Bore Through

"Are we surrounded?"

"Yes, Chairman."

How many people are on the other side?

"Lots! People are coming from all four directions!"

"."

Amaris set up "Sand Tower" at least two or three kilometers around the camp for warning purposes, but they kept sending back warnings that the towers were being trampled.

If it were monsters or zombies, such a large-scale operation would have been impossible to conceal by now. The fact that it wasn't means they must be humans who know how to hide their presence!

Moreover, such a grand display is clearly not for these free hunters; it's definitely aimed at them!

"Walk!"

Upon hearing Amaris's report, Rein and his companions didn't harbor any illusions. They chose a direction and quickly disappeared into the darkness.

The hunters, who had just been eating, drinking, and chatting happily, were suddenly dumbfounded.

"What happened?"

Why did they leave so suddenly?

"I just heard them say that someone has surrounded this place?"

"."

The hunters hadn't figured out what was happening, but they all became alert and picked up their weapons.

On the other hand, as soon as Rein and his five men set off and rushed out of the camp, it seemed that they had been discovered.

Suddenly, flares exploded in the sky, illuminating the ruins completely.

The five figures in the darkness were illuminated and stopped.

Because of the direction they chose to flee, they ran into hundreds of well-equipped hunters wearing uniform insignia who surrounded them.

"Sunflower Merchant Guild!"

When Rein saw the group emblems, his pupils contracted sharply.

Clearly, those guys seemed to have mastered some kind of positioning technique, accurately pinpointing the direction of their retreat.

As soon as the five of them broke out of the camp, they ran right into the main force of the encirclement and suppression.

The leader was a few acquaintances, and they looked quite familiar.

Leading the group was a green-haired youth dressed in aristocratic attire, none other than George Rosas, the young lord of the "Black Wind Territory".

Rein had seen this guy once in Black Wind Territory.

At this moment, the eldest son of the Duke's Mansion was staring at Rein and his companions with amusement.

The other beautiful noblewoman was even more familiar; she was none other than Fia von Seibir, the vice president of the "Sunflower Merchant Guild."

The Sunflower Merchant Guild is now the most important official partner merchant guild in the Radiant Kingdom. Since Uhm didn't die, and Madam Fia didn't die at the Plague Base, Rein wasn't too surprised.

Beside these two, besides some heavily armored guards, there were three people whose attire was particularly eye-catching.

Two of them were dressed in Martial Artist robes; one had half-arm gauntlets with fish-scale armor on his arms; the other was a burly, bald man with a bare upper body and a very eye-catching muscular physique.

These two were quite famous in the fighting world, and Rein recognized them at a glance. They were none other than the personal disciples of the Grandmaster of Combat Rocky Lefar: "Mystic Hand" Nord Green and "Iron Tower" Hop King!

Rein had previously talked to the hunters about them.

Both were Third Tier Extraordinary, each specializing in a particular martial arts field with profound expertise.

One of them, [Cannon Fist], has reached the pinnacle of skill, capable of annihilating a large Fourth Tier magical beast with a single punch; the other, [Vajra], has mastered the art of horizontal combos to perfection, making him impervious to blades and spears!

Rein looked at the two men and frowned slightly.

And there was another one, a gray-robed wizard.

Amaris recognized the blind wizard holding the crystal ball, and exclaimed in surprise, "It's the fortune teller, [Blind Eye] Dannett!"

Mystic System Transcendent beings are already rare, and among them, "divination sequences" are even rarer.

Every city has plenty of so-called fortune tellers and prophets, but 99% of them are professional frauds. Very few truly possess the abilities to divine, predict, or locate.

The Blind Eye in front of me, Dannett, is one of the most famous fortune tellers in City of Radiance, specializing in Spirit Divination Technique.

Upon seeing this person, Rein and his companions immediately understood how their location had been exposed.

They had initially thought the trouble stemmed from the patrol they had killed during the day, but clearly, it wasn't.

Instead, it was precisely located by the fortune teller!

Upon further reflection, things suddenly became clear.

The news of [Ghost Shadow] Qilos's murder has reached the higher-ups of the "Sunflower Merchant Guild".

Because there was a traitor among Catherine's entourage, it was easy for the enemy to obtain biological samples such as hair and nails as a medium for psychic divination.

Unexpectedly, a divination revealed that the "target" was nearby.

Moreover, since there were only five people on Rein' side, it was easy to deduce who was targeted by the divination.

Rein and Amaris were outsiders to the intelligence network and, being High-tier Extraordinary, would face significant costs for divination. Catherine, being Mystic System Transcendent, wouldn't have accurate divination results. However, her son Gannix, was the most suitable!

But even if you figure this out, it's too late.

Because they were already surrounded!

Just then, Madam Fia came out, her gaze sweeping over the group before settling on Catherine. With a hint of schadenfreude, she said, "Oh, isn't this President Catherine? Where are you all headed so late?"

Despite pouring too many resources into City of Radiance, it still hasn't been able to defeat the "Black Gold Merchant Guild." The vice president of the Sunflower Chamber of Commerce has recently faced a lot of criticism from people in the Oma Imperial Capital regarding her abilities, and she has had her share of frustrations.

It seems that this problem can now be completely solved.

Rein and the others were disguised, dressed as ordinary hunters.

But Madam Fia immediately called out Catherine's name, clearly indicating that she had come prepared.

Moreover, since they've come to surround us in such a grand manner, they probably don't intend to leave any survivors.

Having her identity exposed, Catherine stopped pretending, removed the veil from her head, and asked in a deep voice, "President Fia, what do you mean by this?"

Fia smiled knowingly. "No, no, no, this has nothing to do with our guild. We just heard there were dangerous individuals approaching the camp, so we came to check it out. We didn't expect it to be President Catherine."

Although they are irreconcilable business rivals, they still have to put on an act.

Otherwise, if word gets out that their "Sunflower Merchant Guild" is operating legitimately but can't beat others, they'll resort to these tactics of eliminating dissidents, which will damage the association's reputation.

At this moment, the green-haired youth stepped forward and said, "You are suspected of murdering the knights of the Duke's Mansion. I, George Rosas, hereby declare you arrested! Lay down your weapons and surrender, or you will be killed without mercy!"

Upon hearing this, Catherine sneered and said neither humbly nor arrogantly, "May I ask, Young Master George, where is the evidence? I am a legitimate businessman. If you detain me just like that, will any other businessmen in your territory dare to do business here in the future?"

Although they had killed a bunch of patrols during the day, she was confident that she had done it cleanly and hadn't left any clues that would arouse suspicion.

The truth is, the other party had no evidence, and those words were just made up.

But upon hearing Catherine's question, the green-haired youth seemed to have been humiliated.

In the eyes of the high-ranking nobles, the status of merchants was not much higher than that of commoners.

He sneered repeatedly, "Whether you did it or not, we'll find out by going with my guards. What, do the orders of our Lord's Mansion have no effect on you merchants of the 'Redwood Merchant Guild'?"

Previously, in order to maintain the territory's reputation and because these chambers of commerce could bring some vitality to the territory, they were allowed to grow and expand.

Now that the "Sunflower Merchant Guild" has moved in on a large scale, other smaller chambers of commerce are no longer so important.

Moreover, both empires are now vying for a piece of the "Black Gold Merchant Guild," and this Young Master George has heard that the nobles who took action are raking in the profits.

The "Redwood Merchant Guild" has grown too big, and now that it's being liquidated, they can reap a huge windfall in their territory.

Besides, even if things fall apart, it won't be a big problem.

The Radiant Kingdom is now thriving, and countless chambers of commerce are scrambling to move in. Even if the Redwood Merchant Guild is gone, countless other chambers of commerce will follow.

"Heh. It's just a trumped-up charge."

It was obvious that the other party had them cornered tonight, Catherine sneered.

Surrender?

In these desert ruins, no one knows what happened to someone who died.

There's absolutely no room for wishful thinking in this matter.

They all knew that there was only one way out tonight, and that was—to fight!

At that moment, she also heard a calm voice beside her say, "When I make my move, you guys find a chance to break through."

Catherine glanced at Rein out of the corner of her eye and nodded.

They had witnessed Rein's abilities firsthand, and although the other side outnumbered them, it was not certain that they could hold them off.

As soon as he said this, the magic within Amaris began to slowly surge.

And just as Rein and his companions were surrounded...

The High-tier Extraordinary opposite them were also closely watching Rein and his group.

Intelligence indicates that an "outrageously powerful" Second Tier mysterious figure killed [Ghost Shadow] Qilos.

There were only five people in front of them. Excluding Catherine and her son, and that Third Tier mage, only Rein and the guard Jimmy remained.

Because he needed to defend against enemy attacks and guard against sneak attacks, his battle aura had already been released. This guy, Rein, who was only at the early stage of the Third Tier rank, was not taken seriously by the two veteran powerhouses, [Mysterious Hand] Nord and [Iron Tower] Hop.

On the contrary, Jimmy, Second Tier Transcendent guard, seemed to perfectly match the intelligence description, and was thus locked onto by the auras of the two.

The other side wasn't stupid either. Seeing the fleeting, strange expressions on the faces of Rein and his companions, they simultaneously ordered, "Attack!"

Suddenly, a large, gray hand-like phantom materialized on the ground where Rein and his companions were fighting. This was none other than the high-level mage's control skill – [Mage's Hand].

In order to cast this spell instantly, Madam Fia wasted a very precious fifth-tier Magic Scroll (instant Third Tier spells require a fifth-tier mage, and the same applies to scrolls).

In that instant, Jimmy, the guard who hadn't reacted at all, was grabbed by that large hand and rendered immobile.

Those on the other side smirked as they saw Jimmy subdued. According to the intelligence, "this guy" was skilled in hand-to-hand combat and possessed incredible speed. Now that he was restrained, he could only wait to die.

To everyone's surprise, almost the instant the scroll was released, a loud bang was heard in the air.

"Smack!"

Others might not be sensitive enough to the sound, but the two veteran fighters' expressions changed drastically.

How could they not be familiar with the sound of feet stomping on the ground and bursting through the air?

Upon hearing that sound, they immediately realized that the enemy was moving even faster than the intelligence had indicated.

When the sound reaches your ear, it means that the other person has already moved in!

But wasn't that Second Tier Transcendent being under control? Who made the explosion?

They've accused the wrong person!

They immediately realized what was happening, but it was too late.

Just then, the five figures in their field of vision remained in place, but then, a new person appeared among them!

Upon closer inspection, they realized it was actually the "merely early stage Third Tier- order" Transcendent they had thought was nothing to fear.

Everyone immediately realized that this was the mysterious powerhouse mentioned in the intelligence report!

Only with such ghostly Movement Technique could one possibly keep the "Ghost Shadow" Qilos from escaping.

But... didn't this intelligence report confirm that he was only a Second Tier Transcendent? How could he have advanced to the Third Tier in just a few days?

However, this is not the time to think about that.

Before anyone could process the shock in their minds, they saw Rein appear in front of the fortune teller, raising his hand to throw a punch.

"Oh no, he's going to kill Mr. Dannett!"

Even though they all guessed Rein's purpose, no one could stop him.

Because he was just too fast!

"Snort!"

With a flash, Rein appeared in front of the blind wizard. Before he could even steady himself, he used the momentum to throw a punch without hesitation.

Mystic System Transcendent are physically weaker than mages. Although this wizard has a faint defensive magic shield on his body, he is probably always on guard against sneak attacks.

The essence of a magic shield is to block, reduce, and buffer damage, which is only one or two times stronger than the Bodyguard Battle Qi of a melee Transcendent of the same level.

The wizard's magical shield was very solid; a few punches from an ordinary Third Tier cultivator might not be enough to kill him. But against this punch, which was several times stronger than Third Tier Extraordinary, it was as if it were nothing.

If the magic shield remains intact, a portion of the damage will be blocked.

But once the power is strong enough to break through the magic shield instantly, it's as if there's nothing there.

Even if we disregard a Second Tier diviner, a Third Tier heavy armor user would be certain to die if they took this [Cannon Fist] punch at close range.

Rein knew very well that if he wanted to escape the endless pursuit tonight, he had to kill this fortune teller first!

A muffled thud!

His swift and decisive punch pierced the fortune teller's chest, leaving a gaping hole before anyone could react.

The Second Tier diviner hadn't even figured out what was happening before he passed away.

After killing one person, Rein was like a bloodthirsty tiger, his momentum not slowing down at all, and his footsteps once again made a loud bang.

This time, he charged straight at the green-haired youth!

They were now surrounded. He knew that if he forced his way out, no one could stop him, but it would be difficult for Catherine and the others to leave.

To catch the thief, first catch the king. If we capture this young master of the Duke's Mansion, our crisis will be resolved tonight!

The sudden turn of events shocked those who were besieging the enemy.

The bloody scene of a punch piercing a person's chest effectively stunned everyone, making them even forget what they were supposed to do.

One second ago, the creature they considered a mouse suddenly jumped up and bit off the cat's ear. Everyone realized that things seemed to have taken an unexpected turn.

Young Master George, whom Rein had chosen as his next target, turned deathly pale the moment he was glared at by that fierce look.

I thought tonight would be a sure thing, but I never expected the other side to be so fierce. They actually dared to charge into the group of experts and even violently killed one of them.

The mockery in his eyes suddenly turned into terror, and he cried out, "Protect me!"

Rein was like a tiger that charged into a pack of wolves, tearing a gap in their jaws.

At this moment, because he killed someone, Rein's purpose and identity were exposed.

Those Transcendent individuals who can advance to the Third Tier are no ordinary people, and the guards around Young Master George immediately reacted and surrounded him.

In particular, the two high-level fighters, [Mysterious Hand] Nord and [Iron Tower] Hop, are extremely familiar with the routines of fighters.

"Hmph! You brute!"

Nord watched as Rein charged straight towards the crowd and sneered inwardly.

As a high-level fighter, how could he not know the advantages and disadvantages of [Swiftness]? This Movement Technique is indeed extremely fast, but the trajectory of the movement is also very easy to predict.

We were caught off guard just now, but now... don't even think about being aggressive again!

Just as Rein changed direction and charged forward, he guessed what was going on, anticipated the location, and also made a loud bang as his figure flashed over.

Then, aiming in one direction, he unleashed a powerful punch straight out!

This punch anticipated the opponent's trajectory, blocking Rein's path to attack the green-haired youth.

As he predicted, it seemed that Rein was about to run right into his fist.

To Nord's utter surprise, his opponent neither dodged nor evaded, but instead swung his fist in return, intending to fight him head-on.

"Hmph, a foolish choice!"

Upon seeing this, Nord was not afraid at all; in fact, his eyes lit up with joy.

If the other party chooses to avoid him, he may have to use more methods to subdue him.

But the hard steel on the front is exactly what he wants!

The gauntlets covering his entire arm were the renowned [Gale Silver Scale Armguards]. With a charged punch, they could split mountains and shatter rocks. How could anyone choose to fight him head-on?

In terms of martial arts skills, his [Cannon Fist] has reached a level of perfection. Not to mention Third Tier, few Fourth Tier fighters can match him.

In terms of strength, his almost pure strength-based Transcendent path makes him look down on any other Transcendent of the same level.

In terms of cultivation, would a veteran fighter who has advanced to the Third Tier of the Transcendent for many years be afraid of a newcomer who seems to have just begun to show his "momentum"?

In terms of equipment, martial arts skills, strength, and cultivation, he is second to none.

Nord felt he had absolutely no reason to lose!

Those standing nearby were also shocked when they saw Rein force his way in, but their shock quickly turned into sneers and mockery.

That arrogant fellow actually abandoned his speed advantage and intended to clash head-on with [Mystic Hand] Nord?

To everyone else, this one strike would immediately decide the outcome.

The next moment, what everyone thought was a foregone conclusion, turned into an unexpected event.

In an instant,

The two fists, one purple and one blue, both brimming with fighting spirit, collided like comets with long tails, creating a deafening "thud"!

The moment they touched, a visible shockwave exploded outwards from the point of contact, sending sand and stones flying everywhere.

For a moment, time seemed to stand still.

Everyone watched as the white silk gauntlets and the fish-scale gauntlets touched.

At that very moment, Nord, who was in the eye of the storm, sensed something and his expression changed drastically!

An overwhelming force surged through his fist, instantly paralyzing his right arm. He cried out in his mind, "Oh no!"

That evenly matched stalemate lasted only a moment.

A cold smile crept across Rein's lips as he fearlessly charged forward.

You like head-on confrontations? Coincidentally, so do I.

I'm just a brute!

The next second, everyone heard a series of soft "crack" sounds of bones breaking, and then the blue battle aura dissipated like lightning.

Before the shock in their eyes could even register in their brains, everyone watched as a cloud of blood mist exploded with a deafening roar.

"Bang!"

With overwhelming force, Rein shattered the Bodyguard Battle Qi on his opponent's arm with a single punch, causing Nord's entire right arm, from which he threw the punch, to explode into a cloud of blood mist!

Forces are reciprocal, and this applies to powerful Profound Martial Technique like the [Cannon Fist]. If it fails to kill the enemy, the force within the fist, which wasn't released in time, will inevitably rebound instantly.

Since both of them are using the same ultimate technique, in this head-on clash, only the stronger one can unleash their full power!

Clearly, with his Monstrous Strength, Rein has an absolute advantage!

The double impact of the [Cannon Fist] rebounded back onto the weaker Nord side, causing their two arms to collide like a steel rod and a wooden stick clashing together, with the weaker side exploding into dust.

After the attack, Rein paid no heed to [Mysterious Hand] Nord, who, even if he didn't die, had lost most of his cultivation.

With a loud "crack".

He stomped his foot again and pushed off the ground, charging towards the green-haired youth like a cannonball!

Heh, surround?

You're overthinking it!

Can a fleshy palm contain a bullet that has just left the barrel?