I step cheerfully on the back of a bat, seeking a worthy opponent to unleash my skillful void path.

-Shakespeare, Tempest-

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-Sleeng!

When the Little Heavenly Demon pulled the handle of the Heavenly Demon Staff horizontally, a clear sound rang out and the sword blade appeared.

The moment the sword was drawn, his gaze changed.

The previously languid and pessimistic atmosphere vanished without a trace.

Though he was said to be not yet thirty, his eyes were those of a warrior who had stood at the crossroads of life and death many times.

Nobel, encountering the impeccably disciplined Qi Frequency as flawless as Henry Poole’s tailored suit, realized that Holmes’ level exceeded expectations.

Most British martial artists encountered at the ball were weak, regardless of their internal energy or level.

At least, to Alfred, who had left the embrace of the demon, Immanuel, and wandered battlefields witnessing countless horrors, that was how they appeared.

There was no need to get involved to understand the foolishness of these people.

Just by observing the discrepancy between their dull eyes and the bloated Qi Frequency emitted from their Elixir Field enhanced by elixirs, it was clear their strength as martial artists was meager compared to their internal energy.

Turning away from lives shattered like dust in battles abroad.

Selfish folk who only seek to enjoy the wealth gained from war.

It’s useless for someone who has never fought for life to master noble Kung-Fu.

It’s no different from a pig wearing a Night Dawn Pearl necklace—meaningless.

With a fragile soul that has never borne the weight of life and death and a will that hasn’t overcome trials, nothing can be achieved.

But the Little Heavenly Demon was different.

“For a feeble Englishman, he has quite decent eyes.”

Nobel’s heart, who had difficulty finding a worthy rival even among the transcendent veterans, began to beat wildly before the young peak martial artist.

-Thump!

Alfred Nobel’s proud German elixir, Millennium Nitroglycerin.

The enhanced Middle Elixir Field accelerated the pulse, circulating hot blood throughout the strong body.

-Clack!

Like wearing a gauntlet on the right hand, he summoned armor from the air and equipped the plate protection from the briefcase onto his legs.

With this, all preparations to unleash Alfred Nobel’s Distinct German Kung-Fu, the Explosive Gale Technique, were complete.

To hold the slippery and fast-moving Blue Eyes White Snake steadily, he had to continuously perform the Absorption Gesture with his bare hand, so he couldn’t use his left hand, but it was unthinkable that Nobel would lose to a peak martial artist fighting one-handed.

Of course, he had no intention of arrogantly conceding even three moves.

Since the fight involved the indispensable spirit beast Blue Eyes White Snake, Nobel resolved not to give any chance for carelessness.

“…One hand. But whole heartedly.”

Nobel silently drew his sword without fear and thrust his fist toward the charging Little Heavenly Demon.

A movement with no finesse, just a fast and heavy straight punch.

That was all.

The movement needed for Alfred Nobel’s signature move.

“Burst Stream.”

His right arm drew a straight line. As his fist struck the air, a striking energy was released.

Unlike typical Kung-Fu that drew upon the Lower Elixir Field, the move unleashed toward the Little Heavenly Demon was the hallmark of the Explosive Gale Technique, a Distinct Kung-Fu with an entirely different Kung-Fu Mechanism.

The Explosive Gale Technique is a new era Kung-Fu with roots different from the usual ones relying solely on the essence from the Lower Elixir Field.

Its Kung-Fu principles, based on cutting-edge Kung-Fu ergonomics, enables attacks at speeds impossible with traditional Kung-Fu.

High-speed energy flow starting from the Middle Elixir Field, combined with secret techniques not even patented, controls the output of internal energy.

And the moment the unique striking energy is added, those facing Nobel experience disaster.

Without ritual or meridian expansion, a massive amount of energy released beyond common limits instantly ignites.

With a blazing gale, it was a deadly trick that turned all living things into corpses.

At the moment Nobel’s fist met the air, sparks ignited.

The spark caused a fierce explosion that engulfed everything in front.

-Bang!

A pale aura passed at the edge of his vision.

The attendees of the Battle Royal Garden Party could not hide their astonishment.

The trick they witnessed resembled a giant white snake capable of swallowing three or four people at once.

Only after seeing several ancient trees rooted in the garden vanish without a trace and the lush grass deeply gouged did people realize it was the mark of Nobel’s Kung-Fu.

The Explosive Gale Technique is a tyrannical Kung-Fu that sweeps enemies away with explosions triggered by releasing energy into the air.

If classified, it belongs to the category called Explosive Kung-Fu.

But among the explosive techniques still in existence, save for Nobel’s Distinct Kung-Fu, all are local Ulster traditions known to unleash internal energy explosions near the blood vessels.

Moreover, even these differ entirely from the Explosive Gale Technique in their method of detonating essence; with most secret manuals lost to practical use, only a handful of Kung-Fu scholars continue to study them in the present day.

So.

Unless one knows the principles of explosive techniques or has experienced them firsthand, this technique cannot be avoided.

“I respect your resolve to face me head-on. But reckless bravery that ignores the difference in class takes the most lives on the battlefield.”

A destructive power born from ideas ordinary people cannot even conceive.

The fist need not touch the enemy directly.

Wherever the directional explosion caused by essence sweeps, not a single blade of grass remains.

The shockwave from the internal energy explosion strikes the meridians and organs directly, causing internal injuries known as Direct Attack.

Only those with special protective enhanced energy among the transcendent masters can withstand this power, which differs from normal fist blasts.

This ultimate fist, which no one but Nobel can imitate, was created not to break the body but to shatter their united will and the war itself.

A technique that cannot be dodged or blocked by mere peak level martial artist.

I guarantee the Little Heavenly Demon would have fallen without even realizing what hit him.

-Pssss

The white smoke lingering over the claw marks left by the Burst Stream in the garden began to slowly disperse with the wind.

The trace left by Nobel’s essence, perfected by ingesting millennium nitroglycerin and the bile of the Blue Eyes White Snake.

Mixed in the spreading smoke was the distinctive gunpowder scent of the Scorching Wind Essence.

-Kyiv…!

The Blue Eyes White Snake in his left hand responded to the familiar energy with a cry.

If he returned to the Music Room holding the Blue Eyes White Snake like this, he would achieve his first goal of visiting Buckingham Palace this year.

“Now I can finally complete it.”

The endangered spirit beast Blue Eyes White Snake, revered by enthusiasts simply because it is rare, despite not recognizing its true value.

Now that he had three individuals from different regions, Nobel’s Explosive Gale Technique was ready to advance to a new realm.

“So the rumors about being the Heavenly Demon’s successor were nonsense—”

He had some hope from rumors that a disciple of a possibly mythical strongman appeared in London, but what awaited was disappointment.

He would have been hit by the Direct Attack the moment he was caught in the explosion and would not wake until night.

That was what he thought.

-Step

Until footsteps were heard from a completely different direction than where the Scorching Wind Essence explosion swept.

“This is Alfred Nobel’s infamous explosive technique in the martial world. Its terrifying power is as rumored.”

“…?!”

Nobel, turning his head absentmindedly, saw the Little Heavenly Demon unharmed and intact.

The Little Heavenly Demon was not particularly hiding his presence.

The cause lay in the main side effects of training explosive techniques.

As a price for wielding transcendent Kung-Fu prowess, Alfred’s heart, muscles, and meridians had to endure the backlash of the techniques.

Moreover, the explosive sounds and massive aura emitted each time dulled his hearing and perception.

The only weakness of explosive techniques is that failing to defeat the enemy in one strike allows for counterattacks.

The reason Alfred’s attacks and energy releases boast extraordinary speed and wide effective range is to overcome this weakness.

But discussing weaknesses only applies when there is no significant difference in level between opponents.

“How could a mere peak martial artist dodge Burst Stream…”

It was true that he had adjusted the power to avoid killing him, following the Battle Royal Garden Party’s life-or-death prohibition rules.

Considering he used protective enhanced energy with his left hand to protect the Blue Eyes White Snake from the impact’s recoil, the destructive power was about a quarter or less of usual.

However, no matter what, a peak martial artist dodging the Explosive Gale Technique’s lightning-fast striking energy is absurd.

A martial artist’s reaction speed increases exponentially with their level.

To react to Nobel’s energy flow starting from the Middle Elixir Field, which is physically closer than the Lower Elixir Field, and dodge Burst Stream, one must be at least at the entry of the transcendent realm.

“How on earth—”

“You look curious about how I dodged it.”

A provocative smile. Alfred faced the Little Heavenly Demon’s arrogant face and unleashed his attack.

“Let me say beforehand, I didn’t use any leftist sorcery, so don’t misunderstand—”

“Burst Stream.”

-Bang!!!!

Once again, a directional explosion erupted forward, engulfing the Little Heavenly Demon.

Whatever method was used, thinking luck would strike twice is a mistake.

This time for sure—

“…Such a damn impatient temper. Are all merchants like this?”

While Nobel was unaware, the Little Heavenly Demon moved at a barely safe angle out of the explosion’s reach and spoke.

-Boom!

Once more, the Scorching Wind Essence carved through the garden.

But again, Alfred Nobel’s technique failed to hit Sherlock Holmes.

Despite predicting his movement and speed, the Little Heavenly Demon momentarily displayed speed far beyond expectations, mocking Nobel.

A situation beyond common understanding.

Only after gathering internal energy in both eyes and fully activating his eye technique did he understand what had happened.

The back of the Little Heavenly Demon’s knees and the tips of his elbows.

That is, from the Weizhong, Weiyang, and Zhujian acupoints, faint smoke resembling gunpowder was rising.

“I worried since I’ve rarely used it in real combat, but it was a needless worry.”

Nobel realized the Little Heavenly Demon had unexpectedly learned a Kung-Fu.

“Luckily, the clothes are sturdier than expected.”

“That Kung-Fu is—”

A method that accelerates the body through essence explosions.

No doubt about it.

“Any guesses?”

An ancient Irish Kung-Fu once used in combat but recently researched for restoration.

“Ulster Classic…”

“You know it well.”

An ancient Kung-Fu born from the Celtic forests.

Has bared its teeth to the new era’s Kung-Fu principles.