I regressed and became the Sword Ice King

Raph's gaze had been fixed on something else since he came down to the Arena floor with the rest of the participants. In fact, he found his heart beating rapidly, something he wasn't even aware of. His attention had been so fixed that he didn't realize the situation occurring before him.

"Are you thinking of running again?" Jang asked, his words full of spite and annoyance, while Darell chuckled awkwardly at his remark.

His injuries, sadly, had not healed as much as he needed them to be in perfect condition, and even if they were, there was no way he would face off against such monsters.

'You think I want to have a death wish?' He thought in his head as Michaelo excused him with a wave of his hand. It wasn't unexpected, but Darell chose to forfeit once again. A smart move, to be honest, as the final bout was going to be one against two. Something like a three-way battle? Okay, let's not call it that. A battle of three people.

Michaelo glanced at Jang and then at his son, a small smile playing on his lips. He may have had something to do with this current situation, but it wasn't like he was going to let the chance slip when it presented itself. And he decided not to let his son know either; let's just say it was going to be a pleasant surprise.

'My deepest condolences, Jang Kang Lin'. He thought, raising his hand in the air. Tension hung in the air in an instant as everyone came to a halt, a chilling silence suffusing the Arena. 'Oh…amusing'. Michaelo thought with a chuckle. It wasn't just the audience that seemed quiet, but the Patriarch stands as well.
Stay connected through empire

Everyone seemed eager to find out how this last bout would end. They all stayed till the last day, every family, their Patriarchs, as well as their kids. It was a good opportunity to observe just how powerful they were.

"Ready!!!" His voice echoed within the Arena, loud and mighty, like the battle cry of a veteran general, scattering the air with its might. The tension only raised, most of the audience itching to say the final word before the match began, waiting in earnest for Michaelo to bring down his hand. And finally, after what seemed like three seconds, he did.

"FIGHT!!!".

He vanished in an instant, leaving the two participants to their fate.

Jang folded his hands, his gaze fixed on Raph. Well, when had it not been?

"What do you think you're doing, Raffaelo Jun?" He asked, his condescending tone palpable. Raph snapped out of his thoughts, a vague smirk playing on his lips as he asked.

"Hey Jang, is it just me, or is the king pretty late?" Jang raised an eyebrow.

"What do you mean? He had urgent business concerning the Slave Trading issue and needed to secure some locations….He wouldn't waste time watching a match with a predestined end". His answer was a summary of the series of events that had occurred the previous day.

The King and the prince had to leave for official duties after the news of slave trading reached his ears. It was news to him to find out something so outrageous had been going on in his own backyard, and he had an inkling of an idea who was involved with such atrocious acts. He didn't care much, but he needed to put up this much pretense if he wanted to appease three out of the great twelve.

It was a small matter anyway, and he already expected the results, though he had his doubts.

Raph's eyes sparkled from within. "So, you're saying the King is gone?" He asked, his body tensing up. Jang noticed his reaction but chose to ignore it; it could be a distraction. He would win anyway.

"Yes".

"Ha…".

'Resonance'.

Something snapped within Raph, and a blue aura shot out of his body with great might. His aura stars began to vibrate within their place at an astounding rate, surging large bits of aura into Raph in a continuous, astounding flow.

His mana circle didn't slow down in action either, assisting the stars as it spun around each other, absorbing mana from the air and imbuing it into the stars in an instantaneous motion. The force and blast of his aura were so strong, so surprising, and so unexpected that it took Jang into a state of shock, as he formed a dome of ki to block the blast.

His eyes bulged wide in shock, observing how the aura began to pulsate in the air, blasting further and around, pushing him backward.

'What? What is going on?' His mind raced with questions, questions that he could never get immediate responses to. The aura suddenly regressed back to its owner, infusing itself into Raph's body, but the effect of the propulsion of wind never left. Striking the walls of the Arena and nearly shaking it to its foundation.

"Just his aura?" This was more than the number of questions that ran through their minds. It was mind-boggling that such a powerful aura could have been accumulated, not to talk of it being stored back. How was this possible for a fifteen-year-old?

"Ha! Ha! Ha!" Raph's emotions flooded his mind in an avalanche. It was more than just relief; he had so much aura stored within that it was difficult not to release it now. All of his initial plans meant nothing, and every single hard work he built to suppress himself was set loose in a swift motion. It seemed like the presence of the King was much more than a burden than he had realized.

He wasn't even supposed to be here in the first place. In his past life, the King never intervened, but he decided to do so this time? It was obvious he plotted something. It was only a matter of time that the King would come for him, but he would look for ways to continuously prolong it…until he felt the time was good enough.

"Jang Kang Lin! I hope you're ready!" His voice sent a powerful aura around the Arena, causing the ground to vibrate as craters sprang up due to the force. He took a step, and his body blasted forward without a hint of warning, leaving a trail of aura in its wake.

Though he was expending himself, he knew how much pain he would be in for a couple of days after this…but it was a sure way of obtaining instant victory, and it was a rational reason why he didn't use such a technique from the beginning.

Of course, the backlash reduced with each star he formed, but for now, it was strong enough to leave him bedridden for a few days…or at least that's what he thought. He had five years to train after all; he had the time to master all sorts of things from his previous and present life. There was no amount of resources he couldn't obtain as well; how could he not be this strong?

Jang was taken aback when his dome of ki was shattered as Raph appeared before his very eyes, his right fist swinging down for a punch.

"Shit". He muttered, forcing his ki to spread throughout his body as he maneuvered backwards, before the punch could hit. A wave of aura shot out due to the impact in the air, and the blow pushed him even more, slamming against a crater before he stopped himself from moving any further.

"Hah?! Have you been deceiving us? Raffaelo Jun!" Jang's voice was a mix of annoyance and rage as he walked out of the debris, seemingly untouched. This was nice. Yes. It was really nice.

"Now, I can go all out!". His body vibrated with his ki as it shot out, stamping his foot on the ground in an attempt to charge.

But Raph had not even given him time, appearing as his sword sliced through the air, a crippling sound echoing in the air, as ice formed in its wake. Jang curved his body backwards, bending over, and his back muscles snapped tenaciously at him, as the sword sliced past him in the air.

SCREEE…..

An aura of ice shot out from his blade and sliced everything in its path up until the walls and cracked the dome that protected the Stands, and everything it touched was corroded by crawling ice.

At that moment, another dome formed, stronger and sturdier than the last. A cold breath exuded from Raph's mouth, his lips turning blue ever so slightly. "Everything is ice". Jang found himself in a complicated situation, as he walked past the sword, stood up properly, and jumped in the air, swinging his fist at Raph.

"Imperial Mystic Kang Arts! Flames O'Kneel". His yang energy surged within as a fiery dragon awakened around his fist, suffusing it with a boiling aura, and his eyes ignited with crimson fury.

Raph rotated his body instantly, swinging his sword across the air, spreading a shroud of frost. "Snow Seracs". Fist collided with blade, and the air pulsated with the life of fire and ice, colliding in a symphony before exploding with a sonic boom.

This was just the beginning.