Gerry felt terror from the bottom of his heart.Frank was not joking—he would really kill him!"How dare you, Frank!"Stella strode up between her boyfriend and Frank, smirking. "You sure talk big, but look around—my family's martial artists are standing all around you! You're the one who's going down!""Oh, really?"Frank chuckled sinisterly. "Care to test that theory?""You prick! You really won't give up, huh?! Go, take him down and skin him!"At Stella's bellow, the martial artists around Frank leaped toward Frank, ready to attack him with their martial techniques.Terrified, the Lanecorp employees fled the lobby."It's your fault for messing with Ms. Favoni, brat! Now, you can watch while we skin you!"The Favonis' martial artists actually proved to be skilled—unlike other martial artists Frank encountered before, the Favoni were serious about grooming them with their resources.Every individual movement and positioning was planned and executed perfectly, and they quick
"No, w—"Even as the Favoni martial artist's eyes widened, Frank exploded his head with a punch before he could finish.A gruesome grail of blood and pure vigor continued past his body, shattering the curtain wall and killing six other Favoni martial artists.And before the other Favoni martial artists had time to react, Frank was already onto them. Though he only used conventional moves with his kicks and punches this time, the Favoni martial artists could not withstand the pure vigor he unleashed.Thud.Soon after the first body dropped, the rest of the thirtyish Favoni martial artists were dead, as if frozen in the moment Frank sent them flying.It did not even take a single second."What…" Stella was left dumbstruck, standing and frozen in place.She was staring at the mangled bodies of her family's martial artists, alive and kicking just a moment ago and ready to take down Frank.Who on earth was Frank?! They could not even last one blow!As she stared blankly at Frank
"Please, Frank… I get it now! It's all my fault, and I won't ever do it again… Please, just let me live—"Crunch!As Gerry's neck snapped audibly, his pleas stopped instantly.Stella's breath was caught in her lungs and she almost fainted.Who was this war deity that they had just provoked? Could Frank actually be Transcendent rank?!Her family's martial artists were tried and true elites too—not many across the East Coast could win against them, let alone in Norsedam!But Frank massacred them without even really making an effort!As the lobby of Lanecorp Tower became eerily silent for a long while, Frank quietly spoke, "I will give you one chance—go home, and don't mess with me ever again."Stella promptly turned in disbelief—he was sparing her?Frank seemed to read her mind from her expression alone and waved her off."I have no reason to kill you. Though I don't mind playing along if you have a death wish. Oh, and another thing…"Frank shot her a cool look. "You have to p
It was a terrible storm that kept gaining momentum, but things were surprisingly quiet at Lanecorp despite them being the center of attention.According to information Thunder and Bolt had gathered, many factions were extending into Zamri, and the Favonis were no exception.On the surface, they claimed the duel was just and to eliminate Frank—a disgrace to his fellow martial artists.In reality, they simply saw the signs of a major reshuffling among the underbelly of Zamri.As such, they wanted to get their hands on Zamri and get themselves a cut, so Stella's words fell on deaf ears.-Meanwhile, Frank had Winter Lawrence and her best friend Jean Zims move to Zamri, while Mona Fairfax left the East Coast under orders from Haply Hall.It was just a day before the duel against Jaden, but Frank was leisurely lounging in the renovated mansion, instructing Winter and Jean on Draconian traditional medicine.It was a profound subject, and even someone as smart as Winter had trouble g
Arriving at the drawing room, Frank saw a familiar face that he had just met recently."Oh, it's you?"Stella was seated primly on the couch, scowling even as a servant brought her tea."To what do I owe the pleasure?"Frank asked as he sat down comfortably on the couch, leveling an interested look at the woman who was somehow completely different than when he saw her days ago.If she had been haughty and endlessly confident about being an heiress of the Favonis, she was now the image of someone beaten.Her eyes were bloodshot even as she looked up, rasping, "F-Frank Lawrence, I've come to apologize.""Apologize?"Frank was left dumbstruck by her words, not expecting Stella to come all this way to apologize.Still, he shook his head and laughed. "Well, you don't like you're really apologizing! The public really have a lot to say about me these days, about me being a disgrace to all martial artists and whatnot.""It's my family and my brother's excuse." Stella apologized anx
Frank remained impassive despite Stella's tearful pleas, snorting. "So? What business of mine is your family's troubles?"He was not about to change his mind… or he could not, to be precise.The Favonis were determined to kill him, so he could not just play saint just because Stella was begging him through tears and let Jaden kill him.Moreover, Stella really was not a looker and lacked charm—even if she did, Frank was not about to fall for it."You should save your breath for your father and brother," Frank said shortly.His principles were always simple—he would keep out of anyone's way, as long as they kept out of his.However, that only left Stella further pained.She had already told her father and brother a hundred times over that Frank was above them and was not to be messed with, but they were too prideful to listen.They even believed that Frank bewitched her. Moreover, some twentyish youth massacred over thirty Favoni martial artists? If word of that got out, they w
Stella sighed. "Everything I do is for the family's survival—""Survival?!"Chelly laughed.It was clear she was short-tempered too, as she suddenly lunged at Frank, bellowing, "Let's see if he can even size up to Jaden!"Even as Chelly extended her hand as she jumped at Frank, Frank simply stood his ground, his eyes turning cool.Despite all her hollering, she was just a vigor wielder—if she insisted on attacking Frank, the recoil would cripple her on the spot."Stop!" Stella snapped angrily as she strode between Chelly and Frank. "Stop listening to your aunt's poisonous words. You shouldn't be attacking Mr. Lawrence!""Mr. Lawrence?!"Chelly could tell from the title alone how much respect her sister had for Frank, and her rage flared as she swung her palm at her own sister instead.Pow!Stella stumbled a couple steps backward as she took the blow for Frank."Oh, taking the blow for our enemy? Let's see how you'll explain that to your father, Stella." Tara gloated."Shut
Winter came over, tugging on Frank's sleeve and asking, "What happened here?""Nothing." Frank shook his head and deliberately made a face. "Didn't I tell you to study? What are you doing here?""I-I was worried," Winter murmured guiltily.Frank patted her head, his grief fading at her docile murmur.Then, turning back toward Stella and the others, he waved them off. "Alright, you can all go now. We will see the truth come tomorrow." Chelly, however, still refused. "Hah! I'm not scared of you! My brother will kick your ass tomorrow—he is Skyrank's second and a top martial artist! A loser and a cheater like you can't even hope to touch his sleeve! You should be kneeling and begging me for mercy if you have any brains! I just might ask my brother to spare your life!"And before Frank could speak, Tara was laughing as she threatened, "Exactly. If you get down on your knees and beg and have your lover surrender her Lanecorp shares, the Favonis just might let you live. You'd better w
Frank's words left the white-clad geezer sweating down his back.Even he had to admit that the brat projected a menacing presence that intimidated even him! "Are you really going to do this?!" he snarled through his teeth nonetheless.He certainly would not have caused trouble if he had known that he would run into someone as powerful as Frank in this place.And now, forget revenge—they had nowhere to run.But as if bothered that the white-clad geezer was not dead already, his entourage kept adding fuel to the fire."What's the problem, sir?""It's obvious that he wouldn't win against you. Why are you getting cold feet?'At this sage, the white-clad geezer had nothing to hide and bellowed, "All you know is revenge! Do you even know your level compared to his?!"Forget you lot—no martial artist would ever win against that man! "Let me put it to you this way—there aren't more than a hundred individuals who could defeat me in this country. Not only is he among that hundred, bu
However, Frank was already prepared.He silently sent a tremor of the same frequency down under, nullifying the white-clad geezer's tremor with ease.Hence, before anyone realized what had happened, the white-clad geezer already realized that he would not win against Frank! Unlike her niece, the white-clad geezer had been traveling all his life. He understood that while earthbending was amazing, it was hardly invincible.A technique was just a technique, and nothing more. It came with its deficiencies, depending on the way it was wielded, and prodigies were completely on a different level compared to them—in fact, the white-clad geezer was recently beaten by another youth.Even if it rarely happened in a small town like Shagan, it happened all the time among martial artists and the like. Youth surpassed all—was there any martial artist worth their salt who did not understand that the kids would eventually surpass them?"Let's go!"Without hesitation, the white-clad geezer was
As it turned out, the white-clad geezer did not return for revenge.People change as they age, along with their mindset, and develop a longing for their hometown.In fact, the white-clad geezer had returned to make peace with his family, and died in their company.Naturally, he was furious to hear that someone was using his name to bluff their way out and abduct his niece, the hag.And so he came with the rest of them, looking for Frank.After all, if Frank was not sent by the white-clad geezer, the only other person would be…-Back at the present, the white-clad geezer growled icily, "Where is my niece?"Frank smirked. "She paid the price for her crimes. What, do you want revenge?""A life for a life," the white-clad geezer growled. "That's the one rule that has never changed since olden times!"His entourage roared in approval. "Don't get so full of yourself, brat! He is different from the rest of us, and he can kill you anytime!""Really?" Frank simply snorted nonchalant
As the geezer spoke, he opened the rosewood box and put an ashtray in it. "I actually don't have any abilities—everything I make is produced from this box. With its help, I can imbue any object with an enchantment beyond human comprehension. See for yourself!"He closed the box and held it by its sides as the box glowed in a rainbow gradient.Frank felt a sense of familiarity as he watched, as the energy signature resembled the spiritron vein, but one different from the meteor.So what the heck was going on?While Frank was left surprised, the geezer stopped and opened the box, handing Frank the ashtray.As Frank held the ashtray, he saw that it really was altered—it could carry more now!The geezer then passed him a yellowed old book. "This is how you can use it!"Frank frowned. "Why are you giving it to me? I can't take it, or people would just say that I stole it from you when they find out."The geezer smiled in wry amusement. "It's yours either way, kid! And after you've d
To be honest, the hag really had not considered that question and was just playing along to her own whims, never once considering why she was such a philanderer.Frank then pressed his advantage. "Your so-called love is but a manifestation of your lust. It seems noble, but it has no warmth or color, and the world has no way of determining if it exists."If I want it, I can do what you do too. Heck, I'm sure that's the same for everyone else—they're just kind people who know that they shouldn't hog the limited resources of mental asylums.""Insolence!"The hag lunged at Frank as she realized that he was mocking her, but Frank was already prepared and pinned her to the floor with his telekinesis."Alright, you can quit hollering now. The more you do, the more you're just proving that you've lost!"Crouching in front of the hag, Frank growled coolly. "Did you think I'd only rely on brute strength to force your compliance? You're kidding—I don't even need to do that with someone like
It was just as the geezer had said—the hag had been pampered for so long that she could not tell right from wrong.In fact, in her mind, everything she did was never wrong and was even reasonable!That was what frustrated the geezer the most, and he simply stopped arguing and started whipping her with his belt.Pain really clears the mind, and the hag was no exception. In fact, she thought for a split second that she might have made a mistake.However, it only lasted for that split second—a little whipping was never really going to correct a lifetime of distorted beliefs!"I don't get it!" she cried. "Why do you treat my love with such disdain?! You don't have to love me, but you have to respect me!" The geezer laughed coolly and continued to whip her as he snapped, "That's true! But now, what I say goes—that's all there is to it!"That was when Frank suddenly reached out and caught the belt.It stunned the geezer, who quickly checked Frank's hand, and sighed after seeing that
It had been so long since he had seen his enemy, that the geezer almost fell out of his lounger.If he were to be honest, he really did not hold out much hope since it had been years, and no one lasted more than twenty strikes against the hag.However, while he was convinced that his revenge was futile in this life, Frank suddenly appeared.While he looked like he had nothing but his looks going for him, he brought the hag like she was some harmless hatchling."H-How did you do it?" the geezer exclaimed, presuming that Frank must have pulled some cunning trick.However, the geezer was once again reminded of the hag's conceit as she snorted. "How, you asked? With just a wave of his hand, and I lost!"Turning to Frank, she snapped, "There, he had his justice. Can you tell my uncle to show his face now?"Frank rolled his eyes. "I don't know your uncle. I only brought you here because of him!""No… That's impossible!" The truth was starting to dawn on the hag, but she still refus
"H-How did you do that?!"While the cabal was left flabbergasted, the hag was much calmer for some reason.After all, her father had told her about an uncle of hers, who had left the family because they kept abusing their earthbending ability.It was rumored that the uncle eventually cultivated a superior ability, fusing things that would otherwise not be just like what Frank just did.As such, she told her cabal as much, but Frank shook his head. "I learned your technique by directly observing you when you used it. And by doing so, I found a fatal flaw, which I adjusted for."He certainly did not have anything to do with the hag's uncle—he was just that quick a learner and that gifted to wield earthbending in an instant.Naturally, the hag was not about to believe that.No matter how gifted a person could be, there was no way anyone could learn earthbending instantly and even perfect it. In the end, someone must have taught him!As such, she was starting to get impatient with
Before the cabal could react, molehills appeared beneath their feet and sent them flying.Most passed out when they hit the ground, while the rest were barely holding on."W-Who the hell are you?!" The cabal had grown conceited since they did not have many rivals in a remote corner such as this one, and they therefore presumed that no one could challenge them.And now, they could not win with numbers against Frank, let alone one against one.Could anyone bear the shame?"What a bunch of mooks. I told you kids to stay on your training, but none of you listened. And now you're acting surprised?"A hunched hag appeared on a nearby alley, looking very much affable.Surprised, the cabal exclaimed, "What are you doing here, ma'am?""Do you think I'd miss the tremors?" the hag snapped coolly before wheeling on Frank. "Impressive physique! I certainly didn't expect you to hurt those boys."The cabal quickly warned her, "This isn't the time, ma'am. He knows earthbending, and he could