Dimensional Keeper: All My Skills Are at Level 100

Rakan looked up and grinned fiercely. He punched, and one spear shattered. He punched again, and another broke apart. He charged through the falling divine spears and smashed them one after another, but their numbers were simply too great. His body began collecting wounds. Golden-white light pierced his shoulder, another spear grazed his ribs, and a third struck his thigh and made him stumble for half a breath.

Aurelian’s voice descended from above.

”Crownless Divine King.”

The golden throne behind him shattered into fragments of light that flowed into his body. His aura condensed sharply, and the Heavenly Luminance Divine Dominion contracted into a smaller but far more oppressive form. The divine sun at his back became a burning crown, and countless runes gathered around his hands.

Rakan’s eyes widened slightly.

Aurelian pointed downward.

”Crownless Divine King, Light That Judges All War.”

The divine runes fell like a rain of judgment. Rakan roared and pushed his physical power to its absolute limit. His three limits burned as one, and his body resembled a bronze war statue drenched in blood. He charged upward into the falling light, straining to reach Aurelian before the long-range suppression could grind him down completely.

For several breaths, the battlefield became a violent collision between golden judgment and bronze war power. Rakan broke through one layer, then another, and then another after that.

The War God Palace disciples screamed his name.

”Rakan!”

”Break through!”

”First Warlord!”

”Reach him!”

And Rakan did reach the edge of Aurelian’s defensive range. His fist rose once more.

”Three-Limit Heaven Breaker!”

Aurelian’s eyes turned to ice.

”Crownless Divine King, Final Luminance Judgment.”

A massive divine sword of golden-white light took form above him and came crashing down before Rakan’s fist could fully release.

Boom!

The fist met the divine sword, and for a moment Rakan actually held the blade in place. His muscles bulged, blood burst from the wounds across his body, and the stage cracked further beneath him as he forced his fist upward against the Final Luminance Judgment, inch by grinding inch.

Aurelian’s face darkened.

Rakan laughed through gritted teeth. ”Your light is strong, prince, but not heavy enough.”

Aurelian raised his other hand.

”Heavenly Luminance Divine Dominion, Solar Execution Array.”

The entire divine kingdom behind him released hundreds of smaller golden-white blades. They did not strike at random. They arranged themselves into a circular array around Rakan and began cutting at him from the sides, from behind, and from above, all while the Final Luminance Judgment kept his strongest fist occupied.

Rakan wanted to move, but he could not. If he withdrew his fist, the divine sword would fall on him. If he kept resisting, the Solar Execution Array would carve him apart piece by piece. Golden-white blades struck his body one after another.

His back split open, his shoulder bled, and his arms began to tremble. Even the Third Limit of the War God Body could not shrug off so many attacks empowered by the Heavenly Luminance Divine Dominion.

Max watched the fight with narrowed eyes. Aurelian’s choice was plain to see. He had no intention of meeting Rakan fairly in close combat. He was using distance, altitude, suppression, and layered long-range attacks to deny Rakan any chance at a decisive blow.

It was not cowardice. It was simply the correct strategy. Rakan was stronger up close, Aurelian was more dangerous at range, and Aurelian was making certain the battle never left his range.

On the stage, Rakan roared one final time. The bronze light around his body surged violently, and he shattered the Final Luminance Judgment with a single desperate punch.

Crack!

The massive divine sword broke apart, but before Rakan could follow through, Aurelian’s Solar Execution Array condensed into one final spear above him.

”Crownless Divine King, Sun-Piercing Verdict.”

The spear descended. Rakan tried to raise his arms, but his body had taken too much damage under the relentless suppression. The spear crashed into his crossed guard and hammered him down into the stage.

Boom!

The central stage caved inward, and dust, light, and broken stone rose in every direction. When the glare faded, Rakan knelt inside a crater with both arms trembling and blood covering most of his body.

His War God Body still burned, but its bronze light had turned unstable. He tried to rise, only for the Heavenly Luminance Divine Dominion to press down on him again while several golden-white spears formed overhead, poised to fall if he continued.

Aurelian hovered in the air, breathing hard. His face was pale, and his aura no longer held steady. The fight against Rakan had clearly cost him a great deal, and if Rakan had reached him cleanly even once, the outcome might have been very different. But Rakan had not.

Angelina Valerius looked down at the stage. ”Rakan Thorne is unable to continue.”

Rakan clenched his teeth, and for a moment it seemed he might force himself up regardless. Then he looked at the golden-white spears above him, glanced at Aurelian, and finally laughed with open bitterness.

”Fine. I lose.”

Angelina announced the result calmly.

[Winner: Aurelian Lareth.]

[Rakan Thorne Defeated.]

The screen above the arena updated immediately.

[Battle Record Updated.]

[Aurelian Lareth]

[Total Battles Fought: 19]

[Total Wins: 18]

[Battle Record Updated.]

[Rakan Thorne]

[Total Battles Fought: 19]

[Total Wins: 17]

The Divine Realm erupted in mixed reactions. The second elven faction finally released a wave of cheering after the suffocating gloom that had followed Aurelian’s loss to Damian.

Their Divine Son had defeated the first Warlord of the War God Palace. Even if the victory had come through range and suppression rather than direct confrontation, a victory was still a victory, and in a round-robin stage every win mattered.

At the War God Palace, the disciples seethed with frustration, yet none of them could claim Rakan had fought poorly. He had charged through the Heavenly Luminance Divine Dominion, shattered countless divine spears, and broken the Final Luminance Judgment itself. He had nearly reached Aurelian more than once.

But Aurelian’s long-range attacks had been too layered, too constant, and too perfectly suited to denying Rakan the close combat battle he craved.

On the stage, Aurelian descended slowly, while Rakan struggled to his feet once the pressure lifted, his body already being stabilized by the laws of the Eternal Hourglass.

He looked at Aurelian and snorted. ”If I had landed one clean punch, you would not be standing so neatly.”

Aurelian regarded him coldly. ”But you did not.”

Rakan stared at him for a breath, and then he laughed. ”That is true.”

Aurelian offered nothing further. The transfer light descended and carried both of them back to their pillars.

Max watched Aurelian quietly. This victory had restored a measure of the Divine Son’s pride, but it had also revealed something important.

Aurelian could defeat Rakan so long as he kept his distance, suppressed the battlefield, and stacked long-range divine attacks without permitting a single clean exchange up close. Yet if Rakan had ever reached him properly, even Aurelian would have been in danger. Aurelian was strong, but he was not without weakness.

After Aurelian Lareth and Rakan Thorne returned to their pillars, the final competitive stage pressed onward, and Angelina Valerius did not slow the rhythm of the tournament.

By this point, audiences throughout the Divine Realm had already witnessed too many shocking battles, and everyone understood that showing every remaining match in full would only drag the stage out endlessly.

The records were approaching their final stretch, and the important names had begun colliding with one another more frequently.

Some battles still carried real weight, some were decided almost instantly, and some merely confirmed what many had already guessed about the gulf between the upper monsters and the rest of the top twenty-five.