Human Limit

Warm blood splattered across the surrounding pirates and villagers. Disbelief still hung on their faces; they had never imagined that such an important figure in their eyes would die just like that.

These villagers had always been nothing more than a disorganized rabble, and the sight terrified them into stillness. But the pirates' savagery was provoked instead. They wanted to bury Xia beneath a tide of bodies.

However, Xia had prepared thoroughly before launching her attack. After killing the Chief of Staff in a single blow, she snatched the musket from his hand and emptied every bullet at once, unleashing fierce firepower upon the two pirates guarding Xun.

There had been no need to waste so many bullets, but she had never used a musket before and had no idea whether she could hit her targets accurately. So she simply gifted every last bullet to those two bastards. As long as she had no worries at her back, she believed she could wipe out every enemy.

The other pirates were also stunned by the relentless string of attacks. Fortunately, they realized that Xia's musket was out of ammunition. Otherwise, they might not have had the courage to keep surrounding her.

Xia casually flung the musket at a pirate in front of her. The pirate was somewhat dazed himself, fumbling to catch it before realizing he seemed to have fallen for a trick. By the time he looked up, his head had been kicked around a full one hundred and eighty degrees, horrifying the pirates behind him.

Still, Xia had only gained an advantage through a surprise attack. Faced with the siege of so many pirates, she soon found herself struggling to hold them off from all sides again.

"One, two... eleven, twelve. Excluding the pirates I killed earlier, there are still twelve left? I have to end this quickly. The longer this drags on, the worse it is for me." With that thought, Xia stopped dodging. At the cost of another wound, she kicked apart the organs of the pirate before her.

The other pirates seized the chance to ambush her. A powerful blow came from behind, and Xia forcibly swallowed the blood in her mouth as she let herself fall toward the ground. Bracing herself with her right hand, she swept her leg and knocked down three pirates. Before they could get back up, she struck their heads with a whirlwind-like barrage of kicks, utterly ferocious.

In battle, momentum was paramount. It could even be said to be the decisive factor that tipped the scales of battle and determined victory or defeat.

These pirates might have been bold and vicious, but they relied only on their superior numbers and the brutality in their hearts. When the situation favored them, they were valiant; when it turned against them, they faltered. Especially against someone as ruthless as Xia, their fighting spirit was being worn away bit by bit.

When the number of pirates fell to seven, they finally showed signs of fleeing. Even though Xia was already swaying on the verge of collapse, their courage had broken. No matter how weak their enemy appeared, they no longer dared to attack.

Xia's previous resurrection had left far too deep an impression on them. Who knew whether she would rise again after falling this time?

When Xia saw a pirate begin to flee the battlefield, she first felt a surge of relief. But then the words of that mysterious being echoed in her mind once more.

"Go. Prove your worth to me. Remember, if you fail to satisfy me, I will take back everything you have."

"No. I absolutely can't let even one enemy escape." In an instant, Xia's resolve hardened. She took a great stride forward, caught up to him, and killed him in one blow from behind.

The remaining pirates were on the verge of breaking down at the sight. Furious, they thought, Damn it, who the hell are the pirates here? We're already trying to run away, and you still won't let us go? Fine, then. At worst, we'll fight to the death!

Xia knew that doing this would stir up the pirates' viciousness, but she had no choice. She would rather face these pirates than test the limits of that mysterious being. Ruthless? I'll be more ruthless than all of you, because more than any of you... I desperately want to live!

In the blink of an eye, only three pirates remained locked in a bitter battle with Xia. Their defeat seemed to be only a matter of time.

Only then did the villagers snap out of their shock and terror. They had not forgotten how they had treated Xia and Xun before. Honestly, they did not think Xia would let them off easily after winning.

"Quick, seize Xun! Otherwise, we'll all die!"

"That's right! As long as we catch that girl, Xia will have to hold back." Hmm, something seemed a little off there.

"Well done! I didn't expect you useless trash to be of some use after all." The three remaining pirates were overjoyed at the sight. They could feel Xia's attacks becoming increasingly frantic, proving that her mind was in turmoil. At once, they did everything they could to block her path.

As she watched someone pick up weapons dropped by the pirates and approach Xun, Xia's heart filled with boundless fury. Yet these three pirates continued using every possible means to obstruct her, driving her rage to its peak.

"Get out of my way!" The three pirates blocking Xia were instantly blown into flying flesh and blood. Forget intact corpses—there was not even a whole piece of meat left behind.

The villagers closest to Xun only saw a blur before blood-soaked Xia appeared at Xun's side. They instinctively turned their heads and saw the miserable state of those three pirate lords. The sight was so nauseating that they nearly vomited up last night's meal.

Only after confirming that Xun was mostly unharmed did Xia slowly turn around. Her face was expressionless, but her killing intent seemed almost tangible, frightening the villagers so badly that they could barely hold their weapons.

In the forest, King stared blankly at the scene and said in stunned disbelief, "Captain, now I'm truly convinced. Breaking through the Human Limit twice in a single battle—if she had been a Body Technique expert before, that would be one thing. But she doesn't have the slightest trace of training. Could the gap in human talent really be that enormous?"

Seeing that King had been so shaken that he was questioning his whole life, Roy shook his head. "It wasn't talent. Her heart was simply strong enough. Most people would collapse outright when driven into desperate straits, but those with strong hearts can unleash incomparable power in the face of despair."

King nodded numbly. Only after a long while did he come back to his senses and look at Roy with uncertain suspicion. "Captain, why does it sound like you're so familiar with this sort of thing? Don't tell me...?"

"Heh, that's right. I remember the first time I faced that kind of situation, I broke through my human potential four times in a row. It took me from someone too weak to truss a chicken to someone barely capable of establishing a foothold on the sea."

The others, who had remained silent until then, were also shaken by this revelation. They were all strong people who had broken through the Human Limit themselves, so they naturally knew just how difficult it was to surpass one's limits.

Breaking through four times in succession—what kind of despair must he have faced? How powerful must his heart have been? Only now did they feel that if someone like Roy could not become strong, then Heaven truly had no eyes.

King's eyes lost all their light, as though he were a salted fish that had lost its dreams. At last, he looked at Roy with resentful eyes. "I'm not comparing myself to a freak."

"Heh, don't think breaking through your limits repeatedly is anything pleasant. My body nearly collapsed back then. For an entire month, I could barely move, and I only managed to survive by eating insects until I threw up. That's why I have such a freakish obsession with good food."

Everyone fell silent. They had not expected Roy to have such an unbearable past, and they understood from the bottom of their hearts that no one's success came without a reason.

Roy merely smiled with easy composure. "Just wait and see. By tomorrow, you'll know from this girl's experience just how painful it is to break through your physical limits repeatedly."