Atticus had buried every single feeling that wouldn't help with ending the existence of Cerron deep down inside him.

He knew it was wrong. It was only an insult, one that wouldn't really justify ending the life of a person, but Atticus didn't care. He had never really been the moral high-type of person.

Cerron had insulted his mother, and he wanted him dead. That was all there was to it.

But unfortunately, he was too weak to decide something like that. He couldn't ever dream of facing a grandmaster rank, not with his current power.

The powerful make the rules.

Atticus knew and believed in that phrase, which was why he hadn't said anything when Dekai had stopped him from killing Cerron. It wasn't his place to; he was weak.

Regardless, he would never let it slide. It wasn't in his nature.

Atticus suddenly raised his arm, and his construct responded in kind.

Its faceless head turned toward Cerron with unsettling speed.

Cerron appeared to have come out of his shock, both his arms pointed forward as he tried his best to create another construct from scratch.

But would Atticus allow that?

Atticus's construct exploded forward and covered the distance between them. Its arms rose, and the katana exploded, transforming into a massive, thick hammer raised skyward.

It descended like a meteor, hurtling with unstoppable force.

"W-wait no!"

The hammer smashed into Cerron's surprised figure like a thunderclap. The impact was cataclysmic, sending shockwaves through the ground.

But it was far from over.

The hammer ascended and descended once more, another intense shockwave spreading.

And then again, and again, and again.

Atticus was relentless. His gaze maintained its cold look as his arm ascended and descended continuously, controlling his construct.

The screams of Cerron were drowned by each cataclysmic impact of the massive hammer.

Fire might be formless and its weight negligible, but the construct made with true fire was different. It might not be as heavy as the true thing, but its weight could not be taken lightly, especially considering the force it was being slammed with.

But the impact was far from being Cerron's only problem. The bodies of master+ ranks were superhuman. They could heal from even the most dangerous of injuries, and although Cerron was getting smashed brutally, he was healing at a fast rate. But this was what made it hell.

The temperature was searing.

Atticus had discovered after learning about molecules in the first summit that not even Dekai could change the temperature of a body directly. It had all been with the use of molecules!

They had the ability to control fire and had a certain amount of resistance to it, but at the end of the day, their body was not fire!

The temperature of the flaming ground of the fourth summit was above seven thousand degrees Celsius.

To step on it, they had to control the molecules around their feet. This had been what Atticus had been doing for the past three days, and if he wanted it, he could make it hotter!

Currently, the molecules of Atticus's construct, especially the hammer, were a staggering nine thousand degrees Celsius, and due to the force with which Atticus was slamming it, even if Cerron could control the molecules around him, he could not do so now.

This simply meant that his body was being crushed by a massive nine thousand-degree Celsius hammer.

The heat was searing.

The sound and smell of sizzling meat permeated the space, but Atticus showed no signs of stopping.

The sheer power of the blows had left a crater on the sturdy ground of the summit, each impact sending a wave of heat through the air.

Duran's eyes were wide open. 'Am I seeing things, or is this reality?'

He refused to believe what he was seeing was real. Everything had been crazy! Since when could they instantly split and rejoin constructs? Was it even possible in the first place!

'Where is all this skill coming from? I watched all his battles with that bitch, was he holding back?'

Duran shot Joana a subtle stare, who was currently clenching her fist while staring at Atticus with a narrowed gaze.

'If he's this talented, father would not like this,' a dangerous glint passed through Duran's gaze for a second before reverting back to normal.

The relentless slamming continued until Dekai suddenly appeared above the summit.

"That's enough," his voice boomed.

The hammer that was about to hit Cerron abruptly stopped midair, and Atticus's construct backed off and stood in front of Atticus.

'Oh,' Dekai mused. He had been expecting that he would have to step up, but it seemed as though Atticus was in complete control over his emotions.

'How is he the son of that man?'

Dekai cleared his head and focused his eyes on the large crater and Cerron, who was deeply lodged inside it.

The crater was filled with blackened blood, and in the middle of it was Cerron. The clothes of the sanctum were made to withstand even the hottest of the sanctum's heat, but unfortunately, Cerron's body wasn't made that way.

His whole skin had been burned, leaving his muscles and internal parts on display. There were clothes glued firmly to his healing body, and his whole body continuously sizzled as it cooked. His eyes weren't open; he had long since lost consciousness. The pain he felt could not be imagined.

Dekai motioned for one of the instructors, and he immediately appeared inside the crater and descended with Cerron.

And then, Dekai turned towards Atticus.

The fourth summit became eerily quiet. The shock they were all feeling was intense.

Dekai broke the silence,

"The winner of this battle is Atticus Ravenstein. Any objections?"

No one said anything. Should there be any objections in the first place?

Dekai was trying hard not to smile, but the excitement he was feeling was too great. A small smile appeared on his face as he continued talking,

"Good. Atticus Ravenstein, are you ready to take the test of the fourth summit?"

'Your last test,' Dekai added inwardly.

Atticus immediately nodded. The cold aura around his body had dimmed significantly, but he felt like it would be better if Cerron was dead.

Staying here was making him remember Cerron. There was no need to waste any more time here again.

'This boy,'

Dekai smiled widely, his heart beating fast.

His once weightless figure in the air seemed to become heavy as he descended and landed on the burning summit floor with force.

The flames of the burning ground around him instantly got snuffed out. The temperature spiked, a sudden heat wave spreading out.

The butt of Dekai's staff hit the ground with force, the air around him igniting.

Dekai's voice boomed,

"Let us begin."