My Clan Cultivation System: Only My Clan Can Cultivate

Chapter 87: Just like that

​"Let’s just entirely ignore him," Ian said, completely disregarding Zena’s comment about a corpse waking up. He took a step forward. "Now... will you tell me exactly why you are following us?" Ian demanded, fixing Number 20 with a dead-serious look.

​"And I will say it again. Fuck... Off!" 20 grunted. Using the absolute limits of his strength, he slowly managed to draw his sword, his entire body glowing with a thick red Aura to combat the crushing weight of the gravity.

​’How is this kid able to casually move so freely inside this Gravity Field anyway?!’ 20 panicked internally, his muscles screaming in protest. ’Has that young Mage truly reached a level where she can actively choose who is affected by her magic inside her own field?!’

​He quickly threw a glance at Sarah. ’No... that definitely doesn’t seem to be the case. She is also clearly struggling to maintain this heavy field,’ he noted, watching Sarah sweating profusely, her hands shaking as she leaked dark purple mana.

​’If I want to get out of this alive, I have to run out of the field. But I bet that monstrous kid will effortlessly catch up to me, and that Fourth-Stage Wilson brat definitely will not just stand there and let me escape,’ 20 rapidly calculated. ’Sigh... is my only real option to just stall and hope that the girl runs out of mana? But even then...’

​CREAK!

​While 20 was lost in his desperate thoughts, Ian suddenly blurred and rushed straight at him. Planting his feet, Ian violently threw a right hook!

​THUD!

The heavy punch slammed directly into 20’s cheek, physically lifting the grown man off his feet and sending him flying completely out of the purple Gravity Field!

​’What really is up with this kid’s strength?! My Aura was already fully activated to defend myself, but how could he still send me flying away with just a simple punch?!’ 20 thought, violently crashing into the dirt outside the field, clutching his bruised face.

​’Wait... I’m out of the Gravity Field! That’s my chance!’ Without hesitating, 20 suddenly sprang to his feet, his red Aura still burning brightly, and he immediately sprinted toward the dark tree line as fast as he could!

​But before he could even take five steps, a blinding streak of purple Aura intercepted him. Zena was already standing directly in front of him, his purple Aura cloaking his small body and completely stopping 20 in his tracks.

​"I figured you would exactly try to do that the second you got out," Zena smirked, smoothly drawing his sword.

​"Tch! You little brat, do you honestly think you can take me on?!" 20 spat, rubbing his bruised jaw. "I have been in the Fourth Stage for over five years, while you barely broke through a week ago!"

​"I know that much old man and I won’t be able to stop you alone," Zena smiled, glancing past 20. "But I can at least delay you just a bit."

​"What do you mea—"

​’Shit!’ 20’s eyes widened. Before he could even finish his sentence, he felt an incredibly terrifying presence suddenly looming right behind his back.

​There was absolutely no time to turn around. He just desperately braced himself for the incoming attack, swinging his red-glowing sword backward to block whatever was coming.

​"That won’t work..." Ian whispered coldly into his ear.

​’Boulder Crushing Fist!!’ Ian unleashed a devastating right punch directly into the flat of 20’s blade.

​CRASH!

The Aura-infused steel sword violently shattered into a dozen pieces in an instant!

​Without breaking his momentum, Ian immediately followed up with a brutal left hook, slamming his dense fist directly into the back of 20’s skull. The heavy impact instantly drove 20 face-first into the hard dirt with a sickening crunch.

​"You completely broke his Aura sword in a single hit... how?! Just how?!" Zena gasped in pure shock, looking down at the jagged shards of steel littering the road.

’Last time, when we fought against Friggy, Ian had to punch like a crazy person dozens of times just to crack his axe! But now he just punched only once and it shattered?! And this guy was a Fourth-Stage user, while Friggy was only Second-Stage! There should be a massive difference in aura quality too!’

​"It’s nothing..." Ian said, rolling his shoulders and not caring much about Zena’s shock.

​"Hey guys, I think this guy is really dead for sure this time," Isaac announced casually. He had walked over, crouched down in the dirt, and casually lifted 20’s head up by his hair.

​"Oh my God!! Oohhh!" Zena gagged, instantly covering his mouth and turning away to throw up when he saw 20’s face. "What the hell is up with his face?!"

​"It’s just completely crushed inward... why are you making such a big deal out of it?" Isaac murmured, tilting the head side to side to look at the caved-in skull more closely. "It must have happened when he slammed his face into the ground."

​"Why are you acting like this is absolutely nothing?! Can’t you at least feel a tiny bit of pity for this guy?!" Zena yelled, refusing to look at the mangled corpse.

​"What’s up with you suddenly feeling pity?" Ian asked, raising an eyebrow at Zena. "When I first met you, you literally said you would be incredibly happy if my arms were cleanly cut off by that Friggy guy."

​"He only said that because he knew you would be perfectly healed by our Uncle if your arms were cut off! He just wanted to act all cool and edgy in front of you guys," Sarah called out from the Gravity Field. She was sweating heavily, but she still managed to shoot Zena a smug, teasing look.

​"You—shut up!!" Zena yelled at Sarah, his face turning bright red in deep embarrassment.

​"I still honestly can’t believe you are actually twenty-nine years old," Isaac smirked, thoroughly enjoying the embarrassed look on Zena’s face.

​"What?!... You are twenty-nine?!" Ian gasped, his eyes going wide as he stared at the small, boyish noble.

​"Everybody just shut up!! I’ve got my own unique circumstances!!" Zena yelled, desperately trying to change the subject. He quickly pointed an accusing finger at Ian. "And you! Did you really have to use that much strength?! He seemed to be the leader of this group! We definitely could have interrogated him and gotten some highly valuable information from him!"

​"I honestly thought he would be much stronger!" Ian defended himself. "He did just loudly brag that he had been stuck at the Fourth Stage for over five years! I also thought he could take a punch like that, since that Red Orc easily took most of my punches like they were absolutely nothing!"

​"..." Zena just stared at Ian in complete, utter disbelief, desperately trying to find the right words to refute his insane logic. "Let’s... let’s just go and quickly take care of the other two assassins on the ground. I really don’t think Sarah can hold that Gravity Field out for much longer," he finally mumbled in a low, defeated voice.

​Ian just nodded in agreement and walked back toward Sarah’s field, leaving Isaac and Zena standing alone by the corpse.

​"What kind of normal answer did you actually expect to get from my cousin?" Isaac chuckled, gently patting Zena on the back. "He is literally the only person alive who would genuinely think to compare a fragile human body to a towering, three-meter-tall magical beast."

​"Yeah... I’m really starting to feel that was an incredibly stupid question to ask," Zena sighed heavily.

​"Hey... Sarah, you can lift the spell now. I don’t think these guys can do anything else," Ian called out, noticing that Sarah was panting heavily and completely drenched in sweat from the magical strain.

​"You don’t have to tell me that! You’re not the boss of me," Sarah retorted defensively, though she immediately dropped her glowing hands, deactivating the heavy Gravity Field.

​"Sigh..." Ian just looked at her and shook his head as she collapsed onto the dirt road, gasping for air.

​Ian then walked over to the two remaining assassins lying motionless in the dirt. The first was the woman whose mask he had removed earlier, and the second was a small, trembling figure still wearing a dark mask.

​"You do know that I can easily tell you guys are faking your deaths, right?" Ian said coldly, staring down at them.

​The smaller figure suddenly sat up straight, shaking violently with fear. With trembling hands, she reached up and pulled off her mask, revealing a young, tear-stained face.

​"You... you are just a little girl!" Sarah gasped, looking at Number 97 in absolute shock.

​"How old are you?" Sarah asked, still sitting in the dirt and trying to catch her breath.

​"I’m... I’m thirteen," she stammered, shrinking back from Ian’s cold gaze.

​"Why is someone your age doing this kind of dark work?" Sarah asked, her voice softening with genuine concern.

​"I—it’s for the money. I desperately need the money to help my brother get his medication," she cried, thick tears rolling down her dirty cheeks.

​While Sarah was distracted talking to the crying girl, Isaac casually walked over and started kicking the ribs of the woman who was still lying flat on the ground.

​"Hey! Why aren’t you moving? Do you honestly think we don’t know that you’re faking it too?" Isaac demanded, kicking her a bit harder. But her body just rolled over limply, her arms flopping into the dirt.

​"Mmmm...She is already dead, huh? How come?" Isaac muttered, crouching down to inspect the unmoving assassin.

​"Is she not faking it like the others?" Zena asked, walking over to check.

​"No," Isaac confirmed, narrowing his eyes at the lifeless corpse. "I’m pretty sure this one is actually dead."