Chapter 373: Upgrade
Chapter 373: Upgrade
A rank 2 magical weapon, especially a peak rank 2 one, wasn’t something martial arts could easily affect. It would have been different if Liam had been stronger than the item or had relied on a superior technique, but that wasn’t the case.
However, Eugene couldn’t deny what his remaining eye was capturing, and an explanation for that soon manifested itself.
The axe’s metal was dark, but darker patches expanded from where Liam’s fingers were pressing. It was as if an infection were spreading, weakening the metal, profoundly altering it.
For all intents and purposes, that should be impossible. As much as some magical weapons could gain life-like traits, they weren’t organic beings. Corrosion could happen, but metal couldn’t suffer from illnesses.
Nevertheless, Liam’s black Qi did just that. It was insidious, infecting the very energy in the axe’s fabric, lowering its innate defenses and structural integrity, forcing that metal to become something else.
By the time the metal itself began to release black trails, Liam’s fingers pierced it, his hand closing to tear away a chunk of the sharp edge.
The event snapped Eugene out of his shock. He could feel his weapon weakening through the mental connection, but it still worked.
The axe became as light as a feather, basically teleporting under Eugene’s powerful handling. He twisted it to his left and swung it at Liam’s waist, its weight already increasing.
The soil beneath Eugene’s feet twisted and cracked under the centrifugal force he was generating. He knew no rooting expert could survive that kind of blow. Few would even be able to react to it due to his masterful wielding of the axe’s ability.
Yet, even if it made no sense, Eugene heard two thundering noises as soon as he locked himself in that unstoppable swing.
Liam had noticed that trait when fighting the level three snake. His superhuman senses captured a lot, even too much, almost allowing him to predict the future.
Liam didn’t need to see an attack to know what was coming. The shifts in air pressure, the slight changes in posture, the bulging of veins and muscles, or even something as trivial as the tightening of a grip could transform into a whole, quite precise sequence inside his mind.
Eugene’s swing had been undoubtedly fast, basically instantaneous, but Liam had seen its trajectory when he had just begun tilting the axe, his hands on its shaft giving him away.
The axe drew a horizontal arc, cutting the black trails of ethereal energy that had replaced Liam’s figure. The broken soil underneath rose alongside the slash and exploded sideways, pushed by the sheer pressure the blow had unleashed.
Still, Eugene barely had the time to capture that scene before something exploded in his chest.
Liam was behind Eugene, his left palm against that huge back, black Qi enshrouding it in green hues.
No useless thoughts afflicted Liam’s brain. There was just hatred and hissing fury that delivered the utmost concentration only instincts could provide.
A light whiplash hit Liam’s left arm and shoulder, vouching for how firm and strong Eugene’s body was. Yet, Liam belonged to the same realm, and he had dealt with far worse to the point of breaking himself, so his mind didn’t even bother recording the pain.
Instead, Liam retracted his left arm and thrust his right one, his open palm rotating, drawing a precise half-circle that ended exactly when it touched Eugene’s back.
Liam’s Qi had also moved during that gesture. A considerable amount of his energy had gathered at the center of his palm, condensing alongside the half-spin, becoming a piercing bullet that dug through Eugene’s skin as soon as the two touched.
Eugene’s skin didn’t break. The bullet of Qi was meant to cross it, not dig through it. The body cultivation’s enhancements forced the attack to deplete some energy, but the rest crossed that barrier.
Then, what was left of the bullet exploded inside Eugene, damaging organs and whatever else it slammed into. Eugene’s innate defenses had prevented it from displaying its true power, but the effects remained significant.
Most importantly, Liam wasn’t done. His right hand was already drawing another half-circle right before Eugene’s back, and his left arm was rising to join it.
That technique was none other than the rank 2 Concussive Palm, the upgrade to the Seismic Palm, which immediately showed its advantages compared to the latter.
For once, the Concussive Palm required no run-ups or forceful thrusting motions to enhance its power. It had a fixed Qi consumption that only demanded that half-spin.
Normally, that would be a drawback for Liam. After all, the general theory about his arsenal was to rely on his talent, on his potentially unmatchable Qi reserves. The fixed energy consumption went against that.
Yet, the Concussive Palm compensated for that shortcoming with its single-minded, devastating nature. Unlike the Seismic Palm, it could only do one thing, and it did it perfectly.
The Seismic Palm could cause internal damage, but it was wild and widespread, requiring a lot of energy to be lethal.
Instead, the Concussive Palm affected a more limited area, but in a deadlier fashion. Its energy was dense and highly destructive. Rather than merely damaging, it actively squashed into a pulp anything in its area of effect.
It wasn’t about breaking frail and vital parts of cultivators. The rank 2 technique was about carving a proper hole inside them.
Also, unlike the Seismic Palm, the Concussive Palm had far lighter blowbacks. It had no corresponding whiplashes that could fling Liam’s arm away or force him to hold onto his opponent to unleash additional attacks.
The Concussive Palm was a deceptively soft martial art that Liam could unleash in quick succession in any situation and conditions, which was exactly what happened now.
Meanwhile, Eugene felt the shadow of death looming over him. His reinforced body had limited the attack’s damage, but only in terms of size.
Two holes had still opened in Eugene’s very insides. The tissues there, be it from organs, muscles, or blood vessels, had been replaced by a gory, useless mass.
Even worse, something had invaded Eugene. A foreign force was spreading inside him, infecting his own Qi and turning it into an enemy agent within his body.
The undeniable truth hit Eugene at that point. His cultivation might be more advanced, but there was an insurmountable qualitative difference at play there.
Eugene was a lone cultivator, while Liam had assets that most could only dream of. Liam wasn’t really from the inner areas of the Kingdom, but his arsenal wouldn’t pale in those regards. If anything, his wealth was unthinkable at his level.
Truth was, Eugene had considered that possibility but had believed that removing the rank 3 fan from the equation would have been enough.
However, Eugene’s best asset was his axe. It was what his figure and Brigade were named after. He possessed a few offensive-oriented martial arts, but his magical weapon far outclassed them, and things worsened in other regards.
Martial arts were often impossible to obtain, even with the right connections. It was why Eugene had relied on the impractical body cultivation to compensate for his lack of defensive techniques. He had nothing movement-oriented, either, not worthy of his level, at least.
Since Liam could deal with the axe, Eugene’s defeat was pretty much set in stone. Yet, there was another card Eugene could play. He had the home advantage after all.
The axe suddenly became weightless, and Eugene lifted it as forcefully as his muscles allowed before reversing the process.
Before Liam’s third palm strike could land, Eugene shot into the air, lifted by the axe. That temporarily saved him, giving him enough time to shout an order. "Get the woman!"