Seeing the solid wooden board and the foot-long steel nails, Akaishi’s face turned pale. He could clap nails too, but he had never dared to play with them like Lachlan did.
“What’s wrong, Skiola warriors? Are you cowards? I dare to do what you did, but you don’t dare to do what I did?” Lachlan asked coldly, his tone full of mockery and sarcasm.
As his words landed, the onlookers displayed satisfaction and superiority.
“Exactly! Where’s your warrior spirit?”
“Haha… Look at these little devils, they’ve lost their nerve!”
“Now you see the power of our Priocia martial arts? Still pretending not to understand?”
“When facing a true Priocia master, these little devils are dumbfounded.”
“This young man is impressive! Clapping steel nails with his hands upside down, it seems some shows are too conservative…”
At that moment, the Priocia audience was elated. It seemed like they were enjoying it more than Lachlan himself.
“Admit it, Skiola warriors. Your martial arts are just a sideshow. Otherwise… do it!” Lachlan’s tone was contemptuous, his expression infuriating.
“We Skiola warriors never retreat! But bravery doesn’t mean foolishness! Priocia person, you must be cheating; I suspect your hands are made of alloy prosthetics! But since you can’t handle it, I can’t be bothered to deal with you! You and your woman can leave!” Akaishi’s eyes flickered, his face contorted in anger.
By now, he realized he had met his match. However, he refused to bow down, admit that Priocia martial arts were superior to Skiola’s, and lose face.
As his words fell, the crowd erupted in boos! Everyone looked at the Skiola warriors with disdain and mockery.
“Mom, he’s being unfair! Humph!”
“Can I go over there and beat him up?” Nora asked indignantly. “Nora, sweetheart, Daddy will handle them.” Miranda smiled.
At that moment, Lachlan’s eyes glinted sharply.
“Prosthetics? I think you should consider getting one!”
Swish!
Before he could finish speaking, Lachlan’s figure turned into a blur. The next moment, Akaishi felt a blur before his eyes, and then his hand was caught by Lachlan.
Following that, Lachlan grabbed Akaishi’s hand and slammed it onto the steel nails placed upside down on the board.
A sharp sound of metal piercing flesh accompanied by a pig-like scream filled the air.
Akaishi’s flesh, unlike Lachlan’s, was pierced by the steel nails through his palm.
“Gaah!” He screeched like a duck, trying to break free from Lachlan’s grip. However, another sharp sound followed! Lachlan pressed his hand onto the board, nailing Akaishi’s hand down with the steel nails. Akaishi screamed in agony, pinned in place, unable to move.
“Ah!”
“Gaah!”
“Get him!”
“Kill him!”
The Skiola warriors, witnessing this, began to curse and clamor, moving towards Lachlan. However…
Thump! Thump! Thump!
There was a series of dull thuds as the warriors were sent flying with a single slap from Lachlan, as if he were swatting flies.
“Wow! So cool!”
“See, our Priocia martial arts are mighty.”
At this moment, the other Skiola warriors who hadn’t reached Lachlan yet stopped in their tracks, showing expressions of panic.
“Not coming over? Hehe…” Lachlan sneered dismissively. The next moment, he scoffed, “A bunch of narrow-minded frogs from a small country, still daring to be arrogant on Priocia soil? Priocia martial arts are profound, something you can’t diminish.”
With a disdainful smile, Lachlan took steps towards the audience below. Several warriors who had stood in his way earlier quickly stepped aside. At this moment, the onlookers, who had been burning with anger due to the Skiola warriors’ arrogance, now felt a sense of triumph. How dare these little devils still boast and belittle Priocia martial arts as mere showboating? Lachlan glanced back before hopping off the platform, and saw Akaishi still wailing, pinned by the nails, while the Skiola warriors stood there, resentful and apprehensive.
Furrowing his brow, Lachlan stomped his foot, causing the platform to collapse with a thunderous crash. Cries and shouts filled the air as the Skiola warriors on the stage tumbled to the ground. Akaishi’s cries grew even more pitiful.
“Don’t stand so high next time! In Priocia, you Skiola people should lower your heads.” Lachlan’s voice was cold.
“Who dares to cause trouble at Thousand Shadows Martial Hall’s apprentice enrollment event?”
At that moment, a tall Skiola man hurried over, causing the Skiola warriors, who had fallen and were wailing on the ground, to light up at his arrival. Akaishi, with his right hand in a bloody mess, seemed to find solace in this figure.
“Mr. Shita! You’ve arrived! Please help us settle this.”
“This Priocia person disrupted our event and insulted Skiola martial arts.” Akaishi pointed at Lachlan with resentment using his relatively unharmed left hand.
Mr. Shita glanced at Lachlan, but upon seeing Lachlan’s appearance, his pupils involuntarily constricted.
“Mr. Shita, he insulted our karate. You’re powerful; you must help us reclaim our honor!”
“Otherwise, these Priocia people will think they can bully us Skiola warriors!” Akaishi shouted to the approaching Mr. Shita.
Mr. Shita was a true master of the Shadow Blade Sect, far beyond the capabilities of these warriors. However, as the words fell, Mr. Shita delivered a resounding slap to Akaishi’s face.
“Shut up! We’re here in Priocia to open a martial arts school and peacefully coexist with Priocia’s friends. Who allowed you to be so aggressive? Being disciplined is deserved!”
Akaishi was left dazed by the slap, with the other Skiola warriors also stunned.
What was happening? Why was their master supporting Priocia and scolding them? The onlookers couldn’t help but laugh.
“Haha, little devils fighting among themselves?”
“The later one knows how to behave!”
“Afraid of our Priocia master, aren’t you?”
Meanwhile, Lachlan, observing Mr. Shita’s actions, raised an eyebrow, a hint of confusion in his eyes. He couldn’t understand why Mr. Shita was being so accommodating.
With a nod and a smile, Mr. Shita addressed Lachlan, “Forgive our member’s rudeness. I will discipline them. Heh, it’s fine. I’ve already taught them a lesson.”
Lachlan shrugged, unable to comprehend Mr. Shita’s courteous behavior. With that, he left with Miranda and Nora.
Half an hour later, inside the Thousand Shadows Martial Hall, Akaishi hung his right arm, blood seeping through the bandages. His expression was grim as he turned to the brooding Mr. Shita. “Why didn’t you help us discipline that Priocia person? Do you know we Skiola warriors have become a joke to the Priocia people? You should have helped us save face.”
Mr. Shita glanced coldly at him, expressing a hint of trepidation. “Because I am not a match for that Priocia person. If I intervened, I would only become a laughing stock. That Priocia person is a true practitioner. Besides, we have more important matters to attend to that cannot disturb the Priocia practitioners. So, I can’t reveal myself or jeopardize Master Kuroki’s plans.”
With a greedy and devious look on his face, Mr. Shita revealed his true intentions.
Gilberto had previously mentioned to Lachlan that besides a few skilled members of the Willis family, no one else on the ship had sensed anything unusual when Mesosaurus discovered the island that was considered a paradise. However, the reality was different.