"Just like when I was a kid?"
Chen Kong stared at "Ink" who appeared on the Bronze Road, trying to recall any memories related to him. But no matter how hard he tried, he was sure that he had no memories of Ink, neither in the Ember Base nor in the later Deep Blue Metropolis.
So...
"Who exactly are you?"
Tendo smiled at Chen Kong's question. The next second, his figure vanished from the spot.
As Chen Kong's pupils contracted sharply and a sudden gust of wind ruffled Vivian's bangs, Tendo appeared abruptly in front of them.
Facing Tendo, who was so close, and his gentle voice, Vivian's body instantly froze. Like a weak herbivore facing a powerful predator, she began to instinctively tremble.
Without giving Chen Kong an answer, Tendo emotionlessly placed his hand an inch away from Chen Kong's chest.
"Vector... Reversal."
With Tendo's calm words, the air in front of Chen Kong's chest suddenly squeezed together, then exploded! With a muffled "bang," the fabric on Chen Kong's chest was torn by a terrifying vortex of air. At the same time, he was sent flying backward like a kite with a broken string, his back slamming heavily against a pillar of the Bronze Tower.
THUD!!!
With a violent impact, the bronze pillar was dented. Chen Kong's body was deeply embedded in the hollow of the pillar, his life unknown.
"Kong!"
Seeing Chen Kong sent flying by Tendo, Vivian immediately shouted in concern. She subconsciously bypassed Tendo, trying to check on Chen Kong.
But just as she passed him, an invisible pressure came from her shoulder. Tendo had, at some unknown point, placed his hand on her shoulder, forcibly locking her forward-leaning body in place.
At the same time, Tendo's gentle but undeniable voice sounded again.
"Ms. Knight, your mission isn't over yet."
"So... can you please be a little quieter?"
Vivian turned her head and saw that Tendo was smiling at her. But behind his black-rimmed glasses, his eyes were as deep as a cold abyss. And his nonchalant way of instantly taking down Chen Kong made Vivian feel a deep, visceral terror.
This is a terrifying monster that cannot be judged by common sense!
"Pierce him, Silver Falcon!"
Just as Vivian was stunned and lost, a bullet trailing a silver plume of smoke broke through the air. The bullet was so fast that one could only make out a faint silver streak slicing through the sky. Like a soaring silver falcon, it went straight for Tendo's forehead.
But the next second, everyone's faces turned ugly with shock.
The incredibly fast "Silver Falcon" bullet was now frozen in mid-air, a mere half-inch from Tendo's face.
Tendo's gaze passed through the suspended bullet and turned to look at a serious-looking Yuchen with wide-open eyes not far away.
He smiled and said, "Officer Yu, sneak attacks are not a good behavior, besides..."
As he spoke, the bullet suddenly moved. As if pulled by an invisible thread, its tip slowly turned toward Yuchen. At the same time, something happened to the silver body of the bullet; it began to be visibly covered in a layer of deep ink-black.
Seeing this, Yuchen's pupils contracted sharply, and cold sweat instantly broke out on his back.
Tendo, on the other hand, seemed to not notice. He continued to talk to himself, "...Bullets are much more interesting than you think."
Tendo bent his finger and gently flicked the end of the bullet.
DING!
With a crisp sound, the black bullet suddenly shot out. It was three times faster than when Yuchen had fired it. The black bullet tore through the air with a shriek, drawing a perfect black streak through the sky, and shot straight for Yuchen's face!
"Look out!"
In the nick of time, Kong sheng , the captain of the Fifth Squad, grabbed Yuchen's arm and yanked him back.
The next second, the black bullet grazed Yuchen's shoulder and hit a bronze pillar behind him.
BOOM!
In the midst of a deafening explosion, a single bullet created an effect comparable to an artillery shell. The thick bronze pillar snapped in two, and hot copper debris, created by the high-speed friction, was ejected from the break.
However, that wasn't the full extent of Tendo's attack. Behind the bronze pillar, a wall was ripped open by the still-powerful black bullet, leaving a ten-meter-wide hole. Through the dust-filled opening, everyone could vaguely see the hazy sky outside the Bronze Tower.
Just flicking a single bullet could produce such a terrifying power. What if that finger flick had been aimed at a person's body?
The moment this thought popped up, everyone froze, their faces turning grim.
This guy is a complete monster in human skin!
But while some people stopped, others continued forward.
"MOO!"
With an angry roar, Liu Ma transformed into a half-bull, half-horse human monster. The Golden Ox core gave his skin a golden luster, and the Nether Horse core transformed his legs into horse hooves, with an eerie blue flame surrounding his body.
Without any hesitation, Liu Ma carried the momentum of his charge, his right fist bulging with veins as he threw a full-powered punch!
"Triple Feather Strike!"
The force of Liu Ma's punch was astonishing. Its power had clearly surpassed the upper limit of a Tier Two and reached a standard Tier Three.
Tendo simply raised his hand calmly.
BANG!
The moment the fist and palm met, a white shockwave instantly erupted from the center of the two. The ground beneath their feet let out a "crack," and a large, spiderweb-like network of cracks spread outwards, leaving a deep, circular pit.
Ten meters away from them, the surrounding Fifth Squad members were hit by the exaggerated, tsunami-like shockwave. Their guild uniforms flapped violently, and their bodies were pushed back repeatedly. The remaining Steam Sentinels were scratched by the debris stirred up by the air current. With a series of "clangs," they were sent tumbling into other Steam Sentinels, making the scene incredibly chaotic.
When the dust cleared, Liu Ma, who stood nearly three meters tall after his transformation with bulging muscles, was being held effortlessly by Tendo's single hand, which had his giant fist trapped. In contrast, Liu Ma's face was beet red, and the veins beneath his golden skin bulged like earthworms. Every muscle in his body was trembling from the strain, a clear sign that he was using his full power.
But even so, he still couldn't break free from Tendo's seemingly slender hand.
Looking at Liu Ma's struggling appearance, Tendo's voice held a hint of amusement.
"Liu Ma, you still don't like using your brain."
With that, Tendo's palm began to slowly close.