Chapter 113: Something is different about Jasmine!
Chapter 112
Jasmine, on the other hand, before the roar, had just been sent hurling away. Her sword was destroyed from the earlier clash with the opponent in front of her.
This man wielded a sword that had slammed into hers, lifting her whole figure up and tossing her several metres away. She could be seen struggling, trying her possible best to rise from the ground, blood dripping down her mouth continuously.
’Oh for fuck’s sake! I’m just a human and not a hybrid, and I suspect he is a human too. So why the hell am I losing this hard? Is it because he is a man and I’m a girl? Or what the hell is the difference between us?’ Jasmine thought as she finally pushed herself off the ground, confusion etched deep on her face.
Now weaponless, she could only watch as the hunter steadily walked towards her with a grin etched on his face. Finally, he stood just a metre away from her before pointing his sword forward.
"The world might not believe in gender equality, but I do. Whatever a man would get, a woman should too. Which is why the amount of strength I would use if I was facing a man is the same I will use on you." The man chuckled aloud, his tone full of mockery. And just before he could move, that was when Max’s roar split the air.
The man froze dead in his tracks, unable to move an inch, while Jasmine on the other hand felt a searing pain spread across her back. Her brows knitted together as she stared down at herself in confusion, unable to see or feel what exactly was appearing there. She didn’t care though, survival came first.
’Why isn’t he moving? He twitched just now, which means he was ready to make a move, but now he’s just standing there like a statue. What the hell is going on?’ Jasmine thought with furrowed brows, breathing heavily.
’Why can’t I move? It’s like an invisible force is pressing down on me, locking my body in place. That roar... what was that sound? Who the hell roared just now? It felt like a predator beast had descended straight onto this battlefield.’ The man thought as panic flooded his mind. He tried his hardest to move his body, veins bulging in his neck, but no matter how much he struggled, nothing happened.
’Fuck it! No need to keep thinking or caring why he’s unable to move. Take whatever opportunity or chance you get and make good use of it!’ Jasmine roared inwardly, and without hesitation, she darted forward almost like a blur.
’Huh? I feel faster all of a sudden?! My body feels lighter, like I’ve just been unshackled,’ she thought but quickly tossed the thought aside. No time for questioning.
She appeared in front of the man in a second, her fist shooting forward as she slammed it into his chest. The man spat out saliva, his body jerking back as he went skidding a few inches across the ground. His grip on his sword wavered dangerously, his fingers trembling as if he might drop it, but at the last moment, he still held tight.
Jasmine didn’t want to waste time. She immediately dashed to his side, her body moving with uncharacteristic speed and grace, unleashing a swift roundhouse kick into his ribs. The impact resounded with a dull thud, and his whole body went skidding a metre away. He looked like he was about to collapse, but the paralysis effect was still keeping him standing, swaying in place like a puppet with cut strings.
She clenched her jaw, grim determination blazing in her eyes, and dashed forward once more. Her fist swung towards his face with all the force she could muster. But just then, the effect wore off. Almost immediately, the man’s eyes sharpened, his hand shot up with ruthless precision, and he clamped down hard on her fist, bringing her entire strike to a screeching halt.
’Huh? I... I’m unable to move?’ she thought as she tried putting pressure on her hand, but no matter how hard she tried, she couldn’t get it to move a single inch forward.
"You had your fun. It’s time for mine."
BAM!
A gut-wrenching punch smashed into Jasmine’s abdomen with soul-rending force. Her eyes bulged wide, and blood immediately filled her mouth. With a loud cough, it sprayed outward, almost hitting the man in the face, but he instantly sidestepped, avoiding the crimson liquid that splattered onto the ground.
And then, in one fluid strike, he swung his leg toward her abdomen, aiming to smash her into the dirt. Pushing through the agony tearing through her body, Jasmine managed to lift her hand in front of her face, but the kick was too powerful. Her whole body was lifted from the ground and hurled away like a ragdoll.
She tumbled and crashed, skidding across the earth for several inches as a small cloud of dust burst into the air.
"Tch! You’re so weak, so useless, and so not worth my time!" The man spat angrily, his steps slow and deliberate as he kept advancing toward her.
One heavy step at a time, the dust finally cleared, revealing Jasmine lying motionless on the ground. The strange mark that had appeared on her back was now gone, and blood drizzled freely from her mouth, forming a small pool beneath her.
She had no more strength left, not even the energy to twitch, talk less of standing up.
"So useless that you can’t even defeat me! I’m just a C-ranked hunter like you, yet you can do nothing against me. Pathetic. Completely useless." He spat again, venom lacing his words.
Though unable to move, Jasmine heard every syllable. With each insult, the words pierced into her chest like blades. Her eyes welled up with tears as she realized he wasn’t lying. He was right. It was the truth. And in that moment, she stopped resisting the weakness washing over her. Instead of trying to rise, she simply lay there, beaten and broken.
"I wonder how you even became a hunter. Tch! The association made a mistake. Actually, not the association." The man crouched down beside her, his eyes glinting with cruelty. "Your parents made the mistake. They should have never brought you into this world. You would have been better off as nothing more than a small ball of whitish liquid. You’re just a failed product of wasteful parents."
"You know?" Jasmine began weakly, her voice barely audible as she tried to push herself up.
But before she could rise further, the man stood and slammed his boot into the back of her head, pressing her face deep into the ground with immense force. The earth beneath her cracked from the pressure, small fragments scattering outward.
He pressed harder, applying so much weight that she could barely even breathe, let alone lift her head. Yet, as his vile words replayed over and over in her mind, something in her snapped.
Her eyes suddenly shifted, changing color as they turned pitch white. Veins bulged across her face, her neck, and down her hands as a raw surge of power coursed through her. With a furious growl, she slammed both palms into the ground, the veins in her arms throbbing violently, and began lifting her head despite the crushing boot holding her down.
’Huh? How can she still be trying to rise?’ the man thought, utterly stunned, his mind blank as he froze in disbelief.
"I was going to let you keep yapping about me," Jasmine’s voice was calm yet dangerously cold, "but the moment you spoke ill of my parents, I just lost it. So prepare to die."
In one fluid motion, before the man could even react, she reached up and grabbed his foot. With a ferocious snarl, she hurled it away with so much force that he stumbled backward, nearly losing his balance as he was sent a full meter away.
Now, Jasmine rose to her full height, and something was unmistakably different about her.
Her fists glowed with a radiant white light, an energy that crackled faintly around them. Even her eyes had turned into pure white orbs, glowing faintly as she gritted her teeth back and forth in restrained fury. The atmosphere shifted. The air thickened instantly, heavy with a suffocating, oppressive aura that radiated from her very being.
The man froze in place, his confidence faltering for the first time, as he stared at her transformed state with a flicker of fear. Jasmine stood there, her body trembling, her aura surging, her rage threatening to erupt into something far deadlier than either of them could have imagined.