'Hold on,'I mumbled to myself.
As I reveled in my overwhelming advantage, a sudden jolt of danger disrupted my enjoyment.
Surge of intense danger sent shivers down my spine, instantly locking up every muscle in my body. My mind kicked into overdrive, racing like a Jet fighter. Time itself seemed to stretch as everything around me slowed to a crawl.
'Where is he?' I muttered to myself, my pupils darting around in very high speed manner in this slowed-down time. I had actually used teleportation, but it was only a millimeter movement, just enough to trigger the slow-motion mode.
I had been closely monitoring Zhang, but he disappeared into thin air, as if he'd never existed. Even my pets, couldn't catch him; he had vanished almost instantly.
Ironically , all my lingering questions were soon answered.
A sudden jolt of wind blast towards my abdomen.
Reacting with all the speed I could muster, I activated a small portion of the Aegis shield around me. However, it wasn't quick enough, even though I had triggered it the moment I realized he had vanished.
BOOOOOOM!
Pain surged through me as a powerful punch landed, shattering my imperfect shield and catching me off guard.
"Fuck!!!" I groaned in pain, activating all my Life-Saving Skills and Serenity Surge in one go.
I was prepared for a fight to the death, but not to bite the dust this quickly. What the hell was that attack?
Did he teleport? Or was he so fast that even my eyes couldn't detect him? It was illogical; even Rei Mei generates some telltale signs of her movements, but I didn't sense anything from him until it was too late.
Intense pain gripped me, and I struggled to regain control of the situation, my mind racing to comprehend the nature of the unexpected strike.
But before I could processed anything —
"Fucker!" I cursed out loud.
He was already on top of my body, which, by the way, was still airborne from being thrown away by his first attack.
His fist closed for a punch, surrounded by golden lightning aura that cloaked his entire body. Even his eyes were glowing in a shimmering shade of gold.
Right now, he resembled an angel of light with that golden effect, while I felt like the devil being punished for my wickedness.
But this time, my Aegis was already activated. Alongside my Telekinesis, a defensive barrier enveloped my entire body as I braced myself for his attack.
BOOOOOOOM!
BOOOOOOOM!
BOOOOOOOM!
This time, I took the upper hand, and he began to go on the defensive.
But how could I waste this opportunity? While I did mention going easy on him, close combat was my old style, so I might as well experiment with some combinations.
Little by little, I began incorporating real boxing skills into my attacks. For any onlookers, it might seem like nothing changed since I was punching at speeds faster than the naked eye could perceive.
But, for the two of us, with our reaction times slowing down our perspective, the battle unfolded in a much longer and more detailed manner.
I must admit he was really strong. If we had fought before my upgrade and getting the girls' skills, he could probably have killed me in one punch.
"A gap," I finally spotted an opening.
Next thing he knew, three invisible punches connected in his abdomen, sending him crashing downward through the air.
BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!
The impact echoed like a meteorite crash as his body collided with the ground. The sheer force of the blow reverberated through the surroundings, leaving a trail of destruction in its wake.
"H—He actually took down Master Zhang?" One of the Cerebrum agents eyes widened with horror.
The shock on their faces revealed that they had banked on him being their ace in the hole. I couldn't blame them; the old me, pre-upgrade, was 100% sure to lost against him.
"That was a good pre-workout," I chuckled, my arrogant voice echoing through the air as I acted cool and composed. Little did they know, that first punch had me contemplating an early retirement from the whole "super-villain" gig.
"I give him 6/10," I added with a sly smile.
They looked at me with a complex expression, their thoughts seemingly tangled in a web of disbelief and fear.
'Hey, why are you looking at me like that? It's not like I just defeated the strongest Gifted,' I thought to myself.
Sure, he was strong, but during our fight, it never occurred to me that he could be the absolute strongest. Maybe he was rank 10?
"It's not over yet," Helena declared with a sarcastic smile playing on her lips. Her face radiated confidence, which I found really annoying.