Chapter 102: Earth vs. Scions
WHAT!? Professor Margaret Rust grabbed both armrests of her chair and squeezed, making them creak.
Next to her, her assistants stopped celebrating and looked mutedly at a television screen, where the arena was displayed. Just a moment ago, they had seen Jack Rust, the leader of their faction, become the strongest person on Earth and receive tremendous rewards. Everything had been going perfect.
But now, things had suddenly gone wildly off the rails. The scions wanted to fight Jack? And the planetary overseer let them?
What is happening?! the professor cried out. All sorts of scenarios went through her head, filtering themselves until she was left with only one possibility: the Animal Kingdom, those impossibly strong alien overlords, wanted Jack dead. No she muttered breathlessly.
A heavy hand steadied her shoulder. It was Harambe. They were currently gathered at their new headquarters in the Forest of the Strong, and the brorillas had joined the factions top brass to watch the final.
Are you worried too, Harambe? the professor asked, looking behind her. The brorilla nodded slowly. He could see his son right there, standing next to the strongest person of this world, their ultimate Big Bro.
He had never been prouder.
What do you think, Professor? her assistant, Emily, called out in worry. Can Jack escape?
I dont know. Even if hes reached the E-Grade now, how strong can he
Jack disappeared from the screen. A moment later, he appeared before the four scions, all by himself. Another moment after that, a massive meteor was hurtling at their faces, and it crashed with a great explosion. Smoke and debris filled the screen.
The professor was left staring, and then she laughed. You know what? she replied. I think hes going to be fine.
***
Jack flashed on the railing before the four scions, reaching them in the blink of an eye. Fesh Wui was the first to respond. He waved his wings, sending blades of wind at Jack, but he only laughed. His fists shot out faster than the eye could see, smashing into each blade and breaking it apart.
Before, this attack would have stretched his reaction speed to the limit. Now, it was easy.
A flash at the edge of his vision showed Shard Presht closing in. Both triangular blades turned, catching the suns glint, as he aimed to flank Jack.
Jack stepped directly into the attack. The blades swung in slow motion. He raised his hands and simply caught them, then held them still. They came to an instant halt, and it took all of Shards mastery over momentum to avoid breaking his wrists.
Holding the blades felt effortless to Jack. Not only were his palms unharmed, but no matter how Shard pushed and pulled, Jacks grip remained firm. It was like wrestling a five-year-old. Shards sharky smile fell, replaced by dread.
In one fluid motion, Jack turned and launched the sharken into the incoming wind blades. Fesh withdrew his Dao as fast as he could, but the attack still scored several red lines on Shards bare back.
Its so easy Jack realized, losing his breath. So, this is the E-Grade. An hour ago, these people would have been his opponents. Now, they were nothing but scrambling children. It begged the age-old question: How many kindergarteners can a grown man defeat?
More than two.
Jack punched out. The air screamed as his fist tore it apart, heading directly for Shard Presht and Fesh Wui behind him. He would get them both in one strike. Since his enmity with the Animal Kingdom was irreconcilable, there was no need to hold back. He struck to kill. Colors and sounds disappeared, leaving only a purple meteor hurtling through a dark sky.
A massive steel shield appeared at the last moment to block his fist, denting heavily but remaining solid. The explosion shook the arena and raised a small cloud of dust.
When it settled, a humanoid robot stood before the two scions, having appeared out of nowhere. It was jet-black, wielding a sword and a shield which had barely managed to block Jacks strike.
Robot Bodyguard (E-Grade)
A robot designed to guard and fight for its user. This particular specimen has been enchanted with the Dao of Hardness, resulting in a defense that can resist even the middle of the E-Grade. It also sports high mobility, allowing it to cover its user from all attacks.
Manufactured by Horrificus Egen.
This Horrificus Egen was getting on Jacks nerves. However, before he could think further, black light flashed, and three more robots appeared, looking similar to the first. Each stood before a scion.
The fuckers have back-up, Jack thought, gritting his teeth. No wonder they had dared attack him despite his breakthrough.
Each of these robots was roughly equivalent to Sparmans sixth level, though focused on defense. Before today, he couldnt beat that level. Now, he had to fight four of those at the same time, plus the four scions.
Jack welcomed the challenge.
Bring it on! he shouted. Iron ran in his veins, firing him up. He settled into a fighting stance. He pushed against the railing, and his form blurred as he appeared behind Gan Salin.
The canine froze. Hey chill, it was just a jok he tried to say. Jacks fist smashed out, but a robot stood between them, stopping the attack with its large tower shield. It then slashed out at Jack, who was already gone.
This time, he feinted moving at Shard Presht before using Ghost Step again and appearing above the elef. She was their healer, and Jack knew the golden rule: always attack the healer.
Unfortunately, the scions also knew the golden rule. A robot intercepted him the moment he appeared, pushing him to the side and forcing him to retreat. The other three tried to surround him, each brandishing a one-handed sword. Their metallic heads, which had no hint of a face, were all turned towards him.
Jack was irritated. He could easily beat one of these robots, but he couldnt afford to try. The moment one of them locked him down, the other three would be upon him in an instant, and he doubted that even his new durability could fully block those razor-sharp blades.
At least he had Ghost Step now. It was a bit tiring to use, but it greatly broadened his spectrum of options. Feinting to the right, he Ghost Stepped twice in zig-zag to escape the robots. Thankfully, though they were fast, they were not particularly agile.
The rest of the people in the arena had been waiting for the result of this clash. Seeing Jack back off and the scions unharmed, the morale of their allies shot up.
Listen up! Fesh Wui raised his voice, spreading it even outside the arena. Seeing the robots intercept Jack, his confidence had been rekindled. One million credits to anyone who injures Jack Rust, and ten million to whoever brings me his head!
Jack cursed. The Animal Kingdom wasnt even pretending anymore. There was no way the scions had that kind of money by themselves.
Regardless, it was enough motivation. Those who had remained on the stands turned towards Jack, avarice in their eyes, and people started trickling in through the entrances. They werent many, only around twenty, but that was twenty more than Jack had. Including the ones who had never left the arena, there were now fifty people ready to lunge at him, most of whom had participated in the tournament themselves.
Jack had powered up significantly, but even he couldnt survive these numbers.
Flank him! a rough voice came from behind him. Jack felt the cold before he saw it; a large spike of ice flew over. He raised a hand to block, but it was unnecessary.
A flame whip hit the spike mid-flight and changed its course, sending it veering off Jack.
Thankfully, he had allies.
Vivi stood behind him, her form clad in flames and holding a burning blue whip. Attack the traitors. For Earth! she cried out. Her voice filled the arena. The members of Flame River roared and charged, each turning into a human torch.
The Ice Peak moved to meet them. They spread into a rhombus and moved with perfect coordination, each covering the others weakness. They shot out ice bullets from their fingers.
The Flame River also showed excellent coordination. They combined their flames into walls, meshing them perfectly and stopping the bullets.
The Ice Peak was made up of highly-trained special agents. The Flame River had the elite soldiers of an entire country, and they had successfully staged a revolution just weeks prior. Four on four, these two squads of professional killers clashed, demanding a part of the arena stands for themselves.
The Animal Kingdom didnt care for its arenas fate.
Wood burned and flew, seats froze and turned into weapons. Fire mixed with ice into a chaotic battle that only they could navigate. In the air above, Vivi clashed against Alexander, each brandishing their element to the maximum.
Jack was attacked by the four robots and unable to help. They couldnt touch him, but they didnt let him go, either. They matched his speed, shielding the scions from his attacks.
Said scions didnt attack Jack. They knew they would achieve nothing. Instead, they turned their gazes at his allies and charged at them, with only the elef remaining behind to heal whoever got injured. Two figures flashed before them.
Dorman and Li Xiang stood side by side, one wielding daggers and the other straight palms. On the stair-shaped arena stands, these two stood a few steps below the three attacking scions, showing no intentions of letting them pass.
We are enemies. You will die, Li Xiang said.
Beside him, Dorman chuckled. We already beat you once. We can do it again.
Id like to see you try, Fesh Wui replied with narrowed eyes. His voice was filled with rage. You almost took my wing, the pride of an eagler. I will pay you back or die trying.
Sure.
They clashed, three against two. Blades and wings flew as everyone used their Dao to the maximum. Li Xiang moved faster than ever before, blocking attacks from all directions. Shard Presht focused on him, but all his momentum-changing attacks could achieve was delay the old man. Gan Salin circled behind him, but Dorman fell on the canine, buzzing with electricity, and it took only two exchanges for Salin to be covered in deep red lines.
Fesh Wui arrived then to block Dorman, and the two clashed at a speed that nobody else could follow. They werent trying to overpower or outmaneuver the other. They simply clashed again and again, and whoever could strike more times would win.
Nice! Gan Salin raised a thumb. Green energy washed over him from higher in the stands, closing his wounds. He turned his thumb at the elef, too. Thanks! he exclaimed. You rock!
Focus on the fight, Salin, she instructed in a low voice, her brows furrowed. Green light shone from her eyes and the end of her trunk, and she was slightly crouched as if ready to jump in any direction. Her robot returned to her side and remained there, making sure it could stop any surprise attack from Jack so she could focus on healing.
Kane, Tao, Sage! Edgar called out, having jumped to the middle of the arena. Take the crowd!
The three people hed named were already positioned between Jack and the fifty people that wanted his head. They were strong, but so were their opponents, and one side had seventeen times more people than the other.
I will defend my monasterys honor to the last breath, Brother Tao said calmly, raising his thousand-pound black staff. Come. I will not allow you to defile my planet. If I am to die, I will take some of you with me.
This is not ALRIGHT! Vanderdecken shouted, stringing his guitarhed gotten a new one after Fesh Wui broke his previous one. Those assholes broke my guitar, man. Dont help them. Credits are temporary. Metal is forever!
Their opponents were not impressed. There were archers, swordsmen, gunmen, people with sniper rifles or machine guns, as well as people holding all sorts of melee weapons. They took a step forward together, like a well-oiled army squad.
Hey, Sage, Kane said, lowering his voice, are you sure this is a good idea?
Oh, yes, the Sage replied calmly, as if this all didnt concern him. Hey, you guys! he shouted at the approaching enemies. This is really not a good idea. I suggest you turn back right now, or you will be killed!
You cant even touch us, fuckface, a burly man holding a thick iron pipe called out.
But he can.
A form crashed between the two parties. When the crowd saw who it was, they went limp. It was Jack Rust.
The robots were always placed between him and the scions. Since the crowd was in the opposite direction, he had a moment before the robots caught up. And a moment was enough.
The truth was, Jack could escape the robots temporarily and help in these battles if he really wanted to. He didnt choose to do so for two reasons:
One, it would exhaust him. Rufus might appear at any moment, and if that happened, only he could stop him.
Two, this was a great opportunity for their allied forces to show off their might. They needed the world to side with them. And if they seemed to be losing, Jack could step in before the losses got too heavy. It was harsh, but then again, so was war.
But fifty against three was hardly fair.
Sto a man tried to say, but he didnt make it in time.
Jacks eyes narrowed. These people wanted to kill him for money. He had no reason to show mercy. He was too strong to be stupid.
A meteor punch flew into the middle of the crowd and exploded. The first two men it met were annihilated, flying off in pieces. The crowd below was thrown back, many sporting broken limbs or deep burns. People screamed. Jack didnt care.
Fuck off, he said. His perfect Dao Seed unleashed its pressure, blanketing them in thick, bloody violence. They knew what he was capable of, and they knew he wouldnt hesitate to do it.
Most people turned their backs and ran, realizing this was not worth it. Three robots descended on Jack; he had to dash out of the way. As he did, he took one more glance around the arena, but he still couldnt find Brock.
Where the hell did he go!? he wondered, sick with worry, but there wasnt much he could do about it right now. I hope he hid somewhere.
When everything was said and done, only seven people remained against Brother Tao, Vanderdecken, and the Sage. These seven were content to make it big or die trying.
See? Not alright! Vanderdecken cried out, raising his hand with the index finger and pinky extended. But alright! Lets form a pit! Fight, fight, fightand dance with the devil!
They roared and charged. Black, jagged notes erupted from the guitar, which shone with red lightit was a Dao weapon. The faint outline of a blood-stained brown gate appeared above his head. It opened a crack and released small quantities of black mist that seethed towards the fight.
Brother Tao roared as he spun his heavy staff, then crashed it down. It got a man in the leg, breaking it completely, and also cracking the wood and stone beneath. The once-pristine arena was gradually getting torn down from all the fighting.
As for the Sage, he simply pointed at people every once in a while, making them dazed for the fraction of a second that Brother Tao needed to smack them. He also called out instructions to Vanderdecken, who moved his mist and notes to the right place before the enemies even got there.
The seven bounty hunters didnt back down easily. Each of them was strong in their own right, and lights flashed as all sorts of abilities were activated. An iron pipe met the staff and broke in two, but that only gave its wielder two new weapons to use. Arrows flew from a crossbow, meeting each note mid-air and breaking it apart.
Edgar watched their fight from the center of the arena and nodded. He would assist whoever needed him, but they seemed fine for now. He turned his gaze to Dorman and Li Xiang, who were embroiled in fierce combat against two scions
Wait. Two? Where is Gan Salin?
Excuse me, do you have a moment to talk about our lord and savior Dogod?
Edgar barely had time to conjure a shield behind him and jump away. Gan Salins wolverine-like steel claws clashed against it, breaking it apart in two strikes. He grinned. I guess not. Oh, well.
What the hell are you on? Edgar asked. Sandstorms rose before him, and birds of wind flew around him. This was a scion. And Edgar was alone.
He no longer had time to help others. Now, someone needed to help him, or hed become dog food!
Gan Salins eyes grew bloodshot, and foam bubbled at the edges of his mouth. Here I come! he screamed and shot forward. Edgar flooded him with sandstorms. It was the same technique hed used against Jackhopefully, it would work better this time.
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