Chapter 2248 by Marina Vittori

“Now it makes sense.”

Alicia and Aurora nodded.

After all the fuss, Shadowcloak was just a fraud. Despite his intimidating facade, he crumbled under pressure, which revealed his cowardice. He could intimidate the vulnerable, but his bravado faltered when confronted with a powerful opponent.

The sisters finally understood why he never made a move against Brian earlier. It wasn’t due to his supposed strength but rather his weakness and fear of taking action.

“Kid, this is your last chance. Get down on your knees and surrender. Perhaps I’ll spare your life. But if you resist, I’ll crush you right now.” Shadowcloak’s voice thundered with menace.

At that instant, his imposing demeanor looked like that of a grandmaster martial artist.

“Stop your blabbering, and let’s fight. I want to see what else you’ve got up your sleeve.” Dustin smirked and eyed him disdainfully.

Shadowcloak’s performance was impressive, even though his facade had already been exposed. It was easy for those unaware to be deceived by his act.

“Stubborn fool! I’ll finish you off right now,” Shadowcloak shouted. In a flash, his figure split into multiple shadows and appeared behind Dustin.

He aimed to finish Dustin with a lethal blow. Plus, he knew he couldn’t defeat Dustin in a direct confrontation, so he opted for a sneak attack. With his agility, he believed he could easily outmatch Dustin.

After all, winning would solidify Shadowcloak’s reputation as a grandmaster. Even if he were defeated, he had an escape plan. Either way, he was invincible.

“Go to hell!” When he noticed Dustin didn’t dodge, Shadowcloak’s true energy surged. He gathered it in his palm before striking Dustin from behind.

The swift, fierce strike seemed unavoidable with Shadowcloak’s agility. Before the onlookers could react, his iron palm had already struck Dustin with a muffled thud.

Surprisingly, Dustin still stood there. He didn’t even activate his energy armor to protect himself and relied solely on his body to withstand the attack.

On the contrary, Shadowcloak’s hand went numb from the impact as if he had struck a piece of darksteel.

“How… how is this possible?”

Shadowcloak was dumbfounded. His eyes widened in disbelief as if he had seen a ghost.

Dustin had activated his energy armor earlier, so it made sense that he wasn’t affected by the attack. But this time, he didn’t have time to activate his energy armor since Shadowcloak’s attack was lightning-fast.

There wasn’t a single grandmaster martial artist who could endure such a powerful blow with just their body. Yet, Shadowcloak was baffled by Dustin’s ability to withstand his attack without a scratch.

He wondered if Dustin was a grandmaster with versatile cultivation. The thought sent shivers down his spine, filling him with dread.

Shadowcloak wouldn’t feel so intimidated facing a regular grandmaster. However, confronting a versatile cultivation grandmaster was different. They had no weakness and possessed profound cultivation along with an incredibly strong physique.

Their speed, strength, defense, and reflexes surpassed the regular grandmasters. A versatile cultivation grandmaster could easily take on multiple opponents of the same level.

Moreover, the process of becoming a versatile cultivation grandmaster was not easy. It required several times the effort and dedication compared to becoming a grandmaster.

In all his years in the martial world, Shadowcloak had only heard of a handful of these grandmasters. Each of them stood as a dominant force in their respective regions.

Yet, he never anticipated he would encounter a versatile cultivation grandmaster who was only in his 20s. Plus, someone so young and had such terrifying strength was nothing short of monstrous.

His panic intensified with each passing second, and his body began to tremble uncontrollably. Despite his agility, facing such a grandmaster made him feel like a sheep waiting to be slaughtered. He knew one wrong move could mean the end of him.

“Is that the best you’ve got? You’re so weak.” Dustin turned and looked at him like a tiger sizing up its prey.

Shadowcloak trembled with fear and screamed before fleeing. His figure blurred into several illusions that scattered in all directions.

This was his secret technique, the Illusionary Split. It was reserved for dire situations. He only used it when facing a formidable opponent or when he was in mortal danger.

He relied on illusions to confuse his pursuers and buy him time to escape when he knew he couldn’t win the confrontation. After all, fleeing was his only recourse. No matter how agile he was, he knew it would be a futile struggle if he were caught.

Everyone exchanged puzzled glances when they saw Shadowcloak suddenly flee. They were utterly bewildered by the sudden turn of events.