To Kayden, the enemies before him seemed utterly insignificant, as if they weren’t even worth a thought.
Such confidence filled the air, momentarily easing the tension among the onlookers.
“What an arrogant tone!” the leader of the group of four spat, his voice sharp and strained as he swallowed hard.
Kayden shook his head. “No, it’s not arrogance. It’s strength. Arrogance within the bounds of power is natural. I suggest you end yourselves now. Because if I have to make a move, your deaths will be… unpleasant.”
“Ridiculous!” The leader, though terrified, maintained his usual bravado. He stomped hard on the ground, and the earth beneath him caved into a crater.
The other three followed suit, stomping in unison. Behind them, twisting tornadoes appeared, whirling menacingly.
“Fools who overestimate themselves,” Kayden said coldly, his voice devoid of emotion. Without hesitation, he charged straight at them.
The force of his advance was overwhelming, like an army of thousands thundering forward, a storm of unstoppable power. One man moved with the momentum of an entire battlefield.
“Prepare yourselves!” the leader shouted, his voice trembling as Kayden closed in. The four immediately split apart, forming a square formation. Around them, a faint, almost invisible web shimmered into existence.
Kayden paid no heed to their tricks. He spread his arms wide, completely ignoring their defensive maneuvers.
The sight caused the members of the John family, who were watching from the sidelines, to tense up. Their hearts leapt into their throats.
They had all witnessed the devastating power of formations earlier. Lucy was a prime example-still lying on the ground, unable to move.
Even though Kayden exuded an undeniable aura of strength, the thought of him confronting the formation head-on made the crowd uneasy.
To the untrained eye, the scene was incomprehensible. But Lucy, who understood the intricacies of such combat, knew the truth. Against these four, Kayden could crush them effortlessly. His power was beyond words, rendering his opponents utterly insignificant in comparison.
In the face of absolute strength, the weak would always remain weak.
A golden light began to materialize beneath Kayden’s hands. It was similar to the energy Lucy’s twin blades had emitted earlier, but this light was far brighter, almost blinding to behold.
“Kill!” the leader roared, his bloodshot eyes fixed on Kayden. The four charged at him in unison, their movements identical to when they had attacked Lucy.
It was those very same fists that had knocked Lucy to the ground.
The distance between them and Kayden closed rapidly.
Closer.
Closer still.
Kayden remained motionless, allowing the four to unleash their wolf-like, ferocious attacks.
“Boom!” A deafening sound echoed through the air as their fists collided with Kayden-or so it seemed.
But something was different this time. Unlike before, when their punches had landed solidly on flesh, this time it felt as though they had struck an iron wall.
Looking closer, their fists hadn’t even touched Kayden. Instead, they hovered in midair, suspended inches from his body. A barrier of energy radiating from Kayden had stopped their attacks cold.
The four were stunned, their faces twisting in fear.
What kind of sorcery was this? How could their combined strength fail to breach his defenses?
Impossible!
“Retreat!” the leader shouted.
But as he tried to pull his fist back, something strange happened.
No matter how much force he exerted, his hand wouldn’t budge.
“What’s happening?” the youngest of the group cried out, his rough voice tinged with panic.
Kayden chuckled. The sound was cold, devoid of warmth, as if death itself had spoken.
“What’s going on, boss? Why can’t we pull back our fists? He’s… he’s drawing us in!” another member shouted, his voice cracking as he struggled with all his might.
The leader’s face darkened as he scanned the situation. “Together! Pull back on the count of three!”
“One! Two! Three!”
The four strained with all their strength, but their fists remained locked in place. It was as though they were welded to Kayden, an invisible force holding them captive.
This… this level of internal energy was beyond comprehension. They knew how energy could be unleashed to attack or suppress an opponent. But this? This was something else entirely.
“Enough. Stop struggling. It’s pointless,” Kayden said, his voice icy and detached, like a reaper from the depths of hell. His eyes, his faint smile-they all carried the aura of a killer.
“I told you, when I say you’ll die, you’ll die. You should have made the right choice when you had the chance. A fragile egg against a stone-there is only one outcome.”
As his words sank in, they felt it-a pull, a growing force dragging them closer. Kayden’s presence became an endless abyss, a bottomless pit they could not escape.
Panic finally overtook them. Fear filled their eyes as they stared at the man before them-a man who appeared no older than twenty-five or twenty-six. Their nightmare had become real.
All their lives, they had been the nightmares of others. But now, the tables had turned.
Was this man truly just twenty-five or twenty-six? How could someone so young wield such terrifying power?
As they reeled in confusion, Kayden moved.
He took a small step forward.
And then, the golden light beneath his hands flared even brighter, its radiance almost unbearable.
Raising his foot, Kayden stomped down hard.
The ground beneath the John family estate trembled violently, as if the earth itself were quaking.
A golden wave of energy erupted from Kayden, rippling outward like a tidal wave. The four men were released from their invisible bonds-but this was no salvation.
The energy wave struck them mercilessly, sending their bodies flying in different directions.
“Ahhh!” Their screams pierced the air as they hurtled into separate corners of the courtyard.
When their bodies crashed to the ground, the golden light dissipated. The aftermath was devastating-several trees in the John family courtyard had been snapped in half by the force of the energy wave.
The display left the John family members utterly speechless.
Though they were part of a prestigious family, accustomed to wealth and comfort, they were ordinary people at heart. Even the most worldly among them, Memphis John, had never witnessed anything like this.
This wasn’t just a fight-it was a spectacle, far surpassing anything Hollywood could offer.
In that moment, one word captured what everyone thought of Kayden.
Strong.
Unimaginably strong.
So strong it was terrifying.