Originally, Adam had stepped forward to fight Sano and Natta at Aiden’s suggestion.
Their battle ended abruptly, but with an expected outco. Sano and Natta were unable to put Adam in a difficult position, even though that was what they had been counting on and waiting for so long.
However... Gladius decided that wasn’t enough.
BAM!
Gladius’s single punch sent Adam flying to the side, slamming his back into a solid wall.
"Argh!!!" Adam gasped in pain, blood gushing from his mouth.
Adam’s eyes were wide open, and his pupils were trembling.
Most of the ti, Gladius discussed his plans with Aiden, especially when his actions might affect the Morton Observatory or the people Aiden was watching over.
However, Gladius was not Aiden’s servant, but his friend. It wasn’t uncommon for Gladius to do sothing simply because he decided it was a good idea. In that regard, he was quite a chaotic person, especially considering the power he possessed.
The current situation was no exception to this rule.
Drip. Drip. Drip.
The crimson drops splattered on the ground, while trickles of blood flowed from Adam’s nose.
Slowly, he raised his head to look at Gladius, who maintained his smirk and narrowed eyes.
"What the hell does this an?" Adam growled, clenching his teeth. "Didn’t I win?"
Gladius waved his hand.
"Sure, you won, Sano and Natta lost, no doubt about that. What you’re seeing now is just improvisation, nothing more."
He was about to continue, but sothing made Gladius frown.
"Right... First, we need to clean up the ss."
Step.
Gladius stepped forward as he found himself in front of Sano’s severed left arm.
With a deft movent, Gladius tossed the arm to Sano, who hurriedly caught it.
Then, Gladius turned to the two of them, his face grim with a slight scowl.
"Get out of here. You’ve shown what you’re capable of. You’re not worthy of spilling Adam’s blood."
Sano and Natta clenched their fists. Anger was visible in their eyes, but... what choice did they have?
They were allies, and that was precisely why Sano and Natta knew just how dangerous Gladius was. They were even afraid to think about fighting soone like him.
Moreover, from the mont Gladius struck Adam, Xyrea’s cold gaze had been fixed on them. They could feel it, as chills ran down their spines. Xyrea realized what Gladius was about to do before anyone else.
"Fine, but this isn’t over. One day, we’ll beco strong enough for him to feel the fear of death! I promise!" Sano spat out before leaping onto the observation deck.
With a heavy sigh, Natta joined her.
Aiden glared at them for a mont before turning his gaze back to Gladius and Adam.
Step.
Adam stepped forward as his aura trembled.
"You want to fight ? What about the power level? The way you hit ... That wasn’t very fair."
Gladius shook his head.
"You’re wrong, Adam. Before hitting you, I lowered my power, but not to your level."
"Agh...?" Adam’s eyes widened in disbelief.
"Right now, my energy level is the sa as that of a K4-Level standing before the final barrier, just one step away from the Second Circle. When you create your Third Grand Star, you’ll find yourself at that sa stage."
"But!"
Gladius raised his hand, about to explain one important detail.
"Naturally, I control my energy and fight much better than the K4-Phantoms at the sa stage. Thus, in terms of power, I can now be compared to a Baron."
"B-Baron?" Adam’s voice trembled. "Wait... That’s the Lord Level."
Gladius’s smirk widened.
"Exactly. You see, Adam, the fact that you defeated Zin wasn’t a fluke. It’s a result of your strength, and you still haven’t reached your limit at the First Circle."
Crunch.
Gladius cracked his knuckles, slowly stepping forward. The cut on his hand remained, but the blood had stopped flowing.
"You managed to wound , so I decided to find out the answer to one question. Can you defeat a Baron in battle? Can you defeat the weakest Lord while still being at the First Circle?"
Adam was speechless.
He had never thought about this before.
He knew that the power levels and stages weren’t exact. However, the deviation had never been too great.
Sure, at the K2 or K3 levels, he was stronger than his fellow Phantoms at the sa levels, but he couldn’t defeat a K4 Phantom or a Black Threat Level monster, no matter what abilities he possessed.
It was a law, an unbreakable one.
The difference between levels was too great for victory over a higher-level opponent to be possible.
But...
’Wait, co to think of it...’ Adam muttered to himself. ’I was able to wound Gladius. I defeated Zin, who is one of the strongest Black Threat Level Monsters in the entire world. Still, I can get one more power-up before I face the Fist Circle Barrier.’
A satisfied smile appeared on Adam’s face as the realization dawned on him.
Then, he looked at Gladius, who was waiting patiently to the side. As Adam’s eyes darted back and forth, he understood what he was thinking.
"Do you really think I can defeat a Baron?"
Gladius nodded.
"Yes. I believe so. That’s exactly why I want to test how sharp your instincts are. We’ll have a quick, very quick fight. No abilities or weapons, just your body and your fists - nothing more."
Before Adam could answer, Gladius stepped forward and was right in front of Adam.
His fist was tightly clenched and raised for an attack.
"I hope you understand that I don’t take no for an answer."
Acting purely on instinct, Adam jerked sharply to the side as Gladius’s fist swept over his shoulder.
BLAST!
A deafening crack like an explosion rang out as Gladius’s fist slamd into the wall, forcing Adam to turn around.
"What the..."
When the smoke cleared, Adam saw the deep crater left right in the wall. Gladius’s fist had smashed through the stone like a falling teor.
’Aiden said that even a Baron would have a hard ti damaging these walls!’
Adam exclaid inwardly, but despite the fear in his eyes, the smirk on his face only grew wider, and his fingertips trembled with excitent.
’So... So I can do it too, can’t I?’
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