If the first twelve episodes were a super-powered sports manga, Episode 13 is where the series rips off its mask, discards the rulebook, and plunges headfirst into a mythological apocalypse. This episode is a game-changer—one that redefines the stakes, breaks the main cast, and reveals that the tournament was never more than a bloody audition for a divine war. Before diving into the finale, let’s set the stage. The protagonist, Jin Mori, a taekwondo prodigy claiming to be the strongest, had just faced his rival and friend, Han Daewi, in the semifinals of the GOH tournament. Their fight was a brutal, emotional exchange of borrowed power: Mori’s Jeabongchim (Pressure Points) vs. Daewi’s Borrowed Power: The Sage’s Wisdom (the power of the Jade Emperor).

Here, the anime delivers its most significant deviation from the source material—and arguably its most controversial. In the manhwa, Ilpyo’s backstory is drawn out. In Episode 13, MAPPA compresses it into a stunning two-minute flashback. We learn that Ilpyo is a “National Treasure” (a human experiment) created by the Korean government at Mujin’s behest. His borrowed power is not a single god but a key —a living fragment of the divine throne.

“Who… are you?” If you turned off the episode at the credits, you missed the most important scene. After the theme song, we cut to a dark room. Park Mujin, unharmed, speaks to a shadowy figure. The figure is revealed to be Commissioner O , the leader of the Nox organization. He is disappointed: the First Commandment was merely a “battery” for a greater plan.

He whispers, “The real God of High School isn’t a fighter. It’s a throne. And only one being can sit on it.”

Crunchyroll (streaming), Webtoon (original manhwa, Chapters 113-120 cover this arc’s true ending). Are you an anime-only fan confused by the ending? Or a manhwa reader who loved the adaptation? Let us know in the comments below.