The final moment of Red's battle with the evil cultivator Rick, Krez stepped in and prevented Rick from delivering a final blow.
Red lay behind Krez, his elderly form revealing the toll of the battle in every strained breath. Krez's gaze focused sharply on Rick. With assurance, he declared, "Don't worry, I'll handle it from here."
Krez had hoped to glean insights into Rick's abilities, but Red was defeated rather straightforwardly with a punch to the gut, fueled with Qi. Rick didn't even resort to martial arts.
If one were to judge the outcome solely based on appearances and cultivation level, Rick would seem like the obvious winner. However, with Krez's stats leveled up, the victor became uncertain.
"Strike hard, strike fast, strike first," Krez muttered to himself as he pushed his speed to the maximum. With all his strength, he swung his warhammer upwards, aiming directly at Rick's jaw. Rick filled his arms with Qi, bringing them in front of himself to block the attack. Krez's speed was faster than his ability to dodge, and seeing Krez's warhammer raging towards him, he desperately wanted to evade instead of taking this blow.
*Booooom!* Rick hit the stone wall behind him, causing cracks to spread out like spiderwebs. Krez's speed and the warhammer's mass made for a ferocious attack. Even if Krez's strength wasn't maxed out, the force generated by his speed and the hammer's mass was devastating.
Rick slid down, blood dripping from his mouth and flowing from his arms, which had taken most of the impact. He lay motionless after sliding off the wall. Krez approached with caution, realizing he hadn't received an influx of experience points, indicating that Rick might be faking his condition.
Krez, about 4 feet away from Rick, noticed something that confirmed Rick was faking – an ornate dagger in his hand, a weapon he wasn't holding when Krez's warhammer smashed into him. He raised his vigilance a notch higher, a plan forming in his head. He lowered the warhammer to his side, putting on a relaxed facade.
Soon as the warhammer was completely lowered to Krez's side, Rick shot forward.
In a swift motion, Krez intercepted Rick's rapid advance, skillfully snatching the dagger-wielding wrist and executing a deft twist. With a calculated strike, Krez swung his warhammer overhead, delivering a powerful blow to Rick's arm just above the elbow.
Crack! Rip! AAGGGHHHH! A resounding crack rang out as Rick stumbled back, screaming in agony. Not a shred of emotion was in Krez's eyes. He knew how this was going to end. Krez understood what kind of person Rick was – a kidnapper, a killer. From Krez's discussions with Red, he learned that Rick had taken the lives of men, women, the old, and the young.
Krez stood there, dual-wielding a warhammer in his right hand and Rick's bloody arm in his left. The force of Krez's mighty strike caused the arm he was holding to tear away from Rick's shoulder, showcasing the immense power of the warhammer swung at full speed.
Rick writhed on the ground, his cries filled with desperation and hysteria. His mind teetered on the edge of breaking, unable to comprehend how this happened and the agony that followed. Krez's stern voice cut through the chaos, condemning Rick's unholy pursuit of power and lack of regard for innocent lives. "I was scared that my first time against a human would be hard, but not when it's someone like you," Krez declared with a cold determination.
Krez retrieved the ornate dagger from Rick's disconnected hand, tossing the bloody limb toward him. Rick scrambled to pick it up, desperately attempting to reconnect it as if hoping for an instant healing miracle. His futile efforts reflected a shattered mind. Incoherent curses spewed from Rick's mouth as Krez calmly strolled forward, a silent force against the broken man's madness.
Krez stood in front of Rick, who defiantly declared, "I will kill everyone, no matter who they are. I will grow strong, and when I'm ready, I'll come for you, 'sir cultivator,' and destroy everything you care about."
Krez, unswayed by Rick's ominous words, responded firmly, "You won't get that chance." With a decisive motion, he raised the ornate dagger and put an end to Rick's malevolent intentions. The once-menacing figure now lay defeated, his threats silenced.
After storing the eerie dagger, Krez turned his attention to Red. The impact of Rick's strike had left Red visibly weakened, with traces of blood on his face. Though battered, Red's injuries weren't life-threatening, and Krez was grateful that his timely intervention had prevented more severe harm.
It's done then. Krez nodded in agreement. Red continued, "I knew you were strong, Krez. I guess I just didn't realize just how strong you were. Come, help me up. We need to go get some drinks. After a night like this, it better be peaceful for a bit, or I'm gonna curse the heavens if it's not."
Both Red and Krez were sitting on a bench, gazing at the night sky with daybreak on the horizon. A barrel of alcohol was in front of them, evidence of their raid on the inn's storage. Red spoke, "Where will you head now? With strength like yours, you can't stay in the outer reaches. Combined with your young age, Krez, a bright future is in front of you, much better than what the folks around here can achieve."
Krez nodded, "I don't know. I want to be free and unrestrained, do what I want when I want to." Red replied, "Then you need strength, Krez. This world isn't a kind one; the weak get walked on, and the strong are only truly free." Red pulled out an old parchment and handed it to Krez, "Here, take this. It's the most valuable thing in my city. It's the basic Qi gathering technique. It doesn't have any special attributes, and the use of it is terribly slow. But the one thing about it is, it will forge a solid foundation, and you can switch cultivation techniques in the future its compatability is know to all " Krez took the parchment and said, "Thank you. I probably won't see you again, Red, so stay safe and stay good." He stood up from the bench and left Knotts.