Chapter 751: False Advertising
The entire lower floor of the shopping Skyscraper complex immediately went silent, more silent than a freaking graveyard, as everyone who was watching at this moment no longer dared to breathe or blink. They were all shocked to the core, and as for the reason behind their shock, the answer was simple; they recognized the boy. He was from one of the great families within the Thalvorn Empire.
His name; Maximus.
Although somewhat talented, he wasn’t nearly as talented as his own siblings, and in a world where Nobles valued immense talent above all else, he was simply nothing in the eyes of many. And having nowhere to channel his anger and frustration, he became a complete degenerate, sleeping with and abusing women, bullying commoners, and killing anyone who became an eyesore to him.
Although a disgrace to his family, they still covered everything up whenever he caused trouble. Besides, almost no media company was willing to incur the wrath of a Noble house. But although Maximus never truly trended online, he was still well known within certain circles.
And although he wasn’t talented by the standards of his family, any commoner would kill for the amount of talent he still possessed. Compared to ordinary people, he was still a genius standing high above them.
Maximus stared at the coin below his feet. He stood there, frozen by utter shock. This was the first time anyone outside his family, or other Noble children his age, had spoken to him like this.
One of the three guards immediately moved his hand towards the weapon hanging from his waist as he prepared to decapitate Asher where he stood for such insolence, but Maximus simply raised a hand, the single gesture instantly halting the guard’s movements.
"Don’t you know who I am?" He asked, his voice becoming icy as anger flickered within his chest like a growing inferno.
"Didn’t your Father and Mother tell you?" Asher replied as he stared down at the boy with an indifferent and arrogant gaze. The height difference alone made it seem as though Asher was looking down upon the entire world itself. Asher now stood at seven foot two inches tall, having grown significantly taller within the past eight months.
His reply caused the silence to become even more chilling. The stillness that mimicked the atmosphere of a graveyard gave everyone the terrifying premonition that this shopping complex was truly about to become a graveyard in actuality.
As though sensing the incoming death, many people immediately moved backwards as they didn’t want to be caught in the crossfire. This was the Zero Rings, and not the Outer Rings where at least a small amount of rules existed to protect the unawakened from the awakened. Here, the strongest simply ruled.
"If you kowtow before me and destroy your Astra veins, I might not tell my Father or Elder Brother to wipe out your family... no, your Empire," Asher added with a flat and uncaring tone.
The moment those words left his lips, the guards no longer delayed and immediately sprang into action. But of course, only one of them made a move. How could three guards gang up on five unknown children?
The guard arrived in a blur. He didn’t speak, didn’t shout, nor did he bother exchanging meaningless words with Asher. He simply went for the kill. As the sword closed in towards Asher’s neck with frightening speed, Asher immediately moved. He ducked beneath the slash with effortless ease, his palm shooting towards the guard’s elbow, and with bone-shattering force, Asher snapped it in half.
The guard’s mouth opened to scream in pain, but Asher didn’t give him the opportunity. He immediately followed his first attack with a second one, an uppercut connecting with the guard’s jaw with immense force. The guard’s head snapped backwards violently, his body collapsing onto the ground before his consciousness completely flickered away.
The remaining two guards closed in with immense speed, their forms becoming mere phantoms to the ordinary eye. But it made no difference to Asher. His hand blurred upwards and caught a spear attack that was thrust towards his forehead. With a clench of his fist, the spear immediately shattered into countless shards of metal.
Before the guard could even react, Asher’s foot slammed against his jawline with perfect precision and ease. The guard’s body tore through the air like a ragdoll before crashing violently into a nearby shop, his body smashing through glass and destroying properties upon impact.
The last guard’s attack was already in motion, but Asher simply leaned backwards and dodged. The halberd sliced through the air where his neck had been a fraction of a second earlier. His hand snapped upwards as he caught the pole of the halberd before pulling it forward violently.
The guard stumbled forward, but before he could even blink, a knee attack crashed into his chest. His breastplate burst open under the terrifying force of the impact, his body transforming into a streak as he crashed through the properties behind him.
Asher’s eyes turned towards Maximus, his composure entirely unbroken, his breathing rhythm completely unchanged. Although he had made it appear easy, those guards were all at the Swiftstar Life Rank. Although they might have been enough to repel the people Maximus encountered on a daily basis, they were simply futile against Asher.
Despite Asher effortlessly handling his three guards, Maximus still remained composed, his eyes still filled with hatred as he refused to beg for mercy.
Asher slowly walked towards Maximus as he spoke, "You know, I can never understand why Young Masters can’t just stay home and enjoy their money," his tone calm and strangely casual.
His hand rose indifferently as he added, "Even if you are trash, at least try to be a good type of trash." With a blur, Asher’s palm connected with Maximus’ cheek with brutal force, a deafening slapping sound echoing throughout the lower floor.
Maximus’ head snapped towards the left side, his cheek immediately reddening while his lips burst open as blood flowed from them. But the moment his head stopped moving, Asher’s hand moved again as he released a backhand slap this time.
Maximus’ head snapped towards the right side with even greater force, several teeth leaving his gums and mouth entirely as blood sprayed through the air. He dropped to his knees beneath the sheer weight behind the second slap.
His eyes slowly rose as he stared at Asher with burning hatred. He understood he was weaker. He understood his guards had lost. He didn’t bother spilling arrogant words or making pointless threats. He would simply settle this debt later. He would never allow this disgrace to go unaccounted for.
"You know, it’s funny that people call it face slapping but end up not actually slapping anyone’s face," Asher stated as he stared at the kneeling boy. "False advertising, I guess," his tone amused.
"From your hateful gaze, I’m sure you will call your family against me," Asher continued as he could already tell exactly what the boy was planning simply by looking into his eyes. "And I will be waiting. I would love to see whether your family can bring mine to their knees," his tone echoing with curious finality.
With that final arrogant statement, Asher’s palm connected with Maximus’ cheek once more like a bluetooth connection for one last time, the impact sounding even louder than before. The boy’s body finally gave out beneath the strain of the final slap as he fell unconscious onto the ground.
Asher stared down at the unconscious boy for a brief moment before stepping over him as though he were nothing more than another pebble lying at the roadside.
Ryaen, Finch, Vaelric, and William immediately followed behind him as they all walked away together without looking back even once.
