Chapter 56: Stone Piledriver
Alonzo roared as he pressed his axe down with all his strength.
His sotne-coated arm bulged as he forced the stone-coated blade lower and lower toward Garion’s head.
"Break! Damn you!"
Garion braced under it as his arms locked against the blade of the weapon, grinning wide.
"Not bad, stone man. You’ve got some power, but I have wrestled with people a lot heavier than you."
Alonzo snarled, leaning in harder, sweat rolling down his beard.
"Then let’s see how long you can hold me down!"
He snapped his head to the side.
"Feron! Bria! Attack now! I’ve pinned him down!"
Feron’s eyes narrowed.
"Good. Let’s end this now!"
He leapt into the air, coating his curved sword with his red mana, shouting his skill.
"Crimson Strike!"
He slashed downward, aiming straight for Garion’s head.
At the same time, Bria moved fast, her blade shining once again.
She lunged from behind Garion, thrusting his spine, aiming to pin him.
"Iron Thrust!"
For a moment, the three Second Realm cultivators attacked as one, but Garion only smirked, flashing his teeth.
"Do you think that I’m truly trapped? That I’m just a simple First Realm cultivator? Did you forget it already?"
Feron’s sword crashed down on Garion’s head, and yet when it connected, only a thin cut appeared across Garion’s forehead.
Feron’s eyes widened.
"What! How?! That should have split you in two! I have used more mana than before!"
Behind him, Bria’s sword pierced into Garion’s back and... stopped.
Only teh tip entered about a finger’s length deep before stopping as though stabbing a solid iron.
Bria’s eyes widened in shock as this had never happened before.
"This... this can’t be! My mana trait should have made my strike stronger, so.... how can this be?!"
Garion just chuckled.
"I told you already, didn’t I? I’m already in a super form. What you’re stabbing is not my body, but my super body!"
He suddenly twisted his body and arm in an instant.
SNAP!
The stone-covered axe was snapped in two, shocking Alonzo.
"My Axe! Impossible! That was forged from blackstone!"
Garion staredighen slowly, grinning even wider. He didn’t waste any time and quickly grabbed Alonzo by the collar.
"Now that your axe is broken, it’s time for the owner to follow suit."
Alonzo struggled, punching Garion in the face with his stone-covered hands.
"Let me go! You fucking bastard!"
But all those hits didn’t affect Garion at all. It even made him grinner even wider.
Garion then grabbed Alonzo by the waist and lifted him clean off the ground.
Alonzo flailed, punching Garion again and again, although it was useless.
"Put me down!"
Garion only smirked.
"Oh, I’ll put you down. Don’t worry."
With one swift movement, he flipped the stock man upside down, holding him by the legs.
"Let’s see if that stone skin of yours can save you now from this."
Alonzo frowned, panic rising in his eyes.
"WAIT!!"
Garion jumped slightly, then dropped down hard, driving Alonzo’s head straight into the dirt.
CRACK! BOOM!
Garion’s piledriver cracked the ground, and Alonzo’s head was embedded inside.
His body went limp as the stone skins on his hands began to crumble into sand.
Garion just stood up, brushing the dirt off his hands.
"Guess not."
He then turned around, staring toward the only two who were left, Feron and Bria.
"That’s two down..."
He cracked his neck, grinning wide.
"Who’s next?"
Feron’s jaw tightened, his grip on his curved sword trembling a bit.
Bria’s face was tense, her lips pressed into a thin line.
Dario... Alonzo... Both gone. Just like that.
They exchanged a glance. Both were thinking the same thing.
How can one man be this strong?
Feron forced himself to be steady and shouted at Bria without turning.
"Bria! We need to use our strongest attack and do it together. Otherwise, we’ll die here!"
But no reply came.
Feron turned his head sharply and was shocked upon noticing that Bria was not there.
"Bria?!"
A shout then came from within the forest.
"He’s too strong, Feron! I’m sorry, but I still want to live!"
Bria also began to reassure Feron about his sect when he died.
"I’ll make sure that your sacrifice will be remembered when I take over your Red Fang Sect and fuse it with mine."
Feron’s eyes went wide, grinding his teeth together.
"You bastard woman traitor! How could you do this to me!"
Garion blinked, slapping his thigh and shaking his head before bursting out laughing.
"Wow! Didn’t think one of you would run that fast. I barely saw her go!"
He cupped his hand to his mouth and called after her.
"Hey, Bria! At least stretch before you run, or you’ll get a cramp!"
When he heard no response, he just ignored it and turned back to Feron.
"Looks like it’s just you and me now, Feron."
Feron’s nostrils flared, coating his curved sword with more red mana.
Garion tilted his head.
"From what I remember in the tournament, your disciples were the first ones my girl mocked, right? So that means..."
His eyes narrowed, grin never fading.
"You must be the one who told the other to come here to kill me."
Feron’s voice was low, venom dripping from each word.
"You humiliated both my sect and me. And now you’ve killed the other elders. Do you think I’d let you live after that?!"
Garion rolled his shoulders, smirking.
"Funny. Shouldn’t you be the one begging for mercy? I already killed the other two with ease."
Feron’s curved sword trembled, the red mana burning brighter than before.
"I’m not them. I am Sect Leader Feron of the Red Fang Sect! And I will carve your name into dust!"
Garion tilted his head, then cracked his knuckles one by one.
"Good. That’s the spirit. Show me everything you got, Red Fang. Let’s see if you can even leave another scratch on me before I break you."
The air grew heavy as both of them stood facing each other in this final showdown.