Another jumper lunged.
He stepped back and twisted, letting it miss his face by inches.
The claws ca again, but he raised his blade and caught the strike along the flat of the sword.
clang!
tal rang, arms jolted from the impact. Before he could reset, one more ca at him from the side.
Luck turn low, blade slicing across its knees. Not enough to kill, but enough to drop it.
Three more jumped over the wall, landing near him.
A fourth ca from from one of the buildings—lower body crushed, dragging itself forward by clawing at the ground.
A crawler.
The zombie closest to him ca swinging his claws.
Luck raised his sword, deflecting one claw, then twisted to catch the next—sharp, clean blocks one after another..
clang!
clang!
clang!
’Shit, this is harder than I thought,’
His limbs moved slower under the weight, exactly how he wanted it.
’Still not enough.’
He stuck to basic moves—slashes, deflections, footwork that avoided the worst of each hit but allowed pressure to build.
If he used anything advanced, it’d end too fast.
More jumpers sward in, six now.
Things got rough. So of the survivors stepped forward to help, but Kana held out a hand and kept them back.
Kana understood what Luck was after. He was pushing for a breakthrough, using a real fight to forge himself under pressure.
The thod wasn’t unheard of—plenty in the Association had done similar things.
But this was riskier. One wrong move could get him killed.
She was worried. Of course she was. But she chose to trust him.
clang!
Another clash rang out as Luck deflected a blow and cut down a Jumper in one slice.
His eyes burned with focus, and heat rolled off his body—steam rising from his skin as the strain pushed him past his limits.
Kana narrowed her eyes. For so reason, Luck was using far more Ki than usual.
Even if he was holding back or deliberately slowing himself down, this shouldn’t be happening.
She didn’t realize the heavy gear he wore was draining so much energy—just to keep him moving at a normal pace.
Pain rolled through his abdon, a deep heat spreading under his skin like fire.
Every breath was harder, every muscle tighter.
His vision blurred at the edges, and the world tilted—close to slipping away.
The danger grew with every second, but stopping now would waste everything he pushed through.
’Almost there. Just need to hold on a little longer.’
The crawler finally struck—faster and more dangerous than any he had faced before. It caught him off guard.
’Fuck!’
But it was too late. He found himself staring at claws closing in on his neck.
Then, like a switch flipped, the world drained of color—everything faded except the claw inches from his eye.
"YOU DARE!" he growled through clenched teeth.
BOOOM!
His body erupted with a final surge of power, slowing the attack just long enough for him to dodge.
In the sa motion, he swung his sword—and the zombie’s head rolled free.
It was a perfect counter—one that should have made him proud.
But instead, anger burned inside him. He was forced to use a Ki technique at the last second.
With a sigh, he decided to lower the weights and finished off the remaining enemy.
’I failed...’
Back at the motel, Kana slipped behind him and wrapped her arms around his waist, sensing his sour mood.
She held him close for a mont, then pulled back just enough to look at his face.
"What’s wrong?" she asked softly.
Luck stayed quiet, staring at the floor. He didn’t want to talk about it.
"Co on. You’re not fooling . Sothing’s eating at you."
He sighed, running a hand through his hair. Finally, he gave in.
"I need to break through. To get stronger."
Kana nodded, waiting.
"But to do that, I have to push myself into a real life-or-death mont. Sothing that makes my body and mind scream. That kind of pressure..."
He paused, swallowing hard.
"I thought I’d done enough—but my mind and body knew I was still holding back. It just didn’t feel real."
She sighed deeply, understanding his struggle. He was a genius among geniuses, and because of that, things ca too easily for him.
Right now, no one in the world could truly challenge him.
"Number one..." she murmured, the words slipping out without thinking.
"What about him?" he inquired.
"You said your problem is that you hold back on purpose, right? But what if you faced an opponent where you had to give it everything—and still ended up in a tough spot?"
Luck lifted his head. It was a solid idea, but he wondered if One was really strong enough to be a real threat.
After mastering the first stage of the Demonic Giant Body, his destructive power soared to a new level, and his unrestricted speed grew faster than ever.
No matter how much he thought about it, he couldn’t imagine losing.
Kana watched him and sighed.
"One is really strong, you know. My grandparents said he’s not just talented. His body is unique too. He can store more Ki and make it flow faster. Not even the other rankers know this secret."
She looked into his eyes. "I know you’re confident you’ll win—but don’t get complacent with him."
"Okay," he nodded
Leaning in, she kissed him deeply, her hands pressing gently against his chest as she pushed him back onto the bed.
"Let’s just enjoy the night," she whispered against his lips. "It’ll help you calm down."
He couldn’t refuse—not after she started nibbling on his ear, her breath warm against his skin.
Giving in, he wrapped his arms around her waist and began trailing slow licks along her neck.
"That tickles," she giggled. "But don’t stop."
Her fingers tangled in his hair, pulling him closer as warmth spread between them.
Tonight, there would be no more talk of battles—just the two of them, enjoying each other’s bodies to the fullest.
.
.
.
Around 1:30 a.m., Luck quietly slipped out of bed, leaving Kana sleeping soundly.
Outside, the place was pitch black because no one dared to use lights.
But that was fine. Luck could see just fine in the dark.
He took a deep breath, moved into position, and hid in a shadowed corner near the eting point.
A few minutes later, Shane appeared, heading toward the sa spot shown in the CCTV footage.
’Oh, look at you—getting all excited,’ Luck muttered under his breath. ’Can’t believe you’re so horny you actually went after your best friend’s wife. Soone clearly skipped the part about the bro code.’
Not long after, Lor arrived.
"Yeah... nothing screams loyalty like a midnight et-up in secret. Real ’model wife’ behavior," he muttered.
’Well... technically, I’m the one who pushed her to co here.’
’Still, judging by what happened last ti, she probably would’ve t him either way.’
’Once a cheater, always a cheater.’
Right away, Shane pulled her into a tight hug—like he truly loved her.
She didn’t resist. Let him touch her, pull her close like a man starving for touch.
Then she leaned in and whispered sothing in his ear.
Whatever she said worked—Shane’s deanor changed.
He grabbed her roughly, pushing her to the ground, tearing at her clothes like they were acting out so twisted fantasy.
Then ca the cry.
"Help!"
Shane panicked and clamped a hand over her mouth.
But it was already too late.
Luck stepped out of the shadows. And he wasn’t alone.
That single shout, brief as it was, had already drawn the attention of the tower watcher.
"Tsk, tsk... what do we have here?" Luck’s eyes narrowed.
"If I’m not mistaken, that’s Rick’s wife. So tell —why the hell are you naked, and her clothes ripped?"
Shane opened his mouth to explain—but Lor broke down first.
"Please help ," she sobbed, her voice cracking. "I told him to stop, but he forced down and..."
She couldn’t even finish the sentence.
A crowd began to gather, drawn by the noise—among them, Rick and his son.
Rick’s eyes locked onto Lor—her torn clothes, her shaking naked body.
Sothing inside him snapped.
He charged forward and slamd a kick straight into Shane’s chest, knocking him to the ground.
"Bastard! I trusted you!" Rick wasn’t done.
He grabbed him by the collar and landed another punch—hard, straight to the face.
"You were like a brother to !"
Another punch. This ti to the ribs. Shane curled in, gasping.
Rick’s fists shook, but he didn’t stop.
"You were my best friend for two decades And this is what you do to my family?"
It took two people from the crowd to finally pull Rick off him.
Shane lay on the ground, blood dripping from his nose, lip split open.
"I didn’t forced her. We are in a relationship. We love each other!" Shane forced a reply,
"Is he telling the truth?" Rick turned to his wife.
"He’s lying," she quickly denied it, tears still streaming down her face. "He threatened—that he will say we were having an affair, even if it isn’t true,"
"He said even if you don’t believe it, the damage would be done... that it would ruin our relationship.
She started sobbing more. "I didn’t want our family to fall apart after you ca back. That’s why I wanted to et him—to tell him to stop. But he still forced ."
Most people watching felt sympathetic for her.
Except Luck. He had to hold back a laugh.
’Wow, she really knows how to play the victim. Is that so kind of built-in talent won have?’
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