Arnold's pupils contracted; the long-haired man in front of him had suddenly transformed into a creature, covered in scales, similar in size to Arnold himself.
The creature was two meters tall, with burst muscles covered in brown scales, cold white vertical pupils, and a long, sharply hooked tail swaying behind it.
"What the hell is this thing!?"
"Something like you..."
"Awakened!"
The man who had transformed into a phosphorescent beast spoke hoarsely and instantly retracted the fist that had blocked Arnold's huge paw, building up power to strike!
The fist's wind howled, moving as fast as a shadow, not giving Arnold any time to react.
Boom!
A tremendous impact hit the black bear's chest, sending its massive body crashing into the abandoned car behind it. Metal deformed, and within moments, the car's several tons of weight, combined with the tremendous force, crushed it into a piece of iron.
Such power?
"Roar!" Arnold let out an angry roar and swiftly tried to get back on his feet. But the scaled fist was coming for his head once again.
"Too weak!"
Phosphorescent Beast's taunting words lingered in the air as the scaled, heavy fist instantly struck Arnold's skull.
Blood poured out, and the black bear felt dizzy under the heavy blow.
Arnold struggled to stand up and counterattack, but just as he swung his massive paw with brute force, the Phosphorescent Beast dodged it in an instant.
"Snick!"
The pointed tail on the Phosphorescent Beast's back shot like lightning, piercing through the bear's paw and pinning it to the ground.
The assault continued as the Phosphorescent Beast reared back for another heavy punch.
"Roar!"
The black bear roared in pain, instinctively trying to block the Phosphorescent Beast's incoming punch with his left hand. However, his left arm was empty, and before he could collide with the new limb using the suture thread, another punch landed.
"Boom!"
Dust and smoke filled the air.
Arnold could only watch as the fist grew larger and larger, instantly smashing him into the ground.
"Heh."
"The battle is over."
The Phosphorescent Beast slowly retracted his right fist, his cold, indifferent vertical pupils gazing down at the heavily injured Arnold, filled with disdain.
"Useless."
"Nothing but brute force."
"Haha, I knew this guy wouldn't stand a chance against Anselm!"
The man who had fled first earlier ecstatically sprang out from behind the Phosphorescent Beast, very excited.
"Idiot, thinking he's so tough with just this little strength."
"Such a brainless fool."
The few others who had managed to escape couldn't help but mock Arnold from a safe distance, acting arrogant as if they hadn't been the ones fleeing in fear just moments ago.
"I was wondering why the guy in the car was acting so strangely earlier. Turns out, he was relying on having an awakened one on his side!"
"Damn it, you think you're the only ones with awakened ones?"
"Right!"
"Anselm, take this idiot apart. He just killed the boss!"
The Phosphorescent Beast chuckled but didn't respond. He simply strolled to the edge of the pit, reminding them that this man wasn't their boss; he was just too lazy to fight for that position. If he died, he died.
"It seems you're the awakened one in your team, huh?"
"No wonder your companion in the car seemed so calm."
"But you think you're invincible with this little power? It's truly laughable."
"Be my dog, and I might spare your life."
In the deep pit, the transformed black bear, Arnold, struggled to catch his breath, his eyes filled with resentment. He might have been rash, but the power gap between the two wasn't as vast as it seemed. If he hadn't been so unused to having lost his left arm and hadn't tried to use his left hand instinctively, relying on his high physical resilience, the outcome of their continued battle might have been different.
He raised his head, staring angrily at the Phosphorescent Beast in front of him, but he saw Clark calmly approaching from the beast's vertical pupils.
"Heh, what's wrong? Feeling disgruntled?"
"Don't worry, I'll finish them off..."
"Hmm?" The Phosphorescent Beast suddenly looked toward Clark, who was walking not far away.
"Heh, it seems your companion has come on his own."
"Oh, another awakened one. No wonder you guys are so confident."
Another awakened one?
The crowd behind heard the Phosphorescent Beast's words and got scared, hiding behind again. But they remembered the Phosphorescent Beast's performance from earlier and pretended to have courage, stepping forward once more. If such a terrifying black bear couldn't match up to Anselm, how about this pretty boy in front of them?
"Anselm, kill him!"
"Let them know the difference!"
"Maybe he's here to beg for mercy. Did you not see he's not even carrying a weapon?"
The Phosphorescent Beast, seemingly unfazed, gazed at Clark in front of him. Crushed under Clark's heightened psychic power, he only sensed a faint aura of an awakened one unique to the man. It was weak and didn't seem particularly formidable.
"How about it, want to beg for mercy on behalf of your companion?"
The Phosphorescent Beast swung its pointed tail, effortlessly cutting through the road, creating deep trenches.
"I'll say it again, be my dog. I might consider sparing you."
Unlike the brainless villains in movies who only want to kill everyone without reason, he thought that the ordinary players behind him weren't even worthy to be with him.
The man in front of him might be weaker, but he was still an awakened one. If he could take both of them in, that wouldn't be a bad deal. Clark stood still, silent, seemingly contemplating something.
The Phosphorescent Beast chuckled lightly at the sight.
"What's the matter? Still thinking? Don't think being an awakened one changes anything. The power gap between awakened ones is beyond your imagination."
"Trash like you should consider it an honor to be my dogs."
The metallic-tinted pointed tail cut through the air, appearing right at Clark's forehead, seemingly about to pierce his skull in the next second.
"Die or submit!"
Driven by a killing intent, the Phosphorescent Beast's hoarse voice showed impatience.
"I am indeed considering..."
Clark suddenly spoke, his tone calm, even carrying a hint of hesitation.
"Whether or not to take you as my dog."
Upon hearing Clark's words, the Phosphorescent Beast couldn't contain his rage, and even the few people behind him seemed to find it utterly laughable.
Take Anselm as a dog? With the Phosphorescent Beast's strength, he could easily slap the man in front of him to death.
"Anselm, kill this idiot! I think he's gone mad!"
"Damn it, the strongest among you can't even compare to Anselm. I don't know where this dumba** got the courage to seek death."
Clark's words completely infuriated the Phosphorescent Beast. He found the man in front of him so absurd.
"If you want to die, I'll make it happen..."
"Power Burst!"
His strength, which had almost reached the second-tier peak, suddenly exploded. Approaching the speed of sound, a fierce flash of his blade, and Clark's figure instantly appeared behind the Phosphorescent Beast.
0.5 seconds later.
"Snap!"
A blood trail slowly spread from the Phosphorescent Beast's foot to his right shoulder, and his massive body, like it had been sliced by a laser, split into two and fell to the ground.
"I thought about it, and you're not worthy."
The blade was sheathed.