Final Fight III

"Hahaha, are you kidding me? I started to respect you when you stepped onto the 100th step, but it seems like you've let it go to your head and become more like her. With your level, you'll never withstand any of my attacks," Evan Clark sneered at Michael and appeared offended when he suggested they attack him together.

"Really?" Michael asked indifferently, observing the white tiger behind Evan growing larger and more imposing. While the onlookers were shivering at the power the white tiger exuded, Michael remained composed.

Sensing the overwhelming pressure emanating from the white tiger, Victoria waited to see how Ghost would defend himself, noting that he hadn't drawn his weapon yet.

"Wrath of the Tiger!" Evan shouted, punching the air toward Michael as the tiger leaped at him.

"Lightning Dash."

Facing the oncoming tiger, Michael calmly activated the Lightning Dash skill, propelling himself towards Evan like a bolt of lightning. The skill reminded him of the famous DC character, The Flash, as it allowed him to move at incredible speeds. Though nowhere near the speed of The Flash, the level 1 Lightning Dash skill made him appear as a blur to most observers, resembling a streak of lightning.

In a matter of seconds, after he vanished from his initial position, the gigantic paw of the tiger struck the ground, creating a thunderous explosion.

BOOOOOOM!

Evan Clark's expression immediately changed when he sensed that his attack had struck nothing but empty ground, feeling a mild sensation on his throat, akin to an ant bite.

"What happened?"

"How is he still alive?"

As the figure of the white tiger dissipated following the attack, the crowd saw that Ghost was still standing in his original position, seemingly unfazed. It took a moment for the spectators to grasp what had occurred.

Observing Evan Clark's bewildered expression, Michael said with a cold smile, "You lost."

The crowd remained puzzled, but Victoria and Evan understood the implications of his words.

"I..."

A small cut on Evan's throat began to appear, and blood slowly seeped from it. If the cut had been a few inches deeper, it could have been fatal. Realizing this, Evan shuddered in fear.

[Ding! Congratulations to the host for successfully being a badass. The reward is 100 badass points.]

Celina and the three prodigies standing at the top of the arena had a clearer view of the situation than Victoria and the crowd, owing to their higher cultivation levels. They knew that Evan's reaction speed had been much slower, and if Ghost had intended to kill him, he could have easily done so.

"I've lost."

Recognizing that Ghost had spared his life, Evan promptly acknowledged his defeat with dignity and leaped down from the stage without making eye contact with anyone. Michael couldn't help but sigh internally as he had just lost out on a substantial amount of experience due to the system's warning about killing Evan.

Evan admitting defeat so readily was a bit anticlimactic for Michael. He had expected Evan to be more arrogant and refuse to back down, potentially leading to a more intense battle and more opportunities to earn badass points.

"Why did he concede?"

"What did I miss?"

"You fool, look at his throat, can't you see he's bleeding? Who do you think could have done that?"

The crowd slowly began to piece together what had happened as they noticed the blood seeping from Evan's throat. They nervously swallowed saliva while staring at Ghost.

"How fast!"

"What kind of spell did he use?"

Although Michael had already proven himself in his battle against Orion, many still had doubts about whether he could truly outmatch Evan and Victoria in terms of combat prowess. However, at this moment, they were beginning to believe that he might indeed be stronger than both of them.

Elder Miles and the members of the Sunrise sect were also closely watching Michael and started to hold him in high regard. Initially, they hadn't considered him particularly powerful, but witnessing what had just transpired with Evan, they realized they had severely underestimated him.

"Even though we don't know much about him, he's clearly a true genius. He must have been gifted from birth. With him as our disciple, we might actually have a chance at reviving our sect," Elder Mark thought with a newfound sense of hope, believing that Michael could be their key to rejuvenating their struggling sect.

"You rely on your speed too much, and if you think you can do the same thing to me that you did to Evan, you're in for a disappointment."

Victoria once again exuded arrogance and self-confidence, swiftly recovering from her previous emotions. Relying on her rare flaming phoenix spell and a defensive incantation, she aimed to shatter Michael's confidence.

"Speed? I don't need to rely on speed to defeat you. You're overestimating yourself."

Just as everyone expected him to employ a similar tactic against Victoria, he raised both his hands, conjuring several bolts of lightning and a mighty gust of wind in front of him.

"Flame of the Phoenix!"

Victoria's pupils abruptly dilated as she shouted. The phoenix above her exhaled a scorching stream of fire, colliding with Michael's lightning bolts and wind blast.

However, when the fire encountered the wind blast, it was rapidly pushed away from him and extinguished in mere seconds. As for the lightning bolts, they showed no signs of slowing down, piercing through the flames and striking her body with tremendous force. When the lightning bolts combined with the residual impact of the wind blast and the golden protective aura around her clashed, a deafening roar echoed throughout the stadium.

BOOOM!

Victoria groaned as she was blown backward, appearing extremely fragile and weak. She slid perilously close to the edge of the fighting stage. One more step back, and she would have tumbled off.

At that moment, confusion reigned among the spectators. Michael had bewildered them countless times. Each time he moved, their amazement grew, but with each display of his power, they also realized they had consistently underestimated him. It was as if his strength was boundless, and none among them could fathom the depths of his abilities. He had swiftly and easily triumphed over two of the younger generation's superstars.

Their initial assumptions, which had firmly placed Evan Clark or Victoria Parker as the certain victors of the competition, now seemed naive and shortsighted.

The spectators weren't alone in their assessments; even Alex and Celina had held similar views, particularly the latter. When she had first encountered Michael, he had appeared as a mere weakling who hadn't even attained the Body Refining stage. His escape from her had seemed like the result of mere luck. It had never crossed her mind that he would effortlessly defeat Evan and Victoria.

"What an extraordinary individual," Sadie marveled, her eyes widened as she observed Michael. She couldn't help but feel grateful that he had made a deal to spare her junior, especially considering how effortlessly he had dispatched Evan and Victoria.

"Do you still believe you possess the talent to instruct me?" Michael taunted as he advanced toward her, his words a blatant humiliation. He was deeply irritated by this arrogant young woman's conduct, but what irked him the most was her complete lack of respect for anyone. In her eyes, she held herself above all others and anticipated adoration and reverence from those around her. Michael couldn't tolerate such haughtiness and arrogance from someone who hadn't even endured a single one of his attacks.

For the first time in her entire life, Victoria began to feel a sense of shame when she recalled her previous words. She felt as if she had been made a clown in front of the entire audience.

"Who do you think you are? Join your sect, meet you now and then? What gave you the impression that I would ever want to meet you?" Michael continued to speak, driving home the absurdity of her arrogance. Victoria couldn't find words to retort; she felt as if her face were on fire.

The crowd had never been so electrified as they were in that moment. Michael was steadily unveiling more and more of his strength, becoming increasingly impressive. Initially, he had shocked the entire arena by reaching the 100th step and setting a new record, and now, he had effortlessly bested two prodigies.

"There's a fine line between arrogance and confidence; perhaps it's time to reflect on that," he suggested.

The spectators eagerly anticipated his next move as he stepped closer to Victoria, positioning himself just a step away from her.

"Ah!"

With a swift, movie-like motion, Michael Sparta-kicked Victoria in the chest, sending her hurtling from the stage.

"Sister Victoria!"

Disciples from Golden Valley rushed to her side, catching her before she hit the ground.

"He's won!"

"He WON!"

"GHOST!"

The crowd erupted in cheers, filling the stadium with the deafening sound of their thunderous applause as Michael stood alone on the battle stage.

The four prodigies from the top looked at Victoria's unconscious body and sighed, realizing that for the first time, the rewards would be going to a sect other than their three prominent ones.

"Brother Ghost has won!"

"Sect Leader Claire, Elders, he's the champion!"

The Sunrise sect disciples became excited, celebrating their unexpected victory. Then, they watched as Celina tossed a small ring to Ghost from her position at the top.

"The rewards are in the space ring," she announced.

After conveying this, Celina and Alex didn't descend but instead flew away on their flying swords, while Adam nodded at Ghost and followed them.

The only person who came down to the stage was Sadie.

"The gold coins from our little deal are also in that space ring. Keep them safe, and congratulations on your victory, Ghost."

"Thank you, Miss Kaplan. See you later. After all of this, I need a long nap."

Clearly, he was the biggest winner of the competition – an unknown rogue cultivator who emerged as a dark horse, defeating disciples from the three major sects and claiming first place in both the first and second rounds. He was now becoming famous, and the name "Ghost" would soon be recognized throughout the entire Bredia Kingdom. Everyone would come to know his name.

Congratulations to Master Ghost for securing first place in the Heaven's Gate competition. We'll be taking our leave now, but if Master Ghost ever finds the time in the future, you are always welcome to visit Silver Moon. We'll personally ensure you receive VIP treatment," Hannah Berry said with an alluring smile, attempting to flirt with him.

"This bitch disgusts me!" Gaya expressed her anger, her tone significantly different from how she usually spoke to Michael.

With that, Hannah and the other Silver Moon students left the square. As he didn't belong to the three major sects, none of the disciples from those sects remained either.