Chapter 135: Don''t Come Any Closer
Han Ming returned to his residence, his heart unable to calm down for a long time. At the same time, he couldn''t help but feel suspicious about Kuro''s identity. Kuro''s strength seemed to far exceed what he had imagined. To kill a third-tier War Maniac in a single strike—even if it were him, he might barely manage it if the War Maniac were caught off guard. Of course, that would be without using his ultimate trump card, the Water God''s Decree. For now, he had no intention of revealing his true strength. The Water God''s Decree was his final ace, something he would never use unless absolutely necessary. He knew that water mages were often considered a mediocre class. If others were to witness his terrifying freezing magic, it would likely cause quite a stir in the magical world.
As for Kuro, she had casually killed someone she didn''t even know, and it seemed like she had done it effortlessly. "Just how many people has this woman killed?" Han Ming felt a heavy weight in his heart. At the same time, he couldn''t help but feel a deep bitterness. He had just established a romantic relationship with Kuro, and after only a few sweet days, such a huge conflict had arisen. Han Ming, who had been basking in the sweetness of love, now felt immense pain. He had heard that love could hurt, but he never expected it to hit him so hard and so quickly.
Late at night, in a luxurious hotel suite, Kuro sat among a group of men, giggling as she downed glass after glass of strong liquor, yet it all tasted bitterly sour to her. How dare he yell at me! It was just some random person I killed. He actually got angry at me over a stranger. The more Kuro thought about it, the angrier she became, but her laughter grew louder.
"Hey, hey, your boss sure is lucky. I''ve never seen such a beautiful woman in my life. How did he manage to get her?" A greasy, fat-faced man leered at a young man beside him. The young man puffed out his chest proudly and said, "Who do you think our boss Banam is? He''s a dashingly handsome man." While the fat man was asking, his eyes kept drifting toward Kuro''s laughing figure, a greedy glint in his eyes, drool practically dripping from the corner of his mouth. Sensing the fat man''s gaze, Kuro giggled and threw him a flirtatious glance. The fat man''s heart immediately raced with excitement.
"Damn it, I don''t care if Banam''s dad is some powerful figure. I want this girl! No matter the cost, I have to have her." The fat man greedily stared at Kuro''s ample chest, the sight of her snow-white skin making him dizzy with desire, completely disoriented. Kuro giggled again, glancing at the fat man.
Han Ming sat quietly on the rooftop, gazing up at the stars. "Sigh... Maybe I was never meant to have love. How foolish of me. Someone like me, without even a home, how could I think of falling in love? How ridiculous, how utterly ridiculous! Haha!" Han Ming laughed at himself, but it felt like something was stuck in his throat, a bitter taste he couldn''t shake.
The next day, Han Ming had no matches. He spent the entire day holed up at home, desperately absorbing energy from magic crystals, channeling all his grief into motivation, frantically increasing his magical prowess. The small room was now covered in a thick layer of frost, the temperature shockingly low. On the table, a bouquet of white-spotted fallen cherry blossoms that Kuro had bought for Han Ming during the day had now frozen into a beautiful ice sculpture, shimmering brilliantly under the sunlight, radiating a kaleidoscope of colors.
The demon spirit stood quietly in the room. Since her magical power was entirely derived from Han Ming, she wasn''t affected by the extreme cold. "I don''t know what you''re thinking, but I think that woman did nothing wrong. You''re just being ungrateful," the demon spirit said indifferently.
Han Ming shot her a cold glance. "What do you know? You''re not human. We humans are emotional creatures. I admit, I kill, but I need a valid reason to kill!"
The demon spirit shook her head slightly. "You''re something else. You can endure so much. At the royal banquet that day, so many people insulted you, and you just took it. You''re impressive! If it were me, I would''ve torn them to shreds."
Han Ming''s eyes turned cold. "Those people will pay. I have my plans. But I won''t kill them. Does that surprise you?"
The demon spirit looked curious. "Why? Don''t you have a grudge against them? And after how they treated you, isn''t that reason enough to kill them?"
Han Ming shook his head. "These are extraordinary times, and we must act accordingly. Human society needs their strength now. We can teach them a lesson, but there''s no need to kill them. If they refuse to contribute when we face the demon army, I''ll personally deal with those scum."
"I really don''t understand you. Human thinking is so complicated," the demon spirit sighed, turning into a streak of light and disappearing into Han Ming''s body.
On the third day, Han Ming had another match. The massive arena was still packed, the festive atmosphere like a holiday celebration, but it brought Han Ming no joy. For the past half-day, he had been in a daze, his mind filled with images of Kuro''s smiles and their intense argument the other night. He tried hard to push these thoughts away, but they were like relentless insects burrowing into his brain, impossible to shake.
When it was his turn to step into the arena, Han Ming numbly jumped onto the stage, only to be surprised to find that his opponent was a woman—and a rather attractive one at that. He then noticed that a large crowd had gathered below the stage, mostly men.
"Natalie! Go! Natalie, go!" The woman named Natalie was dressed in tight-fitting attire, her long hair tied into a high ponytail, giving her a spirited and eye-catching appearance. But Han Ming had no interest in looking at her.
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"The match begins!" The referee announced.
Han Ming calmly observed Natalie. Her strength was only at the peak of the sixth-tier Great Warrior level. This puzzled Han Ming. How had she managed to make it this far without being eliminated? After all, this tournament gathered experts from three nations, and War Maniac-level fighters were as common as carp in a river. This woman must have some special skills, Han Ming thought, but his gaze suddenly shifted to the stands opposite him. He felt two pairs of eyes watching him.
When he looked, Han Ming nearly choked on his anger. There, in the high stands, Kuro was happily clinging to a man''s arm, smiling sweetly as she looked at him.
"This woman..."
They say that people in love lose all their intelligence, and this was especially true for Han Ming.
Natalie glanced at Han Ming, then at the man and woman in the stands, and seemed to understand something. A faint smile appeared on her lips. She slowly walked up to Han Ming, and when he turned to look at her, she softly said, "You seem sad."
Han Ming laughed self-deprecatingly. "What''s there to be sad about? Let''s get on with the match."
Natalie nodded gently, placing her right hand on Han Ming''s chest. "Don''t lie to me. I can feel your heartbeat. You''re upset. Is that woman in the stands your sweetheart?"
Han Ming''s mind was in chaos upon hearing Natalie''s words, and he had no focus left for the match. Natalie smiled slightly and, taking advantage of Han Ming''s distraction, reached for his lower body from a hidden angle. Just as she was about to succeed, Han Ming suddenly reacted and tried to push her away. Natalie''s eyes gleamed as she thrust her chest forward. In his panic and the suddenness of the situation, Han Ming accidentally pushed against Natalie''s chest.
"Ah!! What are you doing?!" Natalie feigned shock and slapped Han Ming across the face. The audience below only saw Han Ming reaching for Natalie''s chest and didn''t notice her trick. They erupted in anger, shouting insults at Han Ming.
"Haha, what a pervert. No wonder you left him," Banam sighed, pretending to be a righteous man, though inwardly he was impressed by Han Ming''s boldness.
Kuro, however, simply smiled faintly, her eyes cold as she stared at Natalie. She had seen Natalie''s move clearly.
Han Ming stood there dumbfounded, listening to the audience''s jeers and looking at Natalie, who now appeared like a wronged little girl. He suddenly saw through everything. Han Ming was no fool. Even the schemers of the Dark Palace had failed to outwit him, let alone this obviously acting woman.
Han Ming chuckled softly, speaking in a voice only Natalie could hear. "You''ve got some tricks, but they''re just child''s play. If you think such crude acting will win you the match and get you to the finals, you''re delusional."
Natalie''s eyes welled up with tears as she said pitifully, "Oh? Let''s see if you have what it takes. I''ve done my research on you. You''re just a scoundrel. This move is perfect for you."
The audience, seeing Natalie''s pitiful state, grew even louder, with a few hotheads almost rushing onto the stage to teach Han Ming a lesson. What was supposed to be a serious match had turned into a farce.
Han Ming''s mind raced, and he suddenly grinned. He bowed to the audience and said, "I''m sorry, I was wrong. I apologize. I touched her, so let her touch me. That makes us even."
The crowd erupted in curses again.
"Shameless!"
"Bastard!"
"Scum! Drop dead!"
Han Ming smiled and walked toward Natalie. Natalie''s eyes flashed with malice as she raised her hand to slap Han Ming. Han Ming chuckled, raising his right hand in front of his body to block the audience''s view. With a flick of his fingers, he lightly tapped Natalie''s elbow joint. The slap that was meant to strike Han Ming''s face suddenly went limp, and her hand gently landed on his chest.
Han Ming quickly turned around and shouted, "There! Everyone saw that! She touched me. We''re even now."
The audience fell silent.
"What''s wrong with Natalie? Why did she actually touch that scoundrel?"
"Yeah, that''s not right. What''s going on?"
Natalie, realizing she had been tricked, was furious. She let out a sharp cry and punched toward Han Ming''s chest, her fist imbued with combat energy. Han Ming sneered and spat out three small ice daggers, each striking Natalie''s knees and arm. Natalie''s legs gave out, and she collapsed to the ground, while her arm went numb from the ice dagger, leaving her hand extended in a lewd gesture resembling a "monkey stealing peaches."
Just as Natalie''s hand was about to reach Han Ming''s crotch, Han Ming let out a blood-curdling scream, clutching his groin and rolling around on the ground. Natalie remained frozen in her ridiculous pose.
The audience was stunned.
"What... what just happened?"
Han Ming''s agonized cries as he rolled on the ground deeply unsettled everyone. Some men, seeing his plight, couldn''t help but shudder, feeling a phantom pain in their own groins and instinctively hunching over.
"This... this is too undignified."
"How could Miss Natalie do something so indecent?"
The crowd buzzed with animated discussion, their voices growing louder.
Natalie, hearing the crowd''s scathing remarks, turned bright red with embarrassment. She knew she had been outsmarted by Han Ming and was seething with rage.
"I''ll kill you, you bastard!" Natalie, blinded by anger, had always been the one to scheme against others. She had never been humiliated like this before.
Han Ming continued to wail, a sly smile creeping onto his lips as he rolled on the ground, dodging Natalie''s furious kicks. When she tried to punch him again, Han Ming spat out two more ice daggers, striking her arm and wrist. At the same time, he secretly tore off his own shirt and flung it away.
To the audience, it looked like Natalie had ripped off Han Ming''s shirt and thrown it aside.
"You! What are you doing? Don''t come any closer!" Han Ming cried pitifully, scrambling backward. Natalie, consumed by rage, swung her fists wildly, determined to take down this scoundrel. Han Ming, however, continued to use underhanded tactics.
The scene quickly descended into chaos.
The audience watched in shock as Natalie, seemingly gone mad, tore at Han Ming''s clothes, while Han Ming wailed and crawled away in terror.
"Stop! Don''t come any closer! You pervert! What do you want from me? Heaven, save me... I''m about to be violated by this woman!"
Han Ming''s cries were heart-wrenching. Natalie, her eyes blazing with fury, ripped off all of Han Ming''s clothes, leaving him in nothing but his underwear. Han Ming retreated to the edge of the stage, clutching a torn piece of cloth in his teeth, tears streaming down his face.
"Please, don''t do this..." Han Ming sobbed.
Natalie''s mind went blank.
"How did this happen? Why is this happening?"
"You! You set me up! You! I''m going to kill you today!!"
Natalie lunged at Han Ming, who had nowhere left to retreat.
The referee, finally unable to tolerate the spectacle, coughed lightly. "Ahem! Contestant Natalie, please control yourself! While the arena allows any means to win, I must remind you to avoid any indecent behavior."