Uncle Marco's sudden disappearance sent Zhao into a panic. He searched every corner of the hills, but Marco was nowhere to be found. It was as if he had been swallowed by the earth, vanishing without a trace.
Wild assumptions flooded Zhao's mind. Perhaps Marco had returned to the hideout, or maybe he had fallen into a ravine. A wild beast might have mauled him,but was that even possible?
Zhao mulled over every possibility. But his concentration broke as an eerie silence fell over the hills. The air felt suffocating, as though something ominous was about to happen. It was the same feeling he had just before Marco vanished.
Suddenly, tree branches, leaves, and bushes rustled. Something—or someone—was approaching. Zhao couldn't see it, but he could feel it clearly. The threat was closing in from all directions. He didn't know what it was, but he knew he had to dodge immediately.
Zhao leapt high into the air. Sure enough, a powerful crash struck the ground where he had just stood. In the faint light, he saw three figures attacking.
"Who are they?" Zhao muttered. "Attacked again... just when I'm exhausted from training," he complained, annoyed.
"But this time, I won't lose."
The three figures launched another attack. Zhao still couldn't see them, but he could feel them clearly. He kept leaping backward to avoid their strikes.
Then came a sudden attack from behind. Zhao had no time to dodge, so he put everything he had into a counterstrike.
He gripped his black sword tightly and swung it behind him. Instantly, a black aura burst from the blade. The powerful strike hit a Kalanak demon squarely, sending it crashing to the ground in agony.
"Kalanak," Zhao muttered, recognizing the creature writhing in pain.
Two enemies remained. "Show yourselves. Don't be cowards," he said firmly.
Slowly, the two remaining Kalanak demons revealed themselves. Both had reached their awakened forms—terrifying transformations with glowing red eyes and long, spike-like hair.
"So this is a Kalanak demon's power—being able to vanish?" Zhao asked.
"Hehehehehe! You noticed?" one of them cackled.
"Oh, I see now. You're the ones who kidnapped Uncle Marco. Cowards!" Zhao snapped in fury.
"That old man? He's probably dead by now," the demon sneered.
"Hehehehehe!"
Zhao burned with rage. His sword now emitted a greenish-black aura, and his power surged, ready to explode.
The two remaining Kalanak demons laughed maniacally, their voices like shattering glass. But behind the laughter, they began to show caution. The aura Zhao emitted was no ordinary power. It was born from hard training, deep loss, and unbreakable resolve.
Both demons launched themselves at him. Their speed was inhuman, too swift for the eye to follow. But Zhao didn't need sight—he relied on instinct and aura resonance to track them.
He spun swiftly and slashed to the side. His blade hit one demon, sending it flying into a tree with such force that the tree toppled. But another demon had already appeared behind him, claws flying toward Zhao's neck.
Crash!
The clash of metal echoed as Zhao blocked the attack with the back of his sword. He spun around and kicked the demon in the gut, sending it flying.
"My turn now!" Zhao leapt high into the air, the greenish-black aura condensing at his blade's tip. He then plunged downward like a meteor, slashing with all his might.
His attack split the ground, creating a two-meter-wide fissure. One of the Kalanak demons tried to dodge but was too late. The aura struck its body, disintegrating it into ash.
One remained. But the demon didn't seem panicked. Instead, it grinned and said, "You're strong... but what if I told you I'm not alone?"
Zhao turned his head. From the bushes emerged more figures—three, five, seven... nine Kalanak demons in total now surrounded him. All of them were in their terrifying transformed states, faces twisted, dripping with blood, eyes gleaming with bloodlust.
Zhao stepped back, breathing heavily. He had already expended so much energy, but the real battle was only beginning. "Cowards. You rely on numbers."
"Not numbers—family!" one demon barked.
Zhao's anger deepened at the truth that they had taken Marco. "Fine! If I die here, it means I'm unworthy of saving this world."
"Let's fight to the death!" Zhao roared.
The Kalanak demons charged in unison like an unstoppable wave of darkness. The ground shook with their steps, and the air froze with their chilling aura. But Zhao stood firm. Though his body was exhausted, his spirit remained unshaken.
Zhao's body became enveloped in a greenish-black aura from his sword. It seemed that he had absorbed demonic energy, which slowly restored his stamina. His strength surged beyond human limits.
Boom!
The first strike came from the right. Zhao dodged and countered with a horizontal slash, slicing two Kalanak demons in one swift motion. They screamed and disintegrated into black dust.
Seven left.
Zhao moved like a shadow. Instead of waiting, he charged, piercing one retreating demon. A death cry followed his steps. Two others leapt to attack from above, claws drawn for a fatal strike.
Zhao planted his sword into the ground. A burst of aura exploded outward, sending all enemies within five meters flying. Their bodies flailed, scorched with burns. Zhao gave them no time to recover. He pulled his sword free and stabbed one demon rising to its feet. Black blood splattered, and the body exploded into a burst of energy.
Four left.
They changed tactics, now attacking from a distance. Their spiky hair morphed into sharp spears—hundreds aimed at Zhao.
"Damn it," Zhao cursed.
The spears were launched at him. He dodged and blocked as best he could, but several still struck him. His arm and cheek were cut, and a spear lodged in his leg.
"Hah... hah... it's not over yet..." Zhao muttered, struggling to rise.
Two demons prepared to strike again, now aiming their sharp spikes like bullets.
Balancing on his wounded leg, Zhao spun fiercely, slashing his sword to deflect all the incoming projectiles. He succeeded—none pierced him.
But just as he finished, one Kalanak demon dashed toward him with blinding speed, vanishing and then reappearing behind Zhao.
It kicked him hard in the stomach. Zhao flew through the air in pain—toward the two demons ahead. This time, the two demons were ready with sonic wave attacks generated by their screams.
Zhao couldn't dodge.
"You bastards!" he shouted.
A split second later, their shrieks erupted. The sound was horrifying—shaking the entire hillside, cracking the earth, and blowing apart trees in a devastating shockwave.
"AAAAAAAAAAA!" The scream was utterly monstrous.
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