The thug with more scars across his bald head and face ,the one named Posu sneered as he pulled a two-foot-long machete from his ragged trousers.
"You see? I told you, Osu, we should have gutted him and sold his parts in the streets. At least that would've given us some coin," he remarked to the other thug.
"Eh, never too late for that," Osu grunted, pulling a short axe from his pants as well. Karon took a frantic step back, glancing nervously at Corvus's expressionless face as a desperate plan formed in his mind.
"Look, Posu, we can do this some other time! I swear I'll pay you your money, but please, don't do this now!" Karon pleaded, his voice trembling. He deliberately shifted his gaze toward Corvus, intentionally drawing the twins' attention toward him ,a calculated move that did not escape Corvus's observation.
"Hey, who might you be, boy?" Posu asked, pointing his machete at Corvus.
"Eh, doesn't matter. We gut them both and make extra coin. Whatcha think?" Osu added.
"Yeah, good idea. Blame your luck, boy, for being found with this dirtbag," Posu replied, taking a step forward.
Corvus sighed internally; it seemed he hadn't put enough fear into Karon yet. But looking past the two twins, he could see that the street across from them was flanked by fences leading to a courtyard. Most importantly, he spotted several martial artists ,guards he believed worked for the mortal family he was seeking.
He wondered what better way to prove his worth and demonstrate his capabilities than a little display. Besides ever since he had bound Red Ball and watched the seniors spar, he'd been itching to test himself. He believed a real experience was the best teacher.
So before anyone could react, Corvus released his hold on his spirit qi, willing it into his fists. He threw a straight jab toward Posu's face, catching him off guard. His fist slammed into Posu's nose, making the man stumble backward.
"You!" Osu roared, raising his axe and slashing toward Corvus's head.
Corvus crouched, sending a punch deep into Osu's solar plexus. As the thug doubled over, Corvus leapt up and slammed his elbow against the man's head, causing him to lose his grip on the axe. Corvus caught the weapon mid-air and tossed it toward Posu, who was charging back with his machete in a vertical arc.
The blunt side of the axe landed hard on Posu's chest, making him wince in pain and slowing his momentum. This gave Corvus the perfect opportunity to rush him. He delivered a heavy kick to Posu's chest, sending the thug off his feet and into the opposite street.
The commotion finally caught the attention of the guards. One, dressed in a more formal robe, squinted his eyes and ordered two of his men to investigate the situation which played exactly into Corvus's hands.
Corvus caught a glimpse of the approaching guards and decided to finish the thugs off quickly. He blocked a punch from Osu with his forearms, allowing his spirit qi to absorb the kinetic force.
Immediately, he swung his own fist in an upward arc, slamming it against the very elbow Osu had raised to block. At the moment of impact, Corvus released the stored energy.
With a sickening crack, Osu screamed in pain as his elbow joint buckled inward. Corvus didn't stop there; he swept his leg beneath the man, sending the thug tumbling to the ground where he curled up, clutching his broken arm.
Posu, who had been about to charge, froze at the sight. Terrified of suffering a similar fate, he let his machete clatter to the ground and raised his hands in a frantic gesture of surrender. But Corvus had other plans. His left fist was still heavy with pent-up kinetic force; he lunged forward and buried it deep into Posu's gut , the blow caused the poor thug to vomit everything he had consumed that day.
Karon, off to the side, had pressed himself against a wall in terror at how quickly Corvus had dispatched the two thugs. He swallowed hard, remembering his cunning tactic of drawing the twins' gazes toward Corvus , a move he now deeply regretted.
Luckily for Karon, Corvus's attention had already shifted to the two guards. A look of bafflement plastered on their faces; they were certain the fight had only just begun when they noticed it, yet it had ended before they could even reach the scene to de-escalate the conflict.
The culprit perplexed them even more since it was a young man, likely seventeen or younger.
The two guards, who had initially been annoyed by their captain's order to intervene in a hoodlum brawl and had planned to scare off the thugs with a display of martial arts, now hesitated. One swallowed hard while the other turned back toward the courtyard gate to stare uncertainly at their captain.
Their captain had clearly noticed the outcome as well, taking the situation more seriously; he could see the boy was more interested in the compound behind him than the thugs he had defeated. As a skilled martial artist, the captain also noted that while Corvus was capable, he seemed somewhat clumsy and had taken several blows from Osu.
He had no idea that Corvus had willingly and readily accepted those strikes, using them to test his defenses and determine how much kinetic force he could absorb. And Corvus wasn't disappointed; in fact, he was as ecstatic as a kid with a new toy. He discovered that if his spirit qi coated the point of contact, it not only absorbed the kinetic force but also significantly reduced the impact of the blow, even if only by a small margin.
The ability to absorb and redirect force would serve as a great advantage in battle.
Regardless, the captain certainly did not like the situation; he had a gut feeling that this boy wasn't ordinary and might be looking for trouble. However, he held his position for a reason. So accompanied by two other guards, he walked boldly toward Corvus, ignoring the pained cries of Osu and the unconscious figure of Posu.
"If I may ask, who are you and what is it you seek?" he queried, tensing his muscles and readying himself for anything.