The hag continued, "We're all students of the discipline and can't help holding discourse, but one would always maintain their own perspective and there's no belief that's actually superior. Violence is inevitable… So are you sure you can handle them?"Frank smirked. "What's to worry? I'd just destroy whoever comes after me!"The hag sighed and closed her eyes in turn, and no longer spoke.Lofty sighed too. "She wouldn't have died this horrible if she had stayed on the path of the righteous."Frank nodded. "She's gifted. I would even recruit her if she were a good person, though I really wouldn't miss another powerhouse like her. And I certainly wouldn't let her crimes go unanswered.""A champion of justice! So cool!"A woman clapped as she arrived, and who else could it be other than Jouri Yelin?Frank then took the weasel in the statue back from Lofty and threw it to her. "There's a critter in there. It doesn't think like a human, but it has a superpower and could wield it wel
However, it was understandable, since a man like Frank already enjoyed fame and the company of countless beauties. All his desires were met, aside from his insatiable inner child.With that in mind, Lofty nodded. "Whoever they are, their luck really ran out when they bumped into a powerhouse like you. They should just watch out for the rest of their lives and stay as far away as possible."Frank chuckled and snapped his fingers.Flames appeared over his palm, and he threw it nonchalantly at the temple, quickly setting it ablaze.And without another word, both men hastened to their next destination.It was already night, but it was eerily silent.Lofty shuddered and asked softly, "What the hell is going on here? Life is slower here than in the city, but there isn't even a single person out and about? Look, even the lights are out!"Frank turned to look at the unlit streetlights where Lofty was pointing.Those usually turned off in the wee hours of the morning and were usually so
"Surely savage applies to you and your ilk, abusing your paltry powers to lord over those villages. How despicable can you get?"Even as Lofty spoke, he lobbed more throwing knives while the burly man was not watching!This time, the burly man was afraid to parry them.Instead, he dodge aside while curling his fingers like claws, slashing straight at Lofty.Lofty barely dodged it, but he quickly whipped out a pair of duck blades in return, swinging them straight at the burly's man chest.While the burly man leapt backward and the attack missed his vitals, Lofty still sliced a large gash through his shirt."Such elegant martial arts!"The burly man did not flinch, even smiling as he whipped out a long, thin sword hidden at his hip.He stabbed at Lofty's face, but Lofty parried it with his duck blades.As they fought, the clanging of metal left even Frank's blood boiling.They were fighting like the legendary martial artists spoken of in novels, though Frank himself had risen b
"As such, it's all the reason you listen to us. Stay away!"The contempt in their words were clear, as they believed Frank was far inferior to them.Even Lofty felt furious just listening to them.Amusingly, Frank did not even care, and it was not a matter of composure—he had simply heard it too many times that he could not listen anymore.These days, he just treated it as the noise livestock made—and what person would argue with livestock?"Here, you can have him!"One of the quintuplets gestured with his palm, sending the burly man from earlier flying out of the woods.He was now bruised and battered, and Lofty was shocked as he could see that he was taken down in a single stroke.And with such power, it was not surprising that the quintuplets dared to do anything they liked here.That was how apparent their strength was.Still, Lofty scoffed. "Have him, you say? This isn't an inspection—take us to your leader, or we will make you!"He would not win against the quintuplets
Stunned, Lofty promptly warned Frank, "Watch out!"Frank simply smirked. "Cute trick, but nothing to worry about."With just a thought, he suddenly shone just like that man while conjuring a lotus bigger than the lotus sitters.And where Frank's lotus petals reached, all of the lotus sitter's petals vanished.Stunned, the lotus sitter exclaimed, "H-How did you do that?!"He did not actually develop the technique and plenty others knew it, but he had mastered it to a level no one else reached!Unlike the hag, he knows that he was not the most powerful person there was, even expecting to be defeated someday.He just did not think that his defeat would be so crushing!Having been content with his level for so long, this was the first time he had ever met a true genius.Still, a man who could learn his technique at first glance was truly one of a kind.Losing to him was not that embarrassing!"You're good, kid—but that's all you are. I have plenty of other tricks!"He waved his
"W-What are you?!"The lotus sitter did not bother running as he knew his fate was sealed, and all he wanted before his death was for Frank to answer his question."I'm the hand of the divine, here to punish you!" Frank exclaimed, giving a completely unserious answer out of sheer amusement.He even shrouded himself with a dazzling radiance just for the heck of it.The lotus sitter would not have believed it any other day, as that was the same trick he used to deceive the masses.However, things were different now—Frank's power was beyond comprehension, and he felt like he was standing before the majesty of the greatest peak.And since Frank was no gentleman, he naturally did not feel affected.Even so, the lotus sitter felt something violently churning inside himself and had to regulate this man… this champion who was without peer!"Why? Why would you help those livestock?!"Naturally, by livestock, he meant those civilians whom he had butchered.In his mind, the weak were be
Frank smiled, shaking his head. "Your sincerity alone is enough. I really can't accept it!"One of them said, "The man lives with wealth and privilege—why would he care about getting more spare change? Look, kid, I'm not the same as them. Instead of money, here."The man then led a young girl over to Frank, pushing her into his arms. "You can have her!"It was supposed to be serious business, but the tomfoolery left everyone laughing, and the man snapped, "What? I'm not messing about—I'm serious! Sir, you can have my daughter. With a man like you, I'd have ease of mind!" Still, the cheerful mood also allowed the villagers to accept Frank's excuse, and he quickly said, "Times are different now, sir. No one hands off their daughter to their benefactor."Frank would never consider himself an angel, but he still could not claim ownership over a person with a clear conscience.Men could be fickle or even cheat but could never win over anyone in such a coercive fashion—it must be con
Frank and Lofty traded glances. "Someone else?"Frank had actually thought it was rude of Lofty to be so blunt and wanted to apologize to Larkin, but as it turned out, there were times when bluntness was useful.Now, they were on to something that they otherwise would not have caught on."Yes!" Larkin sighed. "It's terrible to mention it again, but my wife has always been upstanding and never wronged anyone. But when she went up the hills to get firewood days ago…"He choked with tears, and Frank immediately changed his opinion on Larkin. After all, his instincts were telling him that Larkin had ulterior motives in bringing him here to his house, most likely to get his revenge by proxy.Why else would he keep funeral decorations around the house?Still, it was no big deal—people were always guided by purpose, and Frank was fine with it as long as Larkin did not mean harm."No offense, sir, but now's not the time to mourn," he said. "Tell me everything so that I can help!"Lar
Yancy was absolutely perplexed. "How did you do that?"Frank chuckled. "Do you believe in the paranormal?"Yancy shook her head confidently.The paranormal and science were two completely contradictory subjects.Strictly speaking, anything that could be seen with the naked eye or directly affected the physical plane was not paranormal. Still, while science was fundamentally a counter-thesis to mysticism, anything that worked within a system of logic fell within its jurisdiction.Frank shrugged. "It's good if you don't believe it. I don't myself—but I am using a paranormal technique to conjure that fingerprint, which was supposed to be erased."Yancy was utterly confused. "What does that mean?"Frank explained, "I'm not sure if you've seen bodies of energy resembling spirits, but they linger within a body, retaining the deceased's last thoughts to a certain extent!"Yancy nodded in understanding.There was some form of energy that lingered within the deceased.But with Frank's
Frank was unsure if she should laugh or cry. "Not mentioning something doesn't mean that I didn't notice it. And I could've saved you even without leaving the white-clad priest."If anyone else said that, Yancy would be convinced that they were lying.But since it was Frank, the strongest lifeform she had ever encountered yet, saying that was almost humble of him!Still, her protective glasses flashed as she checked the yellow talisman, scanning it. "There's nothing special about it! Both the scanner in my glasses and my eyes say so.""Now, back to my question." Frank chuckled. "Is science failing, or is the person?"Yancy's face fell—curse this man and all his teasing!Soon, they landed.There just happened to be a cleaner sweeping the curb, and his knees buckled and fell when he saw Frank and Yancy descending from the skies.Frank quickly put Yancy on her feet while rushing up to him, chuckling. "It's alright. We're not evil—don't worry."It took a while of assurance for the
Yancy has always been bright.With the help of all the advanced equipment, she created a monster soon enough.Interestingly, it could be controlled with the remote that Jouri had given her earlier.Still, the thought of being a step behind Jouri frustrated Yancy. "If I'm right, that scamp knew there was something strange about this place… She one-upped me again! Curses!"Frank chuckled. "Don't say that. You have the marbles that can be used for energies, no? You'd definitely be able to replicate it, and you'd beat her with numbers."Yancy could not agree. "Nope. It just goes to show she didn't even care… but now that I think about it, she must have something better."Frustrated, she stamped her feet, which looked adorable as she looked less mature."Alright, don't fuss over the details." Frank chuckled. "Let's go eat.""Yeah." Yancy sighed and had her lab float up in the air while they headed to Cronde.She also put on a pair of rocket boots and leapt off. "You don't have to p
The rascal took the skies, tearing through the clouds.But no matter how he flew, he just could not reach the eyes overhead!That was not all either—a mysterious force seemed to stop him just then before yanking him back to the physical plane!"Your turn!"Yancy heard Frank's voice all around her and nodded, pressing a button that fired a missile straight at the rascal.Boom!The rascal was blown away, split in two pieces from the waist and screaming in agony.It was only then that he realized his fellow apprentices were not playing a prank. They had simply died before he did!They were each so strong, but they were wiped out nonetheless. He certainly did not stand a chance!"Please don't kill me… I can be useful, I…"The rascal soon trailed off in fear.After all, they had all heard about Frank before they came.It was universally acknowledged that he was crazy—that he loved to torture people like them.And if he ever got you, suicide was the best option!However, th
Laughing, Yancy asked, "Now, do you understand that where there's smoke, there's fire?"It's not just bombs and artillery—I have plenty of other high-tech gadgets. You can die now, kiddo!"The rascal laughed instead of getting upset. "Did you think that science is all-powerful? The energy field is good, but it's nothing new—watch!"He waved his hand, and the energy field disappeared!Yancy was shocked—her data suggested that only Frank could dispel that energy field, so how was that brat able to do the same?Taking to the skies, the rascal then beckoned provokingly. "Are we stopping already? Come on, let's keep this up!" However, Yancy smiled, shaking her head. "I'm not stupid. Since I can't hurt you, I should just save my ammunition instead."The youth laughed. "So you're giving up? Good, spare me the trouble!"He turned, grinning. "Hear that? She gave up! Can I be the first—"He froze before he could finish, as his entire group was already gone.In fact, the only person al
"I don't believe you!" the woman shrieked almost crazily.She tried to vanish again, but Frank was no longer interested in playing with her.With just a snap of his fingers, her brain seemed to be subdued by a special type of energy, keeping her from using any techniques!One of the members of her entourage quickly realized that something had gone awry and hurried forward to encircle Frank, snapping coolly, "What the hell did you do?!"Frank chuckled. "Why not experience it yourself?"Even as the entourage heard that, they realized they had been shut out of their own abilities, just like the woman!"H-How did you take away our powers?!"Frank shrugged. "Easy. It's nothing to brag about—it has a major, exploitable flaw!""What?!"The entourage traded glances—Frank was basically saying that he was the Goliath to their David!"You're getting it, brat!"Even if their soul projection was taken from them, they still had other techniques!As they did not hesitate to charge at Fran
The rascal seemed to rank at the bottom of the hierarchy. Clearly afraid to disobey the woman, she charged at Yancy's android right then.Yancy wasted no breath pressing the fire button and launching a missile at the brat, only for him to disappear where he stood!Bang!The missile blew up as it touched ground, leaving a crater.Soon, the rascal reverted to his physical form and glanced at the crater, laughing. "I'm surprised that your android is that fun. I really couldn't have known!Patting his chest, he chuckled. "Come on, shoot me right here. Let's see if you can pierce my defenses!"Yancy's eyes lit up—that was certainly agreeable! She really could not do anything to the rascal if he dematerialized, but she would have a much better chance if he stayed put! With that in mind, she shot every type of artillery she had, even emptying the stockpile she kept around her lab!The woman was really not used to the ruckus and walked up to Frank, reaching out to touch his face. "Why
Still, Yancy did not seem to mourn her equipment. "That's amazing, huh?""Don't worry about it. Just study the marbles."Yancy nodded and was about to return into the lab with him when they heard a strange noise around them.Glaring at Frank, she pouted. "You definitely heard that earlier, with your super hearing. You could've told me earlier instead of letting me get a scare."Frank chuckled. "Is there anything that you really fear? And your equipment should detect it anyway.""That's true!"Yancy realized with a start.With her equipment turned on, it should have detected anyone's presence.However, she was getting nothing—not even thermal work despite the voice being so close!She soon had a thought. "Maybe like that woman in the cave, they are capable of soul projection?""And they're better at it!" Frank chuckled before calling out loudly, "That's enough. Spare us the theatrics and show yourself!"There was a sinister gust of wind as over a dozen black-robed individuals
The geezer laughed. "I didn't think I'd see you so soon, my friend. You really impress me.""How so, sir?" Frank quickly asked.The geezer sighed and pointed at Yancy, who was planning to scan him with her equipment. "I'm sure you'll soon understand what type of existence I am."Frank smiled, shaking his head. "I would know even without her help. You're no spirit—just a form of energy given form."The geezer's eyes lit up. "You really think so?"Frank nodded. "I'm sure it has something to do with programming."Seeing that the geezer had trouble understanding, Frank thought about it and explained, "It's like parrots. You can teach them to imitate you!"The geezer smiled in turn. "That's more or less it! And as the owner of the spiritron vein, you're the only one in this world with the right to claim everything kept here, and I'm sure I'll be seeing you again before long."With those words, the geezer disappeared from sight, leaving Frank with a ton of questions.What? Did he ju