The chapter begins with Rin, Selena, Karl, the King, and Lloyd heading out to battle. Meanwhile, Zen and Kargalan have already arrived at the border, where four rows of soldiers are stationed, each carrying their belongings on their horses. The border is a wilderness area, and by chance, they come across a familiar face.

Zen furrows his brows and thinks: *"Doesn’t this person resemble the man that guard drew? No, it’s definitely him!"*  

He exchanges glances with Kargalan and whispers: *"Get ready, we’ll capture the third person in the first row."*  

The two dismount their horses, and Zen approaches the man to distract him while noticing his nervousness. Suddenly, Kargalan grabs the man from behind and ties him up with a luggage rope. A guard approaches to intervene, but Zen and Kargalan escape with the man on two horses, heading toward the palace.  

They reach the palace and find the palace guards. Zen quickly and urgently asks: *"You two guards, is everyone still here?"*  

The guards reply: *"No, they’ve headed to the southern hall."*  

Zen says: *"One of you, ride with us to guide us. We have something important."*  

One of the guards mounts the horse with Kargalan, while Zen rides with the captive, and they head toward the hall.

---

### In the Southern Hall:

Karl contacts the barracks and instructs the person on the other end: *"Inform Soldier Johan from Class B to come to the training hall in the southern part of the kingdom."*  

The call ends, and everyone finds themselves inside the spacious training hall, which features a large steel arena designed to withstand the force of pulse energy during training sessions.  

Rin enters the hall wearing his casual clothes. Karl tells him to change: *"Hey, go to the changing room. There are plenty of combat suits there."*  

Rin smiles coldly: *"No need, I’m comfortable like this."*  

Karl thinks to himself: *"Can he really fight in those clothes?"*

---

Johan, the Class B soldier, enters. He stands between 186 and 190 cm tall, with well-defined but not overly exaggerated muscles. His hair is shaved, and he has a light beard. He bows respectfully and greets everyone.  

The King says: *"You’ve arrived quickly."*  

Johan replies: *"Why have you called me here, Sir Karl? Also, I’ve seen this person’s face on wanted posters, but his poster was removed, wasn’t it?"*  

Karl responds: *"Yes, and now, without further ado, this is Rin Kageiro. Your opponent today. The King wants to recruit him and test his strength, so I called you. Don’t disappoint me, Johan."*  

Johan smiles confidently: *"It’s an honor."*

The King ascends to the upper seats with Karl, Selena, and Lloyd to watch the fight. Johan finishes warming up and looks at Rin with disdain: *"Aren’t you going to wear a suit? If I hit you while you’re wearing nothing, you might die."*  

Rin feels annoyed internally: *"He’s the type that irritates me. I’m afraid I might not stick to the plan because of his arrogance."*  

Johan provokes him: *"Come on, little one!"*

---

Johan charges at Rin with incredible speed, his pulse energy glowing around his fist. He throws a powerful punch toward Rin’s chest, but Rin dodges it skillfully with a quick sidestep. Johan’s fist strikes the ground, causing a small crack in the steel.  

Rin thinks: *"His strength is immense, but he relies entirely on pulse energy. If he keeps this up, he’ll run out of energy soon."*

Johan raises his leg and delivers a spinning kick enhanced by pulse energy. The air around his leg vibrates from the force. Rin jumps back, feeling the shockwave hit his face.  

Karl whispers to the King: *"Rin is dodging every attack effortlessly, but he’s not countering."*  

The King replies: *"Let’s wait and see."*

Johan wields a heavy axe and begins delivering rapid, consecutive strikes. Each strike causes the ground to tremble. Rin evades the attacks with small, precise steps and uses his sword to block the final strikes.  

Johan shouts: *"Are you going to run the whole time?!"*  

Rin smiles coldly: *"No need to rush."*

Johan charges again, this time even faster. He raises his axe above his head and delivers a powerful strike toward Rin. Rin seizes the moment, throws his sword aside, and leaps toward Johan. In a flash, Rin strikes Johan’s neck with his fingertips, targeting a sensitive pressure point.  

Johan suddenly freezes, clutching his neck, unable to breathe. Rin takes advantage of the opportunity and delivers a series of strikes with the back of his sword until Johan collapses to the ground.

---

Rin takes a deep breath and thinks: *"I succeeded without using pulse energy. It was easy."*  

Everyone in the hall is stunned, including the King, Karl, and Selena.  

Karl whispers: *"He defeated him without using pulse energy... that’s impossible."*  

Meanwhile, Zen and Kargalan arrive at the hall with the guard and the captive. They enter to find Rin standing next to Johan, who has fallen to the ground, while everyone watches in stunned silence.

 

THE END

T.B.C