"Even a Level Six being can't take that hit!" Terror crept across Doyle's aged face.
The other Level Five fighters finally reacted, various energies flaring around their bodies.
They'd never imagined they'd be nearly insta-killed from over ten kilometres away before even getting close.
Zhang Zheng and Wu Yuan paid Li Hongping no mind; after all, a Level Six wasn't so easy to kill.
Energy rippled out from the two of them.
Wu Yuan stared at the giant eyeball. His Mental Power let him ignore Gus's mental corruption. "I'll handle that Big Eyeball; the dog and the Golden Man are yours and Elder Li's!"
"Hmph! Perfect chance to see just how strong a monster that could defeat Bai Wenliang really is!" Zhang Zheng tore off his Zhongshan jacket, revealing lean, hard muscle.
A Blood-Dragon Tattoo coiled across his skin—head on his chest, body over the left shoulder, tail down his back.
"Roar!" A dragon's cry burst from the tattoo. Zhang Zheng's skin flushed crimson, his frame swelling to 2.3 m as a crimson aura erupted.
Both he and Li Hongping were Physique-type awakeners who'd also trained in the Martial Path; even in old age they didn't decline like ordinary warriors.
Boom! With an explosive bang Zhang Zheng shot forward, a red after-image streaking toward Gold.
"Come on, let's see what you've got!" Eyes blood-red, Zhang Zheng roared a dragon-like war-cry.
His right fist clenched, the red aura pulsing at a unique frequency and wrapping his entire arm.
Far away, Gold watched the old man turn into a red line and race toward him; Gold's own body flashed gold, closing the distance even faster.
They closed in rapidly. Zhang Zheng raised both fists; after a moment of pulsing build-up, the crimson aura condensed further, glowing deeper red.
"Meteor Sun-Piercing Fist!" Mouth wide, eyes bulging, Zhang Zheng thundered and punched out with both fists.
Whoosh-whoosh-whoosh! His fists became streaks of scarlet light, dragging red trails as they slammed toward Gold.
Seeing this, Gold smirked. "Old men should stay home and wait for death, not come out to fight."
Swoosh-swoosh-swoosh!
In the next instant Gold lifted his arms, instantly matching Zhang Zheng's speed; golden arcs met the crimson fists mid-air.
Boom! Gold and red collided. At the very first punch, Zhang Zheng's furious expression snapped into shock: 'What terrifying power!'
Boom-boom-boom! The head-on fist fight raged on, each blow releasing visible shockwaves.
Buzz-buzz-buzz! The shockwaves swept across the ruined buildings, light debris flung away.
Crack-crack! The ground between them split, fissures widening by the second.
A group of Level Five fighters watched from afar, sweat beading, eyes wide with disbelief.
Most of them had never seen Level Six combat; the mere aftershocks of this close-quarters clash rivalled—or exceeded—their full-powered energy attacks.
Zi Wen couldn't help asking, "All the monsters that arrived seem to be Level Six—what can we even do?"
"Looks like… nothing," the middle-aged man from the Zhenyuan Alliance answered bitterly.
A Close-Combat Level Five like him would only be delivering himself as a gift; maybe Energy-type or Mental-type fighters could help a little.
"Rather than worrying about fighting, we'd better worry about ourselves," Doyle said, gaze fixed on the rapidly approaching Six-Eyed Black Hound, expression grave.
At that moment a Blue-Haired Youth stepped forward, Mental Power swirling around him. "All Mental-types, hit it together for control; Energy-types finish it off. We've got dozens of Level Fives—surely we can hurt one Level Six!"
"Right! Judging by its performance it's definitely not Mental-type. With so many of us, we can pin it for a moment!"
The moment those words left his mouth, eight Mental-type fighters—including Doyle—stepped forward, eyes brightening.
"Everyone, on my mark!" the Blue-Haired Youth called, eyes flicking toward the others as he stretched both hands toward Boqi, now only a kilometre away.
Eight Mental-type experts struck at once; the vast Mental Power even warped the air, faint illusions flashing within the distortion.
"Ha!" Doyle shouted, invisible Mental Power erupting from his eyes and merging with the other seven, the combined force swelling larger and larger.
Crack! The fused Mental Power actually flashed white in the real world; the beam shot out and slammed into Boqi's head.
The running Boqi screeched to a halt, as though the mental strike had worked.
Meanwhile, Li Hongping—stark naked, his clothes blown away—climbed out of a distant crater.
"That packed a punch," he muttered, shaking his dazed head, utterly unbothered by Little Li Hongping flapping in the wind despite the blood covering him.
On his feet, he spotted the immobilised Boqi, then turned to Zhang Zheng trading blows with Gold.
Whoosh! Without hesitation he shot toward Zhang Zheng, roaring as he passed the others, "Hold that monster a while—I'm helping Zhang Zheng!"
To him, these Level Fives were finally good for something; even delaying the monster a bit would let him and Zhang Zheng handle Gold.
The other Level Fives voiced no objection; the ones specialising in energy attacks immediately opened fire on the motionless Boqi.
Rumble-rumble! A barrage of energy blasts streaked toward Boqi.
Far away, veins bulged on Zhang Zheng's forehead as he pushed to his limit just to keep up with Gold's speed.
"Aaaargh! Mountain-Shattering Fist!!!" Realising he couldn't out-fight Gold, Zhang Zheng shifted his aura into a new pattern.
Whoosh! Just as he roared, a golden fist shot through his guard.
Zhang Zheng's pupils shrank; Gold's timing was terrifyingly precise.
Bang! Gold's fist smashed into Zhang Zheng's face, crushing nose and cheek, blood spurting everywhere.
"I haven't even gone all out and you're already done?" Gold sneered, the fist that struck Zhang Zheng suddenly driving harder.
Under the immense force Zhang Zheng's body began to lose balance, toppling backward.
'Damn—why so strong!' Enduring the agony, Zhang Zheng let himself fall with the blow, reducing damage while using the momentum to swing his right foot up—red aura wrapped—toward Gold's chin.
Bang! The kick borrowed the force and slammed into Gold's jaw; a shockwave burst and Zhang Zheng was sent flying.
"Nice technique—too bad your strength is lacking." Gold's expression didn't even flicker; the kick hadn't broken his defence.
Though thousands of exchanges had flashed between them, only three real-world seconds had passed before Zhang Zheng was blasted away.
Gold remained where he stood, not chasing, instead looking toward the naked warrior Li Hongping rushing over.
Arms folded, Gold stared at the rising Zhang Zheng, eyes deep. "Two of you? Then this game ends now."
Li Hongping stepped beside Zhang Zheng. Hearing Gold, he sneered, "We're both Physique-type awakeners who walk the Martial Path—no Level Six in history has ever beaten a duo like us!"