Frank strode forward, his eyes narrowing threateningly."N-No…"Jaud started sweating all over his brow, having long since given up on the idea of fighting Frank directly.And now that he saw Frank, his first thought was to run—the further away, the better!"Damn it! Didn't Chaz Graves promise to bring in the Lionhearts and kill that son of a bitch?! That's so long ago, but here he is, still alive and kicking!"Even as Jaud cursed inwardly, he was flashing a smile that could well be a scowl. "Oh, hello, Mr. Lawrence! Long time no see…"Frank continued forward, his dark aura bursting. "Long time no see, huh? I guess that's true, since I still haven't settled things with the Salazars.""Oh, no, no, no…" Jaud quickly threw up his hands, quickly hatching a plan. "Come on, Mr. Lawrence! Ever since his son's death, Donald Salazar has been repentant. He's even attending church and told me not to get you upset and all that…""Really?"Frank chuckled coolly. "The last time I ran into h
Jaud recognized Frank's moves. "The Five-Peat Archaeus… of Mystic Sky Sect?!""I'm surprised you know about us." Frank strode up, ready to end Jaud's life.Jaud promptly threw up his hands in panic. "No, please! Don't kill me, Mr. Lawrence… Right, I can trade a secret of the Salazars for my life!"Frank had a hand poised to strike but paused. "A secret of the Salazars?""Yes." Jaud coughed even as he lay on the floor. "The Salazars still want you dead. Just let me live, and I'll tell you their secret.""Speak," Frank growled, his expression cold."Then… Do I have your assurance that I'll live?""I'll kill you right now if you don't tell me!"Frank's vigor charged again, and Jaud's eyes widened against the tremendous pressure.Even as he begged for mercy, he steeled himself while cursing Donald endlessly. "Fuck! I had to run into this monster today of all days… But don't think you can get away while I can't, Donald!"If only Donald did not cut corners and paid Kurt, they certa
Frank glowered as he projected his pure vigor. It manifested into a hammer out of thin air, swinging straight toward Jaud's chest!"Hell no!" Jaud suddenly leapt several meters into the air, dodging Frank's hammer.He clearly had no intention to fight Frank as he fled wildly out of the factory.Given how fast he moved, he was clearly pretending to be maimed before."You're running now? Too late!"Frank's pure vigor was still connected to him even after he projected it—it was an ability unique to the Five-Peat Archaeus.And with a wave of his hand, Frank turned the hammer that shot past Jaud back to him."What?!"Jaud thought he was safe as soon as he dodge the hammer earlier and did not expect it to still be under Frank's control!As the hammer turned back to him, it struck him squarely in the chest this time, sending him flying even as screamed."Gurk!" Jaud's chest was sunken, and he was coughing blood as well as pieces of his own lungs into the air.He landed heavily be
Raising his hand, Bravo beckoned, and all his men who were already sick of waiting sprang to their feet.They were all holding weapons, their eyes flashing in excitement.Bravo then licked his lips and bellowed, "Mr. Lawrence has already dealt with the main issue, and the rest are just Salazar rejects. What do we have to fear?! Let's go, boys! Charge!" He led his men as they all dashed toward the Salazars' hired muscle who had just charged out of the factory. As both groups collided and a violent scuffle ensued, Frank stayed out of it. This was Kurt's fight after all, and he should at least let his men have a chance to earn their keep.Instead, Frank took Jaud's corpse to a quiet place and searched it. The man had an assortment of poisons along with a tome called the Hundred Bane Anthology.After putting away the poisons, Frank read through the tome and was left shocked by the methods and process of harnessing poison from insects and other sources. There were even poisons he
Even as Frank shook his head, he soon had a better idea and told Bravo, "How about this? You probably won't have any use for this land right after reclaiming it from the Salazars. Why not rent out the land and the factory along with the machines to me? I'll pay you ten percent more than what the Salazars paid you before.""What?!" Bravo gaped and shook his head firmly. "No, absolutely not!"Frank frowned in turn. "What about twenty percent?""No, you misunderstand, Mr. Lawrence." Bravo quickly understood that Frank had the wrong idea when he raised his price. We'd never charge you the price we charged the Salazars—it'd be going against our conscience." He then added, "So, how about this? We'll only charge you the rent for using our land. The factory and the machinery didn't come from our money anyway, so you can have it on the house. Don't turn us down now, Mr. Lawrence, or you'd be disrespecting myself and Mr. Stinson."Seeing that Bravo was determined, Frank nodded exasperatedl
Donald froze. "Transport you back to Sage Lake Sect? What's going on here?"Moreover, Bocek's tone was humble in contrast to when he came before, demanding Donald to do his bidding.What the hell happened?Even as Donald looked on blankly, Bocek sighed. "I won't lie to you. My plan failed, and Frank Lawrence has taken the Goldeater Cane while also crippling my cultivation. We are simply no match for him… No, even Sage Lake Sect is no match for him. That's why my daughter and I will return and warn the chief, after which we will leave the sect and all this bloodshed behind us."I'd also advise you to give up on your enmity for Frank Lawrence… That is, if you value your life."Donald was clenching his chair's armrest so hard that it could break, his eyes red as he spiraled towards insanity.Useless, incompetent fools! All of them! Bocek was Skyrank's fortieth and a high elder of Sage Lake Sect, but he could not even handle one miserable prick named Frank Lawrence?! And he even ca
Even as Bocek looked into Quinn's tearful eyes, he bellowed, "Run! Don't worry about me—Donald has gone mad, and you must tell the chief about what happened here! Warn him not to seek revenge against Frank… If he insists, he can have Donald's head!""Father!" Quinn was exceedingly miserable.She was the one who suggested they seek help from Donald. After all, they had no one to go to, and Bocek urgently needed treatment or his injuries would deteriorate enough to kill him.Naturally, she believed the Salazars would help for Drakon Salazar's sake, only for Donald to suddenly snap.Now, Donald was going to kill them and blame their deaths on Frank!"Just run, Quinn!" Bocek repeated, having seen that Donald had truly lost his mind and was dead set on killing Frank.There was no way he would run since he was thoroughly hurt and in Donald's hand at that.The only way to minimize casualties at this point was to tell Quinn to run, or they would both die here!"No, I won't!" Quinn ba
However, it was too late for regrets now.The only thing Quinn could do was to flee Salazar House. She must inform Sage Lake Sect that it was the Salazars who killed her father, and they must exact revenge against them, not Frank.Hence, she did all she could to scale the walls of Salazar House and fled outside.Still, her consciousness was blurring—she was already hurt physically, and there was her broken meridian nexus to boot.-The entire hill surrounding Salazar House belonged to the Salazars, and it was situated in the outskirts of Sunny City.Quinn kept fighting even as she ran, pursued by the Salazars' bodyguard up the hill, and was cornered over the cliff."Put down your weapon! Stop resisting already!""We can do this painlessly. It's better for everyone, no?"The Salazars' bodyguards kept provoking Quinn.Still, her cheeks clenched in determination as she glanced beneath the cliff and found the river beneath."Hah! You'll never take me alive," she cried right then
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