"Where?" Frank asked bluntly."Sunblaze Dojo. It's in South Morhen," Hux replied."Alright. Wait for me there.""By the way, Mr. Lawrence…" Hux stopped him before he could hang up. "You have to watch out. My boss is really not pleased about this.""Got it."With that, Frank quickly washed up and headed outside, hailing a cap that took him straight to Sunblaze Dojo.He was not actually surprised that the Sunblazers' boss was upset about the arrangement—why would he give up so easily on a position he had fought so hard to claim?If anything, the invitation to the Sunblaze Dojo was an obvious trap, as the name of the dojo already suggested that it was Sunblazer turf and dojos were a place where blood was shed.-When Frank arrived over ten minutes later, Hux was on hand with a group of men to receive him.He was smiling apologetically and sporting dark circles under his eyes. "Be careful, Mr. Lawrence. The boss has summoned the Four Kings and every elite fighter in the gang…"F
"Heh…" Pax glanced at Frank, flashing a smile that did not reach his eyes. "When did the succession of leadership for us Sunblazers become a decision made by some outsider? Do you take me for some pushover who'd cave just because someone said so?!"His tone then changed sinister even as he kept both eyes on Frank. "I have no problems with you challenging me, Hux, but are you prepared for the consequences?!"Hux's cheeks twitched at Pax's threat, but he soon noticed Frank nodded at him.Taking another step forward, he bellowed confidently, "Of course I am! And you should be prepared for what happens after you step down too, Pax!""Hah! You don't have to worry about that, because you're definitely losing!" Pax sneered.His confidence came from the Four Kings, each of whom were martial elites trained since childhood, and each Birthright rank boasting godly abilities.It was no exaggeration to say that they could handle over a hundred men at once, but that was not the worst thing
"What? What's going on?" Frank turned to Hux, puzzled by his reaction.Hux leaned in to whisper under his breath, "That's Ned Janko. He's Pax Darman's benefactor."Frank raised a brow. "Is the Janko family really that impressive?"Hux made a weary look at his question. "Well, Ned's family is next to the Four Families of Morhen in importance, and Ned himself is second-in-line to inherit leadership of the family. Moreover, the Jankos have recently attempted to claim the vacant seat among the Four Families, following the decline of the Lawrence family.""Oh, I see…" Frank rubbed his chin in realization.That was when Pax, catching both Frank and Hux off guard, hurried to Ned's side with the Four Kings."Hoho…" He chuckled. "I'm awash with gratitude, Mr. Janko… To think that you'd come personally!"As he spoke, Pax glanced sideways at Hux and smiled smugly when he saw Hux's face turn pale.After all, no one would ever dare tell Pax to step down when Ned was around!"Haha… I merely
Shrewd as ever, Pax had his men bring chairs for Ned and his valets.His attitude changed since he was a lot less worried with Ned around—no one would dare make him step down with his benefactor present.Still, he would have to put up a proper show for the man.Turning toward the crowd, he said loudly and smugly, "The young man over there is so brave… Every Sunblazer present will be my witness. If he defeats the Four Kings, I'll step down and Hux can take my place."Everyone roared with laughter at that."Hehe." Frank simply braced against the jeers and contemptuous remarks and slowly strode toward the ring, cracking his neck.Pax then turned to the Four Kings. "Go, but remember, give a proper showing. Mr. Janko is watching! Don't blame me for disowning you if you lose!""Yes, Mr. Barzini!" All four burly men answered yes before striding into the ring in a tidy formation."Over here, Hux." Ned beckoned at an embarrassed Hux just then. "So where did you find your champion, and h
However, Ned and his pretty boy valets were right.The Four Kings had more than established themselves—would Frank really win against them?The thought left Hux despondent again.Even if Frank defeated Pax, Ned was here—would he really allow Hux to take over?He was getting a migraine just thinking about it…-Meanwhile, the Four Kings had moved inside the ring, standing opposite Frank and glaring at him in disdain.They knew every martial elite in Morhen and had never seen Frank's face or heard of the name Vicky Lawrence.In other words, he was from out-of-town—a bumpkin ignorant to the fact that still waters ran deep here in Morhen.On top of that, the Four Kings were capable of defeating anyone in Morhen—barring the martial elites from the Four Families.As such, judging Frank by his youth, the Four Kings were dead sure that they had this in the bag.That was when Frank strode forward despite their scornful glares, his expression even more pointed than theirs. "Come at me
To make things worse, the bones in Dono's arm were fractured, and he could not even raise it!"What?!"It was not just Dono either—the rest of the Four Kings and the entire crowd of spectators were gaping.Dono had put in all his strength behind that earlier punch. He should have blown a hole into anything, be it a wall or a mountain!And yet, Dono could not even feel his fist making contact with Frank's flesh earlier—it felt as if he had punched a metal plate instead, causing no damage while shattering all his own bones.It was absolutely terrifying… Wait, could he be Ascendant rank?!Everyone below stage were left in disbelief when they saw that Dono was repelled so obviously too, since they presumed Frank would definitely be beaten.And yet, not only did Frank repel Dono's punch, but the recoil also left Dono maimed!"What the hell, Dono?!" Ano, the leader of the Four Kings, bellowed just then, confused as he glanced between the impassive Frank and Dono, who sat limply on th
The outcome was naturally no different—all three men were left stumbling backward, their meridians churning. Instead, they were all left with internal injuries from the sheer recoil of hitting Frank, as if he was made out of steel.Frank simply stood there, shaking his head nonchalantly."Weak," he growled, opening his eyes as the whole room looked on in shock while stretching his back with a bored look. "If this is all you have, you've thoroughly disappointed me… Four Kings? More like Four Pups.""You've really done it now!"Incensed, the Four Kings—except Dono who was lying prone on the floor—traded glances and attacked Frank again.Not holding back this time, they casted their combard ward.But it would not have mattered to Frank even if they were four—and they were just three now."Quadruplet Ward!"Each of the Four Kings stood at a corner, their breaths in synchrony as the pure vigor around them converged and strengthened to the next level."Hyah!"This time, they leapt
Even Ned, who had plenty to say about Frank before the fight started, was left staring at the huge rift inches away from himself.His cheeks clenching, he could feel his own legs shaking!His pretty boy valets were also turning pale, with two actually dropping to their knees audibly.Thud.Pax was on his knees too, staring blankly at Frank who leveled his fist at him, and then at the deep ravine beneath his feet.His head was blank even as he mused, "I-Is he actually human? How does he do it? Am I on a film set or something?"Then, turning toward one of his men, he snapped, "Hey, get over here and pinch me. I need to check if this is real."On the other hand, the Sunblazer goons were all left at a loss after their initial shock.No matter how one looked at it, this had something to do with the power of a god! Really, what human could have done this?!As everyone turned pale from the devastation that ensued from Frank's single punch, Ano—who was closest to Frank—dropped limply
Frank's tone was calm, as if he was merely stating a fact. "What's there to deny? Even if I spilled my guts, do you stand a chance against me? See, no one does!"The man was furious—he had met plenty of conceited individuals, but Frank definitely took the crown!And seeing that Frank was not even in his thirties and was definitely small fry, he did not hesitate to slam his palm on the ground, which promptly started to move! "Interesting!"Frank stood his ground instead of leaping away, staring cooly at the molehills that streaked toward him. Even as the molehills were reaching Frank's feet, the man was left wondering why Frank did not dodge when the unexpected happened.The molehills struck the brat, but he remained unscathed!Earthbending was their cabal's signature technique, capable of causing seismic tremors—even if it was no match for real earthquakes, most people would still have trouble dealing with it.They were either torn into pieces by the shockwave, though the mor
Frank waited for a taxi and headed to his destination. Soon, the taxi stopped outside a dilapidated apartment.As Frank alighted and stared at the cracks on every block or the shaky foundations, even he could tell that it was in such a bad state it must be demolished. Shaking his head, he sighed in exasperation and entered the fifth unit on the sixth floor of Block D.He knocked on the door, and a smiling geezer opened it as he studied him. "What can I do for you, sir?"Able to tell right away that he was special, Frank asked, "Let's just call it a visit. I heard you could craft mystic items?"The geezer laughed right then. "I knew it. The nail that sticks out really gets hammered! I just want to keep my head down and live out my days, but you found me anyway.""Please don't misunderstand, sir," Frank quickly said. "I'm no robber, and I'm not going to steal from you. As long as you assist me, I can do anything for you.""Let's talk inside." The geezer stepped aside to let Fr
The motel owner thought Frank was trustworthy and told him everything he knew."Good. Thanks for cooperation—now do it yourself."Frank snapped his fingers again, and the mystic gun returned, lying quietly beside the motel owner as if it never disappeared."What? You're a martial elite! Don't you think people would talk behind your back about our deceit?!"The motel owner thought Frank was joking, but his expression was not.As such he pinned his hopes on emotional blackmail, but Frank was impervious to that too, even chuckling. "What's there to worry about? It'd just be hearsay, and they would be gone a couple of centuries later."Also, everyone would only find out if I spared you instead of avenging your victims. Now that's proper evil. You're naive if you think that I'm not the scourge of injustice. You won't be getting any chances from me."Even as reality sank in for the motel owner, he cried, "Y-You can't do this! We had an agreement!"Frank shrugged. "First of all, I onl
The motel owner snorted. "You're all so ignorant! It's true that most guns are pointless against Ascendant ranks, but this is no ordinary gun—it's a mystical item refined by a master craftsman."Not only are the bullets much faster, the gun's penetration power is even more formidable. I used it to bury many while I was young—even martial elites like you!"Everyone became restless at those.However, while Drunken Moon and the others were worried, Frank was actually excited.Mystic items were a quintessential part of high fantasy, and he might reach a treasure trove through the master craftsman whom the motel owner spoke of."Aren't you scared?" the motel owner asked just then, puzzled seeing that Frank was fearless, even smiling.Frank chuckled. "Why should I worry about a mere toy? Start shooting if you want—I'm sure everyone's busy and has better things to do."The middle-aged man snapped, "You're getting too full of yourself, brat! That thing has clearly seen plenty of action
Drunken Moon was definitely not going to tolerate that, and she snapped, "What are you going to do if I don't apologize?"The motel owner growled coolly, "I've already shown you what I can do, and I don't mind showing it again. Don't take me for some angel—push me too far, and I'll even make you my slave."Drunken Moon was simply amused. "Then show me what you've got to grow as conceited as you are!"The middle-aged man was snapping at Drunken Moon even before the motel owner could. "Bitch, you can't even win against my friends! What, do you think you can challenge me just because you have your boy toy?"He's quick, but so what?! Speed is pointless against absolute power!"The motel owner certainly felt buoyed by the flattery. After all, one would never look a gift horse in the mouth, and there was no one who despised being praised.Spreading his arms, he laughed. "Come on—seeing those pretty cheeks of yours, let me give you a nice hug.""Go fuck yourself!" Drunken Moon snapped,
Frank gestured at the door with his chin, and everyone turned to see a diminutive man.Despite his small frame, his eyes made it clear he was no average Joe. There was also a spring in his step—clearly having treated himself physically."Hello, everyone. I'm the owner of this premises!"The owner was clearly not inclined for matters to escalate, which was why he never intervened.That was until the manager accidentally touched the pendant!It was a family heirloom that, according to the owner's forebears, had the power to eat through everything—it just had yet to be proven.Horrified, the manager told the owner everything, and he came over to check out the situation. He would deal with Frank and the rest of the troublemakers, only to run into the troublemakers first."You're no slouch yourself!"Cyclops was delighted and lunged straight at the owner without hesitation, his hands outstretched like talons.The owner did not even seem to move, but Cyclops somehow missed."Fall."
Drunken Moon laughed coolly. "You're the one who kept bragging so much at first, saying that the strong decide on justice. And now that I've beaten you, it makes everything I said right, no?"The middle-aged man smirked. "Really? You're good, but not that good—if you're that brave, let me go, and I will call in my boys so we can have a rematch!"Drunken Moon laughed. "Why would I be afraid of that? Though I'm sure you're just going to bail and never come back."The middle-aged man snapped, "Do you think everyone's like you?! If you're afraid, just say it out loud!""Fine, then go. Why are you still here?"Drunken Moon shrugged, even moving aside for him.The middle-aged man smirked as he pushed himself to his feet and fled—the bitch chose this, and she would only have herself to blame for it!The bellgirl was concerned and came over to Drunken Moon. "Priestess, are you sure this is going to be alright?"Drunken Moon laughed. "Don't worry—even if you doubt me, know that the boy
Her skin and fingers were rotting where the motel manager touched the pendant, as if being corroded by acid at a visible rate. Worst of all, she could not even feel any pain from it!"W-What's going on here?!"Horrified, the motel manager turned and ran.Drunken Moon was ready to give chase, but Frank stopped her. "She's not going to have it easy without her fingers. Let her go."Drunken Moon nodded and pointed at the pendant on the floor. "What the heck is that?"Frank then told her about Reverend Quietus, to which Drunken Room exclaimed, "You meant to say that there are bodies of energy that are basically identical to the paranormal that people speak of?"Frank nodded. "I'm sure it's not just rumors, with the way it remained over a thousand years—things like that do exist. But in the end, it's no different from a spell, and you can handle it if you're strong enough."Drunken Moon smiled. "That only applies to you. I don't know about anyone else, but I really can't deal with th
After she calmed down, the bellgirl took an interest in Frank. "Is he the one who could beat you?"It was the new age—ladies were not shy, and the bellgirl actually liked lookers like him."Hello." Frank greeted her, and she smiled in turn. "Sorry for having to bother you, handsome."She would really have asked for his number if circumstances allowed.That was when footsteps could be heard, and Frank glanced sideways outside as he told Drunken Moon, "Now's your chance for revenge. Don't hold back now.""You don't need to worry about that!" Drunken Moon exclaimed as she flexed her muscles—she was waiting for this moment.The motel manager led several burly men inside, standing at the center proudly like she owned the place. "That's for insulting me, bitch! Go! Show her who she was messing with!"Though the motel manager did not hesitate to send her men after Drunken Moon, Drunken Moon smirked, waiting until the bouncers were about to reach before punching them.Soon, they wer