Chapter 754: Changing Sides

A weary smile spread across Max’s face as he looked at the opponents standing before him.

Dipter was no longer alone. Hugo, Dud and Popper had moved to stand beside him, making it clear that they intended to fight together.

Although Max had managed to handle Dipter with relative ease once he stopped holding back, Dipter was still highly skilled. Max had landed a powerful attack on him, but it hadn’t been enough to remove him from the fight entirely.

The other three were unknown factors.

Max had fought Dud before, but he couldn’t judge the man based only on what he remembered. Dud wouldn’t have called him out or willingly stepped forward unless he believed he had grown stronger since their last meeting.

I hurt Dipter, but not enough, Max thought. He’s still in good enough condition to fight if he gets a little time to recover.

Dipter was currently keeping his distance, but his attention remained fixed on Max. If Max allowed himself to become distracted by the other three, Dipter could easily return to the fight and catch him by surprise.

The others got involved sooner than I expected. It would have been nice to reduce their numbers by at least one before they joined in.

Max began shifting away from the group, carefully watching each of them.

"Do you think there’s any chance we could fight one another one at a time?" Max asked with a smile.

None of them appeared interested in accepting his suggestion.

Before any of the four could attack, Max heard the sound of footsteps rushing towards him from behind. The ordinary fighters who had been called to the docks were still surrounding him, waiting for any opportunity to interfere.

One of them charged in.

Max raised his foot and kicked the man in the stomach, sending him flying backwards. However, the moment Max committed to the attack, Popper moved.

The man with the eye patch threw a strike directly towards Max’s head.

Max noticed it in time and pulled his head aside, narrowly avoiding the blow. He then used his momentum to spin his entire body, swinging his heel towards Popper with enough power to take him out.

Before the kick could connect, Dud stepped between them.

He raised one arm and blocked Max’s heel.

The force of the strike pushed Dud’s body slightly to the side, but he managed to keep his footing. His arm remained raised, and he showed no sign that the impact had done any serious damage.

Max’s eyes widened.

He took that.

It hadn’t been a testing strike. Max had thrown the kick with his full strength, intending to end Popper’s involvement in the fight immediately.

He really has improved. With the power of my Vow behind that kick, he shouldn’t have been able to withstand it.

Max studied Dud’s body, attempting to understand what had changed.

Has he become like me as well? Does he have the power of a Vow?

He spent a moment too long thinking about it.

A large fist suddenly came towards him.

Max pulled both hands up and crossed his forearms, preparing to block the strike. The fist slammed against his guard, and the power behind it lifted both of Max’s feet from the ground.

He was sent flying through the air.

A throbbing pain spread through both of his arms. The impact had been so powerful that Max wouldn’t have been surprised if his forearms had fractured.

His body continued backwards towards another group of men. They had been attempting to approach from behind, hoping to grab Max and restrain him so the others could deal more damage.

Instead, Max crashed into them with violent force.

Several of the men were knocked from their feet, their bodies cushioning Max’s landing while taking them out of the fight.

Max quickly pushed himself back up.

He could still feel both of his forearms throbbing. For a moment, he expected to discover that they were broken, but he could still move his hands and arms.

They seem okay for now, Max thought. But if I had taken that hit directly to my chest or stomach, or if I hadn’t absorbed some of the force through my guard, that might have seriously finished me.

Max looked towards the man who had thrown the punch.

Hugo stood with his fist still extended.

His strikes are unbelievably strong. Out of everyone here, he might be the person I need to worry about the most.

Seeing that kind of strength caused memories of someone Max had once dealt with on the mountain to return to him. The situation had been difficult then, but this time Hugo wasn’t the only powerful opponent Max needed to face.

Dud had become strong enough to block his full-powered kick. Popper had nearly struck him while he was distracted, and Dipter only needed time before he could join the fight again.

On top of that, the ordinary fighters were still surrounding them.

Am I really going to be okay taking all of them on?

For the first time since arriving, Max couldn’t immediately see a way through the situation.

How am I supposed to do this?

While Max was facing the four men below, the Stern family and the two leaders of the Black Hounds had managed to free themselves on the ship.

However, escaping their restraints didn’t mean they could simply head down and join Max’s fight.

Donto had been left behind to guard them, and he had finally noticed what was happening. A large group of escaped prisoners and hired fighters also remained on the upper deck.

Chad looked over the side of the ship in time to see Hugo’s fist send Max flying. He winced at the sight, knowing the situation was becoming worse.

"What are you doing, Donto?" Chad shouted. "You can still turn this around! You’re a member of the Stern family. We’re all Sterns, so you should be on our side!"

"On your side?" Donto repeated. "Since when has the Stern family ever encouraged us to work together?"

He looked between Chad, Karen and Bobo.

"We’ve always been pitted against one another, and right now is no different."

"But your methods go beyond anything Grandfather would allow," Bobo said. "If he finds out about this, you won’t be allowed to take part anymore."

Donto had gone further than the ordinary competition between members of the Stern family. He had helped arrange the kidnapping of his own relatives and had placed all of their lives in danger.

"It’s just as they said," Karen added. "Most of these people are following you because you’re sponsoring them with your money, right?"

Her eyes moved towards the prisoners and hired fighters surrounding them.

"If you pay them to help Max instead, it could change the situation. You can still fix this. But if you go too far, what happens afterwards will be terrible for you."

Donto listened without showing any sign that their words had convinced him.

"Right, but how would Grandfather ever find out?" Donto replied. "As long as we win and I get rid of all of you, he won’t."