After roughly figuring out the operational functions of the [Goblet of Endless Thirst], Victor Wang moved his thoughts slightly. The Tiny Miracle's Goblet, which had previously occupied the slot of the Goblet of Eonothem, was replaced by the [Goblet of Endless Thirst]. The moment the Tiny Miracle's Goblet left the artifact space, it dissolved into a faint blue light, while the [Goblet of Endless Thirst] shone brilliantly with dark radiance, fully resonating with the black silhouette that had once held its place.
A shiver ran through Victor Wang's entire body. A light, indescribable sensation enveloped him, and at the same time, a third, extra eye on his forehead quietly closed.
"Hss—!"
He quickly pulled out a mirror, but before he could even check which eye had vanished—or whether his symmetry was ruined—an intense stab of pain struck his chest, as though something was trying to burst out from within his heart.
The anomaly hadn't stopped yet. The space before him suddenly rippled faintly, and the [Goblet of Endless Thirst] began to tremble rhythmically, stirring the seawater inside so that it swayed dangerously close to spilling—yet, miraculously, it never did.
That feeling… it was just like when [The Two Ends of Beginning and End] sensed the presence of time manipulation nearby.
Something's coming.
Before he could even blink, a familiar shadow appeared in the rippling air before him—and rapidly took form.
"Demonic Ring!"
Tall and lean, wielding a specially-made whip, the Demonic Ring appeared and immediately lashed out without warning. But Victor Wang had already anticipated this, leaping back swiftly to evade the strike.
"Yaaah! You brat! How did you destroy my spatial mark?!"
"Spatial mark…" Victor Wang froze for a second, then realized—it must've been that sharp pain in his heart earlier, when he equipped the goblet. "So, you didn't keep attacking me before because you were saving this trick, huh?"
Demonic Ring, thrown into madness by the unexpected situation, kept repeating in disbelief, "Why? Impossible! How could you do that?!"
"What's impossible? I just can." Victor Wang replied coolly. The Demonic Ring's abilities were far too flexible; under normal circumstances, there was no real chance to kill him. But now, Victor Wang was no longer the same as before—relying on the [Goblet of Endless Thirst]'s ability to stabilize his personal space, before the Demonic Ring could even realize what was happening...
Whoosh!
The sound of the air being torn apart echoed sharply as Victor Wang's body turned into a flash of lightning, the tip of his Wentian Sword aiming straight for Demonic Ring's right hand—the one wearing the ring.
The Demonic Ring reacted a fraction of a second late but compensated with teleportation, his instant movement surpassing physical limits. Twisting his body sideways to dodge the blade's thrust, he swung his whip toward Victor Wang. The three-meter whip coiled and spread like a massive net. With Victor's speed, there was no room left to dodge—
Facing the Demonic Ring alone meant certain death if one was dragged into the Eternal Fall Illusion, and since the whip was an extension of the Demonic Ring himself, even a single touch meant the battle was over.
That was what the Demonic Ring believed. Thus, Victor Wang crashed right into the whip. His momentum made it impossible to stop immediately, his body still hurtling toward the Demonic Ring—then the Wentian Sword twisted from a direct thrust into a reversed slash, grazing the Demonic Ring's left arm, sliding across his waist, and cutting toward his right.
Demonic Ring had been cautious. Though shocked, he bent backward sharply, pulling his torso away just in time.
Victor Wang didn't have time to be surprised either. His body was entangled by the whip—breaking free would take time—but the Wentian Sword was still outside the coils. With a thought, he caused the wall behind the Demonic Ring to jut outward violently, ramming straight toward the Demonic Ring's bent figure, forcing his body toward the waiting sword tip.
The Demonic Ring, caught off guard, tightened the whip, trying to teleport them both away. He managed to teleport himself—but Victor Wang remained behind, effectively freeing himself.
After that fierce exchange, the two again faced each other from a distance.
"I thought you'd make the same mistake as Isshin did. Or did his death make you smarter?" Victor Wang taunted. The Demonic Ring's slippery nature made him hard to pin down—even if Victor Wang no longer feared him, landing a hit was still uncertain. All he could do was provoke him, praying the Demonic Ring wouldn't just flee.
"Hmph! So, you really do hold high-level spatial authority…" The Demonic Ring scanned the area with a calculating look. "You must've just acquired it recently. Did it happen here?"
"Why would I tell you?" Victor Wang snapped, though unease crept into his voice. How do you actually attack something that can teleport at will?
The Demonic Ring stayed silent, his eyes cold and focused, watching Victor Wang like a predator. Then, he teleported in place once—testing something.
"Hey," Victor Wang said, "you tell me what you did with Isshin's corpse, and I'll tell you where my authority came from."
The Demonic Ring gave him a look that could only mean idiot.
"It couldn't possibly revive, right? No way it's one of those cheap dramatic resurrections, right?"
The Demonic Ring ignored him, teleporting again, only to sigh in frustration afterward.
Running out of ideas, Victor Wang clenched his jaw in frustration. Remembering how using teleport anchors caused him severe backlash made him even angrier.
Damn it… why does this broken ability have no real limits?!
Wait—what if he trapped this thing inside the Inner Realm? Would Demonic Ring still be able to escape?
The idea struck him suddenly. Raising the [Goblet of Endless Thirst], Victor Wang shouted, "Demonic Ring! I'll call you three times—dare you answer?!"
"You're insane."
"...I knew you wouldn't dare, coward. I'll spare you this time, but next time you show your face before me—that will be your death!" Victor Wang hissed through his teeth. "Now crawl away like the rat you are—but remember this for the rest of your miserable life: the only reason you're breathing is because I let you!"
That line hit its mark perfectly. The Demonic Ring's face twisted with fury, his hatred boiling over—he wanted nothing more than to tear Victor Wang to shreds.
Having lost his ability to drag Victor into the Eternal Fall Illusion and his power to shift Victor through space, the Demonic Ring was left with only his personal teleportation. But he wasn't helpless—he flashed forward, appearing behind Victor Wang, his whip snapping toward Victor's neck.
But Victor Wang already knew that was the Demonic Ring's only move left. There was no way he'd leave himself open again. The moment he saw the Demonic Ring vanish; a Jade Shield flared to life around him.
The Demonic Ring tried his old trick—threads from the whip fragmented and teleported through the shield—but another Jade Shield shimmered into existence around Victor's body. No one ever said he could only have one. The whip threads collided with the barriers, beginning to lose strength, when Victor Wang twisted his body and slammed a pyro-infused Erosion Blast toward him. Chains of stone erupted from the ceiling and floor, encircling Demonic Ring.
The Demonic Ring's eyes glowed with rage. The ring on his finger flickered with a strange infinity symbol—though on closer look, it was more like a Möbius strip. Strange energy surged through it, and the whip's weakened threads suddenly tightened again, shimmering with unstable power.
Victor Wang's hair stood on end, an instinctive chill shooting through him—it felt as though those threads were trying to teleport directly into his body. The [Goblet of Endless Thirst] spun faster than ever, straining to counteract the disturbance.
Finally, the chains caught the Demonic Ring—but before the Erosion Blast could land, he teleported away with ease, and the threads instantly lost all power.
Unwilling to admit defeat, the Demonic Ring tossed aside his whip and reached toward Victor Wang with both hands.
This time, Victor Wang clearly felt it—the air around him tightening like invisible hands, gripping the outer layer of his Jade Shield. The shield trembled, warping and distorting, not shattering but being eaten away by some spatial force. As it was squeezed closer to his body, the [Goblet of Endless Thirst] flared again, restoring stability.
"Why?!"
The Demonic Ring roared furiously, crossing his arms and slamming them down. The walls of the corridor buckled, massive slabs pulled loose by invisible force and smashed together toward Victor Wang.
When the smoke cleared, Victor Wang stood unharmed beneath his Jade Shield—but the Demonic Ring was gone.
"The power to directly manipulate space, huh… Phew. Without this goblet, that really would've been terrifying."