Is this really a Game?!

During the intense battle between Reign and the Mysterious Swordsman, the others did not stand idle either, especially Jin, who was battling against the tonfa-wielding opponent who proved to be incredibly powerful and difficult to deal with.

The battle between Jin and the tonfa-wielding warrior had escalated to a brutal exchange of speed and power. Unlike Reign's opponent, who radiated the aura of a seasoned swordsman, Jin's adversary was a whirlwind of relentless offense and crushing blows.

The tonfa fighter moved with explosive agility, his strikes hammering down with the force of a battering ram while also being precise enough to target vital areas.

Jin's mark flared with power, enhancing his speed and reflexes. Each time the tonfas came crashing toward him, he deflected them with the back of his hands, redirecting the force just enough to avoid serious injury. His opponent, however, didn't let up. The tonfa fighter was like a storm—wild, unpredictable, and impossible to control.

"You're good, old man, but I can see the gaps in your form," the tonfa fighter taunted, his movements blurring as he closed in on Jin, launching a barrage of strikes aimed at Jin's ribs and head.

Jin didn't respond with words. His eyes narrowed as he analyzed the rhythm of the attacks. There was a distinct pattern in the tonfa fighter's movements, a slight hesitation between combinations that indicated a moment of recovery. Jin knew that if he could time it perfectly, he'd be able to break through.

The next time the tonfa came in low, aiming for his legs, Jin pivoted on his heel, letting the strike glance off his shin as he delivered a sharp elbow to the tonfa fighter's jaw. The impact sent the man staggering back, but he recovered quickly, grinning as he wiped blood from the corner of his mouth.

"Not bad! But can you keep up?" The tonfa fighter's grin widened as he activated his own mark. His muscles bulged, and a faint aura of wind surrounded his body, enhancing his speed even further. He shot forward like a bullet, his tonfas blurring as they struck out at Jin from every direction.

Jin's eyes flashed with determination. He had been holding back, trying to conserve energy for the final moments of the trial, but it was clear now that this fight required everything he had. He unleashed his mark's full power, his body radiating a crimson glow as his aura expanded.

The tonfa fighter's strikes, which had been blindingly fast, were now manageable as Jin's enhanced perception allowed him to track the movements more clearly.

His mark was a weird one as it was blurry.

Jin actually had no idea what the mark was, or what God had given it to him.

When the game started, and he was fighting against monsters in order to safely escape the dangerous areas of New York with his wife and a couple of other people, time suddenly stopped, just as it had for Shadow when Hades appeared.

But instead of a person appearing, what appeared in front of Jin was a blur. It was akin to a smudge in the space in front of him.

He could not hear the being that appeared in front of him, nor could he listen to a single word at first as a mere sound from the being had caused such immense pain to assault him that Jin had collapsed on his knees and almost passed out.

It was then that the blur spoke normally, directly in his brain, actually apologizing for talking normally as it had forgotten that it was not only his body but even his voice that could harm and even kill mortals.

Jin was in quite a precarious situation at that point, he had no way out, he saw no way to save the people who were with him, and in his mind, even if the being that had appeared was the devil himself, he was coming to sign a contract in order to get his soul in exchange for power, he would gladly do it.

He accepted the mark, and even the system couldn't tell him what it was.

[ Mark of ????????? ]

Description: Mark given to the player after he encountered ?????????????????????????????? ????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????? and managed to ?????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????? ]

The mark proved to be incredibly powerful, but also dangerous as not only could Jin not properly utilize it, but he was in danger of losing control as well.

It was only after he had met up with Reign and the others and talked to the Transcendents that more things were revealed to him.

If a being was so powerful that its form itself could actually harm a mortal, that their voice could do so much damage, then that being had to be either an Ancient God or maybe a God of the Peak or High realm that was somehow unstable.

No matter what it might be, the fact the system was seemingly hiding information, or maybe even didn't know enough about the entity, was not really good news.

It meant that the entity was either incredibly ancient and powerful, living outside of the bounds of the system, or was a new entity that was born outside of the system's domain. Whether it was good or bad, time would should.

The platform beneath them cracked and crumbled as their battle intensified. Jin's fighting style, which was typically calm and controlled, took on a more aggressive edge. He weaved through the tonfa strikes with fluid grace, countering with rapid palm strikes and kicks that targeted the man's pressure points.

The tonfa fighter, sensing that Jin's attacks were becoming more dangerous, increased the ferocity of his strikes, aiming to overwhelm Jin with sheer force.

But Jin wasn't just fighting with power—he was fighting with experience. His attacks became more calculated, every movement precise and designed to exploit the openings in the tonfa fighter's wild offense. A low sweep sent the man off balance, and Jin capitalized on it by driving a knee into his opponent's stomach, followed by a swift chop to the back of his neck.

The tonfa fighter staggered but managed to regain his footing, his eyes blazing with determination.

"You've got tricks, old man, but you're not invincible," the tonfa fighter spat, wiping sweat from his brow. He lunged forward, his tonfas spinning with deadly speed as he aimed for Jin's chest. Explore stories on empire

Jin dodged, barely, feeling the wind pressure from the strike brush past him. He retaliated with a roundhouse kick that sent the tonfa fighter skidding back. The man grinned, his eyes filled with battle lust. "Good! Let's see how long you can keep this up!"

Jin, however, was also fighting an internal battle.

His mark was different in the way it started off giving a bit of a boost, and then intensifying more and more as the battle progressed.

At the start, he had full control, but as the battle progressed, his aura grew more violent and wild, making it harder for him to control his power and attacks. That was why he wished to end the battle quickly, but he knew that would be impossible.

Meanwhile, Beast and Aelrinder were locked in their own intense battles. Beast, with his keen senses and wind manipulation, had been fighting like a man possessed. His mark was still empowering him, even in his fused state, and he was going all out, holding nothing back when fighting his new opponent, who used a longsword to fight.

Aelrinder, on the other hand, was battling against the whip wielder and a man using a pair of axes right now.

Beast, fused with Blackie, was a whirlwind of motion, his every arrow infused with wind energy that guided them toward their targets with pinpoint accuracy. His opponent, a tall man wielding a longsword, was no slouch either. The swordsman's blade glowed faintly with a golden hue as he swung it with precision, deflecting Beast's arrows in mid-air.

Despite the speed and power behind each shot, the swordsman's reflexes were sharp enough to keep him in the fight.

The battlefield was chaotic, with Beast's arrows leaving trails of wind in their wake as they curved, twisted, and doubled back, making it difficult for the swordsman to predict their path. The longsword's golden aura allowed it to cut through the wind projectiles, dissipating the force behind each shot.

But Beast wasn't just relying on his archery; he was also using Blackie's skills and abilities as well, making him even deadlier.

Each arrow was also infused with powerful black lightning that made it very difficult for the enemy to dodge or deflect the blow as the lightning would immediately harm him. He had to constantly be on the move, to constantly anticipate Beast's actions, and move ahead of time as it would be too late if he didn't do it like that.

The battle was constantly chaotic, the two moving around like phantoms, one constantly barraging the other with attacks as the latter tried to get close. But even when the opponent got close, Beast was not weak in a melee in his current state at all.