Chapter 370
Leander and Daphne spent two full days along the Southern Ocean before they finally drove back to Highcliffe.
The tournament at the coast had started as a contest between the four elite families of Highcliffe’s younger generation. But when the War God Sanctum and the Arbitration Office interfered, the entire event spiraled into chaos.
Leander’s final battle had crushed eleven Transcendent Realm fighters, including two from the International Combat Units at the Burning Stage. The story spread fast. Not just Astria, but the entire world felt the shock.
The International Martial Network-a private site only open to Martial Sovereigns and above-erupted like wildfire. The site had existed since the first days of the internet. No one knew who ran it or how powerful its creators were, but everyone respected its authority. It was representative of martial artists, sorcerers, and metahumans all at once.
For years, hackers had tried to break through its system to steal data or secrets. None had ever succeeded. Most couldn’t even scratch the surface of its defenses.
Its firewall rivaled the best military systems of superpowers and maybe even surpassed them. The mystery behind it made the site feel untouchable.
That day, the public forums blew up. Posts flooded in faster than anyone could read.
“Jeff’s insane. Seven-on-one was already ridiculous, but now he took down eleven? That included ‘King of Thunder’ Ares and the swordsman Enderman! Is this guy even human p>
“No way he’s under twenty. He’s probably some freak who’s been training for a century p>
“Astria gave us the Dragon Emperor sixty years ago. Now there’s Jeff. The country’s blessed, man. He’s even scarier than the Dragon Emperor used to be. The Dragon Emperor killed four Transcendents alone. Maybe Jeff will surpass him someday.” “Surpass him? He already will. Jeff’s gonna be number one in the world p>
The forum overflowed with excitement, disbelief, and arguments.
Some praised him like a god.
Others mocked him with venom.
“So what if Jeff’s strong? He’s talented, but he needs years, even a decade, just to get stronger than Dragon Emperor. Talent doesn’t mean much when you’ve got enemies like the Arbitration Office. You think you can kill one of their elite Arbitrators and walk away alive p>
“Come on, people. We’re supposed to be martial artists, not fanboys,” someone posted. “Jeff’s strong, sure, but you guys are blowing him up like he’s invincible. Yeah, he crushed eleven Transcendent Realm fighters at the Southern Ocean, but in doing that, he made the Arbitration Office his mortal enemy. Everyone knows what they’re capable of. Even the Dragon Emperor had to flee from their Supreme Arbiters and hide in Astria for sixty years. Jeff’s got a long way to go before he reaches that level p>
Another user replied within seconds. “Don’t forget, the War God Sanctum he wiped out had ties with the Aster Communion. That’s the second strongest force after the Arbitration Office. Now he’s angered both. You think he’s gonna live long? He’s already a walking corpse p>
The forum exploded. Half the users were cheering for Leander, saying he’d tear through every obstacle until he reached the top. The rest claimed he’d signed his death warrant and would soon be buried by the powers he’d crossed.
The arguments turned ugly fast. Threads flooded the board. Posts stacked faster than anyone could read. Some users even dropped their addresses, shouting for others to come fight them face to face.
Then, right as the chaos reached its peak, the site froze for a second. A gold banner stretched across the top of the screen. Its shining letters glowed like fire.
Every home around the world went quiet.
Martial artists stopped mid-argument, fingers hovering over their keyboards, eyes fixed on the words above.
New International Combat Units!
The silence broke as millions clicked it at once. The screen changed, turning dark and old-fashioned. Twenty names appeared, ranked from first to twentieth, each with a detailed profile beside it.
Traffic on the International Martial Network went wild. The view counter shot past a billion in seconds. Then another message appeared on-screen.
“The new International Combat Units list has been officially released. Members of the martial, occult, and metahuman communities are invited to review p>
At the bottom, a single name
gleamed. Reincarnation Destroyer. The master of International Martiał Network No one new who they
were. No one had ever seen them. But their presence had ruled the
network for sixty years, and their
words carried more weight than law.
In Highcliffe, Gareth and Reginald Ashcroft sat close in front of their monitor, eyes
locked on the banner.
They clicked. The list opened.
20- Rivenstern, ‘Goldmelter.’ A Burning Stage Transcendent Realm. His body produced deadly corrosion. His hands could melt through solid steel. He once split the legendary Fallwater blade with his bare palms and fought the swordmaster Enderman for three days and nights before losing by a single strike.
19 — Shinobi Tetra-Skylark. One of Jesund’s top Jonin. Burning Stage Transcendent Realm. A master of ninjutsu who could vanish or fly at will. He once tracked three Kindling Stage Transcendent Realms for miles and killed them all in a single pursuit.
18 — Grenger Simone-Fallstein. Another Jesund Jonin. Burning Stage Transcendent Realm. Equal in strength to Skylark. He once evaded Enderman’s strongest sword strike without so much as a scratch.
They scrolled on. From twentieth to tenth, every name was an old legend they already knew.
The ninth. The sixth. No changes.
Then Reginald’s eyes froze when he reached the fifth.
5- Jeff Ashcroft. Alias: Iron Sovereign. Origin: Highcliffe Ashcroft Family. Age: 19. Realm: Unrecorded. Beneath it, the words hit like
thunder. “He rose to the peak fot
the moment he appeared. He defeated countless masters. At nineteen, he topped the Astria Power Index He clashed with t
Arbitration Office and the War God Sanctum and destroyed them both. At the battle of the Southern Ocean, he killed eleven Transcendent Realm fighters, including Ares and Enderman, both former members of the International Combat Units. His victory shook the world p>
Reginald’s breath caught. He turned to Gareth. Neither spoke.