Legacy of Hatred-Chapter 139: Arm

Liam had emptied his sleeves, condensing everything he had in a single move that could match the might of established poison masters, and it showed.

The smoke unleashed by the thirteen pills was too plentiful even to attempt to remain still for an instant. Dense dark gales immediately formed, taking over the entire basement in no time.

Liam landed on his feet in time to breathe in the poisonous smoke blowing on his face, enjoying the revitalizing sensation it generated, only for it to highlight his poor state.

The first explosion had hit Liam hard. His body was resilient, functioning despite that heavy blow, but he felt sore all over, some discomfort even spreading inside him.

Liam hadn’t come out unscathed from the other blasts, either. He had dodged some, but had partially faced the last three to reach the half-destroyed buildings, and they had hurt.

Then, the kick had threatened to break Liam’s rib cage, and dealing with two of Cecilia’s punches directly had almost cost him his hands, even sending his knife flying away.

Liam was and felt like a mess, but that was the bare minimum when fighting a rooting expert. He had predicted as much after watching his Senior Brothers, and facing one directly confirmed all his calculations.

Despite Liam’s recent improvements in using his Qi, Cecilia remained faster and stronger, and by a lot. Liam could never seize the initiative, being a step behind even when he resorted to traps.

Moreover, Cecilia’s resilience followed that trend. She had shaken off the Poisonous Cloud Pill as if it were normal smoke, her superior Qi granting her innate resistance against lower-ranking products.

However, quantity could compensate for a lack of quality. Cecilia might have shaken off one Cloud Pill, but thirteen of them might have an effect, especially due to the useful location.

There were too few holes in the ceiling to disperse that mass of smoke quickly. The cloud lingered in the basement, applying its widespread effects for far longer than usual, which was exactly what Liam’s strategy entailed.

The problems started now.

Liam’s numb right hand didn’t stop him from reaching for his dislocated thumb, popping it back into place without uttering a single grunt. He had broken his fingers in Krosstoen’s mountain so many times he had lost count, but splinting had to come later.

Cecilia was still alive, her presence occasionally leaking among the smoke. The poison was having some effects since her cloaking technique was failing her.

However, the threat wouldn’t be over until Cecilia was dead, and, even in an environment that heavily favored Liam, he was wary of approaching her.

Truth was, Cecilia was too dangerous. It didn’t seem as if she had used a rank 2 martial art yet, but whatever was behind her punches was powerful enough to defeat Liam’s Seismic Palm.

That was the advantage a rooting expert’s Qi provided. Liam didn’t know by how much he could still close that gap with the mastery he had discovered, but his thoughts explored a different aspect now.

Liam didn’t know if his Seismic Palm would be enough to kill Cecilia due to the sturdiness that her Qi provided.

Luckily, binding a magical item didn’t only imply ownership. Liam had imprinted the wooden knife with his awareness, so he could vaguely guess where it was despite the smoke-filled environment.

After breathing in more of the poison, Liam got on the move, wanting to retrieve the weapon that could deal the finishing blow to his opponent. Yet, Cecilia’s presence suddenly became as clear as day, and a familiar ring reached his ears.

A chunk of the ceiling exploded, creating a new opening where the smoke could flow out. The blast even destabilized the place’s already poor structural integrity, generating a brief collapse.

Debris fell everywhere, but Liam charged through that rain of wood to hurry to his knife, only for another ring to resound, blasting away more of the ceiling.

Liam disregarded the second collapse, too, only to stop in his tracks and half-spin on himself when he sensed Cecilia shooting at him. He couldn’t let her regain the initiative, so he sent his Qi into his rising right palm to perform his martial art.

The sudden move pushed away more of the dispersing smoke, and Cecilia’s charge had the same effect. A chunk of the area opened completely, allowing her punch and Liam’s palm to clash again.

Liam’s right arm snapped up, but his feet remained on the floor now. Cecilia’s punch had lost strength, but she was still in front of him, and her right fist was rising now.

Liam put his left arm on the way, but the punch pushed it to his abdomen and kept unleashing its power, sending him flying until his back violently hit a wall.

The smoke finished dispersing at that point. A vast, joint cavity had opened on the ceiling, letting in more of the red glow while siphoning all the poison away.

Liam left the crack he had dug into the wall and fell to his knees, gasping and coughing. Even that second punch had less strength than before, but Liam felt like puking and fainting. It was a miracle his arm hadn’t broken.

However, Liam wasn’t the only one coughing. Cecilia joined him in that, remaining in her previous position, bent forward and spitting dark smoke whenever she opened her mouth.

That was Liam’s chance to escape, retrieve his knife, or do anything at all, but his body wouldn’t move like he wanted. The best he could muster was leaning back, supporting himself on the broken wall to return on his feet slowly.

In the meantime, Cecilia had straightened herself, too, and her condition wasn’t good, either. Tears ran down her bloodshot, half-closed eyes. Her complexion had paled, and her stance had lost some of her firmness.

"I’ll admit it," Cecilia said in a hoarse voice that highlighted her poor state, coughing more dark smoke. "Junior, you are good, really good."

Yet, poor state or not, Cecilia still walked toward Liam. She was slow but regained a slight modicum of firmness with each step.

"You have great battle sense," Cecilia continued, clearing her throat, "A good head over your shoulders, and a clear knack for alchemy."

Liam almost failed to hear Cecilia’s words, his awareness unstable. He only had the strength to remain on his feet, supporting himself against the wall while watching his opponent reach him.

"But that’s even more reason to eliminate you," Cecilia declared, placing her left hand on Liam’s shoulder, keeping him still while preparing her right fist. "You are just too dangerous to be allowed to grow."

The poison still messed with Cecilia’s circulation technique, but Liam was unresponsive, his head going up and down, fighting against the urge to faint. So, she took her time to summon her Qi, slowly reaching the point where her martial art was ready.

"You know," Cecilia called to break the silence. "If it weren’t for you killing my Junior Brothers, I would have had my rank 2 martial art already, and you wouldn’t have had to struggle like this."

Liam’s head hung down completely now, no longer rising, but that didn’t stop Cecilia’s one-sided talk.

"But Junior, fear not," Cecilia announced. "At higher stages, the Qi can summon more of the dantian’s traits, and I’m sure Joel told you mine. My punch will pretty much feel like metal."

Cecilia was almost ready, and Liam seemed to muster the strength to lift his head one last time to look at her. However, a chill ran down her spine when she saw blood vessels spreading and expanding in his eyes, prompting an instinctive retreat.

The abrupt jump surprised Cecilia herself, but she didn’t question her instincts since something flew at her as soon as she landed. The item was fast, but she could react to it, snorting while waving her left arm to deflect it. 𝒻𝑟𝘦𝘦𝘸ℯ𝒷𝑛𝘰𝓋ℯ𝘭.𝘤𝘰𝘮

Nevertheless, nothing waved. Cecilia performed the gesture with her mind, but her body lacked the limb to carry it out. Somehow, her left arm had disappeared, replaced by a stump that barely stretched past her shoulder and leaked blood nonstop.

Still, Cecilia soon saw her arm again when the flying item slammed into her chest, knocking the air out of her lungs.