"It seems you're having trouble, Miss."
The voice of the fat man was low and heavy, like a boulder being scraped across steel. He didn't look at Haoran with any strong emotion; his gaze was flat, cold, as if weighing a piece of merchandise.
Miss Li wiped the thin trickle of blood from the corner of her mouth as she stepped down. "Don't interfere if all you're going to be is a burden."
The man didn't answer. His chain moved slowly in his hand. The black iron ball, once as big as a car tire, hung low, nearly touching the ground. Yet the air around him felt different—dense, as if the space itself were being compressed.
Haoran stood several meters away from them, his shoulder still bearing a thin tear from the previous sonic wave. He observed both of them without haste.
In the distance, the golden book Yan Shuo was riding floated upward slowly, moving away from the cracked street below, providing a safe vantage point from above. Yan Shuo held his breath, eyes wide and unblinking.
Haoran glanced briefly at the flying book, confirming he was at a safe distance. Then he refocused.
The fat man swung his chain lightly.
The ground in front of Haoran suddenly sank.
Not from impact, but because the weight increased drastically at a single point. Cracks radiated outward, as if a new center of gravity had been created.
Haoran vanished for a fraction of a second before the pressure squeezed his body.
He appeared to the left of the fat man and struck his ribs with a short elbow.
DENT.
The large body was pushed back half a step, but not thrown off balance. The elbow felt as though it had hit a wall rooted deep in the ground. The surface of the man's coat vibrated, absorbing some of the force.
The fat man twisted his body and touched Haoran's arm with the back of his hand.
A wave of weight coursed through him.
Haoran's arm immediately felt like molten steel forced to move. His muscles tensed, joints groaned.
He didn't resist. He repositioned.
In a flash, he appeared three meters behind Miss Li.
Miss Li was ready. Her palms opened, firing a dense sonic wave like a drill projectile.
WUSH!
Haoran tilted his body, letting the wave pass by his side. But this time he didn't completely evade. The tip of the pressure brushed his shoulder, enough to push him back half a meter.
He calculated.
Miss Li fired again, her left hand following. The second wave crossed the first, creating a crisscross pattern that cut through the space.
Haoran jumped into the air—not teleporting, but propelled by his legs—letting the two waves collide beneath him.
BOOM!
The explosion of pressure shattered the asphalt.
The fat man moved into the gap created, stepping directly under Haoran. He didn't rush, but each step made the ground tremble. With each footfall, the surface cracked deeper, as if his body weight shifted every second.
Haoran appeared directly above his head and struck down with a straight punch. His shadow blocked the light from above.
The fat man raised his left hand.
The air around Haoran suddenly felt heavier.
His body was pulled down faster than planned. The punch, meant to hit the face, instead landed on the opponent's shoulder. Haoran pushed himself away before the pressure could increase further.
He landed with one knee touching the ground.
Miss Li gave no room. She dashed from the side, both hands joined, releasing a focused sonic wave far denser than before.
Haoran stood directly in its path.
Yan Shuo atop the book held his breath.
At the last moment, Haoran vanished.
The wave struck the fat man from the side.
BOOM!
The air split. The large body was pushed half a meter, the chain creaking loudly. The iron ball at its end shrank drastically then expanded again, as if trying to stabilize something unseen.
Miss Li clicked her tongue in frustration. "Don't get in the way."
The fat man didn't turn. He drove the iron ball into the ground.
The asphalt around him sank instantly, forming a wide basin. The weight at its center surged dramatically, creating a zone that pressed down on everything within its radius.
Haoran appeared at the edge of the zone.
He didn't enter immediately.
Instead, he picked up a large piece of concrete at his feet and threw it at the fat man.
The shard entered the heavy zone.
In an instant, its speed changed. The object fell vertically, striking the ground before reaching its target.
Haoran squinted.
Miss Li attacked again from behind.
A series of thin, fast sonic waves, almost invisible, swept through the air like transparent blades.
Haoran moved three times in a row—right, left, up—letting the waves only graze his shadow.
He appeared in front of Miss Li.
Without pause, he struck her right wrist.
KRAK!
The TWS in her ears vibrated violently from the sudden impact. The stable frequency wavered briefly.
She countered with a close-range blast from her left palm.
Haoran ducked, letting the pressure pass above his head, then swept at Miss Li's legs.
He leapt with a small sonic boost to avoid her swipe, but Haoran was already in the air above her.
His fist descended.
Miss Li blocked with both hands.
BOOM!
She was knocked down a few meters, hitting the already cracked street.
The fat man lifted his hands from the heavy zone.
The zone vanished instantly.
He moved forward, far faster than his size suggested. When his hand touched the remaining street lamp, the metal bent downward, unable to support its own weight.
He grabbed a piece of steel and hurled it at Haoran.
Haoran didn't dodge.
He appeared directly behind the fat man.
The thrown steel entered an empty zone and struck Miss Li, who had just gotten up.
She shattered it with a sonic wave, but fragments scattered.
Haoran picked up the sharp shards and threw them back low toward the fat man's feet.
He stepped on the shards.
The ground cracked deeply beneath him. The steel seemed to increase in weight several times.
However, the cracks also weakened his footing for a fraction of a second.
Haoran didn't miss the moment.
He appeared directly in front of the fat man's face and struck his jaw with a compressed straight punch.
DENTUM!
The head lifted. For the first time, his massive body was truly pushed back.
Miss Li attacked again from a distance, trying to trap Haoran between two angles.
Haoran didn't retreat.
He moved toward the fat man again.
Miss Li's sonic wave flew along the same path.
Haoran shifted one step to the side at the last moment.
The wave hit the fat man's back.
BOOM!
The large body staggered, trying to stabilize by touching the ground, but Haoran was already on top.
One strike to the nape.
One elbow to the back of the head.
One knee to the chest.
Short, precise attacks, no wasted movements.
The fat man tried to grab Haoran, but every touch only met empty air. Haoran shifted a fraction of a second before contact.
Miss Li screamed in frustration and fired the largest sonic spiral she had unleashed at that Time.
Haoran appeared directly behind her.
He grabbed her shoulder and rotated his body a fraction.
The spiral passed them and struck the fat man again.
This time, the massive body was truly flung, crashing into the remaining building walls and causing them to collapse.
Dust billowed high.
Haoran stood still amid the swirling particles.
Miss Li turned with a tense expression. "Stop playing around!"
Haoran looked at her flatly. "You talk too much."
He moved.
Teleporting repeatedly—front, back, above, side—disorienting Miss Li. Her sonic waves began to lose rhythm; some struck only empty rubble.
Haoran exploited every fraction-of-a-second opening.
One strike to the ribs.
One to the shoulder.
One to the abdomen.
No dramatics, yet each blow disrupted Miss Li's breathing rhythm, breaking the frequency synchronization.
The fat man emerged from the dust, his face smeared with thin blood.
He slapped the ground with both hands.
The heavy pressure returned—this time covering nearly the entire street.
Haoran felt his feet sink half a centimeter.
He smiled faintly.
Instead of fighting the pressure, he moved into the air above the fat man's head—just outside the full radius.
From there, he dropped straight down.
The fat man lifted his face.
Too late.
Haoran struck the top of his head with both hands clasped.
BOOM!
The heavy pressure the man created only amplified the impact on his own body.
The ground beneath him collapsed.
Half of his body sank into the basin.
Haoran landed lightly several meters away.
Miss Li attacked once more, but her movements were slower now.
Haoran appeared beside her and struck the point behind her ear.
The TWS hum cut off.
The sonic wave dissipated.
She collapsed silently.
The fat man tried to rise from the basin.
Haoran walked toward him, stopping directly in front. He smiled and said, "Manipulating mass… it's impressive, but there's someone far better than you at this."
The man raised his hand, attempting to touch Haoran's foot.
Haoran shifted behind him and delivered one last precise strike to the nape.
The massive body went limp; the iron ball at the end of the chain shrank to the size of a fist and lay still.
Silence fell slowly.
Dust settled.
Above, the golden book floated steadily. Yan Shuo looked down with wide eyes, watching Haoran standing alone between two motionless bodies.
Haoran adjusted his cracked glasses on one side. He took a deep breath.
Footsteps sounded from multiple directions.
One.
Two.
Then dozens.
From the destroyed street, from the remaining rooftops, from the dark alleys yet to collapse, figures emerged. Some wielded long blades, some spun chains, some stood empty-handed yet their auras were just as sharp.
They didn't rush.
They slowly formed a circle, closing in.
Haoran watched them without expression.
Above, the golden book floated higher, out of reach. Yan Shuo stood atop it, holding the page edge, observing with a tense face.
Haoran took a step forward, standing in the middle of the cracked street.
"Alright," he said softly, his voice calm among the sound of footsteps and weapons scraping.
The circle tightened.
He put both hands in his pockets, shoulders slightly relaxed despite the thin trickle of blood from his torn coat.
The night air felt heavier—not because of anyone's ability, but because all the murderous intent now focused on a single point.
Haoran raised his gaze, assessing distance, angles, and positions.
The next battle would be different.
For now, he just stood there, surrounded by dozens of opponents who had closed off every escape route.