The moment the expedition team and the king revealed their murderous intent to one another, the Hala Forest came to a standstill. The passing wind, the swaying tree branches, and the shaking grasses all stopped as if they were holding their breath to watch the scene.

“You are not moving.” The king appeared annoyed, but his eyes looked ice cold with the imminent battle on the horizon. “It’s only expected. There’s no way the rest of your body would be able to keep up with that cocky mouth of yours.”

Crackle! While the king was smirking at the expedition team, flames shot up. Seeing the ball of fire burning over Apoline’s palms, the king said in astonishment. “You fool. You think a single hair of mine would be affected by that—me, who came from the sun?”

Uncaring of what he said, Apoline produced another fireball in her other hand and threw it. She didn’t throw them at the king, but at the ground nearby. Boom! With a fiery path of fire and heavy smoke, the dirt on the ground shot up in a flurry. Simultaneously, Ru Amuh and Emmanuel quickly jumped forward. In an instant, Emmanuel checked the king’s sides amid the smoke and dust. He readied his stance and was about to pierce the king with his fleuret when he realized that his form was breaking. Emmanuel’s eyes widened, and he looked down; the king’s fist was in contact with the center of his stomach. ‘When did he?’

“Kuh—!” While thinking this, a pain so strong that he thought his inner organs were bursting came a second later. The king smirked and swung his elbow...