Chapter 167: Defeated!
All of them attacked in an instant, driven by instinct. Something deep within screamed that if they didn't strike now, they'd be dead the next moment.
The shinobi hurled two more spinning, curved knives, expertly guiding them with her Telekinesis.
Arrows rained from the sky as the five armored men stood their ground, shielding the shinobi. Meanwhile, the two on flying skateboards rose back into the air.
Zarek merely shook his head, disappointment etched on his face.
"Well, this seems boring," he murmured, extending a hand forward as his Telekinesis surged toward the armored men.
They immediately pushed back, resisting his power with all their might.
However, they were completely overwhelmed, Zarek's Telekinesis was the densest at level Nine. It was, quite literally, the limit of what Level Nine could achieve.
In the same level, it was basically impossible for anyone to have a higher Telekinetic strength than him, even if there was a fraction of possibility that there was, it would only be equal to him.
At the same time, arrows rained down, and knives closed in on him.
"He's dead," the shinobi muttered through gritted teeth.
The attacks struck without hesitation.
Countless spinning knives, carrying terrifying momentum, all landed upon him.
But, to everyone's absolute horror, Zarek stood unharmed.
Zarek spoke with a wicked grin.
"Is that all you can do?" His voice was calm, almost friendly, but to those present, there was nothing short of horror in those words.
At that moment, a chill ran down everyone's spine. It felt as if a demon had descended straight from the depths of hell.
Zarek moved in a blur. In the blink of an eye, he appeared before the armored men and slammed his fist toward them, his knuckles glittering with starlight.
His speed was beyond their perception, far too fast for even their eyes to follow. It was already too late to form a Telekinetic Defense.
The first man to take the full brunt of Zarek's strike had his chest crushed inward, his armor shattering like glass under the sheer force.
Zarek moved like a reaper, cutting down the four armored men with terrifying speed and precision.
From above, two men on floating skateboards swooped down, attempting to bind his arms and legs with chains.
But Zarek caught the chains just in time. Grinning, he said:
"The same trick won't work twice."
With a powerful yank, he pulled the chains and the two men crashed down from their boards, slamming into the ground.
A volley of arrows followed, but they were now completely useless. Not a single one could pierce his skin.
Zarek began walking toward the two fallen men, slow and deliberate. Reaching them, he delivered a brutal kick to each, breaking what little resistance they had left. Their bodies went limp, collapsing flat on the ground.
"How are the two of you doing?" Zarek turned toward the shinobi and the distant figure who had been firing arrows at him:
"Maybe I'll get a reward if I bring you in alive."
As he spoke, the shinobi suddenly leapt back, shouting with all her strength:
"Soldiers of the Empire, stand and fight! Protect us!"
Reluctantly, the distant soldiers stepped forward, forming a line to block Zarek's path. Their eyes were filled with fear, staring at him as if he were some kind of monster.
No one wanted to throw their life away for nothing. Even the most loyal among them hesitated, after all, dying without earning even a sliver of merit was a fate no soldier desired.
Seeing this, Zarek simply shook his head, too disinterested to even speak. With a powerful push against the ground, he launched himself into the air with a loud bang.
In an instant, he reached the kunoichi, who was too slow to react. He struck the back of her neck with a swift chop.
Her vision blurred, and she collapsed into unconsciousness.
Zarek caught her mid-fall, carrying her in a princess carry as he looked ahead with narrowed eyes.
"Only one left," he thought to himself.
This archer was truly exceptional, he had barely been able to sense her presence at all.
If this continued, she might actually manage to escape.
"Can't skimp out on my first job, can I?" Zarek thought, his mind flashing back to the moment the arrows had first flown. Using their trajectory, his pupils traced the path with precision.
His thoughts raced, calculating the distance and angle. Then, a smirk curled on his lips as his eyes locked onto a specific direction.
"Found you."
Zarek descended from the sky, landing precisely where he had pinpointed. There was no one in sight but that didn't bother him.
Starlight shimmered in his hand as he slammed it into the ground.
Bang!
The earth trembled violently beneath his strike, sending everyone nearby sprawling.
Not far away, a woman became visible. She wore leather robes, with a bow slung over her shoulder and arrows strapped to her back.
Zarek quickly closed the distance, shinobi still in his arms, and appeared right before the woman.
"Don't try to escape so easily," he chuckled.
The woman went pale but didn't hesitate. Swiftly, she drew a dagger, its gleaming tip aimed straight at him. Her teeth clenched and brows furrowed.
"You know it's useless, right? Will you come quietly, or should I make you?"
For a moment, she hesitated, uncertainty flickering in her eyes.
Then, without a word, she lowered the knife and stepped forward with a blank expression.
"That's a good girl," Zarek said with a chuckle.
But just as she closed the distance, she suddenly lunged, raising her knife and stabbing him sharply in the neck.
Zarek didn't move, not a flinch, not a twitch, as he coldly watched the knife drive toward his neck.
But when the blade struck, its tip shattered, the edges dulling.
He muttered coldly:
"Are you done?"
The woman straightened, swallowing hard as she met his boundless, icy blue eyes, eyes that seemed to hold an endless hunger.
"Yeah," she whispered, her heart pounding fiercely. Every fiber of her being screamed that one wrong move would mean death.
"Good."