Chapter 32: Unleashed Power

Not long after the battle began, the bustling market square was utterly transformed, resembling a scene ravaged by a tornado.

With the ordinary citizens having long fled, the abandoned stalls now bore the brunt of the chaos.

Saluk’s movements were broad and sweeping, possessing immense destructive power; any stall caught within his range was inevitably pulverized.

In an instant, vegetables and cuts of meat soared through the air, then scattered across the ground like discarded refuse.

“Why flee?”

“You had the audacity to ambush me, yet lack the courage to face me directly?”

Saluk’s dissatisfaction with their passive stance fueled his relentless assault, his blows landing ceaselessly, just as his taunts poured forth without end.

“This is precisely why I call you humans hypocritical and repulsive,” he sneered.

“You’re adept at underhanded tricks, yet when exposed, you scurry away like rats.”

As the mountain-like figure charged towards him, Bai Chen couldn’t help but feel a tremor in his heart.

A momentary lapse in concentration nearly cost him dearly; he barely dodged Saluk’s fist, only to be sent hurtling backward by the sheer force of the impact with the ground, landing in a tumble of mud.

‘What in the world is he talking about? Aren’t *we* the ones who were ambushed?’

Bai Chen couldn’t be bothered to ascertain the truth of the matter; indeed, it would be a strange endeavor for any sane person to attempt to comprehend the convoluted mind of a demon.

Spitting out a mouthful of muddy water, Bai Chen had barely regained his footing when he saw Saluk charging towards him once more.

Watching the raised fist, Bai Chen realized there would be no evading this attack.

Yet, just before the fist could connect, Su Wanghai, wielding a round shield, suddenly intervened from the side, slamming into Saluk’s arm and knocking it aside.

Caught off guard, Saluk stumbled, his massive frame momentarily unbalanced, a fleeting opportunity that Bai Chen seized upon.

Without a word from Su Wanghai, Bai Chen shot forward, lightning crackling across his palm, coalescing into a spiked war hammer.

Leaping high into the air, Bai Chen brought the hammer down directly onto Saluk’s face.

For the first time, the demon let out a pained groan, its colossal body staggering backward, only to stabilize itself in the next instant and swat at Bai Chen with a backhanded blow.

As the monstrous palm expanded rapidly within his vision, the sheer force of the oncoming gust ruffled the hair on Bai Chen’s forehead.

‘He felt as if he could already see his head spinning three hundred and sixty degrees before flying off his shoulders.’

“Idiot, what are you standing there for?!”

Su Wanghai’s voice pierced his ears, and Bai Chen’s shoulder was violently shoved aside by a powerful thrust, as Su Wanghai, now occupying his spot, raised his round shield.

Bai Chen heard the sickening crunch of bone as the shield, having absorbed the full impact of the blow, pressed against Su Wanghai’s chest, sending him flying backward.

“Hahaha, serves you right!”

Saluk raised a hand, his fingers delving into his mouth as he forcefully dislodged a loose fang, then spat a mouthful of bloody saliva onto the ground.

Kicking the dislodged fang aside, Saluk turned his gaze towards Bai Chen, who remained standing.

To be wounded twice by this human was entirely unexpected; the extent of his abilities had certainly defied Saluk’s predictions.

‘Was it because of the weapon he wielded?’

Saluk’s eyes settled on Bai Chen’s gauntlet, observing the vibrant arcs of electricity dancing across its surface.

A slight threat, perhaps, but not a significant one.

Saluk attributed his injuries purely to Bai Chen’s exceptional luck.

“Now that your only cover is gone, your luck has finally run out.”

Bai Chen lowered his head, offering no response to Saluk’s taunts.

His tightly clenched fists trembled slightly, and the crackling of the electric arcs grew louder.

‘Luck? Bai Chen couldn’t refute it.’

‘Though it grated on him, he had to admit Saluk had a point.’

‘Was his strength truly so lacking?’

While this wasn’t Bai Chen’s first battle, it was the first time he had faced such a dire situation.

He vividly recalled the expressions of those from the Demon Hunter Guild.

“His movements are so clumsy; he’s utterly incomparable to his parents.”

“Is he really their biological son?”

“Shhh, keep your voice down.

At least give that couple some face; let him be an auxiliary member.”

If he possessed no talent, why persist as a demon hunter? Was it merely because his parents were demon hunters themselves?

Bai Chen had pondered this question more than once; he knew better than anyone that he lacked innate talent and had no business on such a battlefield.

Yet, the thought of his parents, and of all those who had suffered at the hands of demons, filled him with an unbearable resolve.

‘All I want is to do something for those who have been harmed.

But I have no power; I let Mo Qiu get hurt, I couldn’t save Su Wanghai, and I can’t even protect my own life.’

‘Are you content with this?’

A voice within him relentlessly questioned Bai Chen, compelling him to provide an answer.

‘How could he possibly be content?!’

A faint click.

Bai Chen heard the sound of something unlocking, then immediately looked up, dangerous arcs of electricity now dancing in his eyes.

Just as Saluk sensed something amiss, a potent aura suddenly erupted from Bai Chen.

From his position, currents of electricity radiated outwards, forming a colossal web of energy.

“You—shut up!”

Bai Chen’s figure moved with the swiftness of lightning, his presence like thunder, and before Saluk could fully register his surprise, a ferocious punch landed squarely on his face.

This blow was far more brutal than his previous attacks; Saluk reeled backward, several teeth dislodged and flying into the unknown.

‘What’s happening? Why has his strength suddenly increased so dramatically?’

Saluk stared at Bai Chen again, his eyes wide with a mixture of astonishment and confusion.

If the Bai Chen of moments ago had been a timid rabbit fleeing from wolves, he had now abruptly transformed into an aggressive lion.

The very aura emanating from him caused Saluk’s fingers to tremble involuntarily.

‘Was he truly afraid? Of this mere demon hunter?’

Saluk’s crimson eyes widened, for he was keenly aware of his own strength, and he never challenged opponents who exuded an overwhelming sense of danger.

Yet, what utterly baffled him was that he now perceived the same inexplicable danger from Bai Chen as he did from those truly monstrous beings.

‘Impossible! He’s just a brat!’

While Saluk seethed with rage towards Bai Chen, Bai Chen’s own state was hardly much better.

Ever since that moment, something seemed to have surged forth within his body, utterly beyond his control.

A single, potent thought resonated in his mind: ‘I desperately want to smash something apart.’

The ground trembled as Saluk launched a charge, his fist flying straight towards him.

Bai Chen saw it, yet he did not dodge.

‘So slow, and so weak in presence.

Why was I ever afraid of such an attack before?’

He raised his own fist and punched straight forward.

When the two fists collided, a burst of air created a whirlwind of dust around them.

Despite the vast disparity in their sizes, neither side yielded, and under the influence of the surging electricity, Saluk even began to feel his strength waning.

Before Saluk could recover from his astonishment, Bai Chen raised his other fist, wreathed in a torrent of lightning, and slammed it directly into the demon’s abdomen.

The unleashed lightning even tore several cracks in the ground; Saluk’s body arched, and he staggered backward, clutching his abdomen before collapsing to his knees.

“Excellent! Well done!”

Mo Qiu, who had been observing the entire battle, couldn’t help but cheer aloud, standing precariously on the slender railing.

“This is the Bai Chen I know—powerful, ruthless, and terrifying!”

Their deep blue hair billowed in the wind as they tilted their head slightly, their star-like eyes narrowed, hands clasped together, fingers intertwined in front of their chest.

They stood on the rusty iron railing on their tiptoes, a posture of such devoutness they resembled a fervent zealot.

The familiar sensation returned, and the profound emotion stirring within them caused their shoulders to tremble.

‘Oh no, their underwear is a little damp.’

They took a deep breath, a glint of tears still lingering in the corners of their eyes.