A flash of shock crossed the king's face.
The next moment, a powerful rebound of force surged back through his arm!
Thud! Thud! Thud!
His massive body staggered backward three steps uncontrollably. Each step left deep footprints in the stone pavement.
His entire arm felt numb and sore.
What terrifying brute strength!
The king was inwardly shaken. In pure strength, he had actually fallen into a disadvantage!
But his extensive combat experience allowed him to react instantly.
Using the momentum of his retreat to stabilize himself, his left leg lashed out like a steel whip, sweeping viciously toward Sami's lower body with a piercing whistle.
Sami reacted even faster.
A faint smile curved his lips.
Instead of retreating, he advanced.
His body suddenly leapt into the air, narrowly avoiding the sweeping kick. At the same time, he used the momentum to vault directly above the king's head.
"Heaven-Falling Kick!"
With a low shout, Sami twisted his waist in midair. His right leg descended like a battle axe, carrying enormous downward force as it chopped toward the king's head.
The speed was so fast that only a blurred afterimage could be seen.
The king's pupils shrank.
A powerful sense of danger made his scalp tingle.
With a roar, he crossed his arms in front of him and raised them upward with all his strength to block.
BOOM!!
Another thunderous crash rang out.
The king felt as if a small mountain had smashed onto his arms.
The overwhelming force caused his legs to buckle. His knees bent involuntarily, nearly forcing him to kneel on the spot.
The stone beneath his feet shattered, his legs sinking several inches into the cracked pavement.
Sami showed no mercy after landing the blow.
The moment his feet touched the ground, he surged forward again like a phantom—faster than before.
His movements flowed like water.
Both hands formed into spear-like fingers, transforming into countless afterimages that struck like a torrential storm, targeting the king's joints and weak points in his defense.
The king roared repeatedly, swinging his arms wildly in an attempt to block the omnipresent attacks.
From the corner of his eye, Sami noticed more and more soldiers gathering.
On distant high points, musketeers had already taken position, their cold gun barrels searching for shooting angles.
We can't drag this out any longer.
Taking a deep breath, Sami suddenly accelerated again.
His body flickered, splitting into three afterimages that attacked the king from different directions.
The king's vision blurred.
Relying purely on instinct forged from years of battle, he threw punch after punch.
The fists cut through the air—
But every blow struck nothing.
He didn't even touch the corner of Sami's clothes.
At the very instant the king's punch had yet to retract, Sami appeared before him as if teleporting, right in front of his wide-open chest.
Sami's palm gently pressed against the center of the king's chest.
"Poison Fang — Sting."
There was no explosion.
But the king's body suddenly stiffened.
A numbing sensation instantly spread throughout his entire body. Strength drained from his limbs like receding tidewater.
His eyes widened in disbelief.
But his huge body had completely lost control.
He could only stand frozen in place—unable to move even a single finger.
"Your Majesty!"
"Protect the King!"
The surrounding soldiers panicked and rushed forward to rescue him.
"Don't move!"
Sami roared, his voice shaking the entire square.
He grabbed the immobilized king and held him firmly in front of himself.
"Take one more step forward and I can't guarantee your king's safety!"
With the king taken hostage, the soldiers hesitated, afraid to act rashly.
Seizing the opportunity, Sami shouted at one of the officers.
"You! Go to the tower library right now! Pack up books on medical theory and treatments for common illnesses!"
"Bring them here immediately!"
The officer's face turned pale as he glanced at the king.
The king could not move, but his eyes burned with fury.
Under the slight pressure of Sami's hand, he finally closed his eyes in humiliation and gave a barely noticeable nod.
Soon, several soldiers returned, panting as they carried large crates filled with books.
"Carry the books!" Sami ordered his officers.
Still using the king as a human shield, he continued:
"We're going down the mountain!"
Holding the king hostage, Sami and his group quickly retreated into one of the mushroom-shaped cable cars.
The cable operator had already cowered in the corner in terror. Isaac roughly grabbed him and threw him aside, taking control of the mechanism himself.
The cable car began sliding down the mountain.
As it descended, the town of Roberu at the foot of the mountain gradually came into view.
"Look! The cable car—what… what's that?!"
"The cable car… that's… His Majesty!"
"My god! What happened to the king?!"
"It's those outsiders! They've kidnapped His Majesty!"
As the cable car passed over the town, the residents, travelers, and doctors below saw the unbelievable scene inside.
Roberu Town instantly exploded into chaos.
People dropped whatever they were doing and flooded into the streets, staring up at the descending cable car in disbelief and anger.
"Guards! Where are the guards?! Save His Majesty!"
"Damn pirates! How dare they attack the Iron Wall King!"
On the battlements atop the mountain fortress, soldiers clenched their teeth in fury.
Bows and muskets aimed at the cable car.
Yet no one dared to fire.
They could only watch helplessly as it descended toward the town.
"Make way! Everyone stand back! Do not act recklessly! His Majesty is in their hands!"
A military officer shouted hoarsely, desperately trying to disperse the agitated crowd and soldiers rushing toward the harbor.
With a loud clang, the cable car finally reached the station at the foot of the mountain.
Without pausing for even a moment, Sami's group rushed through the crowd, dragging the king with them under countless furious and stunned gazes as they sprinted toward the harbor.
"Raise the sails! Lift the anchor! Hurry!"
Sami was the last to step onto the gangplank.
He turned and looked at the tense soldiers and furious citizens behind him, as well as the king still immobilized in his grasp.
With a sudden motion, he hurled the king like a sack toward the empty space on the dock.
"Don't worry! Your king was only hit with a powerful paralytic toxin. It'll wear off naturally in a few hours. No one's going to die!"
"We really didn't mean any harm. This time, we were the ones who were rude."
"As for the medical books—we'll just consider them borrowed!"
"Until next time!"
The sails rose quickly.
The anchor chain rattled as it was hauled up.
With the wind and sea currents aiding it, the Swordfish began sailing away from the now boiling harbor.
Behind them, soldiers rushed toward their fallen king, while countless furious and disbelieving gazes followed the departing pirate ship.
Only when the ship had reached a safe distance did Sami finally relax.
"Hans! Is the Log Pose fully recorded yet?"
Hans looked at the Log Pose on his wrist with a miserable expression.
"Boss! This island needs four days to store enough magnetic power! Today is only the first day!"
"What?!"
Sami frowned deeply.
"Are we supposed to hide around this island for three more days until it finishes recording?"
Just as the atmosphere on the ship became tense—
A completely out-of-place figure squeezed through the crowd of crew members, swaying slightly.
"Well… about the Log Pose problem…"
Dr. Hiriluk pulled something out of the pocket of
his floral shorts and presented it proudly to Sami.
"I happen to have one here that's already fully recorded!"
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