It took Shang a while to calm down, but there was still a certain feeling of emptiness and regret inside of him.
Yet, this was what he had chosen.
For his goal, any kind of sacrifice was worth it.
Surprisingly, no new opponent had appeared in the last couple of minutes, even though Shang had already "won" against his previous one.
Shang slowly stood up and gripped Sword tightly.
Even if everything else vanished, Sword would be with him until the end.
The two of them didn't need to exchange words to make their feelings known.
"Took you guys long enough," the jester said with a grin.
Shang didn't look over.
"How long have we been training?"
The jester's grin widened.
"Five years."
Silence.
Five years.
They had been training for five full years.
That was so long!
For a second, Shang couldn't believe what he had just heard, but then he remembered how endlessly time had dragged on.