Chapter 296: Challenging an Entire Faction
Jack faced down the Warden. He was slightly injured and tirednot in peak fighting condition, but even if he was, this was a completely unwinnable battle.
The moment the Warden arrived, everyone knew it was over. The Animal Kingdom inner disciples stopped running and respectfully returned. Maximus, Li Qian, and Sapasun all relaxed and bowed down to the Elder. The Sage, who had been escaping while carrying the unconscious bodies of Shol and Dordok, also came to a stop.
Silence befell the world. Jack broke it.
I guess this is it, he said, with his chin raised high. He was disheartened; desperate, even. Everything was over. However, at the end of the day, his heart was light, and the Fist was solid. He shook his head, laughing lightly at his own misfortune. At least I showed the world how petty your Kingdom really is.
An ugly death rattle, the Warden responded impassively. Your little game is over. I hope you enjoyed it, because I will personally make sure you experience more suffering than everyone you killed put together.
As if I fear pain or death. What suffering can be greater than your loss of face today, Warden?
You are delusional. Men, capture them.
A few of the deacons present quickly rushed to apprehend both Jack and the Sage. The latter took it in stride, letting his arms and legs be bound. Jack released his aura to warn the deacons from approaching. They paused, eyeing their Elder.
Why do you resist? the Warden asked, furrowing his mature leonine face. You know it is futile. All you achieve is to humiliate yourself.
What shame is there in fighting to the death?
As you wish. This humiliation is a fitting death for an evil-doer like yourself.
Jack snorted. You seem very familiar with humiliation, Warden. I made you suffer it enough times already. Is it your Dao?
The Warden snorted back. Enough with your nonsense.
Where exactly is the nonsense? Every D-Grade on Hell failed to catch me for half a year. If that is not humiliation, I dont know what is.
Anger was unbecoming for an Elder in public. Yet, under Jacks relentless provocation, his eyes were beginning to narrow, and his aura showed just the slightest hint of instability. Are you out of your mind, brat? he asked. Do you even realize who youre talking to? I am Elder Artus Emberheart, Warden of Hell, late C-Grade. I could annihilate you with a thought. How dare you be disrespectful?
Jack laughed. What exactly would I fear, Warden? You have already promised to torture me and harm the people I care about. Youre out of threats.
At this, the Warden did not reply immediately. Indeed; Jack had nothing left to lose. He could say anything he wanted.
Reaching that point of thought, the Warden felt frustrated. Take him away, he commanded, waving dismissively. At the same time, he pressed down on Jack with his aura, preventing him from fighting back.
Jack tried to resist, but it was helpless. Two deacons strong-armed him, holding his wrists behind his back and clamping them with black shackles that felt unbreakable. The situation looked to be over.
Inside Jacks mind, however, he remained on guard. He was constantly trying to come up with a way out of this, or a way to better pave the path for a future escape. Yet, no matter how he approached the issue, there was nothing.
Sage, he called out telepathically, can the Church get us out of here?
No. I wasnt lying before. Even if they kill us both, the Church will not interfere. This planet was a test for both of us, and if we fail, were on our own.
Jack gritted his teeth. The Black Hole Church could not save him. The Exploding Sun could not save him. Then, who could?
The answer was clear: nobody. Jack had to weasel himself out of this or resign to a fate of torture, death, and the Kingdoms revenge against his entire planet.
What could I do? he asked himself. There has to be something!
The bromobile? Completely useless right now.
The Life Drop? It isnt nearly enough to defeat the Warden. Perhaps I could detonate it, somehow, and hope the explosion injures or kills him. However, as he reached for the Drop inside him to test it out, it was unresponsive. Jack was shocked. The Life Drop refused to obey! He couldnt even activate it, let alone remove it from his soul or detonate it.
This had never happened before. He didnt know it was possible. And, while this revelation opened a whole new can of worms, it offered exactly zero help in getting out of this predicament.
Was his only choice really to let himself be captured?
It was possible that someone, anyone, would show up to rescue him, but it felt like such a remote possibility that it might as well not exist. After everything hed done, the Warden must have been resolved to kill him.
Any ideas, Sage? he asked again. Im afraid Ive run out.
Same here, unfortunately. The black sphere hasnt recharged, and even if it had, I could not use it. I carry no more artifacts with me. There is nothing I can do to help.
Jacks heart was filled with disappointment before his eyes shone. Wait! The projection stone is still running! he realized. His eyes went over the surrounding immortals. All gazed at him with fear and grudge, including Maximus Lonihor and Li Qian.
That projection stone was meant to record his capture and partly repair the Animal Kingdoms public image. They planned to broadcast it far and wide to showcase their power. Nobody could escape the Animal Kingdom, that would be their message.
And, indeed, it had worked. Jack was captured, and he was publicly sentenced to a fate worse than death. Two of the Battle Brothers lay unconscious. It seemed like a complete triumph of the Animal Kingdom, a sound slap to the face of everyone who called them incompetent.
But what if Jack could turn that in his favor?
The projection stone was still active. He could not fight back with force, but maybe there were other ways. Maybe, just maybe, he could punch them with words. A plan was already forming in his mind, a plan he didnt dare believe in. It was desperatebut it just might work.
One moment, he called out, pretending to give in to despair. He let his voice grow weak. I have an offer to make, Warden. May I speak?
The Wardens face went from real disinterest to feigned one. Since youre begging, go ahead, he replied.
In his heart, the Warden must have been dancing with glee. Capturing Jack Rust was a given the moment he chose to actthe real point of this mission was to create a recording that would paint the Animal Kingdom in the best light possible. Jack Rust was acting stubborn just now, which didnt really work for them. However, if he tried to beg for mercy or offer a deal, the Warden could shut him down hard, exhibiting the Kingdoms moral superiority as well.
In his heart, he was thanking every star in the sky for Jack Rust giving in.
Little did he know that Jack Rust possessed the perfectly composed mind of a warrior. In this situation, he had the calmness and wisdom to look ahead, capitalizing on the Wardens underestimation.
Because of me, the Animal Kingdom has suffered great humiliation, he said apologetically. By evading all D-Grades on Hell for half a year, I have made the Kingdoms younger generation seem completely inept. Im sure that every other faction in the galaxy is mocking you right now.
As if! the Warden interrupted him quickly. Get to the point, brat. Everyone knows that you only survived this long because of your accomplices spatial artifact. If not for that, you would have died a thousand times over.
Thats exactly my point, oh honorable Warden. I tricked my way through this, making your D-Grades seem useless compared to a rogue cultivator like myself. So, I offer a way to make up for this. I challenge the strongest D-Grades your Kingdom has to offer to a duel.
The Wardens eyes narrowed. He began to suspect something. You cannot escape like that. You are already captured.
With all due respect, Warden, I was captured by you, not them. Even now, when I possessed no spatial artifacts, all these D-Grades were inadequate against me and forced you to act personally.
Everyone can understand you are using more artifacts, the Warden replied. Its obvious. How else could a new D-Grade match our deacons?
But what if Im not? What if your deacons are genuinely incompetent? That is exactly what everyone in the galaxy is saying, Warden, and it is a grave insult! How could your Kingdom live this down? If you dont prove yourselves, then even ten thousand years into the future, all your disciples will be mocked behind their backs, and your subordinate planets will think youre just bullies with big mouths and small fists.
The Warden finally suspected something was up. Wait, he said, but Jack wasnt going to.
I challenge you to a duel, he declared proudly, raising his chin and revealing his true intentions. He infused his words with every speck of power he could manage. I, Jack Rust, challenge the entire Animal Kingdom. I am but one man, and you are a faction with millions of disciples. Bring any D-Grade you want. I, Jack Rust, will defeat them and prove to the entire world that the mockery on your face is correct. The Animal Kingdom is nothing but a declining, festering cradle of weakness. Your immortals are a joke. In a few thousand years, when all your C-Grades die and the weaklings you call deacons are called to take up their spot, the Kingdom will fall from the heavens and crash into the dirt so hard you become the galaxys eternal laughingstock. Do you dare accept my challenge, Warden? One man versus a faction. Do you have the balls?
Everyone was speechless. Even across the entire planet, where the image was projected, people still gaped with their jaws touching the floor.
Jack Rust had just challenged every D-Grade in the entire Animal Kingdom to a duel. Was he nuts!?
Of course he was!
The Wardens face grew red with anger and frustration. What bullshit are you spouting? he barked. You are a prisoner. Who says you can duel anyone?
You do, Warden, Jack replied, staring him straight in the eyes. You will accept my challenge because you have no choice. Everyone saw me fight Maximus Lonihor on equal ground before you were forced to interrupt us, afraid of me killing him.
You were attacking others! Thats why I stopped you!
Jack laughed rowdily. What a joke you are, Warden. So your deacons need protection from someone of lower level, is that it? You were afraid of me, a lone man at Level 230, jumping into the midst of your peak D-Grades and killing them all. Is that what youre saying, Warden? That your deacons are so weak they need babysitting?
You are twisting reality, brat! the Warden shouted back. Only now did he realize hed messed up. Hed underestimated Jack, thinking he was nothing but a knucklehead. Who would have thought he could speak with such savagery? With such sharpness?
By letting Jack speak freely, the Warden had let him paint the events in his imageand the worst part is, he was right! Everything Jack was saying right now was completely correct! Indeed, this entire humiliation stemmed from Jacks extreme power and their relative weakness. If they didnt disprove that, they had no way to really repair their public image.
Just how was the Warden supposed to retort?
You are out of words, Warden, Jack declared proudly, pressing on. Accept my challenge if you dare. You have no choice. If you win, you lose nothing. But if you decline, everyone will know that the Animal Kingdom is made up of weak cowards!
The Warden felt his heart burn so badly it could catch on fire. Hed been played! Hed been driven into such an ugly spot, and it was all his fault for letting Jack speak!
What would we even earn from humoring you, Jack Rust? he asked bitterly. Weve captured you already. Prisoners dont get to make demands, and you have nothing to offer that we cant get.
I do: honor. Your honor. If you defeat me, I will publicly admit my wrongdoings and bow my head to you. I will become a dog and slave of the Animal Kingdom, saving you some of the face youve lost. But if I win, you must set me and my companions free.
Bullshit! the Warden shouted. Youre dreaming!
Am I? Jack laughed. Just how afraid are you of me, Warden? You know what? Let me make things easier for you. Dont bring one D-Grade. Bring three. I will defeat them all at once and stick your face so far up your ass that youll see your own throat.
How dare you speak like that to me, Jack Rust!? I am an Elder! the Warden roared, releasing his aura. The winds broke and the sky shuddered. The earth rumbled. The stars flickered. The world became the Wardens, an unbreakable space of supremacy.
Yet, words were the one thing power could not kill. The Warden was trapped. He knew it. Jack knew it. Everyone knew it, as they found themselves nodding in agreement and looking forward to the fight Jack proposed. When would they ever see such a spectacle again?
If the Warden declined, no matter how he phrased it, everyone would know the truth: he was afraid of Jack Rust winning. He really had fought Maximus to a standstill. No matter how absurd it sounded, he had the qualifications to challenge the Animal Kingdom like this.
The Warden couldnt believe hed played like that by a junior. It was the single most humiliating event of his life. At that moment, his hatred for Jack Rust grew to new heights, but he was participating in an event that would soon be watched by the entire galaxy. He had to protect the Animal Kingdom.
What is your answer, Warden? Jack Rust asked. Are you a proud man or a coward?
The Warden snorted coldly, but on the inside, he was burning. He was gnashing his teeth. Finally, he realized he had no choicebut he wouldnt go down without a fight.
After all, the Warden refused to believe that someone could rise to be one of the galaxys strongest D-Grades within a year. Jack had to be cheating, somehow, and since he was captured, the Hand of Gods inquisitors and their deep scan would strip him of every artifact in his body. That way, Jacks real strength would be revealed, and how could it be greater than that of a deacon? The Warden simply refused to believe that.
Even he, a late C-Grade, had shown nowhere near such talent at that age. There was no way Jack Rust, a human, could do it.
Fine! he growled. The Animal Kingdom will not tolerate your disrespect. However, how could our head disciple fight someone of as low standing as you? No. Since you spoke to me so disrespectfully, it is fitting that you be humiliated and executed by my own top disciple, Sapasun!
Jack snorted. That weakling is not enough.
Beat him and you can duel Maximus, the Warden replied in outrage. But we both know that wont happen. You will be completely subjugated by my disciple. We will show the world that a weakling like you, who depended on treasures and treachery to assassinate our members, is nothing before a real warrior.
Fine! A duel it is! Jack laughed.
Dont be happy, kid. Your death will come soon.
That is not the case. I am stronger than Maximus. I am winning this. I bet you are already cursing your luck for accepting, but there is nothing you can do about it. You are powerless.
Hmph. More bullshit. Ive had enough of your disrespect. Shut up now or Ill make you.
Jack completely ignored him. How does it feel to be out of options, Warden? he asked, grinning. How does it feel for a strong C-Grade like you to be completely entrapped by a man you consider weak and lowly? But I have news for you. I am neither. You have ridden the tiger, Warden, and there is no getting off. I will publicly humiliate your faction, and there is nothing you or anyone else can do about it. But you know what? Maybe, if you wiggle your little lion butt for me, I could change my mind. Go on. Im waiting.
At this, the Warden was finally unable to keep his cool. With a mighty snort, he crashed his aura down on Jack. The last thing Jack saw was a large, wrinkled palm before his nose. Then, he lost consciousness.
The Warden stood before an unconscious Jack and turned to the projection stone. In three days, my top disciple, Sapasun, will duel Jack Rust. If he somehow loses, then our strongest D-Grade, Maximus Lonihor, will take over, he declared. Our Kingdom fears no one, especially not cheating cowards who use treasured artifacts to trick the world. For the crimes this man has committed, he must be publicly and soundly humiliated. This farce had dragged on for long enough.
He waved his hand at the projection stone, deactivating it.
Then, completely ignoring the D-Grades around him, he roared at the sky in frustration. Everyone trembled. The sky above turned radiant, lightning flying everywhere.
Warden Maximus uttered hesitantly.
Shut up! the Warden shouted back. You heard me. Take them all to prison. Sapasun, youre fighting this guy in three days, and you damn best win. Dismissed!
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