Kiroma and Kaziro moved at the same time, charging toward them at full speed as if they were trying to force them into the ten-meter range.
But Valdrin didn’t give them the chance.
“Split up!”
In the next instant, the three of them darted in different directions.
Valdrin carried Dan on his back and leaped swiftly between the tree branches, while Adrian took off in the opposite direction.
The goal was clear: separate Kiroma and Kaziro so they wouldn’t be able to fight them together.
Kaziro smiled, then changed direction and chased after Adrian, while Kiroma pursued Valdrin.
Valdrin continued leaping rapidly between the trees, trying to put as much distance between himself and Kiroma as possible.
Eventually, he stopped on one of the branches and gently lowered Dan onto it.
“Stay here.
Don’t move.”
Dan nodded as Valdrin cautiously scanned the surrounding trees, trying to determine Kiroma’s location.
But a few moments later, he sensed something strange.
The air around him suddenly disappeared.
His breathing stopped.
Valdrin narrowed his eyes.
“So…
he got close.”
He realized that Kiroma had successfully brought him within the range of his ability.
Without hesitation, Valdrin picked Dan up again and leaped away through the branches.
But he quickly realized that the air still wasn’t returning to his lungs.
His chest grew heavier with every movement, while Dan, still on his back, struggled desperately to breathe.
His face gradually began to lose its color.
He’s following me wherever I go…
There is no choice but to face him.
Valdrin lowered Dan onto another branch, then immediately charged toward the source of Kiroma’s presence.
The moment he appeared before him, he unleashed a barrage of punches.
Kiroma quickly retreated, dodging the attacks one after another.
But one of Valdrin’s punches connected directly with his face, sending him crashing to the ground.
At the same moment, Valdrin’s breath returned, and Kiroma’s ability disappeared.
Valdrin didn’t give him a chance to get back up.
He charged forward again and unleashed a relentless series of attacks.
Although Kiroma was incredibly fast himself and managed to block and counter some of the punches, the difference in strength between them was obvious.
In the end, Valdrin delivered a powerful punch that sent Kiroma crashing to the ground.
He then said calmly, despite his heavy breathing, “It’s over.
I won’t let you activate your ability again.
And you won’t be able to keep up with me in close combat.”
He charged at him again, and within seconds, landed several consecutive blows before saying, “Do you really think you’re stronger than me?”
He delivered another punch, then added, “You knew I would defeat you easily.
So why did you enter this battle?”
A strange smile appeared on Kiroma’s face.
“We…
didn’t come here for you.”
Valdrin’s hand stopped in mid-motion.
His brows furrowed, and his eyes widened slightly.
“Adrian…”
At that exact moment, the air around him vanished once again.
Valdrin tried to catch his breath, but he couldn’t.
He quickly turned toward Kiroma, disbelief filling his mind.
How?!
Kiroma laughed.
“You must be wondering how I did it, even though I haven’t had my three minutes yet.”
A wide smile spread across his face as he continued, “What you don’t know…
is that we never stopped training.
We trained specifically for a day like this, and we managed to shorten the recovery time.
We no longer need three minutes to reactivate our ability.”
His smile widened.
“All we need…
is twenty seconds.”
Valdrin’s gaze hardened as he realized that the battle was not going the way he had expected.
Kiroma thought for a moment before realizing something.
No…
Adrian still believes it takes three minutes to reactivate the ability.
That’s why he’ll attack Kaziro based on that assumption…
and fall right into the trap.
I have to warn him.
Meanwhile, Adrian was preparing to launch himself at his opponent.
He accelerated at full speed, leaping between the tree trunks until he appeared in front of Kaziro in an instant.
But Kaziro showed no sign of panic.
He simply smiled calmly and took a step backward, maintaining the distance between them while keeping Adrian within the ten-meter range.
Adrian’s anxiety grew, but he continued the pursuit.
He leaped forward and charged at him again, yet every time Adrian got closer, Kaziro retreated just enough to maintain the distance, as if deliberately luring him exactly where he wanted him to go.
Several seconds passed, and Adrian’s chest began to burn.
He tried to draw a breath…
But there was no air.
Kaziro smiled mockingly.
“Your speed is good…
but it’s not enough.”
Adrian growled and pushed his speed even further.
Little by little, he began closing the distance between them.
For the first time, the smile disappeared from Kaziro’s face.
Adrian raised his fist.
His punch was now only inches away from Kaziro’s face.
But at the last moment, Kaziro twisted his body, placed his foot behind Adrian’s leg, and shoved his shoulder with tremendous force.
Adrian lost his balance and crashed to the ground, rolling several meters before finally stopping.
He quickly tried to get back up, but his lungs were burning, and his vision began to blur.
Kaziro slowly approached him. This chapter was copied from g.com without permission.
“You were faster than I expected…”
He raised his foot.
“But speed alone isn’t enough.”
He kicked Adrian with tremendous force, sending him crashing into the trunk of a tree.
Adrian fell to his knees.
Adrian dashed away at full speed, thinking, I have to get out of his range before I run out of breath.
Kaziro pursued him at a steady pace, maintaining the distance between them and refusing to let Adrian escape the ten-meter range.
Adrian clenched his fist, then suddenly pushed his speed even further.
After a few moments, he finally managed to break free from the range of Kaziro’s ability.
In the next instant, he dropped to his knees and struggled to catch his breath.
He continued gasping for several seconds before forcing himself back to his feet.
He then leaped onto the branches of the trees and raised his head.
Kaziro was standing on one of the branches, silently watching him with a mocking smile on his face.
Adrian narrowed his eyes.
Speed alone isn’t enough…
That’s what he said.
He moved his right foot forward and continued thinking.
If I want to defeat him, I have to land a single blow…
one powerful enough to disable his ability on the first strike.
He lowered his gaze toward his fists.
But my physical strength isn’t enough.
Then he raised his eyes toward Kaziro.
I have to bring out the Dark Energy.
Meanwhile, Valdrin was still fighting Kiroma.
Kiroma was gradually tightening the noose around him.
Every time Valdrin charged toward him, he retreated one step, then another, carefully maintaining his position within the ten-meter range.
He wasn’t trying to win.
He was slowly draining his opponent’s breath.
The veins on Valdrin’s arms began to bulge as he held the remaining air in his lungs and disappeared from his position.
In the blink of an eye, he appeared directly in front of Kiroma, his fist shooting straight toward his face.
But Kiroma tilted his head at the last moment, causing the punch to pass just beside his face.
At the same time, he launched a swift kick toward Valdrin’s chest.
Valdrin took half a step back, then grabbed Kiroma’s leg before he could pull it away and yanked him toward himself with tremendous force.
But Kiroma used the momentum of his own body to his advantage.
He twisted in midair, slipped free of Valdrin’s grip, and retreated once again, maintaining the distance between them.
Signs of anger began to appear on Valdrin’s face.
He charged forward again, leaping between the tree trunks before disappearing from Kiroma’s sight.
Kiroma froze for a moment.
“Where…?”
A voice suddenly came from behind him.
“Here.”
Valdrin turned around quickly, but his fist had already reached Kiroma, slamming hard into his stomach and forcing his body to bend forward.
Even so, Kiroma endured the blow and leaped backward again, trying to maintain the range of his ability.
Valdrin gave him a faint smile.
“Found you.”
Kiroma frowned in confusion.
“What?”
Valdrin watched him steadily.
“Every time you take a hit, you retreat in the same direction.”
Valdrin disappeared once again.
This time, he moved too fast for Kiroma to escape.
Before Kiroma could retreat, Valdrin grabbed his arm, spun his body around, and hurled him with all his strength toward a massive tree trunk.
The tree shook violently as Kiroma crashed into it, and he fell to his knees.
At that moment, his ability stopped, and air rushed back into Valdrin’s lungs.
He took a deep breath, feeling his lungs fill with air once again.
Kiroma tried to get back up, but Valdrin gave him no chance.
He lunged forward, and within seconds, a relentless barrage of punches and kicks rained down on him until Kiroma collapsed to the ground, unable to stand.
Meanwhile, Adrian was still standing on the trunk of a tree, thinking of a way to defeat Kaziro.
His eyes remained fixed cautiously on his opponent as he waited for the right moment to attack.
Then, the two of them disappeared at the same time.
The only sounds left among the trees were the impacts of their feet against the branches as Adrian moved from one branch to another at his maximum speed.
But every time he thought he had managed to pull away, Kaziro appeared in front of him again, as if he could predict his movements.
Kaziro smiled coldly.
“Too slow…”
Adrian didn’t answer.
Instead, he suddenly changed direction and cut through the trees from the side, attempting to catch him off guard.
But Kaziro had already anticipated him.
His foot suddenly appeared in front of Adrian, striking him hard in the side.
Adrian’s body was sent flying sideways, crashing against the ground several times before finally coming to a stop.
Adrian quickly got back to his feet, but Kaziro gave him no chance to catch his breath.
He appeared in front of him again and unleashed a barrage of consecutive punches and kicks.
Adrian could only block some of the attacks, while the others forced him backward with every impact.
He tried to take advantage of a brief opening to dash away, but Kaziro caught up with him in the blink of an eye.
Kaziro moved behind him and struck him in the back with his palm, throwing Adrian off balance and sending him crashing to his knees.
Adrian tried to get back up, but the air around him began to disappear once again.
His vision started to blur, and his limbs grew heavier with every passing moment.
Kaziro slowly approached him, then raised his fist.
“It’s over,” he said coldly.
Just as his fist came crashing down, a red blur appeared between them, followed by the sound of a powerful impact.
Kaziro’s fist stopped inches before it could reach Adrian.
His eyes widened in shock.
Valdrin was standing in front of Adrian, gripping Kaziro’s fist with one hand.
Valdrin said calmly, “Your training is over.”
Then he looked directly at Kaziro and added, “Now…
Valdrin stood before Kaziro while Adrian caught his breath behind him.
Valdrin gave him a mocking smile before disappearing from his spot in the next instant.
Kaziro quickly turned around, but there was no one there.
Then a voice came from above.
“That’s far enough.”
Kaziro looked up, but Valdrin was nowhere to be seen.
Before Kaziro could understand what was happening, Valdrin emerged from behind one of the tree trunks, swinging a side kick toward his shoulder.
Kaziro retreated at the last second, but Valdrin hadn’t been aiming directly at him.
He had deliberately forced him toward a specific direction.
Kaziro leaped backward, only to find himself surrounded by several closely spaced trees.
Valdrin smiled.
“Got you.”
Kaziro frowned and tried to retreat, but the narrow space between the trees restricted his movement, preventing him from backing away at the speed he was used to.
Valdrin seized the opportunity and disappeared from his sight once again.
In the next instant, a barrage of attacks rained down on Kaziro from every direction—a punch, followed by a kick, then an elbow strike.
Kaziro managed to block some of the attacks, but the confined space no longer gave him enough room to dodge.
He took one step back, then another, until he found himself completely cornered.
Suddenly, Valdrin broke through his defense, his fist slamming into the center of Kaziro’s chest.
Kaziro’s body was sent flying backward, but he managed to regain his balance and stay on his feet.
He raised his head and tried to activate his ability, but Valdrin was already upon him.
He grabbed Kaziro by the arm, spun his body with tremendous force, and slammed him onto the ground.
Before Kaziro could get back up, Valdrin planted his foot firmly against his chest.
Kaziro struggled to break free, but Valdrin struck the side of his neck with a swift blow, causing his resistance to weaken as his movements became still for a few moments.
Just as Valdrin prepared to deliver the final blow, an angry shout tore through the forest.
“VALDRIN!”
Everyone turned toward the voice at the same time.
Kiroma was standing on one of the branches, gripping Dan tightly by the neck, lifting him almost completely off the ground.
Then he shouted furiously:
“Let my brother go…”
He paused for a moment, tightening his grip around Dan’s neck.
“Or I’ll take this boy’s life right before your eyes!”
In that moment, time seemed to stop for Adrian.
The scene before him was exactly like that day…
the day he had seen his brother, Philip, in Malcar’s hands, suffering and desperately struggling to escape with whatever strength he had left.
For a moment, Adrian could almost see Dan as Philip.
Without realizing it, his hand clenched tightly as his breathing quickened.
Meanwhile, Kiroma continued glaring at Valdrin with fury.
“If you hurt my brother…
I’ll kill him immediately!”
Adrian’s gaze quickly shifted to Valdrin, only to see him bend down toward Kaziro, lift him from the ground, and grab him by the neck with both hands as Kaziro knelt before him.
Valdrin slowly tightened his grip around Kaziro’s neck.
Adrian’s eyes widened, and he shook his head slightly, as if silently begging him not to do it.
But Valdrin’s expression remained unchanged.
He said coldly:
“In battle…
there is no room for emotion.”
He tightened his grip further and added:
“Victory comes first.”
Adrian stood frozen in place.
He couldn’t understand how Valdrin could say such a thing while Dan was in the hands of his enemy.
Then, in the next instant, a sharp crack rang through the forest.
Kaziro’s body suddenly went limp as his neck twisted under Valdrin’s grip.
His body collapsed to the ground without a single movement.
Adrian’s expression froze.
He felt as though something inside him had just shattered.
Kiroma’s eyes widened in shock.
He stared at his brother’s lifeless body for several moments, as if unable to believe what had just happened.
Then the shock turned into overwhelming rage.
Kiroma let out a deafening scream that shook the entire forest.
In the next instant, the wind exploded around him, swirling faster and faster until a massive tornado formed, surrounding both him and Dan.
The wind twisted around them at terrifying speed, while Valdrin stood facing Kiroma.
Adrian watched in shock, unable to tell what would happen next.
The wind began swirling around Kiroma with tremendous force, until it seemed like invisible blades, tearing apart anyone who dared to approach him.
At the same time, the range of his ability expanded.
The air was no longer being drained from within a ten-meter radius.
Instead, its reach stretched far beyond that.
Valdrin began to suffocate and tried to move closer, but the force of the tornado pushed him back every time he attempted to advance.
As for Adrian, he could no longer hear anything around him.
His eyes remained fixed on Dan, and every time he saw him struggling to hold on to his breath, the image of Philip returned to his mind.
Then Valdrin’s words echoed inside his head:
“In battle…
there is no room for emotion.”
“Victory…
comes first.”
The words repeated in his mind again and again, until he felt as though something had exploded deep within him.
His entire body trembled violently.
Then a dense black aura erupted from his body.
The ground beneath his feet shook, while the surrounding trees swayed violently under the pressure of the rising energy.
The whites of his eyes slowly turned black, and faint black burn-like markings spread across his arms and neck.
The energy continued to surge from his body with a power none of them had ever witnessed before.
Valdrin raised his head and looked toward him.
For the first time, genuine astonishment appeared on his face.
He had finally witnessed it…
The power of the Protectors awakening before his very eyes.