The two brothers were down, one on the left side of Bill and the other on the right. Their armor was crushed in like tin cans, the dents deep where Liu Yang's fists had landed.
Blood dripped from the corners of their mouths, their chests moving shallow, breaths short and broken.
They couldn't even lift their swords anymore. Their bodies just lay there, twitching once in a while, then going still.
Bill's face twisted. His teeth ground together so hard you could hear the sound.
His eyes burned, the veins inside turning red, spreading out like cracks in glass. His cheeks flushed, his whole face turning red until it looked like it might burst.
His neck swelled, the veins under his skin popping out, pulsing with every beat of his furious heart. Even his jawline shook as he opened his mouth and shouted.
"You bastard!" His voice ripped the air. "How dare you—how dare a mere demon lay hands on my brothers!"
He stepped forward, pointing his sword at Liu Yang like it was an insult just to breathe the same air.
"You are nothing but filth!" Bill spat. "A low level, a third class race, crawling on the ground like insects! A disgrace in the eyes of the Goddess!"
His grip on the sword tightened until the leather handle squeaked. His knuckles turned white. His whole body trembled, not from fear but from the sheer rage running through his veins.
"You'll regret touching them, demon. I'll cut you to pieces, and I'll make sure no one even remembers your name."
Liu Yang's lips twisted. His teeth clenched so hard his jaw ached. For the first time since coming into this world, his chest burned not with fear, not with shame, but with pure rage.
The word Goddess echoed in his head, sharp like a knife. The same Goddess who had looked at him once and cast him aside, the same one who called him ugly, filthy, worthless.
His fists shook at his sides, black aura leaking out, curling around his arms. His eyes locked on Bill, sharp, unblinking.
"Oi… oi…" Liu Yang's voice came out low, almost breaking, but steady. "Now you dare mock me? You dare call me filth? You think this body makes me less?"
He took a step forward, aura flaring, his shadow stretching long across the ground.
"A body of human doesn't make you human. A face doesn't make you human. It's the soul. It's the deeds. It's the work you do. It's the choices you make. It's the pride you carry. That's what makes a human!"
His voice cracked, louder now, almost a roar.
"And you…" His eyes blazed, rage boiling. "You call me filth? You call me insect? You dare to stand there and praise that Goddess? The same Goddess who throws away lives like trash, who loves beauty but spits on ugliness?"
He slammed his fist into his own chest, hard, his whole body shaking.
"I was human! My soul is still human! And no Goddess, no race, no sword of yours can take that away from me!"
[Overloading... Detected...]
[Warning... Host power rising beyond safe limit...]
[Level Rising... Level 12]
[Level Rising... Level 13]
[Level Rising... Level 14]
...
[Level Rising... Level 20]
[Level Rising... Level 21]
...
[Level Rising... Level 25]
[Critical Alert... Host body cannot handle power...]
[Risk of destruction detected...]
[Origin Authority Intervention...]
[Adjusting parameters...]
[Strengthening Host body temporarily to match current level...]
[Reinforcing bones... tightening muscles... reshaping veins...]
[Done.]
[Body Adjusted. Host can now withstand Overload state.]
Liu Yang bent his knees, his elbow pulled back tight like a runner about to explode from the starting line.
His whole body leaned forward, his chest rising with each breath, black smoke curling out from his lips as he exhaled.
His eyes glowed sharp, his jaw clenched. The aura around him thickened, pressing heavy.
It was like the whole forest froze with him, the leaves stopped rustling, the branches stopped swaying, the insects stopped buzzing, even the frogs that were croaking before went silent.
The air itself didn't move, no wind, no sound, nothing. Everything around him paused, waiting, like the whole world was holding back just to see what he would do next.
Then—he was gone.
To Bill, it looked like he vanished from thin air. One second he was there, standing, the next second—bang!—a fist smashed up from under his chin.
Bill's jaw snapped back. His teeth clashed together so hard his tongue got caught between them, biting clean in half.
The chunk of flesh hit the dirt, blood spraying out from his mouth in a thick stream.
Bill's sword slipped from his hand and clattered against the ground. He dropped both hands to his mouth, trying to hold the blood, his whole body rolling on the dirt, twisting, choking, groaning in pain.