The battlefield had not yet fallen silent.
Dust still floated in the air like drifting fog, and broken pieces of monsters were scattered across the red earth. The massive form of the Rock Fighters' Leader stood in the center of that destruction like a moving hill of stone.
His body was still enlarged, muscles swollen and hardened as if carved from mountain rock.
At his feet lay the crushed remains of the long, spear-armed creatures he had just destroyed.
The ground itself seemed exhausted.
Across the battlefield…
The old Second-Rank Master stood calmly.
His robe fluttered in the wind as though he were merely watching rain fall rather than witnessing a brutal battle.
His wrinkled fingers moved slowly.
Then he spoke quietly.
"You are stronger than I expected."
The leader lifted his club onto his shoulder.
"And you have more tricks than I expected, old man."
Their eyes met.
For a brief moment, neither moved.
Then—
The old master reached into another pouch.
