Athena's prayers went unheard by Feng Yi. During their first exchange of blows, neither of them had gone all-out, merely testing each other's abilities. Much to both of their surprise, Feng Yi had not anticipated his opponent's body to be as strong as it was.

Franklin stood up, spat out a mouthful of saliva, and shrugged off his shirt to reveal a body covered in scars. He was a master of a ghostlike assassination combat style, which mainly revolved around grappling and throwing techniques. If he got hold of you, it's almost certain that joints would be twisted out of place, dislocation was inescapable.

Feng Yi, on the other hand, launched a feint to start off the fight. Impossible, a master of his caliber would never rely on such basic moves like those performed in a gym as an opener. But whether it was or wasn't, people barely had any time to ponder. Without missing a beat, both warriors were again locked in combat.

Franklin launched a savage charge at Feng Yi, his raw power was as overwhelming as a war tank.

The all-out assault from a top-class warrior was something Feng Yi did not want to confront directly. However, a crowd was behind him, and his evasion would result in civilian casualties. With no other choice, he pulled out his dagger to hold off Franklin.

The sound of clashing blades echoed around them, but Franklin suddenly changed his trajectory, heading straight for the stage where the concert was taking place.

Damn it! Franklin had figured out the situation during their initial skirmish—he wasn't looking to finish this fight but rather focused on capturing Athena.

However, as fast as he moved, Feng Yi was faster. He hurled his dagger to block Franklin's path to Athena. Then, leaping into the air and twisting his body, he unleashed the Sprinting Thunder Kick—a single combat move borne from his full might, seemingly falling from the sky like a shooting star.

Franklin managed to roll out of the way just in time. The power of the Sprinting Thunder Kick was well-known in the realm of combat, and it was not an attack to be underestimated.

A loud crash!

With the explosive sound, Feng Yi's knee impacted the ground causing the earth to collapse, creating spiderweb-like cracks that spread far and wide, scattering debris all around and kicking up a cloud of dust...

Before Franklin could even regain his footing, he saw Feng Yi's forceful spring forward, where he promptly unleashed a second stage knee strike of the Sprinting Thunder Kick. This move required extreme physical strength and a flexible body. Without speed, the power and tendon strength necessary couldn't generate enough force for an effective attack. The dash was as powerful as a punch from a descending tiger, leaving only an afterimage in people's sight. The ground sank, triggering an explosion of shattered rocks.

Franklin stumbled backwards, narrowly avoiding the attack. Despite his style not focusing on agility, he was definitely a heavyweight contender. He had initially thought about taking a light hit from the black-clothed warrior Feng Yi and then capturing him. But these powerful blows were deadly and could cripple him with one hit.

Luckily, the Sprinting Thunder Kick exerted a huge toll on one's body. To hold Franklin back and protect Athena, Feng Yi had resorted to this energy-consuming technique. Judging from Feng Yi's breathing rhythm, Franklin speculated the black-clothed warrior was reaching his physical limit, having spent most of his energy with those two consecutive kicks.

Shoo...

As he retreated, Franklin abruptly rerouted, changing his style to a ravenous, pouncing wolf as he flew toward Feng Yi.

Fully aware of the horror of the ghostlike assassination style, Feng Yi intended to dodge. But, with Athena not far behind him, he immediately abandoned that idea, using the power of his waist to perform an advanced Thomas move, stirring up a whirlwind that engulfed even the surrounding rubble.

"Damn it!" shouted Zi Mou, in sudden alarm.

"Chairman, is there a problem?" asked Rebecca, her delicate face full of confusion. The Thomas move was a skill that only high-rank warriors could execute. It seemed that the black-clothed warrior was gaining the upper hand.

The Ghost combat style is a notorious move in the dark world, known for killing nine out of ten who face it. The black-clothed warrior, in order to hold back Franklin's approach to Athena, is resorting to the highly exhausting Sprinting Thunder Kick to suppress him. He's in a state of physical exhaustion now, you need to get Athena and others out of here quickly."

Although she didn't understand why the Chairman was surprised, Rebecca didn't hesitate—she knew the Chairman must have her reasons.

Zi Mou didn't continue speaking, recognizing her failure to disclose this information in time. The precious time Feng Yi had fought for was wasted in shock, and the matter regarding Athena was temporarily forgotten.

Besides, judging by Franklin's movements, he's apparently planning on taking a hit from Feng Yi and then capturing him, which could have unimaginable consequences.

As expected, with a muffled thud, Franklin grappled Feng Yi by the ankle right after taking a hit.

This undermine-your-opponent-even-if-it-hurts-yourself strategy was not unfair to Franklin. But Feng Yi pushed him to this desperate measure — if he lost Athena as bait, he wouldn't be able to trap his opponent this easily.

In the blink of an eye, Franklin lifted his leg over Feng Yi and strained to pull down. As long as he locks the smaller leg forcibly for even a second, anyone would snap in two due to the leverage.

Snap!

Feng Yi quickly twisted around and landed a swift strike, his punch knocking Franklin back and causing stars to flash before his eyes.

The punch was not strong enough to force Franklin to let go. But the essence of grappling techniques was suppression rather than holding on. This was akin to threading a needle. Once the thread passes through, it easily gets out.

Franklin, who had clasped onto Feng Yi's leg, failed to concentrate his strength on pinning him down. He did not expect Feng Yi's incredibly flexible body to turn around so effortlessly. Seeing Athena leaving the scene, he couldn't help but feel frustrated. Cursing, he brandished his knife and rushed into the crowd. "Damn it, you might be able to save Athena, but can you save all these people?"

Zoom! A shadow followed, and Feng Yi, fast as lightning, rushed to block Franklin. Stomping hard on the ground, a crack spread far and wide. The sound of a metallic ring echoed, and the military knife, as if responding to its master's call, instantly returned to Feng Yi's hand. Feng Yi, leant forward, held his knife across his chest. Despite the quickening rhythm of his breathing, his gaze did not waver a single bit.

Screw you, I don't care who you are. In a fit of rage, Franklin reached into the Space Crystal and pulled out another gun. "Heh, let's see if you are faster, or my gun."

Before he could finish his sentence, a flash of silver light dashed by, nailing his Serpent gun, which he hadn't gripped firmly, to the wall a hundred meters away.

Franklin laughed. Weapons were a warrior's second life. His target instantly locked onto Feng Yi again, and he dashed forward, wildly swinging his knife around.

Seeing this, Feng Yi rose to meet the challenge. As dust was stirred up around him, he reached out to grab the knife blade. His own life should have ended many years ago—if Franklin could take it, then it's all his'. At the very least, he had no fear of death. He carried the heavy burden of a soldier's mission but refused to watch the future warriors behind him fall here.

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