Chapter 157: Super Soldier

The Ravage Legion came with overwhelming momentum and soon appeared in everyone's view. Numbering over thirty people advancing in unison, they were linked together by blue-and-white electric arcs, creating a magnificent and imposing spectacle.

"John, what do we do?" Zhao Feng, standing at the very front, looked back and asked John with a pale face. Being able to block the previous attack was already the absolute limit of his abilities. "We don't have the capacity to hold off so many people."

"And there's no need for us to do so. The Ravage Legion's target isn't us," reminded Wang Jianming, who carried a large iron sword on his back.

John shook his head and said, "I understand what you mean. We truly have no reason to fight them, but the members of the Ravage Legion might not see it that way. I've heard whispers of what happened last night; the Ravage Legion is definitely here with ill intent."

"Most importantly, our identities must remain hidden. If the Ravage Legion really decides to strike us down, they will do so without any hesitation." This was John's greatest concern. Their identities were highly unusual; very few people in the entire metropolis knew of their existence, and the Ravage Legion was certainly not among them.

True to his worries, even as John spoke, the members of the Ravage Legion made their move. Dressed in state-of-the-art combat suits and marching abreast, their aura was breathtaking.

"Ravage!" Everyone raised their weapons. The next moment, blue-and-white brilliance pierced through their formation, converging into a giant beam of light that surged toward the four of them with a thunderous roar.

"Pressure barrier!" John raised his hand, and an invisible barrier of air pressure materialized before the four of them. As the blue-and-white beam crashed against the barrier, plasma scattered in all directions. John let out a cold snort and swept his right hand aside, deflecting the blue-and-white plasma away so that it pierced right through a mountain by the roadside.

"Let's run," John said with a frown. The Ravage Legion had deployed their strongest lineup, which was simply not something their small group could handle.

"Run? Do you really think you can run?" Just as John's words trailed off, a cold chuckle rang out from behind them. "Facing the ultimate lineup of the Ravage Legion, you still expect to escape? You're underestimating us far too much."

John and the others whipped around abruptly. A few paces behind them, a white-collar man of about thirty had appeared from nowhere.

"Hello, my name is Han Xun, Commander of the Ravage Legion. Pleased to make your acquaintance, and sorry to interrupt."

The commander of the Ravage Legion had taken the field himself—a development no one could have anticipated. At this moment, even John and Xie Liu, who was hiding further back, were somewhat startled.

"I have a few questions I'd like to ask you, and I hope you will answer honestly," Han Xun said with a smile.

"Have you seen the Dead Eyes group?" Han Xun asked with a beaming smile, though not a trace of warmth reached his eyes.

John quickly replied, "We just saw them and even exchanged blows. You must have seen that yourselves; why ask when you already know?"

"Just confirming. Did they head off in that direction?" Han Xun pointed toward the path Xie Liu had taken earlier. John nodded and said, "Yes. They left not long ago; if you go after them now, you might still catch up."

"Very good. You aren't lying." Han Xun's smile grew even warmer. John breathed a slight sigh of relief, sensing that the Ravage Legion might not be keen on fighting after all.

"Oh, by the way!" Han Xun continued. "Whatever last words you have, you'd better say them now. In exchange for you not trying to deceive me, I can help pass your messages along."

"What do you mean?" Before John could speak, Wang Jianming stepped forward in anger. "Don't tell me you still plan to kill us?"

"I never said I'd let you go. Since you've already meddled in this affair, don't even think about getting away clean. Blame it on the fact that I'm in a very bad mood today, which means all of you have to die." Han Xun still wore a smile, but his tone carried not the slightest hint of amusement.

"State your final words." When Han Xun repeated himself, Sakurako finally lost her patience and shouted angrily, "Is your Ravage Legion really this overbearing?"

Han Xun kept his hands in his pockets. Unlike the combatants, he remained dressed in a pristine white suit. He stood casually behind the group, while facing him were over thirty warriors forming the Ravage Legion's premier battle array.

"No, you're mistaken. It's not that our Ravage Legion is overbearing—it's because of our overbearing nature that the Ravage Legion exists in the first place," Han Xun said impassively. Then he raised a hand toward the four people in front of him. "How do you think we earned the name 'Ravage'?"

"For no other reason than that we are stronger, more domineering, and more ruthless!" Han Xun stated blandly, as if discussing something that had nothing to do with him.

Such an overbearing disposition had long since soaked into his very bones. Realizing the gravity of the situation, John said in a low voice, "There's nothing left to say. We must prepare to break through the encirclement. At the very least, if one of us escapes alive to tell the [Princess] everything, I believe the [Princess] will avenge us."

"It's our only option." Zhao Feng clutched his right arm; he had been heavily injured in the previous clash. His gaze then shifted to Sakurako beside him, and at the same moment, John and Wang Jianming also looked at her.

Sakurako was stunned. "What do you mean?" In an instant, she understood. The three boys intended for her to flee while they bought her a chance at survival.

"I won't leave! I'm staying!" Sakurako cried out anxiously. Refusing to give them time, Han Xun waved his hand and commanded, "None of you are leaving. Stay right here. Everyone, attack!"

At Han Xun's order, the thirty-odd figures in the distance advanced as one, shouting in unison, "Ravage!"

With a resounding force, as the thirty people took that single step forward, the ground beneath them churned, erupting alongside their formidable momentum as every single one of them raised their weapon.

"Slash!"

Following a synchronized, piercing shout, the blinding light above the thirty individuals crashed down fiercely, slashing toward John and his companions.

Wang Jianming stepped forward and slammed a palm onto the ground. The immense power instantly tore up the asphalt beneath them, raising a wall made of pavement right before them. "Hurry and run, I'll hold them off!"

The blinding light smashed into the asphalt wall. Instead of exploding immediately, it compressed the entire wall backward. Simultaneously, Zhao Feng reinforced the asphalt wall with a surge of energy, preventing it from shattering completely.

"If this keeps up, we'll all die here," John said, his gaze shifting to Han Xun across from them. "To capture the bandits, capture their leader first. Let's take him down!"

"Agreed!" Zhao Feng was a man of few words, nodding immediately.

"Wang Jianming, how long can you hold out?" John asked the burly man behind him as he secured George's ashes tightly to his chest. Wang Jianming was currently propping up the crumbling asphalt wall.

"Three minutes at most," Wang Jianming gritted out. John nodded. "That's enough. Zhao Feng, come with me and take this bastard down."

Zhao Feng nodded. After leaving a trace of energy on the asphalt wall behind him, he shifted his focus to Han Xun.

"Oh? My target is me?" Han Xun showed no fear at all; instead, he laughed. "How interesting. I suppose I can play with you for a bit."

"Attack!" At John's command, Zhao Feng made the first move. The sword at his waist emitted a crisp ring; once unholstered, it slashed toward Han Xun.

John raised his right hand, splayed his five fingers, and roared at Han Xun, "Air bullet!"

Countless bullets condensed from compressed air hurtled rapidly toward Han Xun.

"Insignificant parlor tricks," Han Xun sneered. He raised his right hand, and the surrounding fallen trees were pulled by some unknown force to form a shield right in front of him.

*Thud, thud, thud...* The powerful air bullets struck the dense tree trunks, sending splinters flying everywhere, but failed to pierce through the defense.

"Is that all you've got? A bit disappointing," Han Xun sighed. "You haven't even reached Level Nine, yet you want to fight me? Get lost!"

Han Xun waved his hand, and the wreckage of a camper van lying nearby shot forward, crashing directly toward John. Turning his head to see the oncoming vehicle, John remained calm. He raised his hand toward the front, shouting, "Pressure barrier!"

*Boom!* With a deafening crash, the camper wreckage shattered into countless pieces right in front of John. No one could see exactly what had happened; they only saw the pulverized debris scattering in all directions.

John's face paled by another shade. Though he had blocked the attack, he now fully grasped the strength of the man before him.

Level Nine. At least a Level Nine powerhouse. Moreover, judging by the force behind that attack, this person was a standout even among Level Nine powerhouses.

"Be careful, he's a Level Nine expert!" John shouted to Zhao Feng, who was charging forward. Zhao Feng hesitated only slightly before continuing his charge with his blade raised.

"Didn't you know? Every single legion commander is a peak Level Nine expert. Only those of us in this tier are qualified to sit in these positions," Han Xun said smugly. He certainly had the capital to be arrogant; there were distinctions of strength even among Level Nine experts, and he belonged to the absolute elite tier of Level Nine, with a superpower reaction rating exceeding nine hundred.

As for Level Ten, he was merely separated from it by a single step.

"The strongest among you is probably only Level Eight. Such strength might make you impressive elsewhere, but in my eyes, you're not even worth looking at."

Han Xun spoke as he spread his arms. The ground before him ruptured, and countless rocks and pieces of earth flew up, coalescing into a solid wall right in front of him to block Zhao Feng's attack.

"Hmph!" Zhao Feng uttered a rare word, letting out a cold grunt. Pressing his left hand against the hilt, the gleaming sword in his grasp twisted slightly in the void. Suddenly, countless sword blades seemingly condensed from pure energy shuttled through the empty space, crisscrossing and flashing right through the wall before him.

"Slash!" Zhao Feng gave a sharp cry. In an instant, the barrier in front of them fractured completely, shattering into dozens of pieces.

"Not bad!" Though surprised, Han Xun was far from frightened. Seeing Zhao Feng charging out from the midst of the shattered rubble with a grim expression, Han Xun lightly raised his hand and flicked his fingers.

"It seems you still haven't grasped the gap between yourselves and a true powerhouse!" Watching Zhao Feng charge at him, Han Xun pointed his finger directly at him.

"Fall down!"

*Boom!* With a thunderous sound, Zhao Feng was slammed flat onto the ground without warning, causing the earth beneath him to shatter apart.

"You!" The sudden, crushing pressure caught Zhao Feng off guard. Struggling fiercely to push himself back up, his entire body radiated with light, yet every movement he made looked agonizingly difficult.

"The commanders of our joint legions are not only peak Level Nine powerhouses, but we are also veterans forged through blood and fire, which is how we earned our positions today."

Han Xun pressed his right hand casually against empty air, yet Zhao Feng felt as though an entire mountain had been piled upon his back.

"It hurts, doesn't it? You want to struggle, but you feel completely powerless, right?" Han Xun mocked as he questioned him. "Experience it for yourself—this is the true strength of the metropolis's premier fighters. We are the ultimate warriors, the super-soldiers!"

Gritting his teeth, Zhao Feng tried to push himself up once more. At that moment, John let out a furious roar and pointed a hand toward Han Xun.

"Extreme air burst!" At his cry, the air in front of Han Xun produced a tremendous sonic boom. The atmospheric pressure across the entire space felt as though it had detonated, and a violent shockwave hurtled toward Han Xun standing at the front.

"Useless!" Han Xun did not budge an inch. He simply raised his hand slightly and clenched his fist in mid-air.

Instantly, all the explosive force vanished into thin air.

"This! Impossible!" John's eyes widened in sheer disbelief. "You actually... actually compressed the air back in! That's impossible!"

"Nothing is impossible," Han Xun waved his hand. Zhao Feng, pinned to the ground, was swatted away like a piece of trash, slamming heavily into the guardrail and coughing up a mouthful of blood.

"My ability is psychokinesis. I can generate various forces using my mind. Telekinesis and pulling things from afar is simply too easy for me."

Han Xun crooked his finger at John, who floated up into the air without warning. Watching John spin back and forth in mid-air while playing with his fingers in amusement, Han Xun continued, "My superpower rating is nine hundred and eighty-five. Even among legion commanders, I am a top-ten powerhouse. What is your superpower rating? Three hundred?"

Gritting his teeth, John stared fixedly at the man before him with a look of bitter resentment. Yet, this man was simply too formidable; John possessed no ability to fight back whatsoever.

Just as the man had claimed, he was a super-soldier—one of the absolute strongest fighters in the metropolis.

"Damn it..." John forced a few fragments of words through trembling lips. "Sakurako, run!"

"Run? Do you really think you can run?" Han Xun withdrew his gaze from John, turned his attention to the remaining few who were still desperately holding out, and let out a faint, cold smile.