389: We need to protect it well!

"Brother—"

"Save me—!"

The moment Kim Tae-sik appeared, what he saw was the terrified face of Kim Tae-jeong on the other side of the blue vortex portal, along with the lingering, miserable sound of his plea for help.

His expression changed instantly. A black rope wreathed in black Qi appeared around him and shot straight toward the vortex, but it was one step too late.

Kim Tae-sik's face darkened. He turned his head to look at Jiang Yuan and the others, his gaze as cold as if he were looking at dead men.

"Aish..."

"So it was you... who dared to lay a hand on my brother?!"

Swoosh!

The black rope shot out with a swish, transforming into a terrifying black python that opened its blood-red maw, ready to swallow them whole.

Chen Xi narrowed his eyes. His overwhelming Killing Intent transformed into a blood-colored long blade, which swept through the air and slashed the black python into several pieces.

The blood-colored long blade flashed and vanished, only to be grasped by an Incarnation that looked like Chen Xi the next second, appearing behind Kim Tae-sik.

Kim Tae-sik sneered and activated an evasion skill.

[Ghostly Light Shadow]

A flash of blood-colored arc danced in Chen Xi's eyes.

Imprison!

Kim Tae-sik was horrified to discover that his foolproof flash skill had actually failed.

He turned his head abruptly, catching a glimpse of a blood-red light falling in his peripheral vision.

"Bang!!"

At the critical moment, the defensive equipment on Kim Tae-sik's body was activated, blocking this lightning-fast strike.

The defensive barrier shattered like glass, and the shockwave swept in all directions, shattering all the window glass in the vicinity.

The intense aura of slaughter caused Kim Tae-sik, a Fifth-Rank Martial Artist, to change expression, revealing a trace of shock and disbelief.

This guy... is actually a Sixth-Rank Martial Artist!

How is there such a powerhouse among the young generation of China?!

Although he was fearful inside, the humiliation of being defeated in one blow in front of everyone overwhelmed the young master of the Kim conglomerate.

"Shibal—! You deserve to die—!"

He roared and pulled out an Advanced summoning scroll.

Just as he was about to tear it apart, he was slapped away, his body smashing through the wall like a cannonball.

"Brother Jin-hyuk! Why did you hit me...?!" Kim Tae-sik clutched his face, looking in disbelief at the single-eyelid man wearing a grey overcoat with his hands in his pockets.

"Shut up if you don't want to die! Idiot."

Park Jin-hyuk glanced at him coldly. What a piece of trash, he couldn't even see the gap in strength between the two sides.

"This is Murmansk, not South Korea."

"Private duels are prohibited within the city."

A voice came from the air, and a knight clad in silver armor appeared there, no one knew when.

"Adventurers Kim Tae-jeong and Kim Tae-sik are suspected of intentionally harming others and damaging residents' property within the city. Provide compensation immediately, or you will be dealt with according to the law."

Kim Tae-sik was unconvinced and pointed at Chen Xi. "He clearly attacked too, why aren't you punishing him? You are intentionally biased! Do you know that our Kim conglomerate has the Sun King behind us..."

Boom!

A powerful pressure descended from the sky like a tide, forcing Kim Tae-sik to kneel on the ground, instantly creating a large crater in the surrounding snow.

"Are you questioning me? I saw everything that just happened. You were the ones who provoked and attacked first. Their actions were within the rules and did not trigger any prohibited statutes."

"The rules of Murmansk must not be broken! Even human kings are no exception!"

Under the cold and imposing gaze of the silver-armored knight, Kim Tae-sik couldn't help but swallow hard and lower his head.

"I wouldn't dare, I wouldn't dare..."

After he finished paying, the silver-armored knight left behind the words, "If there is a next time, you will be expelled immediately," and then vanished instantly.

The onlookers had seen enough of the show and were satisfied. A group of adventure squads stood to the side with their arms crossed, mocking and jeering.

"So this is the National War contestant from South Korea? Is this it? Is this really it?"

"Aren't they touted as the strongest generation? They couldn't even beat an Incarnation of someone else. Though, that Epic-grade defensive equipment on him is pretty good."

"They're trash."

"I remember that online, South Korea was almost hyped up by their own people as the number one powerful nation on Blue Star, and the Sun King was almost hyped up as the number one powerhouse on Blue Star. To think the young master of a conglomerate only has this much strength; as expected, they can only show off online."

"It's hilarious..."

"Did anyone record it?"

"Me, me, me! I started livestreaming the moment it started, and it's already uploaded online."

"Well done, kid."

Listening to the voices around him, Kim Tae-sik couldn't help but clench his fists. His face was extremely dark, and he stared at Jiang Yuan and the others with venomous eyes, gritting his teeth:

"You stinking monkeys from China—"

"It's all your fault for daring to make me lose face. I've noted this debt. During tomorrow's National War, I will definitely kill you all, and then send people to find your families and torture them all to death. Shibal..."

As he said this, he even drew his thumb across his throat, making a gesture for them to wash their necks and wait for death.

Seeing this scene.

Chen Xi and Yan Runan's expressions also turned completely cold.

Chen Xi's white hair fluttered, and his blood-red eyes stared at Kim Tae-sik with a dead, hollow silence. "Tomorrow, you will die."

Kim Tae-sik sneered coldly.

"Do you think a Sixth-Rank Martial Artist is very powerful? If you run into that guy, you'll only have the fate of dying. That guy is a true monster; his combat power is not inferior to a Seventh-Rank Grandmaster. No one in China can defeat him."

After speaking, he intended to turn and leave. The moment he turned his head, he gave Chen Xi and Yan Runan a cold, venomous look.

But the next second.

The world before his eyes suddenly overturned, and after another blink, it returned to normal.

But the extremely precious substitute-death jade he was wearing had already shattered.

In the blink of an eye.

Kim Tae-sik had died once.

Park Jin-hyuk, who had failed to block that strike, his expression sank as he looked coldly at Jiang Yuan across from him.

"Attacking a contestant before the National War begins, Your Excellency... you've crossed the line, haven't you?"

Only then did everyone follow his gaze to the somewhat inconspicuous black-haired youth standing behind Chen Xi and Yan Runan.

Jiang Yuan leaned on Yan Runan's shoulder, looking lazy, with a smile on his handsome, almost magical face.

"Did I? I don't think so. Isn't he still perfectly fine?"

"It's you, as the team leader, who really needs to protect your team members well."