Karen did not stop attacking just because he had missed once. He swiftly closed in on Twilight, raised his right leg again, and unleashed three lightning-fast kicks at Twilight's chest, abdomen, and head.
Twilight reacted swiftly, weaving nimbly from side to side and successfully evading the first two strikes.
However, faced with Karen's tremendous strength and relentless assault, he could not completely dodge the third.
Seeing the third kick coming, Twilight quickly crossed his arms in front of himself and took it head-on.
The tremendous impact instantly surged through his entire body. His vision went black, searing pain shot through his arms, and his body involuntarily slid two meters backward, leaving deep furrows in the grass.
He gritted his teeth against the pain, shook his head, quickly steadied his breathing, and kept his eyes locked on Karen.
He had to endure it, no matter how much it hurt. If a single hit to his arms hurt this badly, he did not dare imagine what would happen if he took a blow to somewhere as vulnerable as his abdomen.
Karen's lips curled into a faint, satisfied smile. "Not bad at taking a hit. You're pretty sturdy, too. A normal person would have broken bones after one kick from me."
Then he slowly stepped back, crouched slightly, and took a stance to launch another attack.
Twilight watched Karen's movements intently, his mind racing as he tried to work out which direction Karen would attack from.
Every attack has a windup. As long as I can catch the direction of his attack, I can dodge it.
Karen moved again, his body tracing a graceful arc through the air. With a full 360-degree spinning kick that left no blind spots, he sent his leg crashing toward Twilight's head with tremendous force and a howling rush of wind.
The move looked fierce. If it connected, the consequences would be unimaginable.
Twilight reacted instantly, ducking low and sliding away with his body almost flush against the ground.
Karen's long leg swept just over his scalp with tremendous force, whipping up a fierce gust.
Although the kick did not hit Twilight directly, the air stirred up by Karen's foot sent pebbles and dust flying from the ground like a miniature sandstorm.
One of the pebbles cut Twilight's cheek, and blood immediately seeped out.
"Cough, cough..." Twilight choked on the dust and could not help coughing twice.
He quickly wiped the blood from his face, put some distance between them, and hid behind a tree.
He was utterly shocked. He had known Karen was strong, but not this strong.
Not to toot his own horn, but Twilight considered his fighting skills among the best in the world. Yet he had been completely overwhelmed in two fights within a single week!
Was this really how things were supposed to go?
You've really got me sweating, Mr. Karen, Miss Yor.
"You think putting some distance between us will help? Heh heh heh." There was a hint of excitement in Karen's laughter. I might not be able to beat your wife, but surely I can beat you?
He pulled a handful of peanuts from his pocket and flicked his thumb rapidly, sending them flying like bullets toward Twilight with tremendous force.
Twilight was thinking about how to get away when a peanut suddenly struck the ground at his feet, blasting out a small hole with a bang.
Twilight's eyes went wide.
Even a peanut could smash a sizable crater into the ground. That kind of strength was simply staggering.
He could not help grumbling inwardly. First Yor, now Karen. Why are they all so ridiculously strong? And why do they all keep picking on me?
Today really is the worst. Not only did Plan B fail, but now I'm getting a vicious beating, too.
However, he had no time to dwell on it. Karen's peanuts came flying again, and he could only dodge as fast as he could.
He darted nimbly through the barrage of peanut bullets, but Karen's attacks came in wave after wave, giving him no chance to catch his breath.
Twilight grew increasingly anxious. This could not go on. He had to find an opening and shake Karen off.
Out of the corner of his eye, he spotted a case a short distance behind him. If he remembered correctly, it contained some equipment that could help him escape.
An idea struck him, and he quickly put together a plan.
The instant Karen attacked again, Twilight suddenly rolled backward, swiftly widening the gap between them.
After throwing the last of his peanuts, Karen charged forward and punched straight through the tree, sending splinters flying.
Just then, Twilight moved. He rolled to the side, sprang to his feet, and rushed toward the case.
A flicker of surprise crossed Karen's eyes at the sight.
Going for his equipment right in front of me? Is that really a good idea?
Still, he slowed his attacks slightly. If he knocked Twilight out with one punch, there would be nothing left to play with.
He stepped back, then suddenly leaped up and swung his fist down at Twilight.
Twilight's heart tightened. As soon as he reached the case, he rolled to the side, avoiding Karen's attack.
Karen's strength was simply overwhelming. One punch left a huge crater in the ground.
The shock made Twilight's body tremble slightly. He hurriedly scrambled up and rummaged through the case.
How on earth did this guy train?
"No choice. I'll have to use those."
Twilight's hands found two round objects, and he quickly pulled them out.
He was no match for Karen. Continuing the fight would only put him in greater danger. Running away was the best-and only-option.
Besides, Mr. Karen still seemed to have plenty in reserve, while Twilight had to give it everything he had just to dodge. The gap in their fighting strength was simply too great.
He could not use a gun, either. After all, Karen was close to Anya, which made him a highly valuable asset.
He hurled the objects he had retrieved hard against the ground.
Instantly, thick smoke poured out of the smoke bombs and rapidly spread.
They were two specially made smoke bombs: small, fast-acting, and capable of producing so much smoke that within seconds, it was impossible to see a hand in front of one's face.
Twilight seized the opportunity to pick up the case and quickly retreat.
When Karen saw the smoke bombs, he mistook them for hand grenades.
He immediately sprang up and leaped backward.
Strong as he was, he was not about to try taking a firearm or explosive head-on. Even Yor had been in agony after getting shot, and he had no desire to experience that kind of pain.
With the smoke obscuring his vision, he lost sight of his target.
Twilight took the opportunity to vanish into the smoke.
He was already far away, leaving Karen standing alone in the smoke, quietly watching.
"Heh heh heh, that felt good. Beating up Twilight really improved my mood. Time to grab another bite at the cafeteria."
Before you continue