"In two days from now, the Finals will begin. A total of ten of you will be challenging ten others, and the ultimate winner of each round will be the True Ultima Ten."
"Those who will be allowed to secure the spot to the Ascension Academy."
"There will be ten winners, never more, never less."
"Also, you all must take notice that, unlike your previous battles, where it took place in a secret domain, this battle will be recorded live in a battle stadium, attended by every instructor and every Fallen genius here."
"And most importantly, it will be watched live by some of the most powerful powerhouses of the Fallen Family."
"These are existences that can define whether your life will be a smooth upward spiral, a single ascension to the heavens, or just an ordinary life."
"For those of you who fought hard and managed to catch the eye of a supreme powerhouse, you will be handsomely rewarded and can even be personally nurtured by them, even if you lose the fight."
"But of course, a winner is more pleasing to the eye than a talented loser."
"So very well, a choice must be made."
"Will you, in two days from now, become a winner, secure yourself a spot in the Ascension Academy, and earn extra rewards?"
"Or will you become a talented loser, lose the spot to the Academy, and leave your fate in the hands of others noticing you and recognizing your talents?"
"Something is not guaranteed."
"Well, you all have two days to make the choice."
"As for the result of your choice, I will say we will be seeing it two days from now."
"I must warn you all, any fights from now, or targeting or bullying, is absolutely and strictly forbidden."
"If you are caught trying to gravely injure another to render them incapable of the fights, then your punishment will be forfeiting the match and being the loser automatically, without any fights whatsoever."
"For these two days, all opponents must steer clear of each other, and no one must physically hurt the other."
"No sparring with anyone is allowed!"
"If you want to spar, spar with the robots. Any disobedience to this rule is an automatic disqualification."
"I hope you all very well receive my warnings!" The man said, this time pretty seriously as all the geniuses nodded their heads.
"Good then, see you all in two days from now," the man said, his gaze skipping by Ryuk’s figure before all of the instructors disappeared from the hall, and the students all began leaving.
But still, it wasn’t until every one of them gave him a sorry glance before leaving.
Eventually, the door to the hall slammed closed, leaving none but Ryuk alone on the seat.
"Sighhh."
A clear sigh rang out through the training room as Ryuk slowly opened his eyes, looking at the white ceiling above him.
"Hey, system?" he suddenly called out.
[Yes, Host.]
"Tell me, am I not supposed to be celebrating my win of the semi-final test and oozing with supreme confidence? Then how come I feel so empty in my heart?"
[The reason is simple, and Host’s feelings are true. Host truly ought to celebrate his ability to defeat the Top 20 Ranked in a fair battle.]
[But then, Host happens to be unluckily matched with the Number One Ultima genius, with close to zero perceived chances of winning.]
[That is the reason for Host’s somberness.]
The system replied like a true therapist, and Ryuk’s eyes boringly looked at the side of the wall.
"Truth be said, I never really calculated much the estimate and possibility of fighting Ignatius."
"I had thought I would see him in action, but I never really thought I would be fighting him personally, one-on-one."
"This is truly out of the blue," Ryuk mused with a bit of worry in his eyes.
He had been able to confirm his suspicions—Ignatius Blade is the most powerful Ultima genius. He was an opponent that could make even Ryuk feel his pulse increase.
The thought of fighting the boastful monster of the geniuses had never crossed Ryuk’s mind at all, but here he was, having nothing but two days to prepare to fight the Ultimate genius.
"But still, it’s not like I’m completely helpless either.
Right now, I can guess that based on my pure combat power alone, I should have no problem fighting a Top Ten Ultima genius to a standstill.
But pure combat power alone wouldn’t be enough to beat the top three, let alone the top one Ultima genius.
From what I have gathered about Ignatius myself, his flames are searing hot, so much so they turn everything they touch into ashes.
Severing his hands to stop him from channeling his power wouldn’t be an easy feat since I have no doubt Ignatius will also be very well aware of his own weaknesses, and all his combat training would have been to prevent that from happening.
And apart from his hot flames, I have no idea of any skills that he might possess. Obviously, it can’t be only flames.
Besides, his flames are a direct counter to my Frost Veil, and he would most likely be able to ignore its effects with the crazy gap between both of our cultivation levels. So, the only thing I have that might even injure him is my Nano-Scythe.
In short, to defeat Ignatius, I would need more than battle ability and my unbelievable regeneration.
That gives me chances for my ultimate cards to finally show up," Ryuk said with seriousness.
Of course, Ryuk had kept up as many cards as he could ever since day one of training for this test.
One of those ultimate top cards was Isha, who he had still yet to reveal, and his other trump card was his Nano transformation.
One that strikes fear into Ryuk’s own heart, stopping him from activating the technique and seeing what it can do.
If there was one thing he knew for sure, it would be that it would be hard for anyone to face him once he activates that technique, even though he himself might suffer grievous wounds in exchange.
"There’s not much training I can do in two days, nor much improvement that I can make.
So, in the end, I can only hope Isha wakes up in two days from now, and if all breaks loose, I’ll activate the Nano transformation technique and bring an end to everything."
"You all think this battle’s result has already been set in stone," Ryuk said with a sinister smirk as he chuckled evilly.
"Tch, I’ll shock you all in the final test!"
"Ignatius Blade! Our fight will be legendary!!!"