Capítulo 49: Chapter 49: The Dark Flame, the Recipient
"That little bastard sure can run!"
The man cursed under his breath as he tracked Xue Jing with his artificial eye. Martial artists were like nimble monkeys, darting about and making capturing them a real challenge.
After smashing through yet another wall, the man paused, waving away the dust. His artificial eye's tracking signal ended abruptly, and three question marks appeared in the corner showing insufficient data.
"Escaped?" The man's expression darkened.
"No, if he could've run, he would have. He must be hiding."
He adjusted his prosthetic eye, switching from [Tracking] to [Insight] mode.
"You can't hide forever, you little punk."
In the dark red view of his artificial eye, the alley's details were scanned and analyzed then a scene played before him.
A shadow resembling Xue Jing appeared in his vision, showing him darting into the alley, scanning the surroundings, and bending down to pick something up.
The eye was still processing this when a sharp whistle came from above.
Instinctively, the man raised his right hand, catching a rusty iron nail between his fingers just before it hit his face.
But before he could react further, a figure followed the nail, descending from the sky with blinding speed, fist aimed directly at him!
The attack was so swift that the man couldn't react. The fist struck his palm, driving the nail into his artificial eye!
"Ahhhhhhh!!!"
The rusty nail embedded itself in his eye, causing him to scream in agony as blood gushed out. He clutched his eyes, wailing in pain.
Seeing his sneak attack succeed, Xue Jing pressed the advantage, repeatedly pounding the man's injured eye.
"Bang, bang, bang, bang…"
With each punch, the nail sank deeper into the man's head.
"You fucking bitch I'll kill you!!"
The man roared, enduring the pain, and opened his other eye. Regaining vision, he shoved Xue Jing away, interrupting his assault.
He then kicked out at Xue Jing, who blocked the blow with his arms but was sent flying several meters back, crashing into the wall and leaving a human-shaped dent.
"…"
Though he'd defended himself with all his strength, Xue Jing felt pain radiate through his arms, and his chest aching.
"What a strong force."
Xue Jing grabbed a handful of rubble from the broken wall, hurling it at the man.
"Crackle…"
The stones, nearly as effective as bullets, had no impact other than causing the man to shield his face.
"I'm going to tear you in half, you little shit!" the man roared.
He hadn't expected to face such difficulty in a rural area like Outer Ring City or to suffer such a setback at the hands of a kid rated just above level 2.
"Low-class mutt, you're just thick-skinned," Xue Jing taunted.
He glanced at his panel. The new divine skill was growing brighter.
The man, incensed by the taunt, charged forward like a bull.
Xue Jing sidestepped the charge with his speed as the man smashed through another wall.
'Damn it!'
The man felt an urge to spit blood in frustration.
If the ISE hadn't been blocked by security checks and prohibited in the Outer Ring City, he wouldn't be letting this kid run circles around him. The boy would have been dead long ago!
As Xue Jing sidestepped, he focused and launched a kick at the man's chin.
It was a perfectly executed move, as instinctive as an antelope's graceful leap.
The combination of Xue Jing's leg strength and the man's charging momentum caused the man's brain to be rattled, leaving him dizzy.
'Shit!'
The man realized too late the danger he was in as the ground opened it's wide arms to meet him. (TN - He fell to the ground after that chin strike)
His body's most valuable asset was its [C5 grade protective membrane], offering excellent protection against blunt physical attacks.
Yet it couldn't shield his chin, a direct hit to the brain's most vulnerable part.
He collapsed, struggling to stand but unable to regain his balance due to the concussion.
Xue Jing narrowed his eyes, picked up a discarded pressure cooker lid from the alley's trash, and approached the man.
"Bang!"
The corner of the pot lid struck the man's head with a loud clang.
"Bang, bang, bang, bang!!"
The pot lid's handle broke under the relentless assault, flying from Xue Jing's grip.
"You... just wait, I'm going to... skin you alive..."
Despite the attack, the man seemed to recover, slowly regaining his balance and rising.
Xue Jing was shocked "What the fuck are you?"
No human should withstand such blows.
At that moment, the panel burst with dazzling golden light.
[Divine power absorption completed]
Below the twins skill, a new divine skill appeared!
[Shadow Flame (not activated): Divine skill, activation requires 539/500 divinity]
[The conditions have been met. Do you want to activate?]
[Yes/No]
Xue Jing hesitated, unsure whether to upgrade the twins first for an active effect or activate the new skill.
But [Shadow Flame] sounded offensive...
After a moment's thought, he clicked [Yes].
[Activation successful]
[Shadow Flame Lv1 (Divinity required for upgrade: 39/100)]
[Effect: Transform shadows into shadow flames with substance]
[Divine Incarnation: Unlocked (Unlocking Condition: Divine 39/2000, Level to be Reached Lv10)]
In the alley, shadows untouched by sunlight swirled toward Xue Jing like a vortex.
SWSHHH——
Black flames began to burn on Xue Jing's body, blooming like dark flowers.
The flames grew, forming a cloak of shadow fire.
The man recovered from his dizziness, his remaining eye widening in terror.
His expression shifted from anger to fear.
"You...!"
He seemed to want to speak but couldn't find the words.
An arm engulfed in black flames grabbed his jaw, lifting him.
The man's pupil shrank, fear paralyzing him.
"He's the recipient of inhuman power..."
'I'm fighting a recipient!'
"Ha, hahaha, haha…"
'I'm dead, I'm done for?'
'Dead...'
"Mind your language when you're talking to me in the next life," Xue Jing said softly.
"Boom!"
Under his control, black flames surged down his arm, pouring into the man's mouth.
The man convulsed, skin swelling, eyes rolling back before he stopped moving.
Black flames leaked from his eyes, nose, and ears, dissipating into the air.
"…"
After looking at the corpse, Xue Jing dropped it, trying to calm the turbulent emotions from taking a life.
The black flames enveloped him, dancing quietly, as if he were the god of the underworld cloaked in death.
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