Looking in Noah's direction, the man who appeared to be the leader of the kidnappers shouted:
— Damn it, who the hell are you? Why the fuck are you doing this?!
He threw the girl aside—which Noah noted seemed to have woken her up.
Smiling, Noah replied:
— Well... no offense, sir, but she doesn't seem too on board with all of this, you know?
He grinned while trying to mask that the pain was nearly overwhelming him—even though he was clearly sweating profusely.
"You...! Alright, if that's how you want to play, I'm gonna teach you not to stick your nose into other people's business," the man said as he calmly strode toward Noah.
Noah thought to himself,
'He's in the Qi Refinement stage, right, system...? I'm gonna beat him easily even in this situation, right?'
[Good...]
'Good...?!'
[You were supposed to get hurt later in the fight—or when it was nearly over—not right at the start.]
[Your body weakened even more after that little theatrical display...]
'Damn it... Curse it! Why didn't you warn me about this stuff beforehand?!'
After taking eight steps toward Noah, the man stopped and managed a small smirk at the left corner of his mouth.
'Huh? Because he...'
His thoughts lagged—was his reasoning just too slow, or was that guy simply too fast? Noah wasn't sure. All he knew was that the man had vanished right before his eyes.
'What the fuck is that?! How did he do that?!'
Noah thought as he wiped the blood off the small cut on his cheek that the attack had caused.
[He simply chased after you and, using his hand like a blade, tried to pierce your head.]
'Simply?? You need to pay attention to the shit you're spouting!'
Relying once more on his reflexes, Noah quickly turned his head, dodging another strike—this one slicing deeper across his neck.
'Look at this shit! That bastard is teleporting!'
[Even though you're weakened, you're still one step ahead of him—though that won't last long.]
[Your body is gradually spiraling into an outburst, growing weaker as a consequence.]
'What?! That's impossible—he's clearly much stronger than me!'
[What did I say you should do?]
'What did you say...? When exactly? I can't remember, damn it... especially not under these circumstances!'
The man's attacks were swift, yet fortunately, not very powerful. Noah began to notice a pattern: when advancing toward his opponent, the man concentrated all his Qi into his feet to boost his speed, then channeled it into his hands at the moment of the strike—resulting in a brief slowdown.
[What this man is using is a mix of basic techniques he's honed since he was young.]
[It's ridiculous to think that you—without any proper technique and in a state of aggravated decline—could beat him in a straight-up fight.]
'Ridiculous...? Are you trying to help me or just demotivate me?'
With the man's strategy in mind, Noah started devising countermeasures. His wounds were starting to worsen—with deeper cuts—and his ability to track even the faint outline of the man was diminishing. He wasn't sure whether it was due to his body's growing frailty or the blood he was continuously losing.
"You're good with your words, idiot. But you're far from matching the strength your tongue boasts," the man said confidently. Yet, deep inside, he was still hesitant—after all, he couldn't understand how someone so weak could cause such a stir with a single punch—and that thought continued to unsettle him.
Smiling, Noah replied,
— Don't worry, I've learned that sometimes you have to let the useless have their fun; otherwise, they end up getting hurt.
His vision began to blur while the pain gradually faded from his consciousness.
"Hmph! Arrogant...!"
His sight was failing him, but his hearing worked perfectly—well enough that he could easily pinpoint the direction from which the next attack was coming.
Channeling Qi through his feet, Noah planted one forcefully on the ground, causing the earth to rise around him and hamper the man's charge. He then grinned as he spun through the air and declared,
— Yes, I am arrogant, you idiot... That's because I'm damn good!
His kick sent the man hurtling through four houses, knocking him out for a moment.
Meanwhile, Noah felt his body begin to fracture, even as his consciousness remained intact. He sensed his bones twisting, shifting out of their natural alignment, and even his muscles contorting painfully.
When the pain subsided and he was finally on the verge of blacking out, he caught a glimpse of the girl appearing before him for a moment—and then she vanished, as if fleeing from something.
'Shit, this can't be happening...'
His body wouldn't budge, nor would his eyes. All he could do was watch everything unfolding before him, utterly unable to react—even as the man emerged from the rubble and advanced toward him.
\[Warning!\]
\[It's recommended that you exit the area of effect of this technique!\]
'Oh, right, of course, you don't say...'
Motionless, Noah watched the steady buildup of Qi in the clearly irritated man's hands—gradually taking on a golden hue—as the man moved slowly, as if savoring the fact that Noah could do nothing but accept his fate.
\[Warning!\]
\[It is recommended that—\]
'Fuck! Shut the hell up! You think I'm just sunbathing here?! This fucked-up situation is your fault!'
\[....\]
\[My apologies...\]
The man leaped, and the Qi amassed in his hands cascaded toward Noah in a powerful, translucent surge of golden light. But, unfortunately—or perhaps fortunately—Noah was no longer able to witness what happened next. The last remnants of his consciousness slipped away.
The final sound Noah heard was a deafening boom in the distance. And then, everything went dark.