"Noah, you two-bit punks think you can kill someone in my Jiangnan City? Go to hell!"
Lightning roared to life.
Jacob's entire body was wreathed in crackling arcs of electricity, his figure charging forward like a thunderbolt, voice booming as he moved.
A hundred meters ahead, Yellow-Hair and his heavyset partner had already been cowed by Jacob's sheer presence and power. Fear flashed in their eyes. They scrambled to brace themselves for his incoming assault.
Bang!
In a blink, Jacob was right in front of them. Lightning rumbled through the park as his fist came crashing down toward Yellow-Hair's head. It was as if he wanted to vent every drop of his jealousy and rage on these two street thugs.
He wanted Snow—and that pretty-boy Noah watching from the side—to see exactly what true strength looked like.
Only he was worthy of the goddess-like Snow.
This punch carried the full might of a Level 6 Private First Class. No holding back, no mercy. Even an opponent of equal rank would struggle to take it head-on—so what could a couple of measly Level 4 scrubs possibly do?
The ground shook with the impact.
But the result was… not what Jacob had envisioned.
Instead of smashing Yellow-Hair into pulp, his fist slammed into a sudden earthen shield that erupted from the ground. The shield shattered instantly, but a wave of searing pain shot up Jacob's arm.
He staggered backward several steps, face darkening.
Yellow-Hair and the heavyset thug were both knocked back a pace, surprise flickering in their eyes.
"What the hell? Why… why can't I use my full strength?"
Jacob shook out his aching hand, rage simmering in his voice.
Yellow-Hair blinked in disbelief for a second, then burst out laughing. "The hell was that?!"
"I thought you were some big-shot—nearly pissed myself. Turns out you're just a paper tiger!"
His laughter echoed through the park, sharp and grating.
Jacob's fists clenched so hard his knuckles cracked. "You… are dead."
"Dead? You're the one who's dead, pretty boy," Yellow-Hair sneered. "You think you can stick your nose into our business and walk away? Big mistake. Brother, use your ultimate—end him!"
"Got it, boss."
The heavyset man's round face twisted into something feral.
The ground trembled.
Stone tiles shattered in rapid succession, and sharp spikes of earth burst from below, surging toward Jacob like a wave of deadly spears.
On the sidelines, Noah glanced at Snow, utterly bored.
"What skill is that?" he asked casually.
Snow tilted her head, thinking. "Looks like an A-rank skill—Exploding Earth Spikes."
"A-rank, huh? No wonder it looks kinda strong." Noah gave an exaggerated sigh of admiration.
Snow's gaze lingered on him for a moment, a glimmer of amusement in her eyes.
"Look, Jacob's having trouble holding them off!"
Her words drew her attention back to the fight. Jacob stood his ground against the incoming barrage, lightning exploding from his body, shattering spike after spike.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
The air shook with each collision, but the spikes kept coming, regenerating faster than he could break them.
When the deadly wave finally reached his position, the earth's power surged all at once.
BAM!
Jacob's defenses crumbled. He was hurled backward, crashing to the ground in a heap.
"Ugh—!" He coughed up blood.
Snow's brows furrowed. "His power… it's like it's dropped a lot."
Noah put on his best thoughtful expression. "Maybe he's just nervous 'cause you're here?"
Snow shot him a sideways look and chuckled. "Do you really think a guy like him would get nervous?"
Noah shrugged. "Eh, whatever. Let's just take these clowns out ourselves."
He raised his voice—loud enough for Jacob to hear. "Guess Jacob's not as tough as he looked. I thought he was the real deal, but he's kinda useless. Guess it's up to us now."
Snow pressed a hand to her forehead, her lips twitching. "Noah, that's enough."
"Alright, alright." Noah gave a mock salute, but the grin in his eyes was unmistakable.
What's his problem? Think you can mock me?
Jacob's blood boiled, and with a sharp cough he spat out another mouthful of red.
This punk was doing it on purpose—definitely on purpose!
Jacob, ranked among the top three fastest levelers in the human race, a genius of Jiangnan City's younger generation, reduced to being beaten bloody by two nobodies?
From the day he was born, he had been a star, basking in the light of admiration. Never—not once—had he been humiliated like this.
And now, Snow… Snow was about to step in. He wanted to warn her that these two had tricks up their sleeves, but—
WHOOM!
Snow's sword ignited in a blazing flare, pointing toward the heavens.
Above the park, the Big Dipper appeared in the sky, its stars burning with a searing crimson light.
Yellow-Hair and the heavyset thug froze, staring up in disbelief—just in time for the first star to fall.
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
Seven meteors, each trailing a torrent of flame, crashed down like divine judgment.
In the blink of an eye, the two men were swallowed whole. The blast turned the hundred-meter radius around them into a raging sea of fire.
They didn't even have time to scream.
Jacob was rooted to the spot. "What… what skill is that?!"
His eyes, now hazy with exhaustion, locked on Snow.
She stood in the flames like a valkyrie, sword in hand, long hair streaming loose in the wind. The fire itself seemed afraid to touch her, curling away a full three meters from her figure.
Noah's gaze burned. Yeah… that had to be an SSS-rank skill. Nothing else could unleash that kind of destruction.
Snow stepped from the inferno without a singe on her skin.
"Noah, let's go," she said simply.
"What's it called? That move was insane!" Noah asked.
"SSS-rank skill," she replied with a small smile. "Blazing Big Dipper. But… even I didn't expect it to hit this hard."
She cast a helpless glance at the sea of fire. "Come on, before the Demon-Hunting Institute shows up. If they catch us here, you're not making it to class today."
"Then what are we waiting for? Let's move!"
Flames lit the night sky over Jiangnan Park.
From above, several figures approached rapidly, drawn by the chaos.
Jacob ignored their looming presence. His eyes were locked on Snow's retreating figure—his beautiful goddess walking away beside Noah.
His young face twisted, warped by rage, until it became a mask of malice.
"That punk… his name's Noah, right?"
Jacob's voice was a low growl. "If he dares to take my woman, I'll make him regret it for the rest of his life."
He clenched his fists so tightly they trembled.
"Snow, you will be mine. One way or another."