Chapter 38: Strength and Speed
Gravel fell from the hole blasted in the wall. Buck had been run through the heart by Su Xiao’s blade, yet he grinned, showing off his steel teeth.
Su Xiao gripped the hilt of Dragon-Slaying Flash with both hands, pressing the longsword downward. Unfortunately, his blade was firmly locked in place. Pitting strength against this freakishly strong lumberjack was not a wise move.
Buck’s two short axes were crossed in a swastika shape, locking Dragon-Slaying Flash in place. Drops of blood splattered from Buck’s chest. He pushed off with his feet, furrowed his brows, and twisted his body violently, trying to snap the blade lodged inside him.
“Hmph…”
Buck let out a muffled grunt. He was still facing away from Su Xiao. A Legendary-rank weapon, reinforced to +13, was simply not something Buck could break with his strength alone.
Buck was ruthless enough. After being pierced through the heart, his first thought wasn’t to escape, but to destroy his enemy’s weapon.
A whistling howl came from behind Buck. Though he couldn’t see what was happening, he twisted his two axes apart and released Dragon-Slashing Flash.
Wood Spirit clung to Su Xiao’s calf. He lowered his body and delivered a side kick aimed at Buck’s spine.
Su Xiao’s leg turned into a black blur, striking Buck’s back directly.
*Thump!*
The impact radiated outward. Large pieces of wooden furniture shattered, and the leather sofa was torn open by the sheer force of the blast.
When Su Xiao’s right shin connected with Buck’s spine, he heard a clear, crisp crack. Buck’s body bent into an inverted C shape and shot forward with a whoosh.
In the instant before he was sent flying, Buck released the short axe in his left hand. His large hand snatched at a wooden plank sent flying by the shockwave.
With a thunderous crash, dust surged. Buck smashed into the wall, leaving a massive hole, followed by a dull thud of metal on metal.
Buck had punched straight through the wall, slamming into the outer spiral steel plate of Saint Gate Fortress. Whether he was alive or dead was unknown.
Deep within the hole in the wall, the spiral steel plate was dented, splattered with blood all around.
*Crack, crack…*
After a series of chewing sounds, a figure in tattered clothes stood up and walked out from the hole in the wall.
When Buck reappeared, his neck was bent backward at an unnatural angle. Blood gushed from the wound on his chest. He raised a hand to the back of his head and applied force.
After a bone-grinding sound, Buck straightened his head. His entire body began to twist irregularly.
*Crack, crack…*
One by one, his vertebrae realigned. Buck pressed his thumb against one nostril and forcefully exhaled, spraying a stream of blood from the other nostril.
“Ptooey.”
Spitting out the wood chips in his mouth, Buck’s chest wound stopped bleeding.
Su Xiao shook his slightly numb right leg. He stomped down, sending the short axe on the floor flying up. His long blade swept through, cutting the wooden handle into three pieces. The wood was incredibly tough.
Su Xiao leaped half a meter into the air, kicking the handleless axe head forward with his left foot.
The axe head whistled out of the room, eventually piercing a distant wooden door and disappearing somewhere. Whenever possible, it was wise to destroy an enemy’s weapon immediately. If total destruction wasn’t feasible, at least toss it somewhere the enemy couldn’t reach quickly.
Buck glanced at the broken axe handle on the ground. He rushed toward the nearby office desk. Under the desk were two more short axes, prepared by Divine Envoy Dubois for emergencies. He never thought he’d actually need them today.
Buck’s relationship with Divine Envoy Dubois was unique. They were neither superior and subordinate nor master and servant. In his youth, Buck had been a soldier in the Sun Kingdom, part of a unit akin to a killing squad.
Years of slaughter had worn Buck down. He grew tired of it. After leaving his unit, he was settled in a remote mountain forest, spending his days chopping wood to pass the time. Boring, perhaps, but fulfilling.
But it didn’t last. One morning, Buck woke to find blood on his clothes and three human heads lined up on his table. He couldn’t suppress his murderous urge—or rather, he had become addicted to killing.
Murders kept occurring around the mountain region. The Sun Kingdom’s Divine Court couldn’t ignore it. After 1,259 soldiers died in that forest over 29 days, the Divine Court finally captured Buck. The reason for his capture was absurd: unsalted food was too hard to eat.
That’s right, Buck had surrendered willingly. His original unit hadn’t even sent anyone. As his commander put it, no one could catch Buck in the forest unless they blew up the entire mountain range.
Buck was exhausted, so he wanted to die. In the prison holding Buck, 57 heavy criminals died, and over a hundred sets of heavy restraints were broken. Buck’s execution date was moved up by two weeks.
Just as Buck was ready to face death, someone came to him for a long talk. The next day, a “Buck” with his tongue cut out and eyes gouged out was executed.
A month later, a burly, slovenly man appeared behind Divine Envoy Dubois. This man was messy, often chugging beer while smoking a cigar. Strangely, Dubois, who hated the smell of smoke, never kicked Buck out of his office.
Whatever Dubois ate, Buck ate too. Compared to the refined Dubois, Buck’s table manners were atrocious. Someone once joked that Dubois spent less time with his wife than with this slob. Dubois just laughed it off. What outsiders didn’t know was that Buck had saved Dubois’s life nine times.
*Crash!*
Buck kicked the office desk to pieces. Wood splinters flew as two short-handled axes spun in midair.
*Zzzz~*
Metal wires shot out, threading through the wooden debris to snag the two axes. But Buck’s outstretched hand was faster.
Just as Buck’s fingertips touched the axe handle, he suddenly turned his head.
*Boom!*
An explosion erupted in front of Buck. This happened because the tip of Realm Severing Thread was pierced with an Alchemy Bomb.
The moment Buck stopped, Su Xiao charged forward.
*Clang, clang, clang…*
White lines appeared in the air as the wooden debris shattered again.
Buck, his beard singed by the blast, reached forward with one hand, grabbed a short axe, and leaped backward.
With a crisp *clang*, the wooden handle of Buck’s axe shattered inch by inch. The axe head hit the ground, but Buck didn’t care. He stomped the ground, sending the axe head bouncing up, and bit down on it.
Buck reached behind his back, pulling out an axe handle stuck there. Who knew how much this guy loved axes.
The handle slid into the axe head’s slot. Buck grabbed the handle and slammed its base against the wall beside him, seating the connection firmly.
*Bang!*
A large crack spread across the wall. An expensive painting fell. Two short axes flipped in Buck’s hands.
“Heh.”
Buck grinned at Su Xiao. It was a genuine smile. Winning an advantage in a fight with Su Xiao made him happy.
Su Xiao’s long blade slashed diagonally, leaving a cut mark on the ground beside him.
“Hahaha.”
Buck laughed even harder, like a 200-plus-pound child who could turn someone into minced meat in an instant.
The battle began without any wasted words. Both charged straight at each other.
The clang of metal on metal rang out continuously. Buck was strong, his axes heavy and powerful. Su Xiao was fast, often leaving a bloody gash on Buck’s body.
Don’t mistake Su Xiao’s strength for weakness. It was only weak compared to the freakishly strong lumberjack Buck. The room, looking like it had been run over by dozens of tanks, showed their destructive power. If not for the outer spiral steel layer, the two would have already broken out of the fortress.