Road to Mastery: A LitRPG Apocalypse
Chapter 345: Defying Tyranny

The clash was too unexpected. Jack’s fist shot out, and then Cranxiao flew back. Moreover, a cracking sound clearly came from his fist.

The cultivators in the crowd, most of whom were dreadfully awaiting Jack’s defeat, took a moment to process this.

“What?”

“Cranxiao…lost the exchange?”

Even Baron Longform revealed a stunned expression. Even the all-knowing Sage blinked in surprise once before saying, “Oh, I see. It was about time.” Only Brock and Dorman, who knew of Jack’s recent increases in strength, showed smug expressions.

Cranxiao flew back for only ten feet. The thousandfold gravity took hold of him and smashed him into the ground, cratering the hard stone. Even he was stunned—a moment later, his features contorted, and he flew into a rage. The stone under him cracked further as he shot upright.

“How!?” he roared.

Jack kept that calm smile on his face. He slowly retracted his fist. “By being stronger than you.”

What sort of concept was this? A peak D-Grade with the battle power of a late C-Grade? It was unheard of!

Cranxiao finally realized he’d fucked up. He’d provoked someone he never should have. As for the crowd, they finally cheered! Their shouts reached into the void of space, filling it with enthusiasm.

They didn’t know how this had happened. But they didn’t care! In their eyes, Jack was suddenly a hero!

“Jack Rust!” they chanted. “Jack Rust!”

Cranxiao’s face darkened further. He’d fucked up…but it was too late to step back now. A massive warhammer appeared in his hands out of nowhere; it was nine feet long and possessed a solid-looking hammerhead made of dark stone. Jack couldn’t identify the material, but it was so heavy it almost sucked in his Dao perception.

Cranxiao was sweating. His hands were shaking. Wielding this weapon in thousandfold gravity was a massive strain for him, requiring a large portion of his Dao to support it.

However, he had correctly judged that against Jack, frontal power was the name of the game.

Cranxiao’s eyes sharpened. His aura billowed out unrestrained. He was no longer fighting to dominate—he was fighting to kill.

Without a word, he charged out. His hammer rose to the sky and crashed down.

Jack grinned. Life Drop, activate! Suddenly, a deluge of life energy filled his body, infiltrating every nook and cranny. His skin itched, his bones groaned. He grew a foot in height and two extra arms sprouted out below his armpits.

Jack’s four-armed form was originally a battleform that increased his bodily power. It still was—but, when used on top of his already-enhanced body, even Jack didn’t know the limits of his current power. He only felt a bottomless, limitless strength, as if he could punch the sky asunder and shatter the earth.

The moment he transformed, the knowledgeable people in the crowd felt disbelief. They could recognize a Life Artifact—but it was actually in the hands of a D-Grade?

The hammer was still crashing down. Cranxiao’s domain rolled out—an oppressive gray pushing against Jack, locking down the surrounding space and preventing his escape, forcing him to meet the hammer head-on.

Jack roared. Purple stars erupted, flying everywhere. They were instantly suppressed by Cranxiao’s gray domain—Jack’s Dao remained far weaker than the other man’s, but it was enough to give him freedom of movement.

He could have dodged. However, in that moment, as his body was filled with endless vitality, he didn’t want to. His fist sailed upward, a comet in a clear sky. His knuckle met the falling hammer. Space shook. The ground rumbled. The hammerhead was too hard to break, but its wielder was not.

Cranxiao felt like he’d struck a mountain. His hammer stopped mid-swing, then recoiled. The impact traveled down to his palms and tore apart their webbing. He barely managed to hold onto the hammer as he once again flew backward, his hands dripping blood.

“What!?”

The crowd was shaken. This was sensational! If Jack had used some powerful skill to defend against Cranxiao’s casual strike, that would be one thing. But now, Cranxiao had taken out his weapon, released his Dao Domain, and attacked with full force. And he had still been forced back!

What the hell was happening? How was this the power of a peak D-Grade?

Jack laughed out loud. His hand had shattered in that exchange, but it was already patched up. He shot forward. His Dao remained suppressed by Cranxiao’s, barely enough to let him move freely, but that was all he needed.

He possessed excellent titles and almost six hundred extra stat points from body tempering. He was already far superior in bodily power, and then he’d even activated the four-armed battle form which enhanced him further.

At this point, he didn’t even need his Dao. In the Cathedral, where the thousandfold gravity was supposed to be a major constraint for everyone, he was fighting as freely as if he was on Earth. His every punch carried tens of tons of strength.

With his body alone, he was an unstoppable warrior. How could Cranxiao match up?

Jack’s assault was relentless. He fell on his opponent, shooting out punches faster than the other man could react. Every punch was a falling comet, every swing a death sentence. Cranxiao didn’t even have time to feel shocked. He was forced on the defensive, blocking desperately as he retreated.

His Dao specialized in oppressing weaker opponents. He usually relied on overwhelming strength to win his battles. Facing someone with even more overwhelming strength, just what could he do?

He wasn’t even fast!

Hammers were not good in close-quarters defense. Jack’s fist slipped through, striking Cranxiao’s abdomen like a cannonball. Cranxiao flew back, spitting blood all the while. While he did possess some self-regeneration, it wasn’t enough to heal wounds in the blink of an eye.

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Don Cranxiao was injured!

The crowd went crazy. They didn’t know what they were seeing, but it was like a dream come true. Their throats went hoarse from shouting, and their chanting echoed across the entire Cathedral.

“Jack Rust! Jack Rust! Jack Rust!”

Jack had been one of them until now. They saw themselves in his despair. Now, when he erupted with unprecedented strength and pushed back the tyrant, they believed in him wholeheartedly. In just a few seconds, Jack had become these people’s hero!

Cranxiao crashed against a cabin wall. He could still fight. Before he even stood, as Jack approached, Cranxiao’s eyes went blood-shot and he shouted, “Tyrannical Aura!”

A wave of terror spread outward. Jack’s steps faltered. He felt an attack on his psyche, the certainty of death if he kept defying this overlord. Cranxiao’s aura crashed down on his soul like a second hammer, suppressing him through fear.

But who was Jack? He had fought for his life since the Integration. He had faced death dozens of time. He had challenged and defeated an entire B-Grade faction before millions of people. He had ruled a planet.

How could a mere bully stop him?

Jack roared out. His own skill was unleashed—Brutalizing Aura! Cranxiao’s terror was pushed back, brought to a standstill by Jack’s. The two auras clashed mid-air, grounding against each other, sparks flying in the void. It was like two bloodthirsty beasts fighting for dominance.

And Jack was not pushed back at all!

His Dao may have been limited by his cultivation, but when it came to resolve, he was confident that he would lose to no one!

Cranxiao’s eyes widened! The crowd roared out more cheers. On the rooftop, Baron Longform narrowed his eyes in suspicion—Jack’s skill was too similar to his own aura. Was it a coincidence?

Jack reached Cranxiao again. Hammer and fists clashed. Jack’s hands were broken, but Cranxiao was sent flying back, passing between two cabins to land in the empty fields outside. The crowd hurried to make more space.

Jack walked out from between the cabins like a god of death.

“You wanted to harm me and my friends,” he said. “You wanted to kill me. I hope you are prepared to pay the price.”

Cranxiao shot upright with hatred in his eyes. His hair was dirty, blood stained his shorts, and his face was warped in pain. However, most of his power remained.

“I am Don Cranxiao!” he bellowed crazily. “I have never been defeated by someone weaker than me. It will not happen today! Come at me, you ant! Let me show you the power of tyranny!”

His aura boiled over. More and more of his Dao was pulled out of his body, focused on the hammerhead which glowed with a dark gray light. Bloodthirstiness erupted, filling the void, and the crowd took a few more steps back.

Cranxiao was betting everything, including his very Dao, on this strike. If it failed, he would no longer be a tyrant, but it was precisely that gamble which amplified his power! He raised his hammer and charged forward.

“Overlord Hammer!”

Jack didn’t underestimate Cranxiao’s final attack. The purple stars around him spun faster. His Brutalizing Aura flared. He clenched his fist, and the world’s light and sound were drawn inside, making it a single purple star in an endless night.

He shot it out. A starry trail followed. His entire hand exploded against the falling hammerhead.

“Meteor Punch!”

The sound was swallowed up in the blast. A burning shockwave erupted. The crowd covered their eyes, the ground cratered and shattered, stones crossed the air.

A hammer flew high.

The high gravity cleared the dust instantly. When it did, Cranxiao was revealed on the ground. His hands bled profusely. His breath was shallow, and more blood streamed out from between his lips, while the right side of his chest was caved in. Jack’s punch hadn’t only stopped the hammer, but it had also broken through to strike Cranxiao’s body.

As for Jack, he stood straight. Blood was pooled under him, but his hand was already regenerating at a rapid pace. As the crowd watched with wide eyes, his four-armed form receded, revealing an exhausted but victorious man.

Jack Rust…had won!

The crowd erupted in cheers. They thought they were dreaming, but that didn’t stop them. Brock nodded with pride, Dorman smiled brightly, and the Sage’s eyes were sparkling.

As for Jack, who stood over his opponent, his gaze remained hard. He did not seem ready to walk away.

This was a duel to the death. They had agreed so in the presence of an Envoy, and Cranxiao had already announced this to everyone. If Jack wanted to strike out and kill Cranxiao right now, nobody could accuse him.

That was exactly what he intended to do. His fist rose, purple light budding over it.

“Stop!” a voice cried out. Baron Longform’s aura was billowing from the rooftop on which he stood, his face carrying caution. He didn’t want to offend someone as promising as Jack, but he couldn’t let his cousin die. “Let him leave. This is over. He will never bother you again.”

“Hmph!” Jack sneered. “If he won, would he let me live?”

Longform’s brows fell. “You’re going too far.”

“So what? This is a duel to the death, with everyone here and an Envoy as witnesses. I have every right to kill him.”

“That man is my relative. Your duel has concluded. If you harm him any more, I guarantee that you will die a horrible death.”

The crowd had gone silent by now. Jack may have won…but he couldn’t possibly defy Baron Longform. Even if he couldn’t do anything right now, defying him was a death wish!

Jack was well aware of that. This man was not an enemy he wanted to make. The sensible solution would be to let the matter go—he had already won, anyway.

But how could he stop now? Don Cranxiao was a detestable bully, a man who had harmed a lot of people. He absolutely deserved death. Moreover, if Jack let him live, who knew how Cranxiao would get revenge in the future? He might target Jack’s friends or even Jack himself in a moment of weakness. It was certainly something a man like him would do.

And, besides all those…the Fist was not a Dao of thoughtless mercy. When defeating a blood enemy, there was only one conclusion.

Death!

Jack’s fist abruptly struck down. “Stop!” Longform shouted again, releasing his full aura and dashing forward, but it was too late. Jack’s knuckle exploded on Cranxiao’s throat, cleanly severing his head from his body. A hateful, disbelieving look was plastered on that ugly face for eternity.

Longform landed beside Jack a moment too late. He stilled for a moment, his body exuding waves of tyrannical aura. Without looking at Jack, he said, “You have made the wrong enemy.”

Then, his aura receded. It was withdrawn and hidden deep inside himself like he felt no fury or hatred at all. Passing his hand over Cranxiao’s body and head, Longform made them both disappear, then calmly walked away without giving Jack another glance.

These acts terrified Jack more than if Longform had thrown a tantrum. This was not a hotheaded brute like Cranxiao—Longform was a calculating, cold-hearted, powerful tyrant. His calmness made him a hundred times more dangerous, to the point where Jack was seriously worried.

However, he had done the right thing. When the consequences came, he would just have to deal with them. And, since they were already enemies…

“Wait a moment,” Jack said.

Longform paused. “Are you talking to me?”

“Cranxiao and I had bet twenty Dao stones on our duel. It was also agreed that if we perished, the debt would be paid by our friends and family. I couldn’t possibly force you to comply…but you wouldn’t abandon your cousin’s honor, would you?”

Longform’s aura was still, like a volcano about to erupt. As he turned around, his eyes were dark and cold, overflowing with killing intent. Jack feared that he’d gone too far. However, Baron Longform reached into his pocket and fished out a small sack, tossing it over at Jack with enough force to defy the thousandfold gravity. Jack caught it cleanly.

The crowd had gone deathly silent. Longform then kept walking, eventually disappearing behind a corner.

A moment passed. Then another. The entire crowd found their voice again, and they cheered with enough intensity to shake the Cathedral. Their eyes were starry, their expressions bright—to these low-rankers, Jack Rust was one of them who suddenly erupted with potential, killed Don Cranxiao, and openly defied Baron Longform. He had done what none of them would dare or be able to do.

He was their hero!