Chapter Forty-Three: Strength

The air reeked of blood. The already-collapsed section of the wall had crumbled even further, and white fat mixed with red blood and entrails covered the ground.

Although Liu Tian had seized his chance to instantly kill the trio's true weak point and attacker, the other two were no real pushovers either. Their ability to take hits, in particular, had exceeded his expectations.

There was no need to mention Meat Mountain, who looked like a super tank at a glance. Even Protein Queen, with her sturdy build, had a powerful defense that her appearance didn't reveal. On top of that, Liu Tian had to keep an eye on the ordinary people around them.

So even with the help of his freshly forged Monkey Swords, Liu Tian had still needed to put in some effort before he could finish the fight.

"Urgh..."

A sound of retching rang out, almost like a signal. Many people in the crowd behind him suddenly covered their mouths and hurried aside to vomit.

Perhaps because most of the visitors had lived pampered lives, many of them couldn't suppress their nausea at the sight, even though it wasn't all that gruesome.

And in their eyes, another emotion had appeared—a feeling known as fear.

Fear of this man, who could turn them to dust with a casual blow. Fear of this man, who brazenly flaunted his strength, far beyond that of an ordinary person.

"Young man, you've strayed from the right path." Among the fighters, a venerable-looking old man spoke with a frown.

As a fighter, he was well-traveled and experienced. He had greater endurance and self-control, which was why he could remain calm in the slaughterhouse before him. He even felt a certain regret at seeing such talent go to waste.

"You'll never earn anyone's respect like this. You have to learn to control yourself. Don't let strength beguile you." The old man, who hadn't truly fought in nearly ten years and was respectfully known as Old Feng, continued, "Training in martial arts is training the heart. Don't let excessive strength influence you. Learn to control it."

"When the advantages of force become more and more apparent, and you grow more and more addicted to them, you'll be controlled by force and reduced to its puppet."

"?" Another dull thud rang out nearby. Holding a Monkey Sword in each hand, Liu Tian frowned and looked at the white-haired old man speaking on the battlefield, somewhat puzzled. "Were you just trying to lecture me?"

"Young man, remember why you first took up martial arts. Don't live only for martial arts and becoming stronger."

"I took up martial arts to become stronger. To be the best under heaven." Liu Tian rejected him without hesitation. "Controlled by strength? Ridiculous."

"Strength is strength. When a rock blocks the passage, the weak can only go around it, but the strong can smash it to pieces! Great strength will nourish your heart in turn, make it stronger, and give you more choices."

"With strength, you can seize Fate by the throat when faced with a choice and force it to go where you want. The weak can only kneel helplessly and wail—and in the end, they may not even have the strength to cry."

"Respect? Fear?" Liu Tian suddenly stomped hard on the ground, and countless cracks spread out in an instant. "Even those who respect you will slander you when your interests clash with theirs. But people who fear you to their very core will never dare defy your will."

"The enemies who came here have been killed. Protect them properly for me." Liu Tian abruptly changed the subject, ending this pointless debate. "When I get back, I don't want them to be missing so much as a single hair. Otherwise, I'll be very angry."

Meanwhile, the battle on the other side had become completely one-sided.

Though he'd made preparations and had the home-field advantage, Liu Zhengde had also brought an even wider variety of weapons: pistols, rifles, submachine guns, even a rocket launcher and a machine gun that had now run out of ammunition.

Such an extensive arsenal had exceeded even Edward's expectations. For a time, Liu Zhengde had the upper hand, suppressing the entire battlefield all by himself.

But after barely a dozen minutes, the rocket launcher had run out of ammunition and the machine gun had become a useless hunk of metal. Once that wasted time was over, the battle immediately entered the stage of a straight-up fight.

The fighters who had stayed behind were all long-established names, and they had the advantage in numbers. Yet they still couldn't match the strength of Tiger, Bull, and Snake.

The fighters' attacks barely fazed the trio, who had all trained in Iron Body martial arts and undergone Gene Modification with animal genes. Meanwhile, any casual blow from the three was enough to shatter the bones of whoever it hit.

Fortunately, Tiger and Bull seemed to be plotting something and weren't going all out. They were just hanging back on the edges, while Liu Zhengde had the home-field advantage. He could suppress Edward and occasionally provide support at the same time. Otherwise, the battle would have been decided long ago.

But how much longer could this drag on?

The army was already on its way...

As time passed and the commotion on the other side died down, Edward, who had been trading fire with Liu Zhengde from dozens of meters away, finally couldn't hold back. "It should be over there by now. Tiger, Bull, stop wasting time. Once this fight's over, you can settle your differences however you want. Snake, you wanted Liu Tian, didn't you? He's behind me."

"Liu Tian's behind you?" At the key words, Snake, who had been suppressing five fighters all by himself, burst out with even greater strength. His entire body crackled and popped as his joints stretched apart one by one. Without changing his overall build, his body grew nearly three times longer, terrifyingly like a giant python.

Demonic Martial Arts · Kabul Giant Snake Fighting Technique · Highest Realm · Deep Dye!

This was Snake's trump card: the final result of combining Secret Martial Arts with Gene Modification. It was also proof that he had surpassed his senior disciple, his master, and every successor before him, including the founder.

"Normally, weaklings and useless trash like you wouldn't deserve to see me in this state." Snake flicked his red tongue. His body hugged the ground as his aura surged, and his killing intent pressed against everyone's throats like a tangible force. "But I'm in a hurry, so count yourselves lucky—you can die by my hand, the strongest hand to reach the highest realm of the Kabul Giant Snake Fighting Technique, surpassing even its founder."

"M-monster!" The fighters, who had never imagined martial arts could be taken this far and considered themselves to have reached the pinnacle of the art, momentarily forgot that they were on a battlefield.

And in that instant, their fate was sealed.

Without waiting with cruel amusement for the onlookers to recover from the unprecedented sight, a shrill explosion suddenly rang through the air. Using a principle similar to a whip's crack, Snake lashed himself forward.

This was an attack that had reached the speed of sound.

As if in an instant, every fighter within Snake's range seemed to have been caught in an explosion. Their bodies were smashed apart, and flying flesh and fragments of entrails scattered like a cloud of mist. Blood dyed the air red.

Seven killed with one blow!

Not only were the five fighters who had already been attacking him killed, but Snake's attack range had grown along with his body. Two fighters who had been battling Tiger and Bull were caught in the blow as well, killed instantly without a chance to fight back.