Chapter 1604: The Cost of a Confession
Chapter 1604: The Cost of a Confession
Gary continued his relentless beatdown against the Rock Guild members. Having witnessed how easily he had neutralized Fenix, dropping him with a single, brutal punch, the remaining guild members were forced to act quickly.
They had to steel their nerves, but this heightened pressure was not entirely unusual for them. They were, after all, a guild whose main purpose was fighting Beasts, meaning they had been in chaotic, survival-based situations before, relying on their physical gear and teamwork.
As they rushed ahead and swung their varied swords and weapons, Gary’s raw, untamed agility was fully put to work. He avoided several wide, predictable sword strikes with fluid grace. Then, when a heavy Mace swung in from behind him, he used the immense power stored in his legs, flipping right over the back of one of his assailants. Mid-air, he executed a precise kick to the back of his attacker’s elbow. The sudden, forced movement caused the man to thrust his own mace forward, striking the chest of his closest comrade.
Oppo came rushing in from the side, utilizing his large sword with surprising speed. That’s when Gary performed a move of unexpected martial skill: he kicked up the discarded Dagger from the floor and managed to block Oppo’s large sword strike in the nick of time. The heavy impact pushed Gary back slightly, forcing his feet to skid, but his immense, natural strength perfectly matched the force of the blow.
“How... how!” Oppo shouted, his eyes wide with a desperate confusion that bordered on panic. “You’re not even wearing any Beast Gear!”
That was the one factor making the fight slightly harder than Gary had initially expected. None of the Rock Guild members seemed to know how to effectively utilize Qi or use it at all, they weren’t skilled enough for that refined technique. Yet, because they were all wearing Beast Gear, they weren’t fighting against regular, unenhanced humans who simply knew how to use weapons; there was a measurable degree of strength and durability behind their attacks.
Still, although Gary was mildly surprised by their stubbornness, he was exponentially stronger and possessed the combined experience of countless real, life-or-death fights. As Oppo came forward, swinging his sword again with raw fury, Gary dropped the dagger.
He then waited, stepped in at the perfect moment, and side-stepped the heavy sword strike. Now that he was close, inside Oppo’s effective range, he clenched his fist tight. He threw a hefty, calculated uppercut, hitting Oppo with full force right underneath his chin.
Oppo’s bulky body flew high up into the air, spiraling for a dizzying moment before it crashed back down onto the ground in a heap. Immediately, Gary swung his leg, kicking Oppo right on his extended hand. The bone-jarring impact caused Oppo’s sword to go flying wildly, and the heavy back of the weapon hit yet another Rock Guild member square on the head, dropping him instantly.
Having seen Gary systematically and quickly take out so many of their guild, their best fighters, the two remaining men who were still able to fight from the guild immediately turned tail and scurried away.
Now, with the minor enemies neutralized, Gary lifted the stunned Oppo right up from the scruff of his neck and started to violently shake him.
“Hey, wake up!” Gary commanded, his face inches from Oppo’s. “If you don’t wake up right now, then I’m just going to have to force you awake.”
Gary grabbed Oppo’s hand and started to clench his powerful grip, squeezing tighter and tighter. The crushing pain caused Oppo to gasp, his eyes flying open as he started to yelp in agony.
“Ah, I guess you were faking being knocked out, then,” Gary remarked, his voice devoid of sympathy. “You’re more sturdy than you look.”
For a split second, Oppo’s terrified eyes glanced past Gary and focused on the remaining knights. He knew that if he and his guild couldn’t take out Gary, the only ones who could help him now would be the knights.
The battle against the knights was proving to be a difficult stalemate for Kai and Lupus. The knights were swift and precise, especially the highly trained assessor. The only reason Kai was able to hold his own for so long was that while avoiding strikes from one of the knights, he would constantly be moving in such a way that the assessor, utilizing his Qi-enhanced speed, couldn’t come in and strike cleanly.
But the assessor was relentless and highly experienced. Eventually, he executed a swift kick to the side, channeling his Qi for a burst of speed, like a zig-zag, and came striking in right from Kai’s blind side. Kai, reacting instantly, ducked completely under the powerful sword and slid his body low, quickly grabbing the assessor’s leg, trying to force him to trip and fall. But when he pulled, the assessor’s stance was like a tree trunk rooted deep in the ground, completely immovable due to his master control of Qi.
Kai quickly let go and sprung back up, knowing that moment was his only chance.
At the same time, Lupus threw a heavy fist at the blunt side of a knight’s sword. The attack was blocked, and it caused the knight to skid across the floor, but only ever so slightly. The knight was still perfectly up and standing, his defensive Qi holding firm.
“If we really want to beat these guys... I think we might need to transform,” Kai whispered urgently to Lupus, speaking low enough to avoid the enemy’s notice.
“If we do that, it would completely defeat the purpose of us coming here and pretending to be normal,” Lupus commented, dodging a thrust. “We need to save that for when we really need to run.”
“You’re right,” Kai conceded, pulling back and creating distance. “But part of me feels like we’ve already blown our original, quiet plan right out of the water the moment you guys started punching knights.”
The escalating violence and the failure of the Rock Guild were suddenly interrupted by a high-pitched, agonizing scream.
“ALRIGHT, ALRIGHT!” Oppo was heard screaming, his voice ragged with pain and desperation. Gary’s continuous crushing grip had turned Oppo’s hand into a mangled mess, and it appeared as if Gary was moving his grip up Oppo’s arm to get the answers he wanted.
“It’s true! We bribed the assessor to let us pass! It’s all true! Please, just stop! I’ll tell you the exact amount, how much, anything you want!” Oppo shouted, the confession pouring out of him like blood.
Hearing these damning words, the entire assessor’s head began to shake, not from pain, but from the sudden, public exposure and failure of his corruption. He was finished.
Just then, the knight who had fled moments earlier returned, and he was not alone. An imposing figure walked swiftly by his side.
“What is going on here!” A booming, loud voice that easily covered the entire field was heard, instantly cutting through the noise of the fighting. The new voice was heavy with authority, raw power, and absolute command.
“It’s as I said, Sir,” the fleeing knight stammered, pointing a terrified finger at the trio. “The participants of the assessment, they’ve gone completely crazy and are attacking the knights and the successful candidates! Please, Sir Gary, you have to do something!”
*****
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