On the brink of despair, Sally felt a sliver of desperate relief.
Her spirit was being consumed by darkness, and she contemplated ending it all.
She would rather choose death than endure the impending humiliation.
However, just as she closed her eyes, ready to accept her fate, a thunderous shout pierced the silence.
"Stop!"
With a loud crash, Joseph felt a powerful force strike his waist, knocking him away from Sally and sending him crashing to the ground like a defeated beast.
"You piece of trash, Joseph!"
Edward's voice was as cold and biting as a winter wind.
Edward tried to rush forward to kick Joseph again, but George immediately stopped him.
"Who dares to ruin our fun!"
Sally's eyes snapped open, flickering with a glimmer of hope. To her astonishment, it was Edward standing there.
"It's you, Edward. I thought I'd never see you again," her voice was filled with excitement and gratitude.
"Fear not, Shorty, with me here, no one can harm you," Edward's words were firm and warm, like a ray of sunshine on a winter's day.
Tears of emotion welled up in Sally's eyes, and Edward's arrival warmed her heart.
"You're that damned Edward, huh? I'll avenge my cousin!"
George's roar was thunderous as he prepared to engage Edward in a fight to the death.
Edward, recalling his skills from his time as a warrior on the moon, stood fearless against his opponent, like a top warrior.
Suddenly, George's cheeks puffed out comically, making him look like an inflated frog.
He channelled his strength into a specific part of his body to enhance his attack power.
"Invincible Power Kick!" George bellowed, each kick causing the air to tremble.
When his foot accidentally landed on a nearby sapling, it snapped instantly, demonstrating his immense strength.
Sally was worried about Edward, fearing the dire consequences if he were hit.
However, Edward was not intimidated; instead, he taunted,
"You looked like a bloated toad when you were puffing up. Your so-called Invincible Power Kick is nothing but a couple of kicks from toad legs, ha-ha!"
"Bastard, I'll kill you," George was utterly enraged, his attacks becoming more ferocious, each move aimed at ending Edward's life.
At the same time, Joseph rose to his feet, furiously declaring,
"Prepare to die, trash. On the same day of next year, it will be your death anniversary. Go to hell! "
Soon, he began his assault from the other side of Edward.
Sally watched anxiously, helpless to offer any assistance.
Edward leaped and dodged like a nimble monkey, always narrowly avoiding the incoming blows.
After a few rounds, Edward remained unscathed while George and Joseph began to feel hopeless.
George suddenly said to Joseph, "You step aside, Joseph, let me finish him off with my best combative skill."
"Alright, my dear cousin!" Joseph flipped in the air and sprinted towards Sally.
Edward quickly moved to block Joseph's path once again.
At that moment, George unleashed his signature move, the "Ice Palm."
Edward's speed was astonishing; he grabbed Joseph, who was in the way, using his body to shield himself from George's attack.
Seeing this, George hastily retracted eighty percent of his power, but the remaining twenty percent still struck Joseph squarely.
Edward then tossed Joseph's body aside, and Joseph landed with a thud, groaning in pain as the Ice Palm's chill seemed to send him to Antarctica.
"Sorry, Joseph," George said, hurriedly throwing him a bottle containing a red pill, "Take the antidote quickly; it'll be fine once you swallow it."
"Nice attack!" Edward mocked George, "Pity you didn't finish off this treacherous Joseph for me."
"Humph," George's eyes turned bloodshot with rage, his hair almost standing on end, "Bastard, you dodged my palm strike just now, but you won't be so lucky this time. Die!"
George lunged like a mad lion, unleashing both palms in a dual Ice Palm attack.
In an instant, countless ice spears shot from his hands.
Edward sneered,
"You think I fear you? I'll deal with your Ice Palm with my newly acquired fire-element combat skill--Fire Dragon Emerging!"
As Edward's Infinite Primitive Energy coursed through his body, flames engulfed him, and the incoming ice spears suddenly halted in mid-air, unable to advance or come any closer to Edward.
Edward then let all the flames gather on his palms.
"Attack!"
At Edward's command, a massive fireball shot from his hands.
As it flew through the air, it rapidly transformed into a colossal fire dragon, incinerating the ice spears in its path.
George's jaw nearly hit the ground; he never expected Edward to have the power to counter his Ice Palm. He tried to dodge the incoming fire dragon, but it was too late.
The dragon spewed a massive column of fire from its mouth, instantly setting George ablaze.
George let out a terrible scream, and amidst the cries, Edward and the others heard George's painful words.
"Who the hell are you? Joseph said you were just an inferior-talented new awakener. This can't be possible! Oh, no…"
George rolled on the ground, but he couldn't extinguish the flames on his body.
Joseph, after taking the antidote and struggling to his feet, tried to put out the fire on George, but it was impossible.
In just a few seconds, George turned to a pile of ashes.
"You killed my cousin, so you'll have to pay with your life," Joseph howled like a frenzied wolf. He braced himself, ready to unleash his final move, "Iron Tree Smash!"
Joseph raised his hands high and slapped the sky.
For reasons unknown, the energy he unleashed from his palms immediately underwent a fierce chemical reaction with certain substances in the air.
In no time, glittering objects appeared in the sky. Edward looked closely and realized they were made of iron. The shimmering iron pieces then coalesced, forming a towering tree that plummeted straight down from above Edward's head.
"Die!" Joseph roared.
Sally's heart was in her throat, pounding with fear.
"Look out," she managed to gasp.
If Edward was hit, it would be a fatal blow, a certain death.
Yet, Edward's lips curled into a faint, confident smile.
"Well timed. Watch me burn it away," he said calmly.
With a swift upward flick of his palms, he bellowed, "Fire Dragon Emerging!"
A colossal fire dragon burst from his palms straight away, soaring into the sky.
The fire dragon opened its massive jaws as the huge iron tree descended from above. The fire dragon charged upward to meet it, and upon collision, a tremendous sound erupted.
Miraculously, the fire dragon's gaping maw swallowed the iron tree whole.
At first, there was some movement within the fire dragon's belly, but within seconds, it stilled, accompanied by the sound of sizzling.
The fire dragon's belly was simply like a colossal furnace, vowing to incinerate anything combustible. Soon, the iron tree was completely consumed as if it were a mere snack.
"How is this possible?" Joseph's eyes widened in disbelief as he stared at the scene before him.
"Have you been hiding your true strength all along?" he demanded.
"What difference does it make now?" Edward sneered. "I didn't expect you to be even more despicable than your uncle. If you want to take on someone, come at me, not Sally. Prepare to meet your end now!"
A surge of lethal intent welled within Edward; he couldn't stand those who bullied girls.
Realizing the situation was against him, Joseph bolted into the depths of the forest.
"Where do you think you're going?" Edward shouted, launching another Fire Dragon Emerging.
A fire dragon streaked towards Joseph. On the brink of being consumed by the fire dragon, Joseph screamed,
"Earth Escape Technique!"
Suddenly, Joseph's entire body vanished into the ground within the forest.
"What a pity, he got away," Edward lamented.
"He may have escaped today, but not tomorrow. The net of justice is vast and inevitable; he will receive his just deserts," Sally said.
"Yes, Shorty, you're absolutely right. Let's not worry about him for now. Let me untie you."
"Thank you," Sally replied, her lips curving into a grateful smile.
"You're welcome, Shorty," Edward said as he immediately untied Sally.
Soon, Sally leaped onto Edward once more, her arms wrapping around his neck and her legs clamping around his.
"Why are you doing this again, Shorty? Come on, get down," Edward pleaded, a wry smile on his face.
But Sally held on even tighter.