"Heh… Not bad at all."
The armored man chuckled lightly, even as he began to struggle under the relentless assault from Clorinde and Obsidian. But it was just that—a struggle, not a defeat.
"Hrah!"
Raising his massive battleaxe high, the man roared, releasing a powerful shockwave of energy. Neither Clorinde nor Obsidian had time to react and were blown back several meters by the sheer force.
"No wonder you're Evilbane's contracted warriors. Seems I'll need to get serious!"
With that, he brandished the massive axe and charged forward, leaping into the air before bringing the weapon crashing down toward them.
The axe cleaved into the earth, erupting into a storm of jagged stone fissures. Clorinde and Obsidian were both knocked back again, forced to retreat several more steps.
"Are you alright, ma'am?!" Clorinde shouted.
"I'm fine. Regroup! Don't let your guard down!" Obsidian wiped the dust from her face and pushed herself back to her feet.
Suddenly, the man grinned, twisted his body sideways, and hurled the giant axe like a spinning death wheel. The weapon roared through the air toward Obsidian like a flying guillotine.
"Ma'am!" Clorinde cried out in alarm.
Just then, a massive black cross-shaped greatsword dropped from the sky. The moment the axe touched it, the blade tilted, redirecting the spinning weapon straight back to its sender, landing at his feet.
"What the…" Obsidian stared at the massive sword embedded before her.
Though enormous, the blade was chipped and dull, its surface coarse and unrefined—clearly not sharpened for killing. She looked toward where it had come from and saw a white-haired man approaching slowly. It was none other than Yaohui—Evilbane himself.
"Lord Evilbane!"
Yaohui walked up beside her and gently helped her to her feet, giving her a firm nod.
"You've done enough. Leave the rest to me."
"I… I'm sorry…" Obsidian said quietly, lowering her head.
Yaohui turned his eyes toward the man across from him, gripping the black greatsword once more.
"So, the Fallen God Brigade has finally made a move," he said, voice low with suppressed fury. "That terrifying destruction… You must be the so-called 'Lord of Stone, Hong Tao.' Seems my partner Xuan Yue had a close encounter with you."
He glanced around at the devastated surroundings, his anger barely contained.
"Well, well, so you're Yaohui, Evilbane himself?" Hong Tao picked up his battleaxe with a wild grin. "Took a bit of effort, but I finally dragged you out!"
"Dragged me out?" Yaohui sneered. "You lot really are bold. After targeting the Moon Saint, now it's the Black Domain, is it? Your so-called 'Fallen God Brigade' may only be two weeks old, but I am curious—where did your strength come from?"
Hong Tao laughed uproariously. "Hahaha! Let's not twist the facts. Sure, stealing the Evilbane sigil is part of the mission—but honestly, I've always wanted to test myself against you!"
"Oh? You?" Yaohui said with contempt.
"Ha! Only one way to find out—let's go!"
Hong Tao raised his battleaxe high and slammed it into the ground. A wave of rock erupted like a tidal surge—spikes and ridges clawing toward Yaohui with terrifying force.
Calmly, Yaohui drove his sword into the ground and—with one hand—grasped the surging rock spike. The sight left Clorinde stunned.
"Yaohui! Are you alright?!"
At that moment, Tianlang arrived with Mo Yan and the others following close behind. They arrived just in time to witness the unfolding scene.
Yaohui glanced sideways at Tianlang, then raised his arm. With a powerful sweep, the entire wave of stone shattered into dust, the force of the backlash sending Hong Tao staggering backward.
But rather than panic, Hong Tao's eyes lit up.
"Hoho! As expected of Evilbane! You're not easy prey… But I'm no slouch either! Let me show you the power of the Lord of Stone!"
He swung his battleaxe again, and countless stones rose from the ground, whirling into a storm of jagged fragments.
Yaohui's eyes narrowed with disdain. He leapt into the air, smashing through the flying rocks with fists and feet alone. Borrowing momentum, he rocketed toward Hong Tao and unleashed a flurry of devastating punches and kicks.
Bam! Bam! Bam!
Hong Tao had no time to react—each blow landing like a sledgehammer. In seconds, he was beaten into the dirt, his axe falling from numb fingers.
Onlookers were left speechless.
"Incredible… That's Evilbane's strength? He's like a national MMA champion!" Kaelin gasped.
Mo Yan turned to Zhao Heng. "What rank would that be in our world?"
"Probably black belt, no doubt," Zhao Heng replied, arms folded.
After the brutal beatdown, Hong Tao was on his knees, barely holding onto his axe. Were it not for his armor, he'd likely be hemorrhaging internally.
"Ack… Y-you live up to your name, Evilbane," he stammered. "Looks like I lost."
Though still smiling, the arrogance in his eyes had vanished.
"'Lord of Stone?' Hmph. You're not even a warm-up. All that bravado—now pay the price."
Yaohui approached, fists clenched.
"Any last words?"
"Price?" Hong Tao chuckled darkly. "We in the Fallen God Brigade have never cared about the cost to reach our goals."
He forced himself to stand, and Yaohui tensed in response. Suddenly, Hong Tao raised his axe again and slammed it into the ground with all his might.
RUMBLE—!
The earth convulsed. Buildings collapsed. Jagged rocks burst skyward, transforming the area into a ruined wasteland.
Obsidian and Clorinde were caught amidst the upheaval, trapped behind rising stone walls and shattered debris.
Yaohui's eyes went wide. Every detail of the destruction etched itself into his mind.
"Damn you…"
He growled, turning his gaze back to Hong Tao—only to see him riding atop a massive rock, hovering in the air.
"Wait—what?! He can fly on that?!" Mo Yan exclaimed.
"If you're mad, come chase me!" Hong Tao cackled, soaring eastward and quickly vanishing into the city's edge.
Yaohui's eyes narrowed into slits. He exhaled sharply.
"...So be it. You want to die that badly? I'll oblige."
He retrieved his sword, and without another word, leapt across rooftops in pursuit, moving like a shadow across the skyline.
"Yaohui!" Tianlang shouted after him—but he was already gone.
Turning toward Kaelin, he asked urgently, "Kaelin, where's your vehicle? Can you give me a lift? Yaohui's heading in alone—I'm afraid it could be a trap."
His tone was serious enough that even Kaelin looked worried.
"No problem! But with the terrain like this, I doubt the off-road vehicle can make it."
Around them, the ground was torn apart, jagged and uneven. There wasn't even space to summon a car.
Tianlang shook his head. "It's fine. Just use that police motorcycle from the first day we met. If we wait any longer, it might be too late!"
"Got it!" Kaelin nodded.
She raised her right hand and summoned the police motorcycle from her ring.
Straddling the bike, she looked at the others.
"Hop on—but it only seats two!"
Zixuan stepped forward. "No worries. Tianlang, you and Mo Yan go ahead. Zhao Heng and I will fly over using my staff."
Tianlang gave a grateful nod, then mounted the bike with Mo Yan—one riding shotgun, the other gripping Kaelin's waist from behind.
~~------------------------
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