Infinite Fighting

When Zhang Ji reached Kratos’s side, he saw the man had already taken off his helmet and was sitting beside several corpses, smoking a cigar.

The one who seemed to be the leader had been his former nominal disciple, the kind he’d raised since childhood.

You could even call him an adopted son, the same status as Wu Chen.

"Is it over now?" Zhang Ji asked.

Although he hadn’t been here long, his ability to adapt was far beyond his own imagination. He was already used to seeing dead people, to seeing corpses.

"Not yet."

Kratos’s gaze shifted to the distance, where the faint glow of headlights was approaching.

"Should we go?" Zhang Ji asked with a frown.

"No need. He could have come as soon as he got the message, but he’s only arriving now. He’s already given us enough time to deal with the traitors," Kratos said. "So, we need to show him some courtesy. We can’t just run."

Zhang Ji seemed to have a realization. ’It seems the traitor in Kratos’s crew wasn’t able to take the initiative. The other party wasn’t even willing to be ordered around by him.’

’As expected, having your own power is the key to controlling everything!’

Soon, the vehicle drew near, and several figures stepped out.

The man in the lead was in his thirties with short hair and wore an undershirt. His arms were incredibly thick, and he had a tattoo on his left shoulder. It looked like a Guan Yin, but the face was skewed, marred by a scar.

Zhang Ji had heard about this man from Wu Chen.

The boss of Kangcheng District, Hong Kang.

He also had a nickname: Slanted-Face Guan Yin.

In the past, his district and Kui District had a cooperative relationship, with goods flowing between them.

"Kratos!" Hong Kang said with a smile as he walked up to him.

Kratos took a drag from his cigar and said, "You’re the last person I wanted to see."

"I didn’t want to see you either," Hong Kang replied. "I gave you a chance to run, but you insisted on having this fight with me."

"Are you really content being their dog?" Kratos asked.

"You don’t know who ’they’ are. If you did, you wouldn’t even think of resisting," Hong Kang said.

"Who?" Kratos asked.

"The Five Elements Sect!" Hong Kang said softly.

Kratos was silent for a moment, then said, "Impossible."

"It was impossible before, but you seem to have forgotten that over half a year ago, the Five Elements Sect’s chief disciple was exiled to this island," Hong Kang said.

Kratos took a puff of his cigar. "It doesn’t matter if it’s the Five Elements Sect. I’m going to negotiate terms with them. I can’t just leave with my tail between my legs."

In the distance, Wu Chen arrived with his men.

"Then there’s no other way." Hong Kang glanced in the direction of Wu Chen’s group, stretched his arms slightly, and said, "Let’s keep the guns out of it. You’re a martial artist too. Let’s settle this according to the rules of our world!"

"Sounds like I’d be at a disadvantage," Kratos said.

Hong Kang didn’t practice Horizontal Martial Arts Training; his body couldn’t withstand bullets. His strength was purely in his offense.

So if guns were involved, Kratos would have a slight advantage.

"You don’t have many men left," Hong Kang said.

Kratos glanced at Hong Kang and said, "Wait until I finish my cigar."

Hong Kang saw right through Kratos’s intentions.

Kratos was, relatively speaking, a bit more sentimental and didn’t want to see his subordinates die.

Of course, it was also possible that those three words—Five Elements Sect—had given Kratos another idea.

Halfway through the cigar, Wu Chen and his men arrived.

Zhang Ji explained the situation to Wu Chen. Then, the men from both sides retreated, waiting quietly for what was to come.

Soon, Kratos finished his cigar and stepped into the illumination of the car’s headlights.

In the center of the not-so-spacious clearing, Hong Kang and Kratos stood facing each other.

Then, they cupped their fists in a traditional salute.

"Vajra Sect, Zhao Kui."

"Eagle Claw Sect, Hong Kang."

The instant the words left their mouths, they both threw a punch.

As Kratos’s fist shot out, Hong Kang didn’t meet it head-on. Instead, he lifted his palm to parry, pulling his wrist down and letting his deceptively dull-looking claws land on the back of Kratos’s hand.

SCREECH!

It sounded like scraping leather. Three red marks appeared on the back of Kratos’s hand.

But Kratos used the momentum to close the distance, ramming his elbow into Hong Kang’s left arm and sending him staggering back several steps.

One pursued while the other retreated, their hands a blur as they exchanged a flurry of blows.

Zhang Ji watched everything unfold, his mind racing.

’Fighting at the slightest disagreement... this is a common situation in the later stages of the game.’

’Martial artists solve problems with their fists. If you don’t submit, you fight. Strength says it all; the strongest fist rules.’

But this was also a rule that had been passed down in this world since ancient times. Otherwise, it wouldn’t be so widespread.

Zhang Ji’s gaze was intense, unwilling to miss a single detail.

Although he had cultivated a great deal of power, he was sorely lacking in technique. His power was mostly just brute force. It worked well against opponents weaker than him, but against someone like Kratos, whose power was on par with his own, he struggled.

He had sparred with Kratos before and had his attacks neutralized with ease.

THWACK! THWACK! THWACK! THWACK!

The sound of impacts echoed as the two backed up against a wall.

Kratos aimed a kick at Hong Kang, who dodged it. The kick landed squarely on the wall, instantly leaving a footprint in the concrete brick.

Hong Kang swept out with his eagle claw, and Kratos raised an arm to block.

RIIIIP!

With that sound, Kratos’s shirt was instantly torn to shreds, and a chunk of his flesh was ripped away with it.

The battle raged on, and Zhang Ji was beginning to see how it would play out.

Kratos’s moves were powerful and heavy, but his movements were slow, making it difficult for him to land an effective blow on Hong Kang.

Hong Kang, however, was nimble. His attacks were swift and penetrating. Kratos’s "Iron Shirt" technique couldn’t fully defend against them, and he was already at a disadvantage.

’Is he going to lose?’

Zhang Ji frowned slightly. He didn’t want to see that happen.

After all, he had already placed his bet on Kratos.