Alex barely heard what Xavier was saying. He fought to control his breathing as Xavier's internal force continued to pour into him.
Gradually, the flow of power slowed, and Xavier dropped his hand, falling to the ground.
"Xavier!" Alex cried, squatting to check on his condition. But Xavier's eyes were closed. He had already slipped away.
Alex leaned Xavier's body against a pine tree and bowed his head.
"I didn't expect you to die so soon," he said, sighing. "Georgina and Zora spoke highly of you, and I wish I'd had more time to speak with you. I hope you'll all be reunited now. Rest in peace."
He remained silent for a moment, honoring the man.
Then he raised his head. "Now I need to go and save the Moon Palace," he said. "I promise I'll return and bury you once everyone is safe." He took a final look at Xavier, and then he went over to Debbie.
Debbie had improved slightly after Xavier had given her some of his power, but she was starting to fade again, and she was drifting in and out of consciousness.
"Debbie, I have to go and save the Moon Maidens," Alex said. "You should get some sleep." He hoped that if she were unconscious, then she wouldn't feel any pain.
Debbie nodded.
Alex stroked her hair, pushing a little power into her, and sending her to sleep. Then he lifted her onto his back and sprinted back to the Moon Palace.
As Alex ran, he found that his speed and physical strength had greatly improved since he had absorbed Xavier's vast internal power.
He reached the Moon Palace in no time, and he could hear that the fight was still ongoing.
Worried, he placed Debbie beside a pine tree and covered her with weeds and branches. Then he ran toward the Moon Palace.
The gangs and disciples were locked in battle, fighting fiercely, and neither side was willing to back down.
Hundreds of people were badly injured. The Moon disciples knew the territory better than the invaders, and their martial arts skills were superior, but they were badly outnumbered, and dozens of them had fallen.
The women's clothes were bloodstained, and many of the disciples were hurt. They knew they couldn't hold out much longer. Defeat seemed inevitable.
The four Moon maidens had fought well, dispatching many of their enemies. They knew they had to survive, or the Moon cult would be defeated, and all would be lost.
They were all injured, and the gang leaders knew that without these four women, the others would be easily defeated.
"There's no need to fight," Blaze told them. "We don't want to damage such beautiful women. If you surrender, then we'll let you remain in charge here. Isn't that better than serving Georgina?"
"Shut up," Callisto said, shooting one of her white scarves right at his eye. Blaze raised his knife and cut the material into pieces.
"Just for that, I'll kill you first!" he said, striking out at her with his knife.
"Callisto!" the other three Moon Maidens cried out. They could see that Callisto was in danger and they wanted to help. But they were surrounded by enemies, and they wouldn't be able to reach her in time.
"Go to hell!" Blaze snarled, his eyes gleaming with his anticipated victory.
Callisto watched in horror, knowing that she couldn't avoid the blow. She was so scared she could hardly move.
Just as the knife was about to make contact, it was kicked out of Blaze's hand, falling harmlessly to the ground. Blaze shook his hand as he fell back.
"Are you okay?" Alex asked, coming to stand beside Callisto and wrapping an arm around her shoulders.
"Mr. Alex!" Callisto exclaimed. She could hardly believe it. Alex had managed to save her at the last moment.
"You again!" Blaze said, recognizing Alex. He turned to all the gang leaders around him. "Let's deal with this loser once and for all. We'll send him to hell."
"You first!" Alex yelled, pushing Callisto away. It was too dangerous for her to be around him.
"We won't let you run away this time, loser!" Blaze said. "Get him!"
Dozens of men charged at Alex.
Alex knew he would have to subdue these men if he wanted to save the palace, so he ran toward them. As he reached the first man, he leaped into the air and kicked out, knocking the man to the ground.
Everyone gaped in awe, realizing that this young man's skill was greater than Georgina's. Even Alex was surprised by how much faster and stronger he was now.
Alex kicked out two men, causing them to drop their weapons. Then he struck another man, knocking him out cold. He took the legs out from under a fourth man, sending him sprawling.
These men were renowned martial arts experts, and Alex had humiliated them. Everyone was shocked, and they couldn't look away. Alex was too impressive. They were all in awe of him.
Alex didn't stop. He continued to attack, leaving a trail of bodies in his wake.
Men lay on the ground, groaning with pain.
Several gang leaders were thrown through the air, landing hard and breaking their limbs in the process.
The gang members grew wary and started to lose their taste for fighting. Blaze knew he had to act quickly. If Alex managed to turn the tide, there would be no mercy. Blaze had led the attack on the Moon Palace, and Alex would never let him go.
So, even though Blaze was afraid, he still tried his best to kill Alex.
"We can't let him survive!" he cried out to the other men.
He looked over at Falcon, the leader of one of the other gangs. Falcon's position wasn't any better than his. If Alex got the upper hand, then both Blaze and Falcon were dead.
Alex turned to look at Falcon, and Blaze made his move. He grabbed his blade and lunged at Alex's back, determined to end him.
Instead of turning around, Alex kicked his right leg backward, knocking the knife out of Blaze's hand. Then he kicked again, smacking Blaze right in the middle of his chest and sending him flying.
Although Blaze was in pain, he smiled, knowing that Alex's actions had put him at a disadvantage.
While Alex had been distracted, Falcon had tossed a small explosive device at him. He had missed, but the blast shook the ground, causing Alex to lose his balance and fall.
Explosions were Falcon's specialty, and he just loved blowing things up. A hole had appeared in the ground, and Alex fell into it, pulling Falcon in alongside him.
"Gotcha!" Falcon said. He pulled out a wire, wrapping it around Alex's neck.
He began to pull the wire tighter, determined to strangle Alex. Nobody could save him now.