"Such a sharp hand strike! My body has already reached the second layer of the Explosive Fist Technique; my skin is tougher than cowhide, making it difficult for even a dagger or sharp knife to cause injury. Yet, his seemingly effortless hand strike managed to leave a red mark on me! This means another strike in the same spot could potentially break through my defense!" Galon was shocked by the hit.
Due to its rapid speed, he couldn't keep up at all. Before he knew it, his left arm was struck.
Turning his gaze towards 101, he found the opponent had already retreated three meters away, staring at him with a cold gaze.
"Another speed type?" Galon's expression became somber.
At this moment, 101 was truly astonished. His hand strike hadn't even managed to break through Galon's skin.
"Such level of defense! Such a level of hard qigong! It's been years since I've encountered this! What a strong physique! It seems I must go for a lethal attack; otherwise, it would be as if I'm merely tickling him."
"His speed is slower than mine; he can't keep up with me. I can simply move around to test for his weakest spot!"
Deciding on his plan, 101 once again adopted an offensive stance, pushed off the ground, and charged at Galon. His right-hand blade swiftly turned into a red blur, vanishing in front of him.
Swoosh!
Galon's right arm was hit again. He reached out to grab but caught nothing. Then, he felt a sharp pain in his back, as if he had been fiercely stabbed.
"Die!" he roared, his muscles bulging as he prepared to unleash his power.
"Swinging Strike!"
His arms swung like two elephant trunks, creating a rotating motion. Hiss! Galon spun around on the spot, his swinging strike hitting nothing but air. The ground where his boots had been scraped formed a clear black circle.
However, the air stirred up by the movement spread outwards, creating a slight breeze. 101 retreated two meters, took a brief rest, and then charged again. The red blur unfolded, stabbing fiercely at Galon's abdomen.
"I refuse to believe I can't find your weak spot!" The hand blade moved upwards, tearing through Galon's chest clothing with a rip.
Boom!
Galon swiped at the air in front of him, then was momentarily dazzled by a flash of red, and his abdomen was struck by another hand strike, sending a stinging pain through him.
"I'm wounded!" He could imagine the injury on his abdomen; although not deep, it definitely pierced the skin.
"I must find a way to counter his speed, or I won't be able to win even if I can take the hits." His train of thought was abruptly interrupted when his left armpit was suddenly in pain again, hit by another hand strike.
"Damn it!!" Galon got somewhat infuriated."
If only my Shooting Form could be used freely across my entire body... You bastard, die!!!"
He fiercely threw a straight punch. Crack! 101 dodged, and the punch hit a wooden plank. The door of a closed shop on the street was punctured, sending yellow wood splinters flying everywhere.
Boom!
Another loud noise followed as Galon's punch missed and hit a stone wall, creating a crater the size of a bowl.
"Do you only know how to scurry around like a bug? Damn monkey!" Galon shouted angrily, throwing another punch at 101, who easily dodged by ducking.
Pain shot through Galon's right wrist, further fueling his anger.
"You damn gray-skinned monkey!!!"
Boom!
He stomped on the cement ground, creating a small pit with one foot. Then, swinging his arms fiercely, he hit a lamppost where 101 was hiding.
Crack!
The lamppost, thick as a man's thigh, vibrated violently from the strike. Cracks spread rapidly, and fine cement dust scattered. The rest of the onlookers fell silent, and the dozen or so members of the Gold Ring gang were petrified, witnessing Galon's terrifying destructive power. They all felt their legs weaken.
Some quietly retreated to inconspicuous corners, ready to flee the scene. The two boys and girls being surrounded were dumbfounded by the fight between Galon and 101.
"This man's physique is too strong..." Sivika murmured."
Such terrifying muscular defense, hitting a cement post without any harm! Too terrifying..." The girl, Eve, took advantage of the others being frightened and quietly sat down next to the boy.
"This man seems to be enemies with the Gold Ring. His strength and resistance to hits are too strong. He must have practiced some form of hard qigong or martial arts. But his speed is slower, and his body can't keep up with his opponent's moves. We'd better hide for now and escape when we get the chance."
Boom!
Another metal door of a storefront was dented in a circle. 101 leaped back, landing two meters away to stand firm, his face covered in cold sweat. Blood slowly seeped from the tip of his nose, cut by the flying cement debris. His chest heaved violently as he gasped for air like a bellows, sweat nearly dripping into his eyes, but he dared not make any move to wipe it away.
His gaze was fixed on Galon, fearing any slight mistake could give his opponent an opportunity.
"Just one punch!"
His heart pounded, a reaction to excessive blood flow.
"Just one punch!"
"I'd die." 101 instantly concluded.
"What's the matter? Gray-skinned monkey." Galon took a deep breath and approached with a sneer.
"Is that all? I haven't even used my full strength yet!" He clashed his fists together, producing a wooden sound, as if his fists were not made of flesh and blood.
Bang!
Suddenly, a gunshot pierced the night sky.
Silence fell over the scene. The two boys and girls clamped their mouths shut, staring at the scene not far away. The Gold Ring members were also stunned by the sudden turn of events.
101 looked coldly as he slowly lowered the silver pistol in his hand, still emitting faint smoke from the barrel.
"Sorry, I am not a pure martial artist." Galon stared blankly at his chest, where a charred bullet hole was clearly imprinted between his pectorals.
Snap!
He suddenly grasped the wound, lightly pinching with his fingers. A brass bullet fell to the ground, making a slight noise.
Hiss...
A collective gasp filled the air. Everyone was shocked.
"He... He actually blocked the bullet!" Sivika was dumbfounded, swallowing hard. "Did I... see it wrong?"
"No... no..." The girl, Eve, was also stunned, completely unsure of how to react. "I've only heard that martial artists at the pinnacle can disregard gunfire, but..."
"Could his martial arts already be at the pinnacle?!"
"No, it's not that, his hard qigong is too terrifying!" Eve swallowed her saliva, her voice trembling from shock.
"You... you bastard!!!" 101's body trembled, his face twisted violently as he stepped back repeatedly.
Bang bang bang bang!!
Then came the click-click of an empty gun, out of bullets.
101's face was pale, still frantically pulling the trigger.
Galon looked down at the five bullet holes in his chest. His muscles bulged, and the remaining four bullets were squeezed out, falling onto the muddy ground.
"It's over."
He suddenly stepped forward, and with a thud, lunged forward, punching 101, who was still madly pulling the trigger.
Boom!
101's head exploded like a watermelon, splattering backward in a perfect arc.
At this moment of mental breakdown, 101 couldn't utilize his speed to its fullest, coupled with the near-exhaustion of his physical strength, he was finally struck directly by Galon's punch.
"It... it exploded!!"
A subordinate of Gold Ring trembled all over, retreating several steps.
"Ah!!!" Someone screamed.
All the members of Gold Ring scattered.
The two boys and girls stared blankly at everything that happened on the scene, completely petrified by the bloody scene.
"Don't look."
A pair of large hands gently covered the eyes of the two.
Galon withdrew his fist, calmly looking at 101 on the ground.
"Killed someone again."
It wasn't his first time killing someone.
Since the first accidental killing, he felt his disregard for life gradually increasing.
"Whenever I see the soft necks and fragile bodies around me, a slight carelessness, a gentle pinch, is the passing of a life. People have always been living calmly with such fragile bodies, just like ants, though frail, they live in an orderly division of labor."
He felt he was slowly undergoing some bizarre change.
"Young man, that's not the true path of martial arts!"
A deep, thick male voice came from the side.
Galon turned his face to meet a pair of clear black eyes.
"Your boxing has entered the path of the demon."
It was a muscular blond middle-aged man, his short hair burning like golden flames in the night wind.
The man, dressed in white, covered the eyes of the two children with his hands, seriously and quietly staring at Galon.
"Demons?" Galon was startled.
He looked down at the headless corpse of 101.
"Indeed, someone once told me that my martial arts had deviated from the right path. But what is the right path, and what is the demon path? Who decided this?"
"Pursuing power by any means, where power equals will, that's the characteristic of the demon path." The blond man turned the two children away, standing up. "Martial arts were created by humans to fight and kill more powerful beings, not for meaningless slaughter among their own kind!"
"I was just defending myself." Galon calmed down, speaking indifferently.
"But you didn't have to actually kill him! Couldn't you have just injured and restrained him?" Eve, who had just turned around, suddenly turned back and shouted.
"Eve! Don't provoke him!" The boy, Sivika, grabbed the girl's arm with some fear.
"That's merely martial arts created for the sake of killing. Who is your teacher?" the blond man asked gravely.
Galon did not answer but just deeply looked at the three people, turned around, and walked back to the alley, soon disappearing into the shadows.
The blond man surveyed the scene once more, his gaze suddenly sharpening as he stared at the cracked, nearly broken cement lamppost.
"This kind of boxing... Demon Elephant Sect!"
Suddenly, he remembered the eerie and terrifying woman he encountered years ago, the white tiger tattoo on her bare back twisting and roaring as if a real white tiger was pouncing towards him.
"From now on... don't provoke this person!" The man turned back solemnly to the two children.