How could this pathway be accessible only to sovereign-grade fighters? Timothy and Elisa were distraught. Timothy, always considered a prodigy, was devastated by his failure to meet the minimum requirement.

"If Timothy can't try, how can Dustin? What's going on? Don't tell me he's a sovereign-grade fighter!" Elisa exclaimed angrily.

At her words, Timothy froze. Elisa, realizing her slip, stiffened as well. They stared at Dustin in disbelief. Could he be a sovereign-grade fighter?

Elisa's understanding of martial arts rankings was limited; she knew only that sovereign-grade fighters possessed immense power. Despite witnessing Dustin's fights—most ending in a single strike—she'd never considered his true strength. The swiftness of his victories had masked his actual power.

Only now did the truth dawn on Elisa: Dustin was indeed a sovereign-grade fighter. Until this moment, he had been nothing but a perceived burden to the Wyatt sisters. The shock of this revelation overwhelmed her.

"How could it be?" she gasped, unable to accept the reality.

Timothy's expression, in contrast, was grim. A rising young talent of the Bones family, renowned throughout Central Harbor's martial world, he couldn't comprehend being outmatched by a "country bumpkin." Rivenesco, a small city, felt insignificant to him. This blow to his pride ignited his rage.

"Kid, this pathway is perilous," Howard cautioned Dustin. "If you're not careful, you'll die. Are you sure you want to try?" Dustin nodded without hesitation.

"It's dangerous for any grade of fighter," Howard continued, "but with sufficient talent and awareness, reaching the end is possible. It's all down to your skill."

"Go ahead," Howard said with a smile, sensing Dustin's hidden potential.

Dustin prepared to step onto the pathway.

"Wait!" Timothy interrupted, his voice low and menacing. "Who says only sovereign-grade fighters can traverse this pathway? If he can do it, so can I! I refuse to believe this. Today, I, a ninth-grade fighter, will prove them wrong!"

He stepped forward, convinced his talent and awareness surpassed Dustin's, despite the grade difference. He believed himself superior in every other aspect.

"I am Timothy Bones!" he declared, striding onto the pathway.

But the moment he stepped through, his face froze. A terrifying force permeated the pathway, hindering his movement. The knife marks on the walls seemed to come alive, a phantom blade slashing down.

He couldn't dodge. The attack was too swift and brutal.

Timothy's eyes widened as he struggled to react, his legs leaden, his body immobile. Sweat broke out as he helplessly watched the "knife" descend. The grim shadow of death enveloped him.

Timothy coughed up blood, his body hurled from the pathway to crumple on the ground, his face deathly pale.

"Timothy!" Elisa cried, rushing to his side. She couldn't understand what had flung him back, injuring him with a single step. His ghastly appearance forced her to shake him vigorously to elicit a response.