Chapter 69 - Drum To Dust
With a smile on his face and the drumsticks in his hands, Zhao Luo was now standing in front of the first drum.
'Let's do it.'
Zhao Luo arched backward as he let his arms fall freely behind him so he could get that extra momentum when he would strike the drum.
Mite who was watching Zhao Luo going all out had it hard to hide his smile.
'He is making the same mistake again. Hahaha yes just do it like that and fall again.'
Mite screamed in his mind.
He could Imagine seeing Zhao Luo vomiting out blood as he would be thrown away by the attack of the drum.
Mite continued watching Zhao Luo who was gonna struck the drum.
While Zhao Luo was taking his position.
'Haha.'
Zhao Luo who was positioning himself was looking at Mite from the side of his eyes. It was like Zhao Luo had predicted this reaction from Mite.
Zhao Luo did this to make Mite happy just so he could step on his happiness.
Zhao Luo straightened his back with force as his arms that were backward now came accelerating towards the drum.
In less than a second, the drum sticks in Zhao Luo's hands were going to come in contact with the drumhead, Zhao Luo did something shocking.
'Hup.'
He raised his leg and stomped it back on the floor just to stop his body. This caused him to lose almost all the power behind his drumstick.
The drumsticks finally landed on the drumhead. But the power behind Zhao Luo's attack was now three times less than before.
'Boom.'
A usual sound was produced by the drum. Zhao Luo and the crowd bow waited for the echoes. At least three echoes were needed to pass on to the next drum.
'Boom.'
'Boom.'
'Boom.'
Zhao Luo smiled as the echoes died down after reverberating three times.
The control that he had practiced so much for was being applied here.
If Zhao Luo wanted he could easily get ten echoes now. That is how much stronger he had gotten after training in his dark space.
Even though he had raised his endurance by a lot too but he still wasn't sure of handling the attack of the first drum in the fourth row if he kept on going nine to ten echoes every drum.
So a strike that had started like it would crush the drum resulted in only three echoes.
Senior Mite was already grabbing his hair.
'Don't tell me he knows about the strength behind the attack of that drum.'
Mite thought while feeling angry as Zhao Luo had fooled him with his actions.
"What? Is that all you got? Pssh, all talk no bite newbie."
Mite tried taunting Zhao Luo.
Zhao Luo just showed a smile in return and moved to the second drum.
Zhao Luo only raised his arms just till he reached his head level before striking the drumhead with the drumsticks in his hand.
'Boom.'
The drum sounded out. The sound was so identical to the last drum that even Mite was shocked.
The spectating disciples felt like they were replaying Zhao Luo's attack on the first drum. But he was clearly standing on the second drum.
'That control...'
Some disciples thought as the echoes started sounding out in the surrounding.
'Boom.'
'Boom.'
'Boom.'
Zhao Luo went to the third drum and raised his arms just like he had done on the second drum to beat it.
After a split moment.
'Boom.'
The sound of the drum was again the same.
'Hah.'
'Is this real?'
Many disciples started whispering thinking they were in a dream. It wasn't just about getting three echoes. They could feel that Zhao Luo's attack was very mysterious as the initial banging sound of the drum in terms of volume was exactly the same.
'Boom.'
'Boom.'
'Boom.'
Three echoes reverberated around the Training Area as the disciples were shocked but also enjoying the show.
Only Mite had the look of slaughtered sheep on his face. He had his mouth opened as if he was looking at some hidden monster.
Mite would train to clear the drums every time he would come to the training hall to teach the new disciples and oversee them but he still couldn't get such a mastery over the drums.
Zhao Luo who was solely focused on the Drums of Bellum moved to the fourth drum.
'Fourth Drum.'
The same thing happened as the last time.
Just like that Zhao Luo cleared the first row after getting three echoes on the fifth drum.
"The second row."
Zhao Luo was in a nostalgia.
How long had he trained in his mental world under the same condition again and again?
The pressure was nothing for him but as much as he trained under these conditions, the increased gravity, and the heavy drum sticks, he felt like sh*tting his pants.
But now wasn't the time for such ridiculous wishes.
"Huff."
Zhao Luo took a deep breath and continued as he had been doing before.
In less than a minute, he had cleared the second row of drums.
The disciples spectating Zhao Luo were gasping.
Even though his performance wasn't eyecatching like before but it amazingly so consistent that they couldn't take their eyes off this handsome younger brother of theirs.
The three echoes reverberating every time Zhao Luo would beat the drum and the volume of the sound from the drum being exactly the same was indeed something that they were witnessing for the first time.
Zhao Luo had only cleared the second row. He was only 'beating' the drum yet the disciples felt as if they were in front of a general who had granted them many war victories.
'Incredible.'
'Amazing.'
'So hot.'
The male and female disciples had thoughts about Zhao Luo popping up in their minds.
Zhao Luo was now standing in front of the first drum of the third row.
The nostalgia still hadn't left him as now he just wanted to reach the fourth row so he could use all his strength.
Zhao Luo grabbed the drum sticks which were way lighter than the previous drum sticks. Zhao Luo still looked calm and collected as if this was just a little walk in the park for him.
Even under the double pressure than the second row, he didn't bat an eye.
Even though there was a nostalgic feeling about beating the drum he was still enjoying this.
The only person who wasn't enjoying the challenge was Mite.
'Boom.'
The sound of the drum resounded out as Zhao Luo started to beat it followed by the three echoes.
Again in less than a minute, Zhao Luo had cleared the third row.
"Finally."
Zhao Luo said as he was standing in front of the same drum that had caused his fall last time.
Before Zhao Luo proceeded to clear the fourth row, he turned around to look at Mite looked sour from not being able to handle Zhao Luo's advance.
"I hope your food still hasn't digested yet. Keep it there till I reach the last drum."
Zhao Luo said to Mite as he pointed at Mite's stomach and then at the last drum of the fifth row.
"Hahahaha."
Mite who looked like someone had thrown sh*t on him before finally regained his senses just in a bad way as he started laughing crazily.
"Even if you have good control it would be useless without your strength backing it up."
Mite said as he believed that Zhao Luo would definitely fail in the fourth row.
He thought that Zhao Luo wasn't strong enough to take the attack of the first drum head-on.
Even Mite himself who was an outer disciple couldn't do it, so how could a disciple who just came to the sect yesterday could do it?
Zhao Luo who was scratching his right ear with his pinky looked at Mite with disdain in his eyes.
"Are you done?"
Zhao Luo said with anger.
Mite was a person whose happiness lied in other's misfortune and setbacks thus Zhao Luo knew there was no reason to act nicely with such a guy even if he is a senior.
Mite was looking at Zhao Luo with his mouth shut as Zhao Luo moved to the first drum of the fourth row.
Zhao Luo touched the drum head with his hand.
"It's time to conquer you."
Zhao Luo said while looking at the drum seriously.
It was time to test his endurance, his defense.
Before Zhao Luo could remove his hand from the drum, he could hear a sound.
'Jungle~.'
As if the drum had come to life after Zhao Luo's touch.
The drum sounded happy as finally, someone worthy had appeared to beat it again.
'This drum...'
Zhao Luo who looked troubled after hearing the 'jingle' sound coming from the drum pulled back his hand while grabbing the drum sticks.
In a matter of seconds, Zhao Luo took his position, arched his back, raised his hands, and struck the drum with all of his strength.
"BOOOOM."
As the sound of the drum beating sounded out, the drum couldn't handle Zhao Luo's sudden burst of power and turned to dust.
But before the drum turned to dust it had already sent an attack towards Zhao Luo.
Zhao Luo was facing an attack that had the power of 45 echoes behind it.
Zhao Luo slid back because of the force of the attack, as his eyes were closed because he was trying to endure the attack.
As Zhao Luo successfully stood against the attack, he opened his eyes and looked at the dust that was the result of his attack.
'... is a pervert.'
Zhao Luo completed his earlier sentence while listening to the echoes that had surrounded the 'Training Area'.
"Easier than i thought."
Zhao Luo said as he was aiming for nine to ten echoes but because of the sound that the drum had made which sounded perverted to Zhao Luo, this happened.
Mite who was looking at the dust with shock had his eyes on Zhao Luo.
'This guy may just be the end of Drums of Bellum.'
Mite thought while looking at the straight and broad back of Zhao Luo.