Can't Be Broken (Part 1)

Compared with the nearly lethal elbow strike, Gardner's vicious words shook Horned Demon's mind even more.

But at the same time, Ma Hou's muffled grunt reached his ears, immediately stretching into a pained scream. The murderous danger overflowing from that cry violently dragged Horned Demon out of his daze.

He had no time to think about anything more complicated. Following the trailing note of Ma Hou's scream, he threw his mouth wide open and unleashed a Throat Ripper shriek.

His face, body, and even the ripples around him twisted violently. The resulting shockwave merged with the deeply embedded psychic piercing damage, concentrating effectively as it blasted straight at Gardner.

An illusion spell was released at the same time. It was not particularly refined, but it came at exactly the right moment, turning the turbulent waters around them into warped, fragmented, illusory mirror images in the blink of an eye.

Before all of that, Horned Demon had silently snapped off the index and middle fingers of his right hand, which Gardner had firmly clamped down on. Flesh and bone were completely severed, and amid the chaos of rippling water, sound waves, and illusions crashing together, he shot backward.

The pain from the elbow strike had yet to fade, and Horned Demon instinctively bent over, his entire body curling like a large shrimp. Though Gardner was obstructed by his escape tactics and his body stalled, he still swiftly extended his arm and struck. His fingertips brushed across Horned Demon's outstretched forehead, slicing through flesh, scraping against bone, and nearly peeling off the top of his skull.

Horned Demon gritted his teeth against the agonizing pain and dizziness, his retreating body suddenly veering aside. Only then did Jing Xin and Fei Long, one on shore and one underwater, truly react. The latter's response