NOVEL NEXT Chapter 190: The One-Finger Execution
Elder Kalzor clenched his jaw and thrust both hands forward.
The poison mist around him began to gather and thicken, forming a huge sword that was aimed straight at Garion from above.
"You said I need to use brute force to pierce your body, didn't you? Then let's see if you can survive this."
Garion tilted his head, looking at the huge purple sword. He was a bit unimpressed by it.
"A huge poison sword, huh. Let me guess... a poison version of Raviel's huge greatsword, right?"
Kalzor twitched.
"Copied?! This is nothing like his! My domain is bigger, so my sword is deadlier and stronger than his!"
Garion shrugged.
"So it's a knockoff but worse. Got it."
Kalzor's eye twitched violently.
"Keep talking… I'll cut you in half!"
Garion smirked as he spread his arms a little and kept walking forward... slowly.
"Go ahead."
He cracked his knuckles calmly.
"Try piercing me with that thing. I wonder if that big toy of yours can pierce me."
Kalzor's aura flared in anger.
"You… you filthy-tongued brute! No one has ever mocked me like this!"
Garion grinned wider.
"Really? Then today must be a special day."
Kalzor shouted in rage.
"DON'T UNDERESTIMATE ME!!!"
He lifted the massive poison sword high.
Garion didn't flinch. He just kept approaching, rolling his shoulders lazily.
"Come on then. Hit me with everything you have."
He lowered his stance slightly.
"Because if you can't bring me down before I reach you…"
His fingers curled into a tight fist.
"You're going to learn exactly what one fist means."
Kalzor trembled with fury.
"You think I'm weak, don't you?! A weakling?!"
Garion's grin turned sharp.
"Isn't that right?"
Kalzor roared, slamming his hand downward.
The giant poison sword dropped like a guillotine, hissing through the air straight toward Garion's head.
But Garion didn't dodge.
He only clenched his fist hard, shifting his shoulders as his muscles tightened.
the sword descendfast and when it just an inch from Garion... it stuttered.
The massive blade trembled mid-fall, its edge struggling to push downward.
Kalzor's eyes widened.
"W-What?! Why is it?!"
Garion kept walking, step by slow step, the space around him warping from sheer pressure.
"Come on, Kalzor. Show me more. Show me just how strong your spell really is."
Kalzor gritted his teeth as he forced more mana into the sword to push it downward harder than before.
"GO DOWN! GO DOWN, YOU BASTARD!"
The enormous blade shuddered violently, then finally but barely managed to slip past Garion's pressure.
The sword's tip had managed to touch Garion's forehead.
Kalzor grinned.
"YES! I..."
But different from what he expected, the sword stopped, unable to pierce Garion's head.
Garion smirked and raised his head slightly, pushing the blade upward with nothing but the strength of his neck.
"Good. You managed to pierce my pressure, but can you pierce me?"
Kalzor's pupils shrank.
"W-What the hell…?"
He then finally realized Garion was standing right in front of him, close enough to touch.
And the pressure rolling off Garion's body pressed him straight to the ground, crushing his knees into the stone floor.
Kalzor trembled, his breath shaking.
"H-How… How can a person release this kind of pressure? What kind of monster are you?!"
Garion tilted his head casually, cracking his neck.
"Monster? No."
He placed a hand on his hip, smiling.
"I'm just a gym rat."
Kalzor's face twisted in confusion and fear.
Garion rolled his neck, shoulders rising as his aura grew heavier.
"And unfortunately… you managed to piss me off today."
His smile faded into something colder.
"So I won't destroy you."
Kalzor blinked.
"W-What do you mean… won't destroy me?"
Garion lifted one finger.
"I'll turn you into a cadaver."
Kalzor froze.
"What… What is a cadaver…?"
Garion smiled politely.
"A dead corpse. For study."
Kalzor's expression shifted from confusion to pure horror.
"H-Hey, wait... We can talk..."
Garion didn't let him finish.
He stepped forward, the pressure pinning Kalzor completely, unable to even lift his arms.
Garion raised his hand and tapped Kalzor's ear lightly.
"Right about… here."
Then his finger thrust forward in a blur.
Garion's fingertip pierced through Kalzor's ear and into his skull, clean and precise.
Kalzor's eyes rolled back instantly, his body going limp.
Garion caught the corpse before it hit the ground and lifted it like a bag of potatoes.
He smiled.
"Perfect. Third-realm cadaver for research. Haven't had one yet."
He slung the corpse over his shoulder as if it were gym equipment he just finished using.
At that moment, Raviel and Aveline finally arrived after leaving the arena to check the situation.
Raviel froze first, eyes wide. Aveline, who was in Raviel's hand, was also surprised.
They both stared at the scene.
Kalzor, someone who was slightly stronger than either of them, died with a single finger.
Garion stood there shirtless, relaxed, and smiling like he just finished warm-up stretches.
Aveline's brows twitched in disbelief.
"…Just how in the hell can he be that strong?"
Raviel swallowed, rubbing the back of his neck.
His smile looked both nervous and defeated.
"Honestly? I don't even know anymore."
He looked at Garion, who was now adjusting Kalzor's corpse to carry it more comfortably.
"When Garion and I fought… I thought he was giving his all."
Aveline glanced at him.
"You thought?"
Raviel sighed, shoulders sinking.
"It seems he wasn't even serious."
Garion turned toward them, waving casually with his free hand.
"Oh, you two done chatting? Good timing."
Aveline pointed at the corpse hanging on his shoulder.
"…You killed him with one finger."
Garion nodded. "Yup."
Raviel stepped forward, squinting.
"How strong are you exactly?"
Garion shrugged. "Strong enough to skip warm-ups."
Both Aveline and Raviel stared at him.
They were speechless, confused, and just a little afraid.
Garion smiled at their silence.
"Well, don't worry about it. We still have one idiot left to deal with."
He pointed toward the arena where Agram waited, vines thrashing in the distance.
Raviel let out a slow breath. "Right… that bastard."