Hitting Hard

As a Melee Scholar, Kronos was keenly aware of his surroundings, so even without Bernice's warning, he had sensed the rush of air behind him.

He turned to dodge the kick, then drove a fist into his opponent's thigh.

But the impact felt distinctly different this time. It did not feel like muscle, but more like leather armor.

Kronos knew his opponent had activated Phantom Scales. His defenses had increased dramatically, and he had become slippery enough that grappling techniques would have little effect on him.

Instead, Kronos grew a little excited. This was what a fight between Beyonders should be like. What was the point if they never used their Beyonder Abilities?

With that thought, Kronos promptly activated his Eyes of Mystery Prying.

Against ordinary people, the Eyes of Mystery Prying were practically useless, because they existed to perceive Beyonder Abilities.

Once he activated them, his opponent's emotions and physical condition were laid bare.

The overall aura of his Ether Body, which reflected his physical condition, was a very dim white, indicating that he was in poor health. His Astral Body, which reflected his emotional state, was such a deep red that it was almost black. Kronos had never seen that color before.

Red represented passion and excitement. The man before him was undoubtedly excited, but far too much so-he had reached a pathological state.

Ordinary Spirit Vision could reveal all this information; the Eyes of Mystery Prying merely made it more convenient. What came next, however, was an ability unique to those eyes.

Kronos saw the Phantom Scales hidden beneath his opponent's skin. They looked much sturdier than the descriptions in his family's books. Combined with his current state, that suggested he should be a Sequence 8 Folk of Rage rather than a Sailor.

Yet his Eyes of Mystery Prying told him that the man's Spirit Body and Mental Body were indeed at Sequence 9.

This is tricky. When the Folk of Rage grow angry, they can unleash attacks far beyond their normal capabilities, with tremendous increases in both strength and speed.

This was a Sequence highly suited to combat, whereas Kronos, a knowledge-oriented Sequence 8, would have to win through his wits.

Having Phantom Scales did not mean there were no gaps in his defenses, nor did it mean he could withstand every attack.

Relying on his agile footwork and his opponent's complete lack of reason, Kronos darted around him. He was not trying to toy with the man, but to observe him from more angles.

Although Phantom Scales provided extra protection to certain vital areas, a sufficiently forceful blow could still hurt his opponent. But Kronos preferred to find a way to defeat him through observation and investigation, which better suited his acting as a Melee Scholar.

At last, just before his stamina ran out, Kronos discovered a gap in his opponent's defenses: his armpit.

Now that he had found the weakness, all that remained was to set things up and expose it. That was simple, since the fellow before him had clearly lost the ability to think.

Kronos watched his opponent's fist come toward him. This time, he did not dodge, but raised his hands to intercept it. The moment they made contact, he knew for certain that this was no ordinary Sequence 9. That strength was considerable.

Kronos had no choice but to guide the fist along the direction of its attack. Once some of its force had dissipated, he pushed upward with his shoulder, successfully lifting his opponent's arm.

With such a perfect opening, Kronos drove a fist into his opponent's armpit.

The armpit was densely packed with nerves to begin with. Without the protection of Phantom Scales, one heavy punch sent his opponent to the floor, rolling around and clutching his armpit.

But it merely hurt; there was no real damage, because Kronos had no interest in injuring anyone.

Seeing the fight end, the spectators below erupted in cheers. They might not see a Beyonder fight of this caliber even once in six months, so these lovers of spectacle were naturally thrilled.

The few Beyonders sitting below the ring, along with those affiliated with the bar, were all astonished.

Quite a few surprising things had happened in that ring.

The Sailor Pathway was indeed well suited to combat, but that was really only true from the middle and high Sequences onward. Storms, the sea, and lightning were all forces of nature that could not be resisted.

At low Sequences, however, it held little advantage over combat-oriented Sequences such as Warrior or Hunter. This "old friend" of theirs was only a Sequence 9 Sailor, yet he had displayed strength on par with a Sequence 8 Pugilist of the Warrior Pathway.

His opponent, Kronos, was equally outrageous. Although he was a Sequence 8, he clearly did not belong to one of the combat-oriented pathways, nor had he displayed any Beyonder Ability with powerful offensive capabilities. Yet he had still beaten this "Sailor" through sheer fighting skill.

Amid the crowd's cheers, the "Sailor" in the ring slowly climbed to his feet. He also let go of his armpit, perhaps because it no longer hurt as much.

When they saw him stand, the cheers actually turned into jeers. Most people who came here to watch boxing matches were reckless and daring, and boos and taunts rang out one after another.

"All that swagger, and you're useless in a fight."

"You call yourself a Beyonder? Wish I had your dumb luck." ...

Kronos frowned as he listened. He had not expected the people here to be so hostile.

"They only do this to him," Bernice said, coming up beside Kronos.

Before Kronos could ask, she continued, "Nobody knows this gentleman's name. He calls himself Sailor, but everyone else calls him Mad Dog. He's a nasty piece of work who cheats in the ring to force people to surrender, so plenty of people can't stand him."

"This gave them a chance to vent, which is why it turned out like this. Beyonders are highly respected here. That's why the bar has never taken bets on Beyonder fights."

"All right." Kronos said little more.

Amid everyone's jeers, the Sailor slowly stepped down from the ring and returned to his seat.

But Kronos was puzzled. He had lost, yes, but why had his mental state changed so drastically?

He instinctively activated his Eyes of Mystery Prying, and what he saw shocked him.

A completely black Astral Body and a completely black Ether Body-does that mean an entirely negative state?

Finding this absurd, Kronos switched his Eyes of Mystery Prying to the Eye of Time. Green light flashed in his eyes, and countless timelines appeared before him.

One timeline stood out, fluctuating more violently than any other. It extended from the Sailor's bag.

Curious, Kronos probed into that timeline, and an image suddenly flashed before him.

The Sailor reached into his bag, pulled out this object, and pointed it at Kronos.

The object was unmistakably a revolver.

Kronos shuddered, sprang to his feet, and ran straight toward the Sailor, shouting as he went, "Stop him!"

Everyone in the bar froze, since none of them knew what had happened.

By then, Kronos had reached the Sailor and raised his hand to knock him unconscious. That was the best solution, since nothing had happened yet.

But the Sailor quickly turned his head and raised one hand toward Kronos. Instantly, Kronos's hair stood on end. That hand held the very revolver he had seen in the image.

No low-Sequence Beyonder could take a handgun shot head-on, much less someone from the Mystery Pryer Pathway, which was not renowned for combat prowess.

Just then, a gunshot rang out. But Kronos was unharmed. Instead, blood poured from the Sailor's gun hand, and the revolver fell to the floor.

Kronos had no time to investigate what had happened. He had just brushed past death, and his fear and anger desperately needed an outlet. The man before him was perfect.

Kronos punched the Sailor in the face. The full-force blow sent him flying, and Kronos chased after him, stamping down on his left knee.

Then he bent down, seized both of the man's hands, and pulled upward. The Sailor's left knee snapped with a crack. Kronos twisted both hands hard, ruining the man's arms as well, then planted one final kick in his chest. The Sailor spat out a mouthful of blood, barely drawing breath as his life ebbed away.

Once it was over, Kronos clutched his chest and panted. He could hear nothing else. It was as though the entire world had fallen silent, leaving only the sound of his own heartbeat.

Only then did the bar's customers realize what had happened. Chaos broke out as everyone ran for the exit. The ordinary people were frightened, while the few Beyonders among them feared an official investigation.

By the time everyone had left, Kronos had finally recovered. He then spotted the man who had fired the shot, seated not far away.

Kronos remembered that Bernice had not approached this man to ask him about fighting when the Sailor had challenged someone. But such quick reflexes could not belong to an ordinary person, and he had not left with the crowd.

Just then, Boris, the owner of the Grizzly Bear Bar, emerged from the back.

"This is our bar's partner, Paddy. He's an excellent shot." Grizzly Bear Boris had noticed whom Kronos was looking at.

Then Boris turned to Kronos with an apologetic expression. "Sorry, brother. Our bar bears a great deal of responsibility for what happened."

Drenched in sweat, Kronos braced his hands on his knees and glanced at him. Then he shook his head. "I wouldn't go that far. That fellow was entirely to blame."

"But since it happened in my bar, it's naturally my responsibility. We have a duty to keep every customer safe."

As he spoke, Boris walked over to the Sailor and delivered a kick. The Sailor died without even making a sound.

Kronos was utterly bewildered. He had no idea what was going on. Why had Boris suddenly killed him?