Marcus reacted almost instantly.
The moment Kael’s sword came down, he raised his own blade to intercept it.
Clang!
Metal collided with metal and the result was immediate.
Marcus felt a terrifying force surge through his arms. His entire body staggered backward, boots scraping against the stone as he retreated five full steps before finally managing to stabilize himself.
Meanwhile, Kael hadn’t moved an inch.
Marcus’s eyes widened.
How?
The young man standing before him didn’t look older than him. If anything, he looked younger.
So how could he possibly be this strong?
What Marcus didn’t know was that Kael wasn’t even using his full strength.
Not even close.
With his current attributes, if he truly went all out, Marcus wouldn’t even be able to react to his movements. And even if some miracle allowed him to block an attack, the force behind the strike would likely cripple him on the spot.
Marcus gritted his teeth.
"You..."
But Kael wasn’t interested in hearing threats.
The instant Marcus opened his mouth, another sword strike came crashing toward him.
Clang!
Marcus hurriedly raised his blade.
Clang!
Another strike followed.
Then another.
Kael pressed forward relentlessly, refusing to give Marcus even a second to regain control of the battle.
As he attacked, Kael found himself reflecting on something.
Fear.
For a while now, he had been cautious whenever it came to people like Marcus and the Director. Individuals with power, influence, and powerful backers standing behind them.
But as he stood here now, he suddenly realized something.
What exactly was he afraid of?
Marcus?
The Director?
Their connections?
The answer was simple.
Nothing.
He wasn’t fearless. He still understood caution.
But caution and fear were two very different things.
With the speed of his growth, who could say where he would be a year from now?
Hell, even a month from now was difficult to predict.
If those people truly became a problem, then he would deal with it when the time came.
And if he needed support?
He was confident that revealing even a fraction of his abilities would attract countless guilds, organizations, and powerful individuals eager to recruit him.
The realization made something inside him settle.
His thoughts became clearer.
His movements sharper.
At that moment, Marcus lunged forward.
Kael sidestepped effortlessly.
The sword in his hand flashed.
Slash!
Marcus’s chest armor split open.
Blood sprayed into the air.
"Agh!"
Marcus stumbled backward with a pained yell.
The wound wasn’t fatal, but it hurt.
A lot.
Unfortunately for him, Kael had no intention of giving him time to recover.
Another slash came.
Then another.
Marcus desperately tried defending himself, but the difference between them was simply too large.
Cuts began appearing all over his body.
His expensive black armor was stained red.
Blood dripped from the damaged plates and splattered onto the stone beneath him.
His breathing became ragged.
His stance grew unstable.
By now, Marcus looked less like an arrogant young master and more like a wounded animal desperately trying to stay on his feet.
The crowd had gone completely silent.
Nobody cheered.
Nobody spoke.
Everyone simply watched.
The scene unfolding before them was too shocking.
A Level Forty-Five Awakener was being completely overwhelmed.
Then a familiar voice suddenly cut through the silence.
"Kael?"
The young man paused.
"What’s going on here?"
Kael turned.
Zoey was pushing her way through the crowd.
Only now did Kael realize just how many people had gathered.
The crowd had nearly doubled in size.
Hunters stood shoulder to shoulder watching the fight as if it were some kind of live performance.
For a moment, Kael couldn’t help wondering whether these people had nothing better to do.
Then again, he understood.
Fights between hunters were uncommon.
Real fights were even rarer.
Hunters depended on their bodies to make a living.
A serious injury meant time spent recovering.
Time spent recovering meant no entering Tower or Rifts.
No entering Tower or Rifts meant no growth and no money.
Most hunters preferred avoiding conflict whenever possible.
So a public fight like this, especially one involving this much blood, was practically entertainment.
Kael shifted his attention back to Zoey.
Her gaze had already landed on Adam.
Adam was still sitting on the ground.
Whether from lingering pain or simple shock, he hadn’t fully recovered yet.
The moment Zoey saw him, her expression darkened.
She looked back at Kael.
"What happened?"
Her voice became colder.
"What’s wrong with Adam?"
Before Kael could answer Marcus made a move.
His eyes flashed with desperation.
Seeing Kael distracted, he lunged forward and thrust his sword toward Kael’s back.
"Kael, look out!"
Zoey shouted.
The crowd gasped.
But Kael remained completely calm.
His attention had never truly left Marcus.
The moment the sword approached, he spun.
The blade missed him by inches.
In the same motion, Kael’s sword struck Marcus’s weapon.
Clang!
The force instantly knocked the sword from Marcus’s hand.
Before Marcus could react, Kael’s free hand shot forward.
His fingers wrapped around Marcus’s throat.
Then he lifted.
Marcus’s feet left the ground.
His eyes widened in panic.
For the first time since the confrontation began, true fear appeared on his face.
"S-Sister!"
He desperately looked toward Zoey.
"Please help!"
The crowd stared.
Then several expressions became strange.
Even by their standards, this was shameless.
Attacking someone from behind when they weren’t looking was one thing.
Begging for help the moment things went wrong was another.
The contrast was almost comical.
Kael, however, had completely run out of patience.
Without a word, he slammed Marcus into the ground.
Boom!
A sickening crunch echoed through the place as Marcus’s eyes rolled backward.
His body went limp.
Out cold.
The crowd collectively winced.
Kael released him and dusted off his hands.
Then he turned toward Zoey.
"Sorry about that."
He glanced at Marcus’s unconscious body.
"I just couldn’t stand him."
To his surprise, Zoey simply shrugged.
"It’s fine."
"Hm?"
"He’s not my brother."
Kael blinked.
"What?"
He pointed toward Marcus.
"But he called you sister."
Zoey’s expression immediately became complicated.
"It’s... complicated."
She shook her head.
"I’d rather not talk about it."
Kael looked at her for a moment before nodding.
"Fair enough."
Everyone had things they didn’t want to discuss.
He wasn’t about to pry.
Zoey walked past him and headed straight toward Adam.
The concern on her face was obvious.
She crouched beside him.
"Are you hurt?"
Adam shook his head.
"A little."
Then Zoey frowned.
"I told you to stay out of trouble."
Adam immediately looked offended.
"I did."
He pointed toward Marcus’s unconscious body.
"He came looking for me first."
"You could’ve ignored him. You know he’s an asshole."
Adam muttered something under his breath.
Zoey sighed.
"Thankfully Kael showed up."
She glanced over her shoulder.
"You should thank him."
Adam followed her gaze.
A moment later, his expression became strange.
Kael was standing several meters away staring at the two of them.
The look on his face was one of pure disbelief.
Adam frowned.
"What?"
Kael pointed between the two of them.
"Wait."
His eyes narrowed suspiciously.
"Are you two dating?"