Ryu charged at the monster with a loud shout…
The monster struck with its hand, but Ryu somehow dodged and, using a sharp wooden stick in his hand, struck one of the monster's eyes.
The monster let out a loud scream, grabbed Ryu, and threw him across.
Ryu, thinking he had gained the upper hand, attacked the monster again and successfully hit its eye a second time.
The monster, now unable to see, only screamed loudly, swinging its hands wildly.
Ryu aimed for the monster's vital point — its heart — and ran toward it.
Almost reaching the monster's heart, he thought to himself:
"Made it."
Suddenly, another monster appeared behind him and punched Ryu hard, sending him several meters away.
Ryu, with barely any strength left, managed to stand…
This time, the monster was smarter and smaller than the previous one.
It was the Paradise Union's leader, who had almost died under the rubble…
But a serum beside him, as a last hope, was injected into his body, turning him into a monster…
Because of his immense physical power and strength, he managed to maintain his sanity and became a nearly intelligent monster.
The monster said:
— "So… this… body… is monstrous…"
Ryu, in guard stance, stared at the monster…
In the blink of an eye, the monster appeared right in front of him…
It punched Ryu again, throwing him away…
Ryu, with no power left, was about to lose consciousness.
The monster approached, grabbed him by the neck with one hand, and lifted him.
It intended to kill him when suddenly a small stone hit it from behind…
It was the same child Ryu had saved earlier…
The child, smiling at Ryu, suddenly had his head cut off by the monster's hand, falling to the ground in front of Ryu…
Yet, the child still smiled in death.
Ryu felt a surge of emotions he hadn't experienced since his father's death…
As he bowed his head in grief, energy within his body activated, causing a massive energy explosion.
The blast was so immense that it dealt serious damage to the monster.
The core that the Master had given Ryu awakened…
But this awakening wasn't calm or controlled; it was fueled by the rage Ryu had against the monsters.
The energy surged so intensely that Ryu entered Core Frenzy Mode.
Ryu's body went out of control, driven only by a desire for destruction…
Seeing this, the monster realized this was energy it could not handle.
So, after a brief hesitation, it fled quickly.
It had jumped nearly ten meters into the air when a fist came down on it. The monster was struck in the face and crashed to the ground, causing a massive quake that destroyed several houses.
The entire surrounding area was reduced to rubble.
The monster, nearing death, looked up to see Ryu above him, unable to discern whether he was human or monster…
The monster said:
— "M…"
But Ryu didn't let him finish and kicked fiercely into the monster's heart, destroying it.
The monster died, but Ryu's desire for destruction remained intense.
Nearby, one of the martial arts masters, Zhang, having heard the quakes and explosions, rushed to the area.
He saw Ryu, the demon who had killed the monster, and approached him, but Ryu, in Core Frenzy, attacked Master Zhang…
Master Zhang dodged Ryu's strike and delivered a powerful punch, sending him flying.
Ryu, still in frenzy, attacked Master Zhang again…
Master Zhang struck him again.
Realizing Ryu had entered Core Frenzy, Master Zhang attempted to kill him, knowing that the chance of exiting this state was extremely low…
He attacked Ryu with punches and kicks.
He drew his sword, aiming to kill him when Wong, nearby, shouted loudly:
— "Don't do it!"
Master Zhang looked toward Wong and saw him lying injured…
Wong pleaded: "Please… don't kill him."
Master Zhang, knowing Wong, said:
— "This kid has entered Core Frenzy. If I don't stop him now, he'll die even worse — his whole body will explode. Very few ever survive this."
Wong said: "Please… give him a chance."
Master Zhang listened and, using his energy control techniques, tried to stabilize Ryu's energy.
Suddenly, he was drawn into a boundless world…
It was Ryu's core energy, surging like an endless ocean…
Suddenly, the ocean turned into a vast darkness…
The energy attacked Master Zhang, trying to consume him.
But he managed to escape from Ryu's core energy.
Seeing the magnitude of Ryu's energy, hope filled him, and he shouted loudly to Ryu:
— "If you have a goal you want to fight for, you must control this!"
Ryu, unconscious within himself, heard the man's shouts.
He struggled to find a way out of the darkness, but the more he struggled, the deeper he sank.
At the last moment, when Ryu was about to give up, he saw light.
The light approached him. Ryu thought it was the only way to survive.
Though still under darkness, he tried to reach it. The light, moving swiftly toward him, entered Ryu's body through the veins in his hand and reached his heart.
It was Master Zhang's energy. Once it reached Ryu's heart, a massive burst of light erupted, dispelling all darkness.
Ryu was able to suppress Core Frenzy and calm his energy.
But he was so exhausted that he lost consciousness.
Master Zhang, amazed by the scene, looked at Ryu and said:
— "Well done… rest now."
---
Meanwhile, the Master was still fighting the monster.
He had sensed Ryu's Core Frenzy. Once the energy subsided, he smiled faintly and said to the monster:
— "Now… let's start a real fight."
---
End of Chapter 13