Even though he was confident in his body's durability, Richard's instincts told him that the Giant Demon's punch was extremely dangerous.

At the very least, he would suffer.

Naturally, he didn't want to be the first one hit.

Swish!

Richard sent an extremely thick wave toward that massive hand.

It was the strongest wave he had ever unleashed, powerful enough to bend space with its push.

BOOM!

The result was the opposite of what people expected.

That hand couldn't strike Richard—rather, it was the one struck violently by the wave.

It was pushed back toward the Giant Demon, who momentarily lost control of his own arm.

The only thing that stopped the arm was the chain binding it. Even then, the chain shook violently.

The spectators gasped, not expecting a wave attack to be that strong.

"That guy is really powerful," someone muttered.

"No doubt about it. But who is he actually?"

"We'll definitely find out later!"

"..."

The Giant Demon—an intelligent creature despite its savagery—was clearly shocked.

Its large eye narrowed slightly.

Meanwhile, Richard observed its defense, realizing that despite the heavy blow, the Giant Demon's hand showed no signs of injury.

Not even a scratch. He doubted a single hair had been loosened.

ROAR!

Suddenly, the Giant Demon roared at Richard.

Its roar wasn't just a roar. It wasn't only loud—it shook the soul.

Several weaker spectators fainted on the spot, some vomiting blood.

But for Richard… it made him want to laugh.

Was this Giant Demon trying to challenge him in a contest of roars?

Well, that was perfect.

As Richard smiled, a shadowy black dragon clad in shadow armor appeared behind him, its cold red eyes gleaming.

It had changed compared to the last time. Golden lines ran across its pitch-black body.

This was Richard's soul form, manifesting because of his desire to roar.

Richard opened his mouth, and the dragon's mouth opened as well.

Even though it was only a shadow, its appearance left the spectators stunned.

More importantly, it grew rapidly in size.

ROAAAAR!

A devastating roar erupted from Richard and the dragon, causing every spectator to stagger as space trembled uncontrollably.

It was the most intimidating roar they had ever heard.

Even World Realm Magi—some of them—could barely keep their eyes open, nearly fainting.

Despite being indoors, the roar felt like it summoned a raging storm.

The Giant Demon—said to be extremely powerful—was pushed back, nearly falling, saved only by the chains binding it.

Its crimson eye dimmed until it was nearly black again.

It was clearly intimidated.

Richard, who had been standing on the floor, began floating toward the Giant Demon, sensing this was the perfect moment to unleash a fatal strike.

He realized he was simply too strong.

He might even be able to kill the Giant Demon easily.

Black lines appeared across Richard's body as an overwhelming aura burst forth.

He became stronger as he activated the hidden power of his Black Heart.

Then he unleashed a Mind Attack on the Giant Demon, shaking it again until its eye completely lost its glow, though it remained conscious—barely—its eye returning fully black.

Even when it stood upright afterward, that was only because it was stunned.

It was trembling uncontrollably.

Richard's small dagger—glass-like in appearance—materialized in his hand, beginning to absorb his power.

He had used the Ignis Volt Core laser too many times in the war between the two kingdoms.

For now, he was more curious about the dagger's power—a Tier 6 Weapon.

As a blade, it could merge with elements to attack. Fire, lightning, and darkness wrapped around the dagger.

The blade fused them perfectly, forming a new sharpness.

Richard slashed the dagger with full power, aiming for the Giant Demon's neck.

This could be a strike beyond even Grimoire Realm level—could the Giant Demon's neck withstand it?

Richard doubted it.

Whoosh!

The slash was long yet extremely thin.

Space itself tore apart in its wake.

Even more shocking—the temple's roof split open despite the slash not even reaching it directly.

Sunlight poured in, illuminating the cell.

The shockwave from the slash even cut the bodies of spectators behind him.

Realizing the danger, they were forced to retreat.

This was not something they could watch from up close.

When the slash hit the Giant Demon's neck, it was severed cleanly.

Explosions of fire, lightning, and darkness erupted upward, obliterating the Giant Demon's head completely.

"Hmm…" Richard smiled widely.

At the very least, if the Giant Demon's head was destroyed, it was definitely dead.

So this… this was what people called difficult?

What a ridiculous joke.

BANG!

The Giant Demon's body collapsed heavily.

Apparently, the chains binding it shattered when it died—a sign of the challenger's victory.

Richard withdrew his aura and closed his eyes for a moment, taking a deep breath.

It was exhausting, of course, because he had maximized every last bit of the power he unleashed.

"So fast…"

People stared, wide-eyed and speechless.

"I've seen four people kill the Giant Demon, and every one of them fought a long battle," an old man murmured.

"This one isn't just strong."

"That's right… I know the Giant Demon weakened when it attacked."

"Such a terrifying method. Wait, isn't there someone known for a method like that?"

"Yes—Richard, the prodigy from the Holy Star Kingdom."

"Wait… is this man that Richard?"

"Looks like it. No way anyone else is this terrifying."

"..."

Whoosh!

A streak of light shot out from the depths of the cell, racing straight toward Richard.

Inside it was a ring.

It landed neatly in Richard's hand.

He looked inside and found fifty gemstones, each large, nearly the size of a human head.

They gave off no glow, yet they carried a sense of hidden, mysterious power.

"Are these the Boundless Gems?" Richard hadn't even checked the ring he got from John yet, so this was his first time seeing one.

After that, Richard turned around and stepped out of the cell, seeing the gazes directed at him were more than just astonishment.

He could hear the conversations of several people who had already guessed that he was Richard.

It wasn't something he cared about. He headed back toward Grace.

Gray and Elise, though top-level geniuses, were still utterly shocked.

However, what caught Richard's attention was that even Grace seemed as if she was seeing him in a new light.

She clearly hadn't expected his strength to reach this level.

"How about we take a walk?" Richard said to them.

"Sure!" Elise was the first to answer, causing Grace to look slightly irritated.

Then Grace suddenly grabbed Richard's hand.

"Follow me," she said before stepping away.

Elise looked as if she wanted to follow, but Gray quickly grabbed her hand to stop her.

"Elise, they have things to discuss," Gray said.

He wasn't helping Richard and Grace — he simply didn't want Elise clinging too closely to Richard.

Grace didn't take Richard to any specific place. She merely pulled him along at random before releasing his hand once they were far enough away.

Knowing what she was thinking, Richard chose not to comment.

He pretended to examine the temple.

Of course, the challenges inside this temple weren't limited to defeating the Giant Demon.

There were many other trials with various difficulty levels.

However, none of the rewards were as great as killing the Giant Demon.

Only killing the Giant Demon granted a massive reward. The others, even the hardest one, only gave 15 Boundless Gems.

Richard was too lazy to try them. However, Grace attempted the second most difficult challenge — killing a bird known for its incredible speed yet also possessing high defense.

Even most geniuses couldn't complete it.

Grace succeeded and received 15 Boundless Gems, which she also handed to Richard.

Richard truly couldn't understand her way of thinking.

He could only accept them because she forced him to take them.

Just like that, he already had 215 Boundless Gems — a huge amount for most people, enough to train and construct a Grimoire without failure.

As they walked deeper into the temple, Richard eventually forgot the exit.

It really felt like a labyrinth.

Still, he remained calm and unworried, since many other people were around, aside from the members of the Boundless Temple.

Interestingly, there was a massive corridor lined with many statues sitting on both sides.

Richard knew they weren't statues — they were humans, or rather corpses turned into stone.

Since they wore temple robes, they were clearly members of the temple.

From the conversations around him, Richard learned that they were long-dead members.

But they weren't truly dead. Their consciousness still existed in the Hidden World of the Boundless Temple.

Richard noticed several people sitting before some of the statues.

They placed their hands on the statues' shoulders, as if trying to connect.

It seemed they were descendants of those statues.

"What are they doing?" Richard asked Grace.

"They're supposed to be meeting their ancestors and seeking their help."

"Seeking help for their declining clans?" Richard guessed, though he said it jokingly.

Grace nodded.

"Ridiculous," Richard said.

"They might get lucky if their ancestors were extremely powerful," Grace replied.

Grace continued walking and told Richard that some statues were of figures famous in ancient times.

The corridor was incredibly long. The farther they went, the wider it became.

And before long, Richard saw the end of the corridor — where an enormous chamber awaited.

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