Cough cough. Cough cough.
Bruno coughed out thick blood clots, his golden eyes bloodshot, glaring at him fiercely.
"Now, do you understand?" Damon sneered, loosening his grip slightly, and said coldly, "Your bloodline is too thin. If it weren't for Lord Albert's Blood Link, you probably would never have awakened. But you have high-level dragon blood in you, so... tell me, where is Caesar?"
So that's how it is. Bruno smiled bitterly, feeling an indescribable sense of sorrow inside.
He had lived for over twenty years, surviving by stealing, living like a rat in the filthy sewers, so lowly.
But in the end, just as he was about to die, someone told him that his body carried the great blood of dragons. It was like a cruel joke.
"I... I've seen Caesar."
Bruno weakly spoke.
"Good. Where is he?"
Damon's lips curled into a slight grin as he looked down on him with a commanding gaze.
Bruno's lips trembled, but his voice was too soft to make out, making Damon frown. He instinctively bent closer to listen. "What are you saying? Speak louder!"
"I... I said..." Bruno suddenly widened his eyes, like a dying flash of light, gathering his last bit of strength. He broke free from Damon's control, his golden pupils burning like fierce flames as he threw a punch right at his face. "I said... go to hell!"
Boom!
The punch landed squarely on Damon's face.
Even though Damon had a high concentration of bloodline power, he couldn't react in time to Bruno's sudden counterattack. He stumbled backward, a molar flying out of his mouth.
Even though Bruno's bloodline concentration is low, when he goes all out, the power behind his punch is still not to be underestimated.
Damon was knocked back, his vision blurred with stars, falling to the ground in a sorry state.
"Haha, did you really think you could buy me off just because I'm a thug?"
Bruno wobbled, leaning against the wall as he got back up. A mocking, cold smile appeared on his face. "Let me tell you, I'm Bruno Frigo. Yes, I'm a thug. I can steal, I can scam, and I can be the rat in the sewers in your eyes, the big shots!"
"But Bruno Frigo has a dream!"
He took a deep breath, straightened his back, clenched his fist, and hit his chest with a dull thud. His voice was steady and firm, each word full of conviction. "That dream is to become a real man. I will never betray my friends!"
"You're asking to die!"
Damon was completely enraged, his fiery golden eyes almost seemed to have a giant dragon roaring with flames in them.
"Hahahahaha, Damon, need help?" The two companions behind him couldn't help but burst into laughter, mocking him. "How about you step back? We can help you out?"
"Shut up! Dean, Sackrey!"
Damon wiped the blood dripping from his mouth, his voice cold. "He's mine. No one touches him!"
In his blazing golden eyes, cruel and savage emotions flashed. He stepped forward, slowly closing the distance with Bruno, who staggered as if he might fall any second. A cruel smile formed at the corner of his lips.
"I'll make you fully understand the gap between you and me... in the world of dragons. The difference in bloodline... how huge it really is!"
Crack!
The hard stone-paved ground cracked under his feet.
It felt like a gust of cold wind mixed with killing intent rushed towards Bruno. Before he could react, there was a blur, and then his body was sent flying by a single strike.
The force was as powerful as a cannonball hitting him. Bruno coughed out blood, his body flying through the air like a ragdoll, crashing hard to the ground.
But Damon clearly wasn't about to let him off so easily. He bent down, dashed forward, and stomped down with force.
"I'll show you what bloodline means in the world of dragons. How dare you, filthy scum, hurt me?!"
Boom!
Bruno's head was crushed into the hard stone by a kick.
Then, Damon, with a fist full of anger, began pounding him with punches, one after another, like a torrential rain.
Each punch was deliberately aimed at the most painful spots, avoiding vital areas, to cause immense pain without killing him.
Damon wanted to break every bone in this damn thug's body, making him experience extreme pain repeatedly before he died.
Blood flowed like a river, and Bruno's vision was filled with a sea of red.
The fists, falling like a storm, shattered his bones, and intense pain flooded every nerve in his body.
Damon roared in fury, still unsatisfied. He grabbed Bruno by the hair and lifted him up, coldly saying, "Now, do you understand? In the world of Hybrids, the difference in bloodlines is often greater than you think. Do you, a filthy rat like you, think you can win against me?"
Thick blood dripped from Bruno's mouth as he barely opened his eyes. Looking at Damon's ferocious face, he suddenly sneered, "Are you in a hurry?"
"Damn it!"
Damon's rage flared, his pupils blood-red. He clenched his fist and unleashed it into Bruno's face.
The powerful blow contained all of Damon's strength, shattering Bruno's facial bones. Blood exploded from his nostrils and mouth, and stars danced in his eyes.
He didn't know how long the beating lasted, but when Damon finally grew winded, he threw the barely recognizable, bloodied Bruno to the ground.
Spitting out a mouthful of saliva, he coldly said, "What is this thing? A rat in the gutter. If it weren't for this matter, you'd never even deserve to see me."
He took off his bloodstained suit and casually threw it on the ground, then walked over to his companions, who had been watching.
However, at that moment, Damon suddenly felt a pricking sensation on his back, a terrifying pressure coming from behind. His body tensed, and his hair stood on end.
"Damon, watch your back!"
His companions shouted, and although Damon was a noble, he had strong battle instincts. He immediately turned around to defend himself.
Boom!
A fist, heavy as a thousand pounds, slammed into Damon's arms.
The powerful force sent him flying more than ten meters, his feet carving blackened marks on the ground. His arms felt as though they had been hit by a sledgehammer, the pain in his bones so intense it felt as if they were cracking.
Damon's eyes widened as he stared hard at the figure: "No, no way! With such serious injuries, there's no way you can stand up again!"
The one who attacked him was none other than Bruno, who had been barely alive just moments ago, like a pile of mud.
But now, Bruno was like a beast. His golden eyes were filled with a brutal rage, and his body radiated visible black aura, like a demon crawling out from the underworld.
"This... Is this Ghost Victory?!"
Damon squinted his eyes, quickly analyzing the situation with the little information available: "I see, so you awakened the Word Soul at the moment of near death?"
The effect of the Ghost Victory's Word Soul could only apply to the user, commanding their body to forget pain, allowing them to exert maximum strength.
During the activation of the Word Soul, the body's self-defense mechanisms were shut down, unlocking genetic locks deep in the brain, enabling the user to fight without regard for their life.
It also accelerated cell division, speeding up wound healing. But once the Word Soul expired, the user would face even greater injuries and pain.
"Weren't you being so arrogant earlier?"
Bruno grinned, his bloodied teeth looking like a terrifying demon: "Now, I want to see... who's stronger!"
With a roar, he lunged forward, the air almost smelling of blood, throwing punches wildly, not caring about form.
Though he had no formal training and didn't know how to attack properly, under the enormous boost from Ghost Victory, his punches were heavy and powerful, causing the air to vibrate sharply.
Damon had no choice but to raise his arms in defense, being pushed back several steps from the punch. His internal blood and energy surged.
But Bruno's speed increased instead of slowing down. Like a raging tiger, he charged forward, fists flying with reckless abandon, throwing wild punches like a madman.
"You!"
Damon's face showed shock and anger.
He never imagined that a small-time thug, who had awakened a Word Soul just before death, would force him to keep retreating.
"Damon, need some help?" The other two, seeing the situation, not only didn't intend to help, but even mocked him from the side.
"No need!"
Damon spat back fiercely.
At that moment, covered in blood, Bruno stepped forward, crushing the hard bricks beneath him. His frail body whipped up a fierce wind, and like a mountain crashing down, he threw a punch at Damon.
Bang!
Damon was knocked back a few steps, his face turning bright red, his arms trembling uncontrollably.
Just as Bruno was about to charge forward again, Damon suddenly drew the pistol from his waist, sneering as he pulled the trigger.
Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!
The Desert Eagle's black barrel spat out scorching flames.
The large caliber bullets, carrying immense kinetic energy, pierced through Bruno's heart, lungs, neck, and skull, splattering blood all over the ground.
"Hmph, ignorant little punk."
Damon sneered, blowing the smoke off the barrel, his eyes filled with mockery. "Even if your Word Soul is powerful, what difference does it make?"
Thud!
Bruno fell onto his back, blood pouring out uncontrollably.
His empty eyes stared at the narrow slice of blue sky blocked by the slums' alley, and his lips slowly curled into a smile. "Caesar… Sorry… I guess... I can't keep my promise... But at least... I... should be considered a man, right?"
He didn't know whether, at this moment, he could truly call himself a man.
But at least… he had no regrets!
********
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