Chapter 442: Chapter 388: Barto Is No Match for Him

Bad memories surfaced in Gu Ning’s mind.

That shimmering silver light, that specific material... Gu Ning froze for a moment. She raised her hand and glanced at the silver-white bracelet on her wrist.

’That’s right. It’s the Silver Armor used by the Heavenly Beast Clan.’

Once she realized what it was, Gu Ning’s heart skipped a beat. "Barto, be careful!" she cried out.

’That stuff had caused her and Philinos a world of trouble.’

Barto recognized it in an instant as well, and his expression grew grim.

"So, it’s you again!"

’It wasn’t the Silver Armor he was afraid of. It was the fact that this guy was clearly after Gu Ning. If one Beastman from the Heavenly Beast Clan was here, it meant there were more nearby. It meant they’d been watching them for a while.’

Alex’s gaze darkened. He moved to completely shield Gu Ning behind him, his eyes scanning their surroundings with even greater vigilance.

"WOOF!"

As he watched Barto and Kaper fight, Cook, who was guarding Gu Ning, paced restlessly. He looked anxious and confused.

Kaper had no intention of fighting them, nor did he want to waste time here. The moment he revealed his weapon, however, Barto went on the offensive. Every strike aimed for Kaper’s vitals, as if Barto was determined to take his life. Kaper stopped holding back and met his attacks.

After a few exchanges, Barto’s movements grew sluggish, and his expression turned grave. ’This Heavenly Beast Clan member’s strength is astounding,’ he thought. ’I’ve only blocked a few blows, but the impacts have already made my wrist go numb.’

Alex instantly assessed the other Beastman’s strength. He let out a low growl at Barto, telling him to fall back and guard Gu Ning. He would take over.

’Barto is no match for him.’

"I’ll handle this myself!" Barto snarled. He tightened his grip on his short knife and parried the silver blade’s attack with all his might.

’He knew he wasn’t skilled with weapons, especially in his human form; his combat prowess was much lower this way. But he didn’t know how many other Heavenly Beast Clan members were lurking nearby, watching Gu Ning. It was better for Alex to protect her.’

’His job was to draw out the fight and force the others to reveal themselves.’

Kaper was forced back half a step by the fox’s ferocious blow. He slowed his assault, intentionally creating an opening for the fox to exploit.

’This fox is a good fighter, but he’s far weaker in his human form. He’s not as agile as a regressed Mixed Breed’s, and he’s fighting on pure grit. His energy will soon run out.’

Just as he’d predicted, the fox’s assault began to slow after a few more strikes. Seeing the crowd of Beastman onlookers growing, Kaper decided not to drag it out any longer. He extended his silver blade and launched a fiercer attack.

As the fox parried, Kaper lunged to his side and slashed the strap of his satchel.

The satchel fell to the ground. Kaper glanced at it and moved to pick it up, but Cook lunged forward and bit his hand.

Kaper yanked his hand back and retracted the silver blade. He formed his left hand into a karate chop and struck his troublemaking, foolish little brother hard on the back of the neck with enough force to knock out a Beastman.

However, his idiotic dog of a brother, who had undergone a second mutation, was tough as nails. The blow only made him sway slightly. He continued to stare at Kaper with wide, dog-like eyes.

"..."

’He’s surprisingly durable,’ Kaper thought. ’Cook used to duck the moment a punch was thrown. He was scared of pain and held a grudge. He was nothing like this blockhead now, just standing there waiting to get hit.’

He’d only let his guard down for a second, but the fox was already attacking again.

"Stupid dog, get out of the way!" Barto shoved Cook.

"Cook, come back!" Gu Ning cried. Seeing Cook get hit, she almost rushed forward, but Alex blocked her path.

"AWOO..." Hearing Gu Ning’s voice, Cook picked up Ningning’s bag from the ground. He looked back at her, then at Barto and the other man—the one who felt familiar but smelled strangely foreign. He stood frozen, hesitating.

’He wanted to help Barto, but he didn’t want to hurt the other Beastman.’

Just as he hesitated, Barto was sent flying, landing at his feet.

Cook tilted his head, looking down at Barto.

"You stupid mutt..." Seeing Cook just standing in the middle of the fight—not helping, not returning to Gu Ning—Barto was so angry he wanted to slug him.

But he didn’t have time to punch him now. The Heavenly Beast Clan Beastman was attacking again. Barto pulled a pistol from inside his jacket and aimed.

The deafening crack of a gunshot silenced the bustling street.

The security team patrolling the area heard the shot and immediately headed toward the source.

Kaper glanced down at his left hand. The bullet had left a small dent in his Silver Armor Bracelet, but it smoothed over in an instant.

Immediately, he gave the fox no chance to fire again. The silver blade extended from his hand as he feinted an attack, his eyes fixed on the small satchel in Cook’s mouth.

"CLANG!"

The blow aimed at Barto was intercepted by a Crystal Stone Long Knife.

Kaper’s gaze traveled up the blade to the Birdman who had just landed in front of him. ’Another one,’ he thought. ’And this one won’t be easy.’

"Philinos!" Gu Ning exclaimed, excitedly grabbing a tuft of fur on Alex’s front paw.

Alex looked down and gently nudged the little female, who looked ready to jump for joy.

’Ningning’s trust in Philinos runs deeper than I thought.’

Seeing that Philinos had returned, Barto breathed a small sigh of relief. He climbed to his feet. "Took you long enough."

Philinos glanced at Gu Ning over his shoulder. "Keep her safe," he said, then swung his long knife.

He showed no mercy. Every slash aimed for Kaper’s vital points. His swift movements and the sharp glint of his blade wove a dense net, trapping Kaper, who could neither advance nor retreat.

’These were the same moves he’d just used on Barto, and now this Birdman was using them against him. But the Birdman’s combat prowess and tactics were on a completely different level from an ordinary Beastman’s.’

’Kaper was no stranger to this Birdman. He was Andrew’s strongest vanguard. When it came to raw combat power, he was second to none. The Bird Clan’s sharp senses and eyesight enhanced his defense, making up for his weakness against firearms. Combined with his ability to fly, the guy was practically a living weapon.’

’Only a highly skilled sniper would stand a chance against him.’

’But if they didn’t get him with the first shot, they’d be the ones getting killed.’

’During combat training at the First Military District, Kaper had actually beaten him twice: once in a one-on-one match and once in a team battle.’

’In the solo match, he’d relied on tactics and experience to outlast everyone else, surviving until the very end and winning by a slim margin on points. The team battle victory, however, had been a bit of a fluke.’

’The combined combat proficiency of all the soldiers in both military districts couldn’t match the vanguard squad this Birdman led. His team was made up entirely of elite fighters. The Bird Clan naturally held air superiority, and the fighting strength of their whole squad was nothing to scoff at.’

’However, those guys had one glaring weakness: they were obsessed with cleanliness.’

’And the military district had a notoriously crude captain of the Dog Team.’

’If any of the Bird Clan dared to land, they were met with a barrage of mud and even feces. He’d stop at nothing. Even Kaper had to admit he was impressed. That dog was a real piece of work.’

’After that incident, though, the dog was banned from all combat training and competitions. Things got a lot more boring after that.’

Kaper knew the Birdman’s strength. He didn’t want to resort to dirty tricks, nor did he plan to waste any more time. After dodging another blow, he blew a sharp whistle. He tangled with Philinos for a few more moments, and as a group of young Mixed Breeds lunged from the crowd, his eyes darted to the female beside the Black Wolf, who stood watching them with clenched fists. Seizing the opportunity, he disengaged and vanished.

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