Translator: La0o9 Editor: La0o9
âSuch an ominous rhythm!â Chris stopped walking, his expression turned extremely difficult.
He had fought the most ferocious wyverns, faced the cruellest Kent tribesmen and countless other enemies, but this was the first time he had ever felt something this ominous.
âWhatâs going on? I can sense that Negary had become weaker than ever before, but also stronger than everâ Chrisâ breathing began to become rhythmic but chaotic, harmonized his own rhythm with his surroundings and extended his senses outward, trying to see what happened.
âDoes that shattered, chaotic rhythm belong to Negary? If we want to kill him, this is the best opportunity!â Chrisâ expression turned serious. Even though he didnât know what happened, this was without a doubt the best chance for their goal. He could sense that with every passing second, Negary would regain a bit of strength, perhaps even gradually growing stronger.
Chris changed his direction, wanting to head for the source of the rhythm, but he abruptly leapt back to dodge a rock that flew towards him.
The rock hit the ground and formed a small crater, showing how fast it was flying. If a human was hit by that head-on, they would most likely die.
âMr Chris, we meet again so soonâ the black-robed Nozades showed himself not too far away from where Chris was: âSo youâre heading for the forbidden zone?â
âAnd youâre here to stop me?â Chrisâ gaze became focused.n/ô/vel/b//in dot c//om
âIâve wanted to fight you for a long time, Mr Chris, or should I say, seniorâ Nozades spoke with a fanatic expression: âIt was because of seniorâs tales that I left my home and faced this complicated world. Now that I have a chance to defeat senior with my own hands, I can hardly keep myself restrained!â
âThe Crowmenâs rules made it so that I canât attack Reyaâs visitors without a reason so I was trying to come up with some excuse, but not anymoreâ Nozades loudly declared: âThis person is the criminal who killed Leader Comoros, all unrelated personnel please leave this streetâ
Very quickly, the entire street was evacuated. In Reystromia, the Crowmen were the peacekeepers and enforcers, they were highly disciplined soldiers that would never attack a person that hadnât disrupted Reyaâs order. Of course, the Crowmen would also mercilessly slaughter those that tried to challenge Reystromiaâs order, it was because of this strict order that many merchants and smugglers were attracted to this place.
âWhat flimsy framingâ Chris scowled.
âThat doesnât matter. Lord Comoros really is dead, and there were people who saw you enter his manor, that much is enoughâ Nozades shrugged and took off his black robe, revealing his naked upper body.
Twisted black patterns and stripes were all over Nozadesâ body, as he moved, the lines and patterns also constantly shifted, creating a warped and uneven perception that could even cause nausea.
âAre those Negaryâs modifications?â Chris stared at the black patterns while constantly sensing that ominous rhythm from afar, his breathing slowly changed.
Negary is constantly recovering, I donât have time to waste on this Crowmen.
âThis is my Lordâs blessing, and you will be defeated by this powerâ Nozadesâ expression slowly became settled. Maintaining calm and stability in battle was the mark of a true warrior, while explosive emotions could indeed heighten oneâs state temporarily, it couldnât persist for long.
Chris took a deep breath and threw a punch at Nozades, his punch wasnât particularly fast, but it followed a strange rhythm that made it feel like it couldnât be dodged no matter what.
Nozadesâ black patterns shifted and threw his own punch against Chris. The inhuman power caught Chris off guard, knocking him back a short step.
âLord Negaryâs blessing grants me superhuman speed and power, with your power alone, you arenât a match for meâ Nozades wasnât in a hurry to retaliate, he slowly declared a simple truth.
Fast enough to follow a Rhythm Punch huh?
Chris didnât answer him. A combatantâs mental state was crucial in battle, so quite a few people had the habit of saying things to rile their opponent up and cause them to lose their calm.
Chrisâ Rhythm Punch was a patterned attack that followed the opponentâs unique rhythm. Normally, it would be very hard for an opponent to react to the patterned attack, as it would go against their own natural rhythm.
Something is up with those black patterns
Chris immediately noticed, those black patterns surely did more than simply increase speed and power, because a mere difference in speed and power wouldnât be able to mess up his attacks.
Among Chrisâ previous opponents, there were creatures like the wyvern whose physical abilities far surpassed that of humans, this level of superhuman strength and speed wasnât much compared to that of a wyvern.
Chris maintained his calm and tried to match Nozadesâ strength with his Rhythm Punch again and again.
Each of Chrisâ punches was aimed at an awkward position for Nozades, but he would perfectly block them every time. Very strangely, Nozades hadnât tried to retaliate at all, even with his advantage of speed and power, he never actively attacked Chris even once.
âIâm quite disappointed, senior, I thought you would be a bit stronger than thisâ Nozades once again parried Chrisâ punch and suddenly declared: â[Respiratory Art] can indeed allow you to attack a humanâs weakness, but with Lord Negaryâs blessing, Iâve already transcended the limit of humans!â
Nozades abruptly changed his defensive game plan and proactively threw a punch against Chris. Even more shockingly, Chris noticed that Nozades was using his Rhythm Punch, this patterned punch that struck at a personâs weakness couldnât possibly be used without knowing [Respiratory Art]!
Chris barely managed to avoid Nozadesâ punch and paid attention to Nozadesâ breathing.
Thatâs not right, his breathing isnât following the rules of [Respiratory Art]
Chris scowled and once again took a deep breath, his own rhythm instantly harmonized with the environment again as he threw an unbelievable punch at Nozades.
If Rhythm Punch was the technique to attack an enemyâs weakness, then Chrisâ current attack was taking advantage of his own harmonization with the environment to perform a Silent Punch.
Because a Silent Punch was performed in perfect harmonization with its surroundings, this attack was met with very little resistance and could hardly be detected, because of this, the Silent Punch was also called the Assassination Technique.
As Chrisâs fist grazed Nozadesâ head, the residual power caused his hair to flutter. Even though it was only at the very last moment, Nozades still managed to dodge Chrisâ attack.
Nozades once again stopped his attack and smirked: âThatâs how it should be, senior, please show your prowess to the best of your abilities. Only then can I feel a sense of accomplishment of defeating you!!â