The atmosphere in the VVIP room grew tense. The stench of blood from the fallen guards still lingered in the air.
The monkey-masked youth stood in the middle, fresh blood dripping from his sword. His gaze focused solely on one person — Alan.
Alan clenched his teeth. "Who are you really?! Why do you want to kill us?!"
The masked youth tilted his head. "Us? I never said I would kill all of you."
Alan frowned. "Then why did you attack this place?"
"Because I want to kill you." He pointed his sword at Alan. "You will die today."
"Have we met before?"
"Perhaps."
The next moment, the monkey-masked youth rushed forward. His speed was astonishing. In just one second, he appeared in front of Alan and slashed.
BRAAAGH!
A stone wall appeared, blocking the monkey-masked youth's strike. As he twisted his body to launch another attack—
Suddenly, his legs were pulled downward. He couldn't move. At the same time, a massive fireball hurtled toward him.
"Did you think we would be so easy to defeat? You're gravely mistaken if you thought so," Alan said confidently.
The masked youth stomped his foot. The ice that bound him shattered. Just as the fireball was about to hit his face, he vanished. He had already retreated several steps back.
He brushed the dust from his clothes. "So, you really are strong."
"I admire your movements. But the result of this fight was already decided the moment you tried to attack us."
The monkey-masked youth lowered his stance. His three opponents were already prepared to fight again. Their expressions were serious.
Arzer tapped his ice staff on the floor, sending out a cold aura. "Stop talking so much, Alan! Just focus on fighting. We need to defeat this bastard quickly."
Arther stepped forward. His left hand gripped a massive axe, his aura flaring violently. The floor trembled. His sharp eyes analyzed his opponent's movements.
"Right. We must stay focused. This opponent is fast. He can appear anywhere, but I've already studied his movement patterns. So listen to my instructions!" he said confidently.
The masked youth chuckled softly. "Interesting... I didn't expect you to fight me seriously."
He stepped forward. Wind began swirling around his body.
Without further words, the monkey-masked youth dashed forward again. Alan, Arzer, and Arther nodded at each other and charged as well.
Alan and Arther moved to fight in the front, while Arzer supported them from behind with his ice magic.
The three worked together with skillful coordination. The masked youth was even forced back a few times. Yet with his speed, he managed to keep up with three prodigies from three noble families — something rare indeed.
SWISH!
The masked youth's sword nearly cleaved Arzer's neck. But Arther was already there. Once again, he raised a stone shield and blocked the slash.
CRAAANG!
The sword struck the stone wall, leaving a large crack. Seeing an opening, Arther moved to the side. He appeared right next to his opponent, his axe glowing as he raised it high. The pressure of his magic shook the restaurant floor.
"Earth Splitter!"
BOOOM!
The clash between the axe and the wind blade caused a massive shockwave. Tables overturned, chandeliers shattered, the floor cracked beneath them. Arther pushed with all his might, veins bulging in his arms. His opponent's hands began to tremble.
"You've reached your limit, haven't you?" Arther mocked.
The monkey-masked youth smirked. "Wind Step Slash!"
BAAAM!
Arther's axe smashed into the floor, widening the cracks. He tried to pull it out, but the masked youth was already beside him, swinging swiftly.
"Damn it. I'm late," Arther muttered, shutting his eyes.
TRIIINK!
The sound of a clash rang out. When Arther opened his eyes, he saw the masked youth had already retreated. At the same time, Alan and Arzer rushed to his side, helping him back up. The three regrouped.
"He's stronger than I thought," Arther said.
Both of his friends agreed. They had fought with everything they had, yet they still couldn't defeat their opponent. Instead, they had been cornered. If not for protecting one another, they might already be dead.
Realizing this, Alan clenched his fists tightly. It wounded his pride. "NO! I'm sure he's just lucky!"
Alan charged, slashing at his opponent. The monkey-masked youth leapt backward, dodging the strike. Alan began chanting, summoning a dozen water spears that floated around him. As he ran forward, the spears followed.
The spears lunged alongside Alan, attacking the masked youth. The sheer number of strikes forced him to divide his focus.
Alan smirked. "I'm stronger than you!" he declared boldly.
At the same time, Arzer and Arther nodded. They charged in as well. Seeing Alan pressuring their foe filled them with confidence that they could win. A naive thought — because the moment they closed in on the monkey-masked youth—
Alan's body was suddenly flung away. He crashed onto the floor as if struck from below. The water spears vanished instantly.
Arzer and Arther gasped. They halted, preparing for a sudden counterattack. Their eyes darted around warily.
"Damn it. He must be targeting our blind spots," Arther said.
He focused intensely, but no attack came. They waited for quite some time, until their eyes were drawn to the exit of the room. There, a massive wind spell was forming. Behind it stood the monkey-masked youth.
"Damn it. He's toying with us," Arzer muttered.
They braced themselves. Arzer created an ice wall, while Arther conjured a sturdier stone wall. Both poured immense mana into their defenses.
...
Nothing happened. Both looked confused. When they dispelled their defenses, the wind spell at the door was gone. The monkey-masked youth had vanished as well. They swallowed hard.
"Damn it. He must be—"
"Your guess is correct."
SSHRRAASSHH!
A wind slash struck their backs. The two noble youths collapsed forward, blood dripping from their wounds. As they tried to rise, their heads were slammed into the floor, pressed down by the masked youth's boot.
"I had no business with you. But since you got in my way, I'll give you a parting gift," the monkey-masked youth said coldly.
Arzer and Arther still tried to rise, but their heads were kicked. Their bodies were stomped, their stomachs struck repeatedly until finally, both fell unconscious.
The monkey-masked youth turned toward Alan. "Ah, finally, it's your turn."