"You're calling the cops? What, you think I'm scared? Go ahead, do it!"Queenie realized these people couldn't be reasoned with. Furious, she was about to call the cops, but another dojo member charged ahead and snatched her phone.That stoked her rage even more. "Give me back my phone!"The man sneered. "You want it? Come get it."And then Nox stepped in. "You have three seconds. Give her back the phone, or else," he said icily.The man who took Queenie's phone chuckled. "Who the hell are you, punk? You think you're a hero or something?"Nox ignored them. "One."The man in the dojo uniform burst into laughter. "Oh, so you're trying to be a hero? Fine, let's see what you've got.""Two."Even when Nox was giving them a warning, the man remained smiling."Three."And the last warning was given. The man was about to mock Nox, but he was too slow. Nox had attacked. He raised his hand and swung it down as fast as lightning. The slap landed squarely on the man's face, and he screa
Faeast was a nation of warriors. After the Battle of the Ten Nations, the people put a lot of their efforts into training. Ancient martial arts took the nation by storm.In Riverton alone, there were nearly twenty dojos, and practitioners numbered a few hundred thousand. These people before them were disciples from Thunder Dojo.They had been training for years, yet they were no match for Nox. In the end, the disciples picked up their unconscious companions and drove away like defeated beasts. Nox saw them off and handed the phone back to Queenie.Queenie took it from him and stared at Nox, feeling warm inside."Oh no, oh no. Why'd you beat them up, Greenshade? They're from Thunder Dojo!" George roared."What are you saying, Dad? He helped us out back there. You can't yell at Nono," Queenie argued. She didn't like how her father was being all jumpy."What do you know? That's Thunder Dojo's guys. Those fighters are no joke. Last year, the head of a commerce chamber crossed a fight
With the encouragement of that speech, the disciples worked harder in their training."Warriors first temper their skin, bones, and tendons. Then our blood and flesh, and finally, we cultivate our inner energy. Only when you have started gaining inner energy can you call yourself a warrior," continued Timothy."Master, are there any more realms above warrior?" a novice asked curiously.Timothy smiled. "After warrior comes Combatant. Combatants can be divided into three further categories based on their progress: Beginner, Intermediate, and Advanced. But even a Beginner Combatant can crush boulders and possess strength beyond imagination."He added, "Advanced Combatants can scale walls, leap across roofs, and turn a simple leaf into a deadly weapon."Timothy raised his right hand and pushed it down on the stone table before him. A thud graced the air, and the table cracked from the center."Awesome, Master!""You're incredible, Master!"The disciples whooped and cheered for thei
The disciples were already back at training, but then a commotion happened outside. Timothy frowned. "What's going on? Why the commotion?"A disciple quickly came in. "Master, it's Bosco. He and some of our disciples got beaten up."Timothy's face fell, and then he saw a few disciples bringing in a group of bruised men. They were none other than Bosco and his friends. Nox kicked their arses.They knelt before their master. "Master, you have to help us."Timothy looked at them and icily said, "You useless wretches. I told you to keep your head buried in training, but you wouldn't listen to me. And now look what that got you into.""I'm sorry, Master, but the guy not only beat us up; he even insulted the dojo. We can't just take that lying down!" Bosco said.Timothy questioned, "And who has the gall to insult my dojo?""I don't know. All I know is he's a young guy. About twenty years old or something."Timothy laughed mirthlessly. "You useless fools. You couldn't even take down a
"Who are you looking for?"Bosco screeched, "Tell your boss to get his ass out here!"That shocked the servants. It was at the same time that Yvette, George, and Queenie came out. When they saw the people in the courtyard, George frowned."What's going on?" He approached the commotion.Queenie followed her father. She realized something felt off.The servants saw George coming. "Sir," they said.The Thunder Dojo guys laid eyes on George and Queenie."That's them! They beat us up, Simon!" Bosco pointed at Queenie and her folks.George saw who it was, and a chill ran down his spine. "Oh no! They're from Thunder Dojo!"Queenie's face fell. She could see they were here for vengeance.Simon looked at Queenie and her folks. Icily, he said, "Them? You're saying these people beat you up?""No, Simon. The guy who beat us up was a punk!" answered Bosco."Where is he?" Simon asked.Bosco stepped ahead and screeched at George, "Give me that punk, you bastard, or you're done for!"Geo
Since Queenie was adamantly refusing to hand Nox over, Simon's face fell. "Lady, a word of advice. Hand him over, or we'll be forced to hurt you."George tugged on his daughter. "Queenie, come on. Just hand him over."Queenie shoved George away, her eyes red with fury. "How could you, Dad? Nono did so much for our family! How could you do this to him?""Do what to him? He beat them up! What does that have to do with me?" George said insolently.Queenie was shivering with rage. She could not believe how shameless George was. Unafraid, she raised her head and faced the dojo's disciples. "I'll say it again: I won't hand Nono over even if it's the last thing I do!""You're tough. Let's see how tough you can get! Quattro, slap her!"A disciple strode ahead and swung his hand at Queenie, but just before the slap could land, someone said coldly, "Who dares hurt my woman?"And a silhouette appeared before Queenie out of nowhere. Nox was back. The disciple was caught by surprise, but he
Nobody saw how he moved. Nobody saw how he attacked. All they saw was a silhouette blurring around them, and then the screams started. All the disciples were sent barreling across the air.Not even a moment had gone by since Simon gave his command, and the fight was over before it barely began. The disciples were rolling on the ground, moaning in pain. Simon stared at the disciples in shock, his mind blank.'What kind of nightmare did we cross?' he wondered.After Nox was done with the disciples, he looked at Simon. "Your turn."Simon took a step back, rivulets of sweat pouring down his forehead. He kept moving backward, and with a quavering voice, he asked, "W-Who are you? We've never crossed you, so why are you—"Once again, Nox turned into a blur. Before they knew it, he was already standing in front of Simon. He grabbed Simon by his throat and lifted him off the ground."Listen up. I don't care who you are or where you come from. If you come after Queenie again, I will kill a
George put out his cigarette. "No matter what, we can't let him stay at our house any longer.""But what about Queenie?" asked Yvette."I'll talk to her. Don't you worry," said George.…Queenie's room was seized by silence. Ever since they came back, she'd been staring at Nox weirdly. Nox wondered why that was."Why are you staring at me, Queenie?"Queenie said nothing. A moment later, she asked, "Nono, what kind of work did you use to do?""Me?" Nox was surprised by the question about his past."Yeah.""Why do you ask?" Nox turned around, smiling at Queenie.A pause later, Queenie said, "It's just… Well, you fight really, really well.""I fight really well?" Nox arched an eyebrow."Yeah. The Thunder Dojo guys are trained in the martial arts, but you beat them back easily," said Queenie. "I thought you used to be a mechanic, but now you feel more like a professional bodyguard."Nox almost spewed.Queenie continued, "Tell me, Nono. Were you a bodyguard? Did you wear a bla
Their targets were the relics around the altars. The moment the whirlpool showed up, the black energy conjured black walls and kept Brundela on lockdown, cutting off all communications.Possessed by evil spirits, gods from ancient civilizations came back to life. In the underground graveyard, the dead came bursting out of their coffins, and skeletons with phantom flames flickering around them charged at the holy knights and James' secret agents.Nothing more needed to be said. The holy knights' leader led the charge. The other knights resolved to fight to the death as they battled the skeleton gods.James and his secret agents fired off at the enemies, but the bullets did nothing to the skeletons. All they managed was to light a big spark. Only grenades and howitzers could deal damage to them, and even then, the damage was light.The battle was fierce. Though the knights did not fear death, they were still weaker than the prehistoric gods. These skeletons were nigh invincible, and
Nox was hovering higher than the Ice Temple Lord, and he got everyone's attention."Who's that?""It's a Faeastian!""My God, it's the Nine-State Lord!" Nox was known throughout Faeast and the world. Brundela's council members had recognized him the moment he showed up. They had nothing but fear for gods, yet Nox was the strongest man in the Mortal World, so they respected him.The clouds in Brundela's skies were hanging heavily over the ground, and the icy aura they radiated was making everyone shiver. Winter seemed to have come early for Brundela. The temperature was dipping fast.Back in the control center, intelligence agents were watching the surveillance footage closely, and they noticed the altar. The Twilight Order and Ice Temple cultivators were there, strengthening the altars' seal the best they could. There were soldiers guarding the altar as well.For some reason, the secret agents had a feeling something bad was going to happen. Murphy's Law, as they said.Suddenly,
A sliver of energy flew out of the puppet and gathered natural energy around it. Then, the temperature rose at a blistering rate. Fortunately, Bard's reminder came just in time, and Vermilion Bird was prepared for this. She led her team away from the spot.A pillar of fire engulfed the building, and heat waves shot off in every direction, lethal and deadly. The light eventually faded, and all buildings in a few hundred yards were razed to the ground.If Vermilion Bird had killed the puppet without thinking just now, she would have lost all her men and suffered serious injuries. "That bitch! I'm going to make her into a human swine one day! I'll give her hell!" she cursed.Bard gasped. 'Yeah, women can be really terrifying.' Not one General was a normal person.This incident didn't escape Nox, of course. He saw it through his divine sense. "Heh, you can't fight the flow of history? You say that, Aphrodite, but you've done the same thing more than once. Schemes and plots when your ey
Aphrodite was a master manipulator. She knew the weaknesses of Nox's underlings, and she praised Bard, "At least you know where you stand, Bard. You never overreach. Though we failed to make you one of us, I still thought it'd be a shame to kill you."Bard smiled. "Oh, you're such an actor, Ms. Mousse. You know why we don't like you? Queenie is a genuine lady, just like our lord. You're far inferior to her. And don't flatter yourself. Of course, I know where I stand. I can't even reach the pinnacle of martial arts, let alone cultivation."No matter how smart I am, my lack of talents holds me back. I can never be made an important leader." He was only spared because he couldn't become a threat to the Mousses.Nox didn't use schemes because he didn't need them. Absolute power could trump any plot.Vermilion Bird clenched her teeth. "What is the meaning of this? The lord knows that the bitch is here?"Bard shook his head. Vermilion Bird was a smart woman, but Aphrodite made her lose
Aphrodite felt nothing but sorrow, and Vermilion Bird burst into laughter. "I expected nothing less from these people. Your men are just like their employers. Hey, knights, you guys want to find out more about Faeast martial arts? See those Mousse guys? They're masters. Deal with them."Vermilion Bird gave her orders. She knew these people would escape the moment she showed up. The knights flew off, going after the escaped Mousses. The Mousses were a family of warriors, while these knights were cultivators, to an extent. They wore mystical artifacts, and the Mousses' guys didn't have something like that.The battle was fierce but short. The Mousses' powerhouses were taken out, and the rest were dealt with by the Shadow Division."And now only you're left. Interesting, isn't it? Karma always bites you in the ass. You betrayed my lord, and now your men betray you. You deserve this," Vermilion Bird cursed."Yes, I deserve this, but as long as he wants to be the Nine-State Lord, then w
'The beating heart of this land?' The woman's underlings looked grim. They were supposed to be the master tacticians here. Yet, Nox played them like a cheap kazoo. 'He's a far better tactician than we expected!'Nox began his counterattack not long after the Ocean of Death incident. This woman was none other than Aphrodite, Nox's old flame. When she saw Brundela's fate stabilizing, she knew right then that things had gotten out of her hands."Tell the Mousses in Eropa to retreat right away. There is no need to stay here any longer. He's not attacking us because he's waiting for us to do the same. The moment our men try to start anything, he'll swoop in and take them all out. "No one can beat him if he decides to go all the way. Not even me," said Aphrodite.Suddenly, the Mousses' powerhouse noticed something. "I sense bloodlust. Who goes there? Show yourself!" The powerhouses unsheathed their weapons and stood around Aphrodite, protecting her.A group of black silhouettes appeare
Now they had one, and it was Elizabeth. Her speech awakened the bravery and courage lying within the people of Brundela. An overwhelming majority of the council members stood up and chanted, "Long live the queen! Long live Brundela!""Good." Nox noticed something. The fate of Brundela stopped its downward shift and was stabilizing."The Mortal World and mortals. The Realm of the Gods has been here for millennia, and still, I can't figure out how mortals work." The Ice Temple Lord was confused. These mortals were prone to deception and scams. They were weak and frail. Yet, they had the potential to unleash strength that could shock even the gods."It's solidarity. You guys wouldn't get it. You call yourselves gods and lock yourselves up in the Realm of the Gods. You try to enslave the world despite being so out of touch with it."Do you know why I call you false gods? True gods are omnipotent. Their word is law. They can change the rules that govern this world just by saying it, b
Ice Temple's Lord didn't even look at Dickson. The man was so crushed that there wasn't even a hint of arrogance left in his soul. The Ice Temple's Lord's technique locked his spirit. So, it was not severely weakened. Thus, He would die very soon, even without the Ice Temple's Lord attacking him."Please, leader of gods. You are the only true god. I swear my undying loyalty to you. Spare me, please!" Dickson begged for his life.Dickson finally met his match. The arrogant would-be king couldn't even do anything against the Ice Temple's Lord."Oh, I can save you, but what makes you think you're worth it? You're lower than scum, and you think you have the right to ask for my favor? Repent and pray, then I might make it quick for you. Refuse, and only unending hell awaits."That threat scared Dickson. He cried and begged for mercy. He cursed his own soul and put his faith in a god stronger than his master."And you think you deserve the gift of life, maggot? Open your eyes, mortals
Two cultivators were fighting in mid-air, while the other Ice Temple cultivators made an invisible barrier to keep them in, or the council hall would be destroyed from the impact of the fight.The battle was awe-inspiring, and Dickson became smug. So what if his enemy was a leader of gods? Perhaps he was no match for one, but the Assad gods could easily destroy him if a slave could fight him for a prolonged period.Ice Temple's Lord realized that Dickson couldn't feel pain as the essence had nearly devoured his spirit. He was nothing if not feral, and he did not fear death at all. A brilliant idea appeared in his mind. He could create an army of fearless gods if he could get his hands on this technique.Nox said telepathically, "How much longer are you going to take? He's just a useless tribute. Do you honestly want to keep this up until he burns himself away?"Ice Temple's Lord's pupils contracted, and he looked at Nox. Nox looked up from his book. The Ice Temple Lord thought th