not forget to keep counting. Only one more second remained before her body fully recovered.

Lucky instantly closed the gap, his figure radiating both the shadows of tiger and crane, his momentum overwhelming.

‘This blow will decide everything!’ Though he had no idea that Yae-hime’s body was restoring itself, an unshakable premonition gnawed at his heart, warning him of grave danger. He had to kill her quickly!

“Ten. Your time has come, go report to the heavens!”

At the very moment Lucky struck, Yae-hime’s count concluded. A horrifying, monstrous aura erupted from her body, surging outward like a storm and stunning the entire battlefield!