Joe’s fierce, unrelenting barrage suddenly hit a wall, and his blows landed like fists striking water, dissipating without power. It was as if he had been hammering the surface of a still lake, all force absorbed and neutralized.
“Impressive… using softness to counter brute force. But Andrew, you’re still nowhere near good enough to impress me!” Joe shouted, eyes sharp with disdain.
With a fierce roar, he opened both arms wide and slammed them down with explosive force.
Andrew dodged just in time, but the steel post on the side of the ring shattered under Joe’s blow, crumpling like it had been hit by a wrecking ball.
Gary was the first to cheer. “Hell yeah, Mr. Driscoll! That was insane!”
Liliana clenched her fists tightly as she stared at her prince in shining armor, eyes glued to him without blinking.
Then, she glanced sideways at Andrew and sneered coldly.
“Just wait. Joe will drag you through the dirt until you’re humiliated beyond saving. I warned you, but you refused to listen. Now face the judgment of the Driscoll family’s pride and fury.”
Andrew stepped left twice, and each step sank the reinforced ring two full centimeters into the ground beneath him.
“Mr. Driscoll, you really don’t hold back, huh?”
Joe’s expression shifted as he caught Andrew’s easy smile. His carefree attitude made Joe narrow his eyes.
“Cut the act. I know you deflected every ounce of my force. My energy didn’t even reach you. I’ll admit that you’re indeed worthy of a real fight. But Andrew, the gap between us is still far too wide to cross.”
As he spoke coldly, Joe suddenly planted his feet firmly, his entire body going eerily still.
Andrew’s eyes sharpened, his stance coiling with silent tension as the light in his gaze turned darker and more focused.
Down below, Shiloh finally looked mildly interested. “Now we’re talking. These two are finally about to stop fooling around.”
From the shadows in the upper bleachers, Walter murmured, “Andrew, you should be honored to witness Mr. Driscoll unleash his true killing move. You can now die without regrets.”
A sudden shift stirred the air around the 15-foot radius of the platform.
A powerful aura burst from Joe’s body, invisible yet forceful, like flames radiating from him in waves.
Even Andrew had to nod slightly. Joe really was a natural-born warrior, someone fate clearly favored. Once a martial artist entered the martial king realm, they had a slim chance to cultivate what was known as an external energy shield, an aura dense enough to serve as armor.
However, to manifest that aura visibly? That was a rarity among even the elite.
In fact, out of every hundred martial kings, maybe one would achieve it.
Take Tiana, for example. She had recently stepped into the realm of martial king. However, unless she received external aid or stumbled across a powerful opportunity, she would likely never develop the outward aura Joe had just displayed.
At best, she was a solid mid-tier martial king.
Even the monstrous fighters Andrew had faced before, such as Grand Viper or even Stanley, who was practically knocking on the door of martial saint, had never shown this kind of aura.
That alone proved just how terrifyingly real Joe’s title of ‘prodigy‘ truly was.
“Andrew,” Joe said arrogantly, his tone freezing cold, “either you concede now, or I’ll leave you broken… maybe even dead.”
He hissed, “I’ll give you a choice. Step down and walk away. Honestly, I don’t want to kill you, especially not while Lauren is here watching.”
Andrew chuckled. “Mr. Driscoll, bring it on. If you have the strength to kill me, then do it. And here’s my message: come at me with everything you’ve got. If you can’t make me bleed by the end of this, I’ll be disappointed in you!” Joe’s face remained unreadable, but his heart boiled with rage. He could not stand the mockery or the disrespect.
As someone born at the very top, a golden child of legacy and talent, he should not have been riled up by someone so far beneath him.
Yet, right now, Joe could not take it.
Andrew was getting way too cocky, and he had no idea what kind of opponent he was actually dealing with.