Chapter 58 — Inevitable Clash II
...
The air split apart as the axe cut through it in a swift motion, a sharp tearing sound trailing behind it... A speed unseen to the eyes of an ordinary cultivator, but for someone like Socrates, the motion was as clear as plain glass—every inch of its path laid bare before him.
He jumped backward instinctively, his feet digging into the earth as he retreated far beyond the extension of the axe, muscles reacting before thought could even form.
If a third party saw this, they would theorize his action to be exaggerated... but what came next gave justification to his actions.
A pale blue energy tore out of the axe, erupting forward with violent might, distorting the air as it surged towards Socrates at a speed that caused even his own eyes to twitch, his vision straining to keep up.
Had it been he hadn't moved further backward and just dodged the extension of the axe, he wouldn't have seen this attack at all—or he might have noticed it too late, which would have caused him a grievous injury...
But because he had already dodged the attack beforehand, it had allowed him to act—throwing himself leftward, his body twisting mid-air as the wave of blue energy tore past him and obliterated the tree behind him, wood exploding outward in a violent spray of splinters.
"You've a keen sight, boy... but that alone doesn't give you the qualification to stand against me." Elder Fotio said as he leapt towards Socrates' location in one motion, his figure cutting through the air like a descending blade.
The axe in his grip was raised effortlessly before being brought down towards the red-haired teenager's head, releasing two waves of blue energy from both sides—each one humming with destructive force.
Socrates had no other choice than to duck forward—and that was because he couldn't veer left nor right... The pressure alone sealed his movement paths.
Elder Fotio landed before him with the axe already descending, but the Son of Trueblood nimbly lowered his body to the ground and grabbed hold of the leg of the short man, his fingers tightening around it with force.
Socrates tried to yank the man's foot off the ground—but he couldn't... The Elder's leg didn't just resist—it stood rooted like a mountain, unmoving, unshaken... And that caused him a fatal mistake, as what he bet on didn't work—and now he's in a very dangerous position.
Elder Fotio chuckled, a low, confident sound, as he redirected the axe towards Socrates, who was still on the ground, scrambling to retreat—but it was too late.
The blade of the axe connected through his rib and tore through part of his flesh, drawing blood that sprayed outward in a brief arc...
The force behind the strike sent Socrates spinning violently before crashing hard on the ground, the impact forcing the air out of his lungs as dust scattered around him.
"Like I said, you're decades early to challenge me..." Elder Fotio pointed his axe at Socrates, who struggled on the floor, one hand pressed tightly against his rib as blood seeped through his fingers, his teeth clenched.
"Now give up the golden token and the other treasures..."
"Golden token... Never." Socrates spat out blood as he forced himself up again, his stance unstable but his gaze unwavering, burning with defiance.
"You talk big because you're wearing a suit that absorbs most of your damage... I'll tear that suit one after the other—and then let's see how you can talk big." Elder Fotio's eyes sharpened as he charged again, his presence pressing forward like a wave.
"Let's see you try..." Socrates roared as he surged forward to meet him, his fist tightening as energy condensed around it, the air around his arm vibrating faintly.
'I've endured hell in my life... I've broken boulders with my fist... What's an axe that I'll fear...'
Socrates tried to anchor himself with those thoughts—but deep down, he knew it wasn't that simple... That axe wasn't ordinary—it was wielded by a peak Qi Condensation Realm cultivator, and Socrates himself wasn't in peak condition... Four bracelets weighing more than two boulders dragged at his limbs, suppressing his speed, his balance—his full output.
But even with that... he had adapted.
The moment he entered range, his fist shot forward, tearing through the air as it collided head-on with the battle axe coated in energy.
BANG!!!
The impact detonated through the forest—air ripping outward in a visible shockwave as leaves and dust were blasted away. It was as if the space itself tried to recoil from the collision.
Elder Fotio's eyes narrowed slightly as a dent formed on the surface of the battle axe... Socrates' raw strength had overpowered the weapon itself.
'Is his punch that strong?'
He didn't hesitate. He withdrew his arm and launched another strike immediately—this time in a curved trajectory aimed at Socrates' neck.
But the Son of Trueblood reacted just as fast—his arm snapping upward in a brutal uppercut.
The strike carried everything he had—and the moment it connected—
The axe shattered.
Fragments burst outward, scattering through the air.
'Forgive me, Senior... It is what the situation called for...' Socrates apologized inwardly to Mr. Jaggers, the one who entrusted him with that weapon.
But he didn't allow emotion to interfere.
He stepped forward and threw another punch—but Elder Fotio had already retreated, his figure sliding backward across the ground with controlled ease.
"You're actually strong... I need to be more serious." Elder Fotio said, his tone losing its earlier casual edge as his gaze hardened.
With a flick of his hand, he pulled out a longsword from his inventory...
A sword wrapped in swirling blue energy that coiled around the blade and extended to his arm, as if the weapon had fused with him—an extension of his will.
"You should have a taste of my treasure—its name is Folibur..." Elder Fotio said as he ran his fingers along the blade, before lifting it and pointing it directly at Socrates.
"Now... fall into despair..."
The moment those words dropped, he moved.
A burst of speed.
He closed the distance instantly—his slash already in motion before his figure fully registered.
Blue energy surged forward even before the blade completed its arc.
Socrates sidestepped—but it wasn't enough.
The energy struck him square in the chest.
A heavy impact.
His body was thrown backward, smashing into a tree with a loud crack as the bark split from the force.
Socrates coughed out blood, his vision shaking—but before he could even draw a proper breath—
More slashes were already there.
Rows of blue energy, layered and relentless...
Closing in on him from all directions...
Ready to send him to the land of the dead...