Just as Dario's palm was about to touch Sebastian's hair, the latter suddenly turned. A series of afterimages trailed behind him.Dario had already started celebrating inwardly, certain he had landed a hit. However, the moment his hand came down, he realized he had struck nothing but air. By the time he registered the shadows in front of him, it was already too late. Sebastian was already behind him.With a casual push to his back, Sebastian sent him flying. Dario shot forward like an arrow released from a bow. Unfortunately, a wooden pillar stood about 20 feet in front of him. A loud crash echoed through the venue as Dario slammed into the pillar at an awkward angle. "Aargh! Damn it!"Dario had no idea what had happened. He had been flying forward headfirst, but just before the impact, he'd done a sudden forward roll.His crotch had hit the wooden pillar first.And of all the pillars surrounding the area, this was the only hexagonal one. The rest were round. Dario had crash
"What the heck?" someone in the audience shouted. "Did the foreign fighters come here to fool around?""Is he training his crotch? How can anyone endure falling like that?" another one chimed in. "He keeps landing on his crotch too.""If he doesn't have the skills for it, he shouldn't embarrass himself like that. Look at what's happened to his poor balls," an elderly man in the audience muttered, shaking his head.Dario's expression was now identical to that of Jules. He knew that he hadn't been mistaken about the force exerted on him a moment ago. It was a supernatural power. He could manipulate that force as well. He just wasn't as powerful as Sebastian."Who are you?" Dario looked at Sebastian in shock. "I'm a Dramonian. You Yutarians should apologize to Dramon for what happened 100 years ago!" Sebastian's voice grew colder. Before Dario could recover, a gigantic force crashed down on his back from the sky.Just like Jules had, Dario's forehead slammed into the ground wit
The Dramonian audience cheered for Sebastian. At that moment, a large, burly man with fair skin from Karna stood up and declared, "I would like to fight you."His name was Dmitri Loffman, a three-time kickboxing champion in Karna. As Dmitri stepped into the arena, everyone realized that he was eight feet tall. Sebastian looked like a child in front of him. His waist was only as thick as one of Dmitri's arms, and the kickboxer's thighs were so thick that they looked like steel pillars.Sebastian looked up at him and asked, "You want to challenge me?"Dmitri grinned viciously as he eyed Sebastian. "Challenge you? No, no. I can kill you with just one punch!"He waved his fist, which was the size of a bowling bowl."Punch me to death? Alright, come here." Sebastian smirked and motioned him to come closer. "Today, I'm going to show you that the martial arts of Dramon cannot withstand absolute strength!" With that, Dmitri walked toward Sebastian, each step heavy and deliberate.
Realizing he couldn't crush Sebastian at all, Dmitri abandoned his original plan and used both arms to pick Sebastian up. He then made a move to throw him down on the cement floor of the arena."Ahh!" Whitney cried out in shock. She looked instinctively away, too afraid to keep watching."Oh my goodness!""Things don't look good for Mr. Ballard!""He had a chance to escape! Why didn't he run?"The Dramonian audience murmured regretfully at the sight of Sebastian being lifted up to be thrown down upon the cement floor.Even Phineas closed his eyes in the stands. Once Sebastian was flung down, his bones were sure to break.But just as Sebastian was about to hit the arena floor, he suddenly stuck out his foot and kicked Dmitri's left cheek. Any normal person would have tried to dodge the attack, but Dmitri was different. He had been training since he was a child. Though he wasn't invincible, every inch of his flesh was so tough that an ordinary punch couldn't injure him. He didn'
When the third punch landed, Dmitri spat out a mouthful of blood.Was he actually coughing up blood? As the blood sprayed out of his mouth, a searing pain shot through his body. His organs felt like they were twisting inside him. Dmitri swayed on his feet and fell to his knees with a thud, clutching his stomach. "Tough as nails?" Sebastian sneered before punching him in the face again. Two front teeth flew out of Dmitri's mouth. Sebastian punched him again and sent another two teeth flying. Blood trickled from the corner of Dmitri's mouth. That was when he realized that his brute strength was useless against Sebastian. Every punch that landed gave him internal injuries of varying degrees. Sebastian hadn't even used his Indigo Thunder God tactic. He was only concentrating his vital energy into his fists. If he had used the mystic spells in the legacy of the Sacred Medicine Society, Dmitri would have been crushed in just a single blow.Sebastian wasn't using the mystic sp
Dmitri had barely sat upright when he spat out a huge mouthful of blood.Sebastian's punch had contained a trace of the power of the Thunder God. Not only had it broken Dmitri's arm, but his internal organs had also suffered severe damage. A piercing pain came from Dmitri's chest. It hurt so much that he let out a frightening roar of rage. Right after that, he fainted.Sebastian clasped his hands behind his back and strode toward Dmitri. Without hesitation, he raised his foot and pressed it lightly on Dmitri's chest before exerting force slightly through his toes.The left side of Dmitri's chest caved in at once."No!" A Karnian Warrior, one of Dmitri's companions, shot to his feet in the stands. "This is murder!" he yelled at Sebastian. "My companion has already lost the ability to fight. You have no right to kill him!"Sebastian turned to look at the man and said calmly, "We agreed to fight to the death before we started the match. Are you deaf?"The Karnian Warrior's ches
Rodrigo Vertmen? Phineas gasped when he heard the name. Just a few months ago, Rodrigo had slaughtered 18 Dramonian martial arts experts in a row in the martial arts battle arena at Saltsea City in the southwest. He had killed them single-handedly, armed only with his machete.Rodrigo was immensely skilled, and every move he made was calculated to kill. He never dragged things out. Judging from the video of that battle, Rodrigo had to be at least at the first level of the Eldoria realm."Hmph! Let's see how Ballard can win this time!" Alaric said, grinning viciously. He couldn't care less about what would happen to Dramon or its martial arts community. The only thing he wanted was to watch Sebastian die in the arena. Beside him, Ezekiel stroked his beard, his gaze cold as he watched the arena. Sebastian had been lucky so far—all his previous opponents had fought without any weapon. However, he would have no chance of winning against Rodrigo and his machete.After all, he
Although Rodrigo was a Warrior at the first level of the Eldoria realm, he had never seen a technique as advanced as the Wind Phantom.When he saw the shadowy figures rushing toward him, he broke into a cold sweat. He couldn't tell which was Sebastian's true form and which was just an illusion. Soon, countless shadows surrounded him. The audience cried out in shock. Was that really the same Sebastian, who looked so ordinary?"Rodrigo! Run!" His companions yelled desperately. Rodrigo was sure to die if he tried to fight against someone at Sebastian's level. What else could he do except run?However, Rodrigo was in a desperate situation, and he couldn't feel any fear. He couldn't even hear the yells from the stands.He didn't dare to let himself be distracted even for a moment. If he did, he was sure to die. "I-Isn't that—" Phineas was tongue-tied. He had only ever seen the ordinary Wind Phantom move, but Sebastian's move was clearly far more frightening than any that he had
Sebastian threw his head back in laughter. He strode forward, standing in the center of the hall, and said coldly. "Ungrateful? How could you have the audacity to say such a thing?"Even if I'm surrounded by enemies, you Ballards can forget about making me submit! It's just death, after all. If I even blink, then I won't call myself a man!"Everyone there stared at Sebastian."How dare that brat be so cocky? If he's not punished, it'll be a disgrace to our family rules!""He should be given the death penalty!""It'll be a disaster if we just let him be, and it'll only bring trouble for our family. Please give the order, and we'll kill him at once!"The entire hall was in an uproar. Even Preston, who had been speaking up for Sebastian and Samson, sighed in resignation.Since Sebastian had already made his stance clear, Preston couldn't help even if he wanted to.Sebastian had roused the anger of everyone there, and Arnaud had closed his eyes and wasn't saying anything. He was cl
Sebastian was just about to step forward when Samson hastily waved a hand at him and said, "Sebastian, the grudges of the Ballard family from over ten years ago have nothing to do with you. Don't get involved!""But—"Sebastian's gaze sharpened as he turned to look at Milton. There was an icy glint in his eyes. Samson shook his head slightly at Sebastian. The Ballard Estate had at least ten experts at the eighth level of the Eldoria realm. At Sebastian's current level, trying to fight them would only bring him big trouble."Sebastian, one must learn how to adapt to the situation," Samson whispered into his ear using voice projection. "Today, I will exchange my legs for your and Whitney's freedom. Think of it as a payment for what I owe you and your mother."Sebastian clenched his fists tightly. He hated himself for being too weak. He couldn't even protect his own family in a place like the Ballard Estate, where many experts were gathered.However, he would never allow anyone to
"Do you accept it, Samson?" Arnaud asked harshly when he saw that Preston hadn't said anything else. He turned to look directly at Samson.Samson smiled bitterly and turned to look at Sebastian before raising his head to look at Arnaud, who was sitting high above them. He said, "Uncle Arnaud, I was the reason for everything that happened. I wish to ask you not to trouble Sebastian.""What are you talking about?" Preston was agitated. He stood up again and yelled, "There must still be an investigation about who was right and who was wrong. Why should they break your legs?"As he spoke, his eyes blazed with fury. He looked at the thin old man and said furiously, "Milton, you old bastard! How can you be so shameless at your age? Tell me! Did you embellish the story to Arnaud?""Uncle Preston!" Samson stopped him quickly and sighed slightly. "Forget it. It's my fault for bringing such huge trouble upon our family back then."I admit that I have let our family down. Since imprisoning m
As the man in the black robe yelled, the entire hall fell silent at once. The thin old man threw the black-robed old man a disgruntled look, but he returned obediently to his seat.Once the noise had died down, Preston stepped forward and swept an icy gaze over the crowd who were present. "You call yourself the elders of the family?"The monument of our ancestral dragon is right in front of you. How could you bully two young members of the family in front of it? Don't you feel any shame?"Besides, how dare you speak before Arnaud does?"After the harsh scolding they received from Preston, no one in the crowd dared to protest. Sebastian nodded involuntarily. It appeared that Preston did have influence in the Ballard family. At least no one had interrupted his scolding, including Arnaud and the man in the black robe.Preston huffed angrily and bowed to Arnaud, who sat in the middle. "Arnaud, I've brought Samson and Sebastian!"Preston went over to the chair next to the black-robe
"Sebastian, I won't be going in. Remember, don't say anything without being spoken to, and don't be impulsive!" Andreas said softly in Sebastian's ear when they reached the door to the hall. He then walked over to the crowd, which was packed on both sides of the hall.Samson and Preston walked into the hall without any change in expression. Sebastian hesitated for a moment before hurrying to catch up.When they reached the entrance, the two old men reached out to stop them and said to Preston, who was in the lead, "Preston, I'm afraid that it wouldn't be a good idea for you to go in. Everyone knows that you're biased toward Samson's family. If you get into an argument with Arnaud, then—""Nonsense!" Preston yelled furiously. He spoke in a menacing tone to the two old men. "Don't try those tricks with me. Today, I'm going to be the voice of reason. Who among you can do anything to me?"With that, he pushed them aside and strode into the hall.The two old men gazed after his ret
The Ballard Estate's resources were unfathomable as it was. Could Isabella's family be even more powerful than theirs?Sebastian clearly remembered that both he and Samson were under the Sacred Medicine Society. They even had the same mentor.The Sacred Medicine Society was above all the other mystic martial arts sects. Even the sect leaders of the Nine Sects were very respectful toward his mentor.If Samson really was from the same sect as Sebastian, then his mentor had clearly been unable to save him. Wouldn't that mean that the Sacred Medicine Society was no match for the Ballards?Wouldn't that mean that Isabella's family was an even greater entity?"If my mother's family is really that powerful, why couldn't they rescue my father? There would also be no reason to let me join the Sacred Medicine Society either, right?" Sebastian asked probingly. It seemed as if Andreas had never even thought about such questions. He smiled and shook his head. "You probably don't know about a
As they stepped out of the courtyard gate, Samson suddenly turned and lowered his voice as he said to Sebastian, "I didn't treat you and your mother well. Please don't hold it against me."Sebastian felt even more conflicted. After everything he had been through, he knew very well that there were times when one really had no choice. When Samson saw that Sebastian was looking at him with a conflicted expression, he patted him on the shoulder and gave him a warm smile. Then he took a token from Preston and walked out of the yard.They followed Preston as he walked toward the east, where there was a majestic-looking building."Why are you helping me?" Sebastian suddenly turned and asked Andreas in a low voice. Andreas glanced at him and gave him a long, cryptic smile. "Do you think I'm helping you? I'm helping myself while doing so!""Oh?" Sebastian looked at Andreas in confusion, his brow knitted. Even Rexton had mentioned that Andreas was in Arnaud's favor. Why would he need t
When Rexton and the others had gone, Preston turned to look at Samson and said irritatedly, "You little rascal. Would I ever hurt you?"Besides, you've been here in isolation for ten years. Why hasn't your temper changed at all? Couldn't you show me some respect in front of all those people?"Samson glanced at Preston but didn't answer.Preston huffed and ignored him. He turned and looked Sebastian up and down instead."Hey, kiddo. Over ten years have passed in just the blink of an eye. You've probably forgotten me. I even gave you candy back then! Come over here and call me Great Uncle Preston!"Sebastian looked at him in surprise. It was true that he didn't have much of an impression of what had happened over ten years ago. However, he could tell from what Preston had said and done that his attitude toward Sebastian's family was completely different from Rexton and the others.Beside Sebastian, Andreas kept shooting him meaningful looks. Sebastian finally smiled and said, "Hell
Although the old man looked as if he was over 60 years old, his expression was sharp and lively, and his skin was smooth as a baby's. It gave him a youthful air.Even the severely injured apprentices all scrambled up from the ground when they saw him. They hastily bowed and said, "Greetings, Great Uncle Preston!"Even Rexton had no choice but to suppress his anger. He bowed sullenly to the old man and said, "Greetings, Uncle Preston."Preston Ballard glanced at Rexton and turned to shout angrily at the apprentices, "If I hadn't come, were you planning to tear the Ballard Estate apart? Look at all of you! Get out of here right now!"Despite the scolding they had been subjected to, none of them dared to protest. They all lowered their heads and slunk out of the yard. Preston glared angrily at them as they went and snorted. "What an embarrassment to the family!"Then he smiled slightly and looked at Samson and Sebastian as he asked, "Samson, do you have anything to say?"Samson lo