An explosive display of light burst out of Wong's body. In a short instant, his entire HP bar was depleted.
Wong had been struck by Domon's pinnacle fist art, Beyond the Fist. If even the tiger demon manifestation was unable to endure this art, what more of a low-HP player?
Yet, Wong didn't die. His HP bar stopped at 1 HP, but he might as well have. He was kneeling on the ground. The attack didn't only cause his HP to fall, but it also drained the well of mana within him. He felt extremely fatigued and weak.
The reason he survived was that he had a sacrificial dummy in his inventory. This dummy was destroyed in exchange for him surviving a fatal hit.
He had lost, and he knew it.
"What… What was that fist art…?" Wong asked with a trembling voice.
"Beyond the Fist," Domon answered.
Wong shuddered after hearing the name. He had heard about this martial art before. He thought it was only a myth. After experiencing it himself, he knew now that it was real.
He slammed his fist to the ground. His head was down with shame. He didn't utter anything. He just waited for Domon to deliver that finishing strike. One could only hold one sacrificial dummy in his inventory and he had never bothered to buy an amulet of rebirth. He accepted his fate that he would die and lose everything.
He heard Domon come to his front. He remained still.
"Here," he heard Domon's voice.
"What…?" He looked up, confused about Domon's intention. Did his rival want to toy with him?
He saw a full healing potion in Domon's hand. The full healing potion was a super rare grade consumable that was only usable by players. This potion fully restored a player's HP. It was produced from an alchemist recipe registered to Everlasting Heavenly Legend. Bowler bought that recipe from the Church of Creation.
The potion had a very long cooldown time, though. Its cooldown was twenty-four hours, so one could only drink one such potion in a day.
Wong knew about the potion. World Maker also had it.
"What is the meaning of this?" Wong asked. "I want no pity from you!"
"I don't do this out of pity," Domon replied. "You are a very good martial artist. It has been a long time since I enjoy a fight like this. I will very much like to have a rematch in the future. If you lose all your levels, I will lose that chance. I have no intention to wait for you to level up."
Wong scowled. A rematch? After this humiliating defeat, he didn't have the face to ask for a rematch.
"You have a warrior pride. I understand that," Domon said. "But I'm a martial artist first and a warrior second. All this fight to the death is new to me. In our past world, every time I win, I always hope to see my opponent grow stronger so I can get a better challenge the next time. I have long forgotten that feeling until our fight just now. So, thank you."
Domon put the potion beside Wong and said, "I hope we can see each other again. Not as an enemy who tries to kill one another, but as a rival who pushes one another to greater heights."
Domon then turned around and walked away.
Wong looked at Domon's back. It seemed broader than his.
He gritted his teeth. He took the potion and drank it. His HP bar went back to full. He also felt the energy within him returning. He stood and called, "Wait!"
Domon stopped and looked back. Seeing Wong's refilled HP, he smiled. It was a friendly smile.
Wong forgot what he wanted to say after seeing that smile.
In the end, it was Domon who said something, "Let's spar again some other day."
Wong was still silent, so Domon turned and resumed walking away.
"Hehehe… You are still as pathetic as before, master."
Wong turned to that mocking voice. A draconian came out of the back of a tree.
Domon who was not yet far also stopped and looked back. He was astonished. The tree that the draconian was hiding behind was not that far away from where he and Wong fought. Yet, he didn't sense someone there. This draconian's mana concealment technique was frightening.
"You… that voice… Long…?!" Wong called. He didn't recognize the reptilian face but he recognized the voice.
"Hehe…," Long simply laughed. He didn't bother to hide his contempt.
"You traitorous disciple! I've been searching for you all over. You've finally shown your face. Where did you hide all this time?!"
"Where? Right under your nose. Haha! You don't know how long I've been wanting to come out and point out the absurdity of your attempt to find me. I finally can resist it no more. After seeing you lose so miserably, I just have to show myself."
"What do you mean…?" Wong asked.
"He is in the same guild as you," Domon said from afar. "Use your Inspect."
Wong did and was baffled to find it to be the truth.
"You pathetic old relic. You always said you try to find me, but you never bothered to check the name of your guild members. Of course, how does someone who always looks down on others ever bother to check the thousands of names on the list? Master originally didn't want to let me be an official member of the guild because he didn't want you to find out so soon, but I told him you will never check the members' names. I was right."
"Master… Master knows about this?"
"Know? He is the one who invites me to be his heavenly enforcer. I am the fifth enforcer, hahaha!"
"You…! I will take my revenge today!" Wong shouted.
"Come then! The chance to be able to walk again. That's what Master offered you when he recruited you, didn't he? Too bad I can't make you a cripple again in this world, but I can make you a weak pathetic level-one old bone."
"RAARRGGHH…!!" Wong roared as he charged forward. Being reminded of why he was hunting Long ignited his fury.
His armor and fist weapons reequipped on his body. His intention was now to kill, not to compete on who was a better martial artist. His body muscle bulked again as he used Muscle Tendon Transformation. His armor magically adjusted itself following his body transformation.
Long simply grinned as Wong approached. Long's body also bulked up. He also had the Muscle Tendon Transformation.
Wong's claw shone as he used White Bone Claw. He intended to rip Long apart.
Long's palm multiplied. The image of many eastern dragons appeared. These dragons seemed alive. They came from multiple angles and targeted Wong's weak spots.
"That's…!" Wong was visibly distraught seeing the visual effects. His white bone claws clashed with the dragons. Each clash produced a powerful impact that forced him back.
The movements of the dragons were too complex. One finally sneaked past his claws and was about to land on his chest. Wong used Iron Shirt to block. The dragon seemed to stop from touching his chest, but then the energy it carried exploded. The force of the wave drifted past his iron shirt protection and hit his chest.
*PANG!*
The powerful impact threw Wong back. The damage it produced reduced his already full HP back to half.
Four dragons were still around. They were heading toward Wong to finish the job.
