novelraw Chapter 38: HAN 1
Chapter 38: HAN 1
Both parties stared at each other, then at their subordinates fighting.
They knew without doubt that their fight would affect those inside.
Two Marshal-rank fighters was nothing to scoff at, even the warehouse could be levelled easily under their combined might.
With that understanding, they left the entire premises, their bodies shooting into the sky as if gravity had no influence over them.
Both fighters were locked in a fierce staring contest.
"I should tell you my name, since it is only right," the official said, breaking the stare. "I am Han."
"What should I do with a dead man’s name?" Bryan said, his tone laced with pure hatred.
"Oh, we will see who dies soon," Han said, his muscles coiling mid-air.
Bryan was ready.
Boom.
Like rockets, they both lunged toward each other, the wind groaning from the force of their movement.
Han struck first. His greatsword tore through the air in a horizontal slash aimed to cleave through Bryan’s torso.
Bryan parried with his sword, the force making his arm tremble slightly.
Han was not done. He pushed forward, withdrawing his greatsword to cleave through Bryan’s shoulder.
Bryan intercepted again. His face was calm, as if Han’s attacks were nothing more than child’s play.
Han did not like this.
"Why aren’t you taking me seriously?" he roared, swinging furiously at Bryan.
Bryan sighed, his body weaving through each attack like water.
Han stopped, his chest heaving. Although subtle, it was enough to show just how much strength he had poured into his attacks.
"For someone who thought he could kill me, this is underwhelming," Bryan said, shaking his head in disgust.
Before Han could even reply, he felt all the air in his lungs hang. His body folded backward from the stomach.
In mere moments, his body was sent flying through the air at an insane speed.
Bryan looked at the flying body and unclenched his fist. "He couldn’t even withstand one punch. Obviously his entire cultivation was built on resources."
Bryan spat.
He scorned people who preferred shortcuts to power. Resources were meant to increase one’s speed of growth, not replace one’s own efforts.
His body shot forward, flying toward Han at a speed ten times faster than a bullet.
As Han’s body came to a halt, Bryan was already there.
He raised his leg high above Han’s stomach.
Before Han could even make sense of what was happening, the kick landed squarely. The impact sent him plummeting to the floor like a comet.
He crashed against the floor, a deep crater forming under the weight of his descent.
Bryan landed softly. He squinted to search for Han through the haze of dust, but found nothing.
Then he felt it. A chill crept suddenly up his spine.
Han’s blade tore through the dust, approaching Bryan’s head like an executioner’s sword.
In that brief moment, instincts honed by years of battle took over.
Bryan ducked, his back parallel to the floor as he performed an almost impossible maneuver.
Han blinked at Bryan’s reaction. But that was all.
Bryan stood up, looking at Han with a smirk. "Seems like you just used up all your luck on that attack," he said.
Han smiled. "Is that what you think?"
Aether began to converge along his blade’s edge.
Not even letting the aether wrap fully, he swung forward.
Bryan almost lashed out at Han’s attack.
"You don’t learn, do you? That attack can never hit me."
As he said this, he sidestepped out of the blade’s path.
"Just surrender yourself for interrogation."
This was the real reason Bryan had not killed him from the start of the battle. They needed someone to interrogate. And who was better than the boss himself?
Han smirked. "Just wait for it."
His words had barely landed when an eruption occurred. Like a chain reaction, the path the blade had carved through exploded.
Bryan’s eyes widened as he was caught in the explosion.
"Who said you are the strongest combatant on our planet?" Han yelled, a roar of laughter escaping his mouth. "I have killed him, no one can compare to me on this planet!"
His noise drew the attention of the other fighters in the warehouse.
The members of Crimson Fang looked toward the spot with pride.
"Boss Han has killed the Grand General, we have to finish the rest!" one of them shouted, trying to bolster their dropping morale.
But the members of the Veritas Corps did not so much as glance over, because they knew one thing. Han was dead.
From the haze of the explosion, a figure emerged, casually brushing the specks of dirt from his clothes.
"I wanted to take you in peacefully," Bryan said. "But I guess breaking a bone or two wouldn’t hurt."
Han’s eyes shrank in fear. "No, that’s not possible. That was a Heaven-rank technique and I poured all my aether into it. How are you unscathed?"
Bryan looked at Han with a surprised expression. "So that was Heaven-rank? No wonder it tickled so much. But compared to my defense technique, that’s rubbish."
"No!"
Han roared, swinging wildly at Bryan.
Bryan shook his head. "You are like a wild animal, too volatile to be a warrior."
As he said this, he unsheathed his sword.
Han swung forward but Bryan parried. In the same movement, he struck, a slash aimed at Han’s leg.
The sound of tearing flesh echoed through the darkness. Blood splattered like a fountain.
Han collapsed to the floor like a tower that had lost its foundation.
Bryan looked down at him. "Come pick this guy up," he said into the intercom.
"You think I will let you take me?" Han laughed madly.
"You don’t have a choice," Bryan replied, pulling a cigarette from his pocket.
Han smirked. "I would rather die than be taken in."
Bryan turned to Han. He was no stranger to dealing with people like this. He knew they always had a way of backing up words like that.
And indeed.
From Han’s position, dark flames began to rise.
Like an inferno, they shot through the sky. Bryan swung forward with his sword.
The sword froze mid-air.
A barrier rose, encasing the being inside the flame.
For another three minutes, the transformation continued.
Finally, it ended.
From the flame, a hand as large as a car emerged.