Part I — The Brothers' Promise
The word impossible was written all over my face.
Seven years.
Seven years inside the Black Tower.
Seven years within the Shadow Realm.
Seven years in the endless battlefield of the System Space.
Every day had been spent walking the thin line between life and death.
Every mistake had been paid for in blood.
Every victory had been earned through suffering.
My brother...
Had only trained for seven days.
Yet—
My fist was firmly held within his palm.
The contrast was staggering.
Our eyes met.
His serene blue irises reflected my own jet-black eyes.
Unlike before, faint black tiger stripes spread across his skin.
They weren't fully manifested.
Nor were they merely decorative.
They pulsed with a strange rhythm, as though alive.
His face had also changed ever so slightly.
The corners of his eyes had sharpened.
His pupils had become vertical slits.
A faint feline aura naturally escaped his body.
He had partially entered his Prime Form.
He had taken my attack seriously.
Yet...
There wasn't the slightest strain on his face.
Only calm.
An almost frightening calm.
For several long breaths...
Neither of us moved.
The island became deathly silent.
Every elder...
Every prodigy...
Every member of the White Tiger Clan watched us without speaking.
Even the breeze seemed to disappear.
Then...
Azharyon smiled.
Not mockingly.
Not arrogantly.
Simply...
As a brother.
He slowly pushed my arm downward.
His movement was effortless.
It was as though the force behind my punch had never existed.
My arm fell to my side.
My expression remained unchanged.
Inside...
My thoughts raced endlessly.
This isn't enough...
Without warning—
BOOOOOOM!!
The ground beneath my feet exploded.
Before the shattered rocks could even rise into the air...
My free fist shot forward.
Like a bolt of black lightning.
Faster.
Sharper.
More decisive than before.
This time...
There would be no holding back.
The punch tore through the air, producing a deafening sonic boom.
The surrounding atmosphere distorted under the pressure.
Countless eyes widened.
Even several elders unconsciously held their breath.
Yet...
Azharyon merely tilted his head.
A single movement.
Simple.
Natural.
My fist brushed past his cheek.
Missing by less than an inch.
BOOOOOOM!!
The attack continued beyond him.
The compressed force blasted into the empty space behind.
The distant mountains trembled.
Clouds scattered apart.
The shockwave alone ripped a massive trench across the earth.
Silence.
Absolute silence.
I had missed.
Mother instinctively stepped forward.
"Enough—"
Before she could finish...
Father gently held her wrist.
She turned toward him.
Worry filled her eyes.
"They'll hurt each other."
Father quietly shook his head.
His silver eyes never left the two of us.
"No."
"Trust them."
Mother hesitated.
Then slowly nodded.
Her hands tightened slightly...
But she remained where she stood.
Meanwhile...
I had already moved again.
No hesitation.
No pause.
My body twisted.
Power surged through every muscle.
This time...
I aimed directly for his chest.
The distance between us vanished instantly.
BAM!!
Once again...
His palm met my fist.
Perfectly.
The impact echoed throughout the island.
A violent shockwave swept across the gathering.
Dust rose into the sky.
Even the nearby trees bent beneath the force.
Yet...
Azharyon did not move.
Not even half a step.
His feet remained firmly planted on the ground.
His fingers tightened around my fist for only a heartbeat.
Then...
He gently redirected the attack.
My arm was pushed aside.
As though he had merely brushed away a falling leaf.
I withdrew my hand.
Neither of us attacked again.
The exchange had lasted only moments.
Yet...
It had answered every question I carried.
The first strike...
Could have been luck.
The second...
An accident.
But the third...
Left no room for doubt.
I lowered my gaze.
Silently staring at my own hands.
Seven years.
Against seven days.
It sounded absurd.
No...
Impossible.
During those seven years...
I had endured the merciless trials of the Tower.
Survived countless deaths within the Shadow Realm.
Fought enemies who existed only to kill.
Refined every movement.
Every instinct.
Every breath.
Meanwhile...
Azharyon had spent only seven days training after awakening.
Even though I had relied solely upon my physical strength...
And he had used both his bloodline energy and a partial Prime Form...
The result still failed to satisfy me.
My speed should have overwhelmed him.
My strength should have forced him backward.
Instead...
He calmly blocked every attack I delivered.
Almost effortlessly.
Slowly...
I raised my head.
The heavens rumbled.
RUMBLE...
Dark clouds quietly gathered above the island.
The distant sound of thunder echoed across the sky.
Like Heaven itself...
Confirming my thoughts.
Originally...
My intention had been simple.
Before leaving...
I wanted to show my younger brother the distance between us.
To give him a goal worthy of pursuing.
At the same time...
To verify the strange feeling I had sensed ever since returning.
Now...
That vague feeling had become certainty.
Azharyon...
Was no longer the younger brother I remembered.
The corners of my lips slowly curved upward.
A faint smile.
"...Train hard."
My voice was calm.
Steady.
"I'll be waiting for you..."
"...on the other side."
Azharyon smiled in return.
A confident smile.
One without arrogance.
"I'll catch up."
"No."
He corrected himself.
"I'll surpass you."
For a brief moment...
Neither of us spoke.
There was no hostility between us.
Only understanding.
Only respect.
The unspoken promise shared between brothers.
To meet again.
Stronger than before.
Neither of us intended to break that promise.