Chapter 35 - The Final Match Was a Trap
The tournament officials wanted to cancel the final.
Victor Vane’s lawyers threatened lawsuits.
The sponsors threatened refunds.
SpiritMart threatened to leave the country.
So naturally, the final continued.
Eli entered the ring at Qi Gathering V.
Lucas stood opposite him at unstable IX.
The difference felt enormous.
Lucas smiled.
“You could have joined us.”
“You tried to frame me twice.”
“Business.”
“You have a weird internship program.”
The bell rang.
Lucas vanished.
Eli barely activated Flow Step.
A fist passed his cheek.
The wind alone cut skin.
He retreated.
Lucas followed.
Every exchange forced Eli backward.
Borrowed Force failed because Lucas’s qi changed direction mid-strike.
Improvised Weaponry failed because Lucas shattered everything he touched.
The system calculated:
[WIN PROBABILITY: 7%]
Eli whispered, “Optimistic.”
Then Insight noticed something.
Lucas was not fighting to win quickly.
He was steering Eli toward the center of the ring.
A black symbol had been carved beneath the floor.
Elias shouted, “MOVE!”
Too late.
The symbol activated.
Black light formed a cage around both fighters.
The arena wards shut down.
Victor Vane appeared on the giant screen from an unknown location.
“Thank you for bringing the fragment into position.”
Eli’s storage ring heated.
The black jade administrator token flew out.
Lucas’s chest opened with dark light.
A second fragment emerged.
The two pieces pulled toward each other.
Eli finally understood.
The tournament was never about Lucas winning.
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It was about capturing the system.
