Lina's tiny spark of feeling vanished in an instant.
It was like picking up a smooth stone, ready to skip it across the lake—
Splash.
It sank straight down, no skips, no fight, nothing.
Couldn't he at least take a couple hits? Go down proud?
Lina pressed a hand to her forehead. Pathetic.
Dong, the underground champion, kept advancing.
Aurora, standing calm as ever, let out a soft sigh, her fingers twitching slightly.
Then a cold voice cut through the tension.
"Step back. You don't want to start something you can't finish."
Kael stared at Tiger, unimpressed.
He didn't know this thug. Small-time gangsters didn't register on his radar.
Compared to the Voss empire, Tiger was nothing. A single word from Kael, and Crescent Bay's ruler would be replaced by morning.
Trouble was—Tiger didn't know Kael either.
And that made Tiger the unlucky one.
Dong spun, sizing Kael up. No words.
He threw a lightning-fast punch straight for Kael's face.
Lina gasped. She braced for Kael to drop like Aisha.
It never happened.
Kael lifted one hand.
Caught.
Dong's eyes bulged. Impossible.
His full-power punch—even former triple champions didn't dare block it barehanded.
And this kid stopped it with one hand?
Kael himself was surprised. He hadn't been this strong when he saved Chloe two days ago.
The ancient medical inheritance. It had rewritten his body.
Dong's face hardened. He dropped into a fighting stance, muscles coiled.
Long, powerful arms lashed out—fast, brutal, three punches a second.
Every single one.
Caught.
Lina stared, breath caught. Her legs squeezed tight, eyes fixed on Kael's sharp, steady movements.
No punch came close. Not one.
Dong was stunned.
"You… you blocked all of it?"
Kael watched the flow of energy in Dong's body.
He saw every move before it happened. Half a step ahead, always.
"Your form is wrong."
Wrong?
Dong's blood boiled. He'd trained in temple martial arts for twenty years, fought in underground rings for more.
"Impossible! My fists are perfect!"
Kael tilted his chin up.
"Then why am I stopping them?"
Dong's face flushed. He was right.
"Tell me! What's wrong with my strikes?!"
"Simple. You punch. I use my palm. You can't break my guard."
Dong scratched his head, confused.
Punch versus palm? Why did that matter?
"What… what should I use, then?!"
"Fingers." Kael's voice was lazy. "Fingers beat palm."
Dong stared, mind racing.
Fingers beat palm… palm beats fist… fist beats fingers?
Wait a second.
That was just rock-paper-scissors.
Dong's face turned scarlet, furious.
"You're messing with me! You bastard!"
Lina burst out laughing.
Aurora's lips curved into a quiet smile.
The boys clamped their mouths shut, faces red from holding in laughter.
Dong snapped. He charged, hammer-fists swinging.
Kael simply lifted two fingers, tapped a single point on Dong's arm.
Instantly, the big man's strength deflated, like a punctured balloon.
Dong tried to kick.
Kael saw it before he moved.
He stepped forward, stomped hard on Dong's rising leg, slamming it back down.
Two more quick taps.
Dong's largest muscle groups went dead.
Kael drove an elbow into his chest.
The 1.9-meter, 230-pound ex-champion crashed into the wall, then slid to the floor, limp.
Kael hadn't killed him.
But he'd broken his ability to fight.
Permanently.
Tiger sat frozen, still trying to look like a calm boss.
He clapped slowly.
"Nice. Real nice. Kid's got skills. But tell me—how many men can you take on alone?"
A sharp, silent prompt flashed in Kael's mind.
Choice 1: Escape with the group. Reward: Group favor +1.
Choice 2: Kneel and apologize. Reward: Charm -1, Dignity -1.
Choice 3: Stay and wait for reinforcements. Reward: Active skill — Warlord Aura.
The whole room went dead quiet.
Tiger's men, the students, the minor celebrity—all stared.
The starlet clung to her Gucci bag, terrified but too greedy to run.
Kael smiled at Tiger.
"How many can you call?"
Tiger's jaw tightened.
This kid was challenging him.
"More than you can imagine."
"I'll beat every last one."
Tiger snarled, yanking out his phone.
He glared at Kael, but Kael didn't stop him.
He even gestured for Tiger to make the call.
"Bring every man you have! Sovereign KTV, now!"
Outside, Zhou—old family retainer, sent by Marcus Voss—drove toward the club.
He carried one hundred million in cash, prepared for Kael.
Nathan finally found the courage to step close.
"Kael… let's run. Back to campus. They won't dare follow us there."
Campus was safe. Even thugs knew not to mess with a university.
But Kael didn't need safety.
He only smiled.
"Take the others and go. Carry Aisha back."
Nathan stared. "What about you?"
"I'm staying. I want to play with our friend here."
Nathan hesitated, unwilling to leave.
Aurora gently pulled him back.
"We'll only hold him back. Let's go."
The group hurried out.
Tiger tried to block them.
But Kael stood there, the man who'd just destroyed their best fighter.
Tiger could only watch them leave, spitting threats.
"You're dead! You have no idea who you're messing with!"
Kael ignored him.
He sat down, popped open a bottle, and drank.
The starlet and Liam Wang shrank back, terrified.
Tiger's face turned black.
Five minutes passed.
The door crashed open.
Everyone looked up.
A tall, stunning girl stood trembling in the doorway, hands shaking.
Lina swallowed hard.
"I… I came back. The others left… but I'm here with you."
Kael's lips lifted.
He crooked a finger.
Lina crept over and sat beside him.
Kael wrapped an arm around her waist, holding her close.
He looked at Tiger, voice cold and sharp.
"Three more minutes. Then I break both your arms."
For a second, no one moved.
Who was the real monster here?