Beginning of Cultivation
Chapter 187: Alice vs Cedric

Chapter 187: Alice vs Cedric

Seeing Cedric’s powerful kick approaching at lightning speed, Nora felt a mix of helplessness and despair in his heart.

"Damn this body! It can’t react fast enough."

Cursing inwardly, he could only grit his teeth and brace for impact. He hoped that everything was just as Alice had said—that he wouldn’t die.

He wasn’t afraid of death. But he was afraid of dying now. He feared that if he died, there would be no one left to uncover humanity’s true fate and do everything in their power to prevent that day from coming.

Boom!

"Fire Bullet!"

Suddenly, an explosion rang out, and a fireball shot through the air, striking Cedric’s leg.

Seeing this, Cedric immediately coated his body in metal for defense. He let out a cold snort.

"Hmph, so you finally decided to step in, Alice."

Thick smoke and flames engulfed him, obscuring his figure. A few seconds later, Cedric emerged from the haze—completely unharmed.

His gaze was no longer on Nora. Instead, he stared intently at Alice.

Nora let out a sigh of relief. He knew he wouldn’t have to keep fighting.

"Good thing Alice stepped in. Otherwise, I’d be stuck in the hospital for a long time."

With that thought, he plopped down onto the ground, silently watching the battle between true experts unfold.

At least for now, in his eyes, both Alice and Cedric were far beyond his level. But he firmly believed that one day, he would catch up to them.

Alice stepped forward, standing face-to-face with Cedric at a distance of about ten meters. She locked eyes with him, her expression unfriendly.

"Why did you hit so hard? If he ends up bedridden for weeks, I won’t forgive you."

Initially, she only wanted Nora to take fighting more seriously. But Cedric’s previous attack would have seriously injured him if it had landed.

There was no way she could just stand by and watch that happen. She had to intervene.

Cedric chuckled at her words. Raising his hands in mock surrender, he put on an exaggeratedly fearful expression and said:

"Oh no, I’m so scared! Please spare me. I admit my mistake."

Cedric’s taunting tone made the veins on Alice’s forehead twitch. She wasn’t the type to be meek or gentle—provoking her had serious consequences.

Sure, she was a hero, but that didn’t mean she couldn’t get angry. And when she did, her punches hurt. A lot.

Crack! Crack!

The sound of her knuckles popping echoed as she clenched her fists. Staring straight at Cedric, she asked coldly:

"Are you ready to get beaten up?"

"Oh, I’m terrified," Cedric replied mockingly. "You talk like you can actually take me down easily."

The air between them crackled with invisible lightning as their gazes clashed.

Meanwhile, the surrounding police officers were starting to feel uneasy.

"I have a bad feeling about this..." one muttered.

"Be more confident—it’s not just bad, it’s a complete disaster waiting to happen."

"Are we really standing this close to them a good idea?"

"I think we should back up a little."

.....

After some hushed discussions, the police officers surrounding the scene made the wise decision to widen their perimeter. They all knew how strong Cedric was when he got serious.

If they accidentally got caught in the fight, there was a high chance they’d be killed in the crossfire.

Both Cedric and Alice were also aware of their own destructive potential. So they didn’t start fighting right away—they waited until everyone had cleared a safe distance.

Alice’s eyes locked onto Cedric, burning with intense battle intent.

She might have seemed normal most of the time, but when she got serious, she was a battle maniac.

And not just her—anyone with true talent was born to fight. None of them were pushovers.

Cedric locked eyes with her and smirked.

"Why aren’t you attacking? Are you scared of me?"

Taunting. It was an obvious, crude provocation, and of course, it had absolutely no effect.

Though no one could see her expression beneath the mask, Alice’s face remained unchanged. She spoke calmly.

"Fine. Since you’re in such a hurry to get beaten up, I’ll grant your wish."

Whoosh!

She shot forward at full speed, far faster than when she had chased after Nora earlier.

From the sidelines, Nora’s eyes widened as he observed her movements. The sheer speed was terrifying.

"I’ve heard her talk about it before, but seeing it in person is completely different. Just how strong is President Magnus right now? These people are absolute monsters. But the Demon World... they’re even scarier, since they were the ones who won in the end."

That thought weighed heavily on him, darkening his mood. But he quickly forced himself to regain composure.

No matter how much he brooded over the past, it wouldn’t change anything.

Wasting time on useless thoughts was meaningless—he had to get stronger. That was the only way to change humanity’s fate.

As Alice dashed toward Cedric, he made no move to defend. Instead, he charged straight at her.

Bang!

Their fists collided, sending a shockwave through the air. The once-silent crowd gasped at the impact.

To ordinary people, the clash might not have seemed too extraordinary. But Nora knew better.

Those fists could shatter his body in an instant—literally.

One punch after another, they exchanged blows like two battle-crazed warriors.

Cedric had the bulkier build, but at their level, raw size didn’t make much difference. Alice was just as capable of matching him in raw physical power.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

Their fists clashed repeatedly, neither side backing down.

Then, without warning, both fighters suddenly froze in place.

The crowd murmured in confusion.

"What’s going on? Why did they stop?"

"Did one of them get injured?"

"I don’t think so. Their fists are a little red, but they don’t look hurt."

"Then what the hell is happening? Someone explain!"

The voices buzzed in the background, but neither Alice nor Cedric paid any attention.

They stood motionless, staring into each other’s eyes—communicating without words, as if each could read the other’s intentions.