"Hey, that's too much!"Frank was protesting at the emcee. "Why are all the bets predicting my defeat? Can't I bet on myself beating Jaden Favoni in ten strikes?"The emcee was taken aback, as was Jaden despite his impatience.Still, Jaden soon snorted and stared Frank pointedly from head to toe. "Who do you think you are, brat?! You, defeating me in ten strikes?! I could let you have them for free, and you still wouldn't reach my sleeve!""Now, now. That might not prove to be the case." Frank wagged his finger, grinning in amusement.Then, shouting below the stage, he said, "Anyway, I bet 500 million that I'm winning!"The hall was sent into a frenzy, even as Frank's bet was shown on the electronic board as he announced it.Nodding in approval, Frank exclaimed, "Now, that's fairness!"On the other hand, Jaden had lost all patience watching as Frank kept wasting time and snapped icily, "Are you going to fight or not?!""Yeah! Start the fight!"The spectators were getting upse
Frank could certainly block Jaden's kick directly and counter by breaking his leg right then, but he did not do it because he had his plans.Jaden was strong, and Frank could see he was halfway into Ascendant rank.But that still meant he was no threat to Frank.Moreover, Frank did not accept the challenge because of Jaden—his real targets were Troy and Kilian with him.Pow!As Frank shimmied to the side, Jaden's foot struck the floor, sending half the ring crumbling, making his sheer power all too evident."What?!"Jaden, however, was taken aback.Was Frank actually that good, easily dodging the signature techniques of his family?!His scowl soon turned savage, as he was reminded of that fight two years ago when he thought the world of himself.That was when Ehud Lionheart showed up, and the Demon of Volsung Sect kept dodging his blows like Frank was doing now, treating Jaden as if he amounted to nothing!"Argh!!! Boulderbreaker!" Jaden bellowed even as he felt humiliated,
While the crowd was still left shocked by Jaden's defeat, his raging below left them silent again."What? Jaden was poisoned?""No way… When?""So that brat really is a cheater, poisoning Mr. Favoni while we weren't watching!"However, Frank seemed to expect the audience's outrage and simply shrugged at Jaden and smiled. "Don't try to slander me now. I really don't need poison to beat you.""Bullshit!" Jaden bellowed furiously. "How else would you know I'd be beaten even before the fight?!"Then, as his agitation overwhelmed his nerves and with the poison kicking in as well, he coughed another pool of black blood and passed out."Jaden!"Chelly leapt on stage right then, shaking Jaden while snapping at Frank, "I knew it! You're a cheater, poisoning my brother!""How dare you, Frank Lawrence!" Troy Bearson shouted below stage before Frank could argue, pointing at Frank and snapping, "Poisoning the heir of the Favoni family? The Bearsons will not let this rest!"With Troy takin
Glancing at Stella, Frank said earnestly, "Someone poisoned your brother, and it's a poison that only takes effect after a precise period of time. In other words, someone is trying to scapegoat me and incite a war between your family and myself."Stella, seeing Frank's vague smile and the way he was staring at Troy, turned toward Troy too.She realized right then that Troy must have planned all this!She was already suspicious when Troy was on hand to receive them at the airport, and that premonition came true!"You're lying!"That was when a tearful Chelly shrieked hysterically at Frank, "You poisoned my brother, and you're still dressing it up with pretty words?! You're lower than scum! I'm telling my dad about this, and he'll bring all his men to kill you and everyone around you!""Calm down, Chelly!" Stella ran up, intent on stopping Chelly's irrational ravings—but it was already too late.She could feel the air stirring around Frank, and his smile turned into a glare."W
For Chelly, it was a humiliation worse than death!Being already raised in an ivory tower and spoiled by her father and siblings, her family's influence only further encouraged her to treat everyone else as if they were beneath her.She also earnestly believed that her brother Jaden was invincible, and that the Favonis would eventually rise as the Fifth Family in Morhen, even rising as the undisputed rulers of Draconia!As such, she was crumbling inwardly from sheer humiliation, seeing her own sister kowtowing to some unknown man who poisoned her brother in public!"Y-You traitor! Traitor!"Suddenly not remembering every moment her sister protected her, Chelly branded her own sister a traitor.Raising her palm, she aimed her strike at Stella even as she remained kneeling on the floor, ready to kill!"I will protect our family's honor! Die, traitor!"Stella remained on the floor even as she watched Chelly's strike approached, but she did not dodge.Her gaze was determined—she w
Still, Kilian's chuckle soon turned into roaring, gleeful laughter. "Hahaha! I get it now!""What happened to him, Mr. Lionheart?" Troy asked anxiously, since Kilian was too busy laughing to answer his question."Hehe… The brat was trying to be smart, but he ended up screwing himself over!"Kilian smiled even as he watched Frank wheeze. "His vigor collided with Jaden's when he blocked Jaden's blow, and the poison that was already kicking in inside Jaden's body affected him too! The poison you used is tailored against martial elites who wield pure vigor, no?""Yeah, exactly." Troy nodded, still at a loss."Well, that fits the bill." Kilian sneered viciously. "Frank did not realize that he too would be affected if Jaden's poisoned vigor reached him!""Hahaha! That's amazing!" Troy's eyes lit up.He had no idea what Kilian was talking about, but he understood the last part and that was enough too.Frank was poisoned too!"Well, Mr. Lionheart, now's your chance to eliminate him on
"It's the Soulbleeder—a specialty of Hundred Bane Sect available from the black market."Frank looked up, his eyes flashing as he wiped the smudge of blood from the corner of his lips.Kilian's face fell right then—how could Frank have known the name of the poison?!It was a well-kept secret even in the black market, and hardly anyone knew of it. Even Kilian himself found out about it through Troy!"Hehe… blargh!"Frank smirked even as he vomited another mouthful of blood. "Are you surprised why I would know? Well, that's a question you'd have to ask a certain traitor to Hundred Bane Sect whom I had slain. He left behind a copy of the Hundred Bane Anthology, which is why nothing in Hundred Bane Sect's inventory will work against me.""Really?"Kilian sneaked a look around himself and smirked at Frank in turn when he sensed Frank's vigor churning chaotically in his body. "You really wouldn't be hurting that badly if it doesn't work on you.""You're right." Frank nodded. "I've be
"Oof!"Kilian was no longer laughing.He could not feel any hint of pure vigor projecting from Frank's fist—that meant that Frank was using sheer physical strength to destroy his carapace armor, while sending him flying like a ragdoll!"I-Impossible! How could a Birthright rank do this… no, could he have improved? But this shouldn't be happening even if he did—"Even before Kilian came to his senses, he felt a large hand seizing him by the throat, choking him.Across his meridians, his pure vigor stalled in an instant.It hurt terribly, but he could not direct his pure vigor to fight back even if he wanted to.Even as the world started to spin around him, he realized he could not beat Frank in pure physical strength too, as he could not loosen Frank's vice-like grip around his neck at all!And at that very moment, every spectator could see Frank lifting Kilian, who was flailing around like an animal but unable to free himself.Chelly Favoni, who had just regained consciousness
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