Chapter 8

White sparks danced around Smart’s body, while green sparks swirled around Moryo, their speeds accelerating astonishingly. In an instant, they charged at each other, shattering the air with a violent collision, triggering a powerful explosion that shook the ground beneath their feet. Sand flew into the air, striking Ronda’s face, as the sheer force of the blast reverberated across the battlefield.

With lightning speed, Smart spun around, forming a circle of sparks that wrapped around him. He lunged at Moryo at the speed of light. Without warning, he struck, delivering a flurry of punches to Moryo’s face. The sheer force of the blows sent Moryo hurtling toward a building, his body crashing through its wall with an explosive impact.

Moryo’s body slammed into the structure, his eyes snapping open only to find Smart gripping his face with an iron hold, mercilessly driving him into the building. The wall crumbled under the pressure of the impact as Smart relentlessly pushed him through, demolishing the structure entirely. The debris collapsed onto Moryo’s body, but Smart didn’t relent. He continued to press forward with unyielding force.

Then, in a moment of raw ferocity, Smart lifted Moryo off the ground and hurled him savagely onto his back. The earth beneath them cracked open with the impact, groaning under the force of the collision. Stones scattered in all directions as the ground bore the brunt of the devastation.

Before Moryo could catch his breath, Smart appeared like a phantom, delivering a brutal punch to his face while he lay helpless on the ground. Blow after relentless blow rained down, causing the earth to fracture further. Each strike widened the pit beneath them. Finally, in a climactic moment, Smart unleashed a devastating punch to Moryo’s face, sending a fountain of blood spraying from his nose, painting the air with crimson droplets.

A deadly silence engulfed the area, the sky clouded with the dust that hung thickly in the air. Smart stood tall, staring coldly at Moryo’s motionless body sprawled on the ground like a lifeless puppet. His empty eyes stared into the void, unfeeling.

After a brief moment of silent contemplation, Smart turned his back. His steps were steady and composed as he left the pit behind, leaving Moryo drenched in blood, lying lifeless amid the ruins left by their fierce battle.

—

In Another Part of Ronda

Hambo stood before the bald man, staring at him for a brief moment before they both charged at each other with fierce intensity. Hambo’s fist gathered immense strength as he delivered a powerful punch toward the bald man’s face. However, the man simply smiled oddly, seemingly unaffected by the blow. Instead, he retaliated with his own punch, striking Hambo and sending him flying through the air until he crashed onto the ground.

But Hambo refused to surrender. Rising swiftly, he locked eyes with the bald man, his gaze calm yet resolute. The bald man smirked bitterly and said, "I’ll kill you too! The Rizsius organization will pay me handsomely for it!"

Hambo replied with quiet confidence, "You won’t achieve anything! Your life will be wasted!"

The bald man’s smirk twisted into a bitter sneer. "My life’s not wasted yet, but your friend’s life was when the Shikigami killed him!"

"You sorcerers don’t understand! Protecting humans doesn’t benefit you! To them, you’re nothing but scum!" His voice dripped with disdain as the gentle wind lifted the dust around them, almost playfully.

Suddenly, the silence was broken by Suero’s angry shout: "Shut up!"

Both Hambo and the bald man turned their gaze toward Suero. He was struggling to stand, wiping the blood off his face with determination. Regaining his balance, he glared at the bald man and shouted, "I won’t give up! I’ll protect my friends! I’ll protect humanity!"

The bald man turned his whole body toward Suero, a mocking smile on his face. Suero began to walk toward him, his steps faltering slightly but filled with unstoppable resolve. "Human life is precious! It’s not a toy in your hands, you opportunists!" he cried out, blue sparks dancing around his hand like a living flame.

As Suero approached, he stopped right in front of the bald man, staring into his eyes with unwavering determination. "I’ll kill you... I’ll protect my friends and humanity!" he declared, thrusting his flaming fist toward the man.

In that moment, memories flooded Suero’s mind—Moryo’s words echoed: "This strike relies on luck and energy. No one can use it more than twice a day."

Unauthorized duplication: this narrative has been taken without consent. Report sightings.

"This will be my second time tonight!" Suero thought as the color of the sparks shifted from blue to dark red. The wind howled around him, and the sparks coiled tightly around his fist.

Then, with a thunderous roar, he shouted, "Shrine Punch!" and struck the bald man with all his might. The ground beneath them quaked, the pressure surging outward until the bald man was forced back. The wind whipped violently through the area, scattering debris everywhere.

When the dust cleared, the bald man stood motionless, still smiling as though he hadn’t been struck at all.

Suero and Hambo were stunned. "What?!" Suero muttered to himself, while Hambo thought, "Impossible! That’s the same punch Suero used on me earlier!"

Hambo circled the bald man in disbelief, but the man remained smiling. Suddenly, before Suero or Hambo could react, the bald man grabbed Suero’s fist and smirked mockingly. In an instant, he lifted Suero high into the air and, faster than their eyes could follow, vanished only to reappear above Suero in the sky. With a powerful kick, he sent Suero hurtling to the ground.

Suero crashed into the earth with the force of a meteor, the ground shattering beneath him. Saliva flew from his mouth as he cried out in pain. The bald man hovered in the air, watching the scene unfold with a look of smug satisfaction.

Then, in the blink of an eye, the bald man disappeared again, reappearing on the ground with his confident smile intact. Hambo approached him quietly, his gaze sharp and focused.

"I understand now! That’s his technique!" Hambo said in a deep voice.

Hambo stared intently at the bald man before pushing his hand toward the man’s stomach. The bald man smirked, as if welcoming the strike. Hambo’s fist moved toward him, but at the last moment, he eased the strength of his blow, allowing his hand to merely touch the man’s stomach as if it were a gentle tap.

Suddenly, the bald man was hurled into the sky with tremendous force, as though he were a doll flung by an invisible giant. He crashed into the ground, tumbling and rolling, blood streaming from his nose. He didn’t move.

"I’ve figured out your technique!" Hambo laughed mockingly, standing triumphantly as the bald man stared back in shock.

Fear and tension began to creep onto the bald man’s face as he stood, visibly shaken. Hambo continued, "Your technique reflects the force of a punch, doesn’t it? In other words, no matter how strong the blow, you don’t feel it, right?!"

Sweat dripped from the bald man’s forehead as his tension grew. "But if I barely touch you, it’s as if I’ve hit you with the strongest punch possible!" Hambo added with a sly grin.

At that moment, Hambo vanished like a phantom, reappearing in front of the bald man. Before the man could react, Hambo touched his face, triggering a massive air blast. The bald man was sent flying with incredible force, crashing through multiple buildings as debris and blood sprayed in his wake.

From a distance, Hambo watched the bald man’s lifeless flight with a smug grin. Suero, running swiftly to Hambo’s side, stared in disbelief. "What just happened?!" Suero asked, astonished.

"Even though the 'Shrine Punch' was powerful, he didn’t feel it!" Hambo replied sarcastically.

"Why?!" Suero questioned, still stunned.

"His technique reflects the power of the punch. If it’s strong, it seems weak, and vice versa. If you touch him lightly, he’ll feel it as if it’s the strongest blow!" Hambo explained.

Suero remained dumbfounded by this revelation. The wind roared around them as a massive explosion erupted in one of the buildings. Suero and Hambo turned toward the horizon, where a crimson twilight painted the sky in a terrifyingly majestic glow.

"What’s happening there?!" Hambo asked, while Suero continued to stare at the awe-inspiring scene, the red twilight filling the sky in the aftermath of the explosion.

—

In the northern part of Ronda, at the site of the explosion,

Eerie, hysterical laughter rose into the air, echoing throughout the area. The humans stood frozen in deafening silence, their stunned eyes fixed on the burning building before them, the reflection of the flames dancing in their pupils. Then, suddenly, like a falling meteor, Campeis emerged from within the flames, crashing onto the ground with immense force. The earth cracked beneath him, and the humans split into two groups, rooted to their spots, staring at him in terror.

Campeis lay sprawled on the ground, his body trembling with fear, sweat dripping from his forehead. Slowly, he lifted his head, his eyes locked onto the raging flames as though they were relentlessly pursuing him.

The sound that had filled the place—the laughter of an unknown man—abruptly ceased. In that moment, Spailo emerged from the inferno with a devilish grin, his hands in his pockets, striding through the flames as if they were nothing more than water, unaffected by their searing heat.

Spailo looked at Campeis with a steady gaze, his hysterical smile unwavering, his steps heavy with the weight of the looming battle. Everything around him seemed to twist and turn—humans in utter shock, their nervous eyes fixated on him—while Spailo moved forward with absolute confidence, his footsteps resonating like the onset of impending doom.

When he reached Campeis, he stood tall before him and spoke in a mocking tone:

"Your end is near!"

Campeis, breathing heavily, replied in a low voice, "What do you mean? Why have you done this?"

Spailo smirked, his smile filled with sharp mockery. "Simply because I don’t need you anymore. You’re no longer part of my future plans."

Shock washed over Campeis as he whispered in disbelief, "You’re betraying me? And betraying Master Raizo?"

Spailo’s smirk deepened, his voice dripping with scorn. "Neither you nor he matters to me. I have clear plans, and neither of you has a place in them. So, you’ll both meet the same end."

Suddenly, a man from the right interrupted, his voice laced with urgency: "Excuse me!"

Spailo’s eyes turned cold as they scanned the crowd. The man continued, his voice trembling: "Who are you?"

Before the words could fully escape his lips, a thin, red spark streaked through the air, slicing through the necks of every human on the right side. Blood spurted from the severed necks like fountains, heads flew into the wind, and lifeless bodies collapsed to the ground. The earth was soon soaked in a pool of crimson.

Spailo watched the scene with deadly indifference before shifting his gaze back to Campeis.

On the left side, panic erupted among the humans as they stared at the growing pile of corpses. Sweat poured from their brows as they screamed in terror, running for their lives. Spailo frowned in annoyance and muttered:

"what a nuisance !? "

In the next instant, a massive red spark, larger than the first, swept through the air, decapitating the humans in one swift motion. The heads fell like autumn leaves, blood pooling around Spailo, who stood amidst the chaos, grinning with manic delight.

Spailo took a step closer to Campeis and spoke with cold mockery:

"Fight me! Come at me, and I’ll tell you about your daughter Itasha’s death!"

Campeis gritted his teeth, preparing for battle. "You’ll keep your word, won’t you?"

Spailo replied with chilling indifference, "Just touch me, and I’ll tell you everything. But…" He chuckled darkly and added, "Don’t die before you get to me!"

Red sparks began to dance around Campeis’s clenched fist, transforming gradually into molten lava that dripped slowly onto the ground. His eyes burned with determination as he glared at Spailo, ready to face an enemy whose brutality he had yet to fully comprehend.

End of Chapter.