If Frank wanted to succeed Governor Quill, he had proven that he was more qualified than Saul in terms of individual strength."Ahem, ahem…" A frail cough could be heard from the crater.Then, as Alba looked on in shock, Saul, covered in dust and his face drenched in blood, slowly crawled out of the crater.His miserable self was certainly a stark contrast to Frank, who remained squeaky clean.As Frank strode up, looking down at the winded Saul, he asked, "How does it feel to trip over an obstacle?"While Saul's limbs were intact and appeared almost unscathed in appearance, most of his meridians had snapped, and he would not recover without long term recovery.His cheeks clenched at Frank's cold question, but he eventually hung his head."Y-You win…"Saul seemed to age a decade even as he spoke, his ashen hair seemingly whitening further."What the hell…"Alba was left dumbstruck in the distance—it was the first time he had ever seen Saul submit to anyone, especially lying pr
In fact, Frank could admit that he was caught off guard that a full-fledged Ascendant-ranked elite like Saul would literally stab him in the back.How despicable… and to think that Saul was his uncle!Thud.Even as he clutched his hip, Frank dropped on one knee as he wheeled on Saul, snapping, "Aren't you a martial artist?! Don't you have any honor?!""Honor?"Saul laughed maniacally. "That's worth nothing to me at all! I'll have plenty of that once I become the governor, and you're in my way! I, Saul Quill, am destined to be the next governor!"Seeing that he had basically snapped, Frank growled through his teeth, "Is becoming the governor that important to you?!""Yes!"Saul bellowed in turn, "And I will do anything to succeed my father!""Oh, well…"Frank breathed a long sigh at that response and suddenly stood up crisply."What?!"Saul was left staring in disbelief as Frank stood up, as if unscathed. "No! That's impossible!""I'll admit that you did hurt me, because I
Frank, however, was not satisfied with breaking both of Saul's legs.Even as Saul looked on in panic and despair, he placed his foot over Saul's wrist!"Frank Lawrence!" Saul bellowed maniacally. "I-I'll definitely kill you for this humiliation!"Frank calmly shook his head. "Like I said. Since you have no honor as a martial artist, you don't deserve my respect."With that, he pressed his foot down.Crunch!"Argh!!!"Hearing Saul's blood-curdling scream, Alba did not dare to look.Nearby, the soldiers who rushed to the scene watched alongside Alba and Isla as Frank broke all of Saul's limbs.None of them intervened, even as Saul lay limply like a battered dog on the ground.Immobile, he was at everyone's mercy, and everyone could point and gesture at him as they liked.The younger Quill family members had arrived too, and it was certainly a ridiculous sight for them.After all, Saul had always carried himself with authority and inspired fear, since he was the strongest man
Tim withheld his rage as he growled through his teeth, "W-We're not peasants!""Not peasants?!"Cara snorted, standing akimbo. "Then what are you?! We fed you and raised you! Everything you ever had came from the Quill family, and you're now turning against us?! Bunch of ingrates!""Shut up!" Eric bellowed as he ran forward, pushing Cara away while bellowing at the Quills, "Listen here—our fathers were fallen comrades of Governor Quill! He took us in, so we don't owe any of you anything!"You've disrespected us for so long, even using our families as hostages, and I say it's enough! We will no longer serve you from now on, so get your own guards!""What?!"Cara was the first to fly into rage at the soldiers' insubordination. Grabbing Eric by the wrist, she screamed, "You peasants! You don't get to have a say! Don't forget that we still have your families!""Fuck off!"Eric shook his wrist violently, knocking Cara on the floor before whipping out his gun and pointing it at her
Even as Cara complained, she showed her hands—where no bleeding could be seen, let alone wounds—to her son.Still, Rex smiled and nodded at his mother before turning to leer at his father Gero in disdain, even as he hid himself among the crowd.Although Gero was Governor Quill's second son and Rex's father, he was also the man whom Rex despised the most.His weak father would always be a stain to his existence."Rex Quill!"Eric was glaring at Rex as he strode up, glowering and barking, "Are you trying to stop us?! Don't forget that we have guns, and we'll go down swinging if we have to!""Tut, tut…"Rex shook his head in amusement, even as the other members of the Quill family appeared panicking.He even took his time to shoot his eldest uncle a look of contempt and chuckled coolly, "What, do you think that you get to strut in Quill Manor just because someone beat my uncle? Do you really think that weapons could threaten me? Nah, that's just naive of you."Even as Tim and Eri
Tim rushed up to stop Eric just then. "Calm down! What you're doing is pointless! At least Young Master Quill gave us a way out!""Young Master Quill?! A way out?!" Eric's face fell at the title young master and turned in disbelief toward Tim. "You… I was… you…"Tim hung his head guiltily. "I'm sorry, but Young Master Quill threatened to kill my sister if I wasn't being honest… I hope you'll understand.""No, I don't!"Eric punched him down on the ground while bellowing maniacally, "Understand you?! Then what about me?! So your sister gets to live, but what about my mother?! What did she do?! And what about all your comrades you betrayed?! What are we to you?!"Nearby, Rex was watching gleefully as they turned against each other, even clapping his hands and laughing, "Don't worry, Eric Holt! It's just as your comrade has said—I'll give you a way out."Eric landed another punch on Tim's face before wheeling on Rex and spitting. "Fuck you!""Eric!"Tim, who had been taking the
"However, we are willing to pardon every guard involved in the failed coup for now, and even agree to your demands of letting your families go. But…"Waving them off and chuckling, Rex's tone changed sharply even as he continued. "Before you leave, you must promise me one thing. If you succeed, I'll let you go. But if you fail…"He quietly turned toward the storehouse in the distance. "None of your families will survive. Sure, you can question my resolve now, and I'll give you a very simple response."At his threat, every soldier who tried to resist bowed their heads, and Rex nodded in satisfaction. "Good.""That's my son for you!" Cara exclaimed, her face glowing with pride at how her son pacified the guards' coup all by himself.In the distance, Saul, who was barely standing, could see Rex sneering at him and could not stop feeling queasy right then."Brat…"Saul had the feeling that despite Rex's youth, the boy would become his worst opponent.On the other hand, Rex felt tha
At this point, Frank was just going through the motions by going to Megan, so that he at least tried.What he did not expect to find was Megan still alive.It seemed that what Saul had injected her with was not poison that could put her out of her misery.Instead, it was a potent sedative that would put down an ox, let alone a person.On top of that, it also slowed down the infestation of the brocade mites. After the sedative was administered, those parasites that were crawling in her insides and all over her skin were all sedated!Now, none of them were moving, and they were no different from dead.It certainly left Frank speechless—it was a lucky accident for Megan that Dr. Georg's mistake had somehow saved her.Anyone else in Megan's situation at this stage would still die after a day, but that was not the case with Frank around.He looked around, his eyes lighting up when he saw the bathtub in the next room, which was not crushed under the falling debris.He dragged it ove
Frank snorted. "Alright, I'm hanging up. I'm getting started over here soon.""Yeah. Good luck," Jouri replied.Hanging up, Frank looked up at the waterfall overhead, and then at Skyler, who was standing beside him. "So? Is it time yet?""Almost… Now!" Skyler's eyes were glowing even as she stared at her watch."Alright."Frank looked up just as the skies abruptly darkened. "Ah, there it is—the eclipse."The sun seemed to disappear, and the world was suddenly shrouded in darknesses.And beside him, a stone door imbued with the power of the spiritron vein also rumbled as it parted."Got it!" Frank rushed inside without another word as soon as he saw it."Hmph. I'm surprised that you could reach this place." A cold, wrathful voice resounded inside even before Frank got a hold of his surroundings.Looking up, Frank found a youth in a black cossack and sporting grey-white hair, standing upon a cliff as he looked down on him.Frank chuckled. "Hehe. Like I said, I've come to kill
Frank narrowed his eyes. "Is that so?'Crane shrugged. "I don't mind giving it to you straight—members of Torrent are actually… Ahem. A part of Torrent himself."Frank paused. "What's that supposed to mean?""You don't get it, do you?" Crane grinned. "Then let me put it to you this way—every member is a clone of Torrent.""A clone?" Frank gasped in realization."Yes," Crane nodded. "That's why I believe that challenging Crane is just suicide. You have no idea how powerful he is—only death awaits you down that path."Frank smirked. "Oh, but I don't think so."Crane rolled his eyes. "Fine, whatever—now listen closely. You will find Torrent in the Mystic Trail, but you would only find that place when the sun and moon coincide, and the entrance is beneath the waterfall south of Horton."As he finished, he snorted coldly. "I have no idea if you can actually do it, but I'm hoping you do kill him… Heh. I'm getting tired of being stuck under his control for so long."Then, waving off
Frank abruptly turned, immediately noticing one of the Cranes crouching, ready to spring forward and blindside him."Got you!" He laughed."Hah! You fell for it!"Just as Frank swung a punch to pulverize that Crane, he suddenly burst into pus that splashed at Frank's face."Damn it!" Frank took a step back, surprised that the clone's presence was identical to the real Crane, and a trap on top of that!"Die!"The Cranes around him each whipped out a dagger, all of them stabbing at Frank at the same time."Get off!" Frank bellowed, unleashing a shockwave that sent all the Cranes flying across all directions."Frank! Above you!" Skyler suddenly shrieked."Yes! I'm right here!" A strange laughter sounded above Frank just as he wiped the pus off his face.Crane was suddenly directly above him, launching an aerial kick straight at Frank's head, and Frank had no time to dodge!"Die!" Crane's smile curled into a twisted angle as he saw that too.He was very confident with this kick
"Disgusting…" Skyler murmured through her hand.Despite being skinned and scalped, the women were all still alive and singing to the music that was playing despite their anguish."Talk about a terrible fetish."Frank was scowling too—why were all the members of Torrent such sick deviants? It seemed like his plan to wipe them out was absolutely correct!"So, you killed my clone?"The lanky man on the couch slowly turned to level his bloodshot eyes at Frank.His lips were wet with bed as they curled upward into an eerie smile."Clone?" Frank narrowed his eyes."Hehe. It's a sage art."Crane shrugged as he stood up and wiped the blood off his lips. "It's only natural that you don't understand… Still, you deserve praise. If you can kill my clone, that means you're not just slightly stronger than Ghost."Naturally, the man was none other than the real Crane.Still, as Skyler studied him from a corner, even she could notice the strange twitch of his fingers, and his veins were pro
Even as Crane ran, he was looking over his shoulder, his heart pounding. "No… I won't win in a one-on-one!"No, as long as I get back to my real body… we can do this together!" He frowned, having seen how Frank sliced off the pinkies of those hood rats. It hence quickly dawned on him that Frank was not just slightly stronger than Ghost, as Torrent had put it!"Almost there!" He gasped when he saw the signboard of Pegasus Showtown in the distance. "As long as I get there and rendezvous with my real body, that brat will lose—"That was when he turned and saw that a shadow had caught up with impossible speed."What?!" Crane's eyes almost popped out in bewilderment. "What speed is that?! Are you kidding—"Even as he spotted the shadow, the shadow turned into a youth with an impassive visage.His fist outstretched, he was clearly punching toward Crane's forehead!"Argh…"Even as Crane looked on, the youth's punch slowed down by tenfold, but his fist kept closing in.Then, whe
Seeing Skyler sigh, the tattooed thug presumed that his extortion worked.He strode up, grabbing Frank's shoulder. "No one's gonna help you, boy. Pay up, or you're not leaving.""Exactly! You're not getting away!" the crowd of hood rats hollered. "Last chance."Frank's eyes were cold and fixed on Dani, however. "Are you going to intervene? If you do, you can keep that check. If you don't…""Ugh. Fuck off! I don't care!" Dani spat, her expression smug as she folded her arms before her chest. "Who do you think you are to threaten me?!""Exactly! Pay up, and you can leave!""Yeah! Ten grand, at least!""You probably don't know my boss Wyvern, but when he's here, you won't get away with just ten grand!"Even as the crowd closed in, Frank shook his head. "Well, you had your chance. Don't blame me for what happens next.""You're giving us a chance?! Hah! Who—argh!"Even before Dani could finish gloating, Frank was suddenly in front of her, grabbing her viciously by the wrist."Arg
"Five grand?! Did you hear that?! He just threw five grand!""Must be a rich kid coming here for a secret rendezvous, out of prying eyes? Those types are the easiest mark!""Fuck! And Dani got one of us… It hurts me more than losing at the races!"Frank could hear the buzz around him but ignored it as he strode past the men flanking him and headed toward the street that stank of blood."Stop!" A big tattooed man grinned sinisterly as he intercepted Frank.As his buddies encircled Frank as well, Frank snorted—it seemed that they took his reaction for a sign of weakness and thought that he could be cowed.The tattooed man rubbed his chin as he leered at Skyler's voluptuous figure, chuckling. "Look, boy. I'm short on cash, so let me take a loan. I'll pay you back some other day, how about that?"His friend laughed. "Exactly! You just gave Dani five grand, and we won't ask for more… just four, how about that?"Skyler scowled in turn and glanced worriedly at Frank beside her—was he
Frank himself had just stepped out of the nightclub when his eyes narrowed."Blood," he murmured, his nostrils twitching."Blood?"Skyler sniffed the air, puzzled. "I can't smell it.""It's from the opposite street… I smell the blood of over a dozen people.""A dozen?!" Skyler did a double take.He could identify the number of people who were killed?! That was just ridiculous!"Come on, let's take a look."Just as Frank led the way toward the source of the stench, a woman suddenly came up, catching Frank off guard and throwing herself into his arms."Hmmm?" He looked down to see that she had thick makeup, average looks, and a rather pudgy belly."Argh! He touched me!" she pointed at Frank and shrieked even before he realized what was happening."What?!" Skyler was staring at the woman too, mystified."Oh, sister! You just didn't see it!"The woman kept hollering, pointing at Frank's face. "Your boyfriend grabbed my ass! Is that how you teach him manners?!""Teach him ma
Wyvern screamed even as he clutched the stump that was his hand, screaming so shrilly one might mistake his voice as inhuman."Oh, just shut up." The lanky man glowered and launched a kick, reducing Wyvern into puddles of blood and pieces of innards, splattering all around the lobby. "Argh!!!" the devilish lady screamed as she watched the carnage unfolded."Another sound, and you'd end up just like him." The lanky man turned and frowned at her impatiently."Hngh…" The devilish lady promptly clasped a hand over her mouth, tears welling up in her eyes as she trembled."What the hell?!"Outside, Wyvern's lackeys heard the screams and ran inside, looking for him. "Hey, where's Wyvern?!"However, the lobby was too dimly lit for them to notice the blood and guts scattered around the walls, and they only sensed that terrible stench."Hngh…" The devilish lady was too scared to speak, and tears trickled out of her eyes."Fuck!"One of the lackeys strode up and seized the lanky man