Crow Men (Part 2)

Nozades halted his offensive once more and switched to defense. Even Chris's Silent Fist was easily received once Nozades had fully entered a defensive state.

Every time I attack, the black stripes on his skin twist unnaturally. Chris silently calculated as he drew another deep breath and struck at Nozades's head.

The black stripes on Nozades's face twisted slightly. He retreated with incredible speed and met the blow with a punch of his own.

Nozades was nowhere near as pleased with himself as he appeared. In fact, he was deeply worried.

Although Chris currently seemed helpless against him and was being suppressed, his opponent's true strength was unfathomable. Every attack Nozades believed could defeat him was effortlessly evaded. He felt unable to seize any weakness in his opponent.

Dragging this out will be bad for me. The thought flashed through Nozades's mind as he continued enduring Chris's attacks. Just a little more. In a little while, I'll be able to master this fist technique.

With Lord Negary's gift, I will definitely be the final victor! Nozades reinforced his conviction.

Five years ago, he had merely been the second son of a noble family in the Kingdom of Roas. Unable to inherit the family title, his choices had been either to become his elder brother's steward or to follow a scholar and become his apprentice.

Even then, he had foreseen the dullness of his future life. It was a series of biographies about Chris Mordo published by Thackeray that inspired Nozades. He longed for that kind of adventurous life, so he chose to leave that family where human warmth was scarce.

He wandered through the Kingdom of Roas, honing his martial abilities. Unfortunately, he had originally been nothing more than a noble's second son. If not for a bit of cleverness, he would never even have made it to Reastmia.

Reastmia five years ago had not yet become as prosperous as it was now. Back then, the Kente People even dared to come and harass the place from time to time. When he arrived, the Crow Men had not yet been formally established. Only the predecessor of the Crow Men Organization existed: the Rea Guard.

At the time, he was not physically strong, nor did he have money to buy weapons. In Rea, he could only barely scrape by. It would not have been surprising if he had died of illness or starvation at any moment. An adventurous life was nothing like the beauty he had imagined.

Once, while making a living by accompanying a merchant caravan transporting goods, the caravan was intercepted by the Kente People. He tried to resist, only to be ruthlessly beaten down by them. Just like now, he had been savagely attacked with fists and feet.

He silently endured the pain of the beating. When one of the Kente People let his guard down, he bit down on the man's neck. It was precisely this feral nature that, after the guard rescued him, led Adre—then still the captain of the guard—to invite him to join the Crow Men Organization that was being formed.

Back then, he endured the Kente People's beating in order to counterattack. Now, he endured Chris's attacks for the very same reason. When he recalled becoming a Crow Man and choosing an implantation method, he understood his own strengths and weaknesses. Thus, he implanted Lord Negary's gift evenly across different parts of his body.

The substance known as "Black Crow" formed a symbiotic relationship with him. Not only did it push his physical abilities beyond human limits, it also granted him a special ability.

The Black Crow pathogen was actually very fragile. External stimuli could easily kill it, so before every one of Chris's attacks even reached him, some Black Crow pathogens would die. That stabbing pain allowed Nozades to predict where his opponent's attack would land.

Moreover, his opponent's attack patterns would be recorded bit by bit by the Black Crow pathogens spread throughout his body. As long as enough data was recorded, he could imitate that fist technique.

When facing an enemy like this, he was practically invincible against their attacks. Then he could even learn their method of attack afterward. The blow to the enemy's morale was immense. The instant he pinpointed his opponent's weakness, he could easily defeat them.

I feel it. Following the memories spread through my body by the Black Crow—it's this kind of fist technique! Nozades dodged another of Chris's attacks. Following the memories recorded in his body by the Black Crow pathogens, he threw a punch.

That Silent Fist, perfectly attuned to the surrounding environment, was made unimaginably fast by Nozades's already formidable physical strength. Though Chris, merged into the surrounding cadence, sensed the attack, his body could not keep up with the speed of that punch.

That's it. As long as this punch lands, even a legendary ranger is human at heart. Even if he doesn't die, he'll completely lose his ability to fight! Nozades could no longer maintain his inner calm. After all, this punch would decide whether he could defeat his idol.

Triumphant joy appeared on Nozades's face, but just as it surfaced, it was cut short. He felt as though his heart had skipped a beat. In that instant, something profoundly discordant seemed to leap forth. His fist brushed past Chris's cheek, and his body toppled stiffly to the ground.

"This is..." Nozades coughed up blood, his face filled with disbelief. He had not sensed any attack at all. In that instant, it was as though he had lost every sensation. By the time he came to, he had already lost.

Chris paid Nozades no further attention and walked forward. Negary was constantly recovering; there was no more time to waste.

"It was breathing, wasn't it?" Nozades struggled to rise, only for his feet to slip and send him crashing to the ground again. "That discordant thing was breathing, wasn't it?!"

Images of Chris attacking surfaced in Nozades's mind. Before several of his attacks, Chris would draw a deep breath. Then, in that instant, Chris exhaled. It was that breath that detonated something within Nozades, causing him to lose his fighting ability in an instant.

"You should keep lying down. Your internal organs have been damaged by my technique. If you keep moving recklessly, your body will definitely be ruined—or you may even die!" Chris did not look back as he continued forward. He did not dislike this Nozades, but neither would he take the initiative to reveal the secret of his technique.

"The battle isn't over yet!!" Enduring the pain in his internal organs, Nozades lunged forward and clung to Chris's right leg. The black stripes on his body surged toward his face as he fiercely bit down on Chris's right leg.

"This... Rhythm Gold!" Chris drew a deep breath, using the cadence in his foot to harmonize with the cadence of metal. This technique could increase his defense for a short period, but it would disrupt his own cadence.

"My Deep Chaos Rhythm has already thoroughly injured his internal organs. No matter how strong someone is, pain should make them unable to keep fighting." Chris stared at Nozades's frenzied behavior, shocked. "Why? What kind of magic does Negary possess that makes you go this far for him?"

First update. Please bookmark and vote. The contract should probably be finalized tomorrow, but I said updates would resume today, so there will be another update later tonight.