Chapter 200: One Hit!

’I haven’t seen someone who is asking for a beating so badly.’ Sara thought.

"If you say so, but are you fully prepared?" Kelly asked casually, passing the S-Rank evolution stone over to Juliana, who slipped it into a spatial storage.

?"Yes!"

?Captain Zion clenched his fists tightly. A blinding surge of silver-white energy erupted from his body, swirling violently across the lobby and kicking up dust from the polished marble floor.

?"Whoa... look at that. We actually get to witness a real combat demonstration." a junior nurse whispered, stepping back.

?"Hey, isn’t that guy an elite SSS-Rank Awakened? Won’t the sheer force from his spirit energy accidentally injure us?" another staff member asked, looking nervously around.

?"Captain Zion is renowned for utilizing the Light element combined with the Archer class—making him a specialized Light Archer. I’ve heard rumors that his precision is so absolute he practically never misses a target."

?"I get that, but what about the knight? We don’t even know its specific combat class or elemental affinity."

?"Well, under normal circumstances, knight-class Awakened focus heavily on defense and heavy physical damage impact. They aren’t traditionally known for explosive speed... It should just be a standard Heavy Tank variant."

?"A Knight Class? What’s the difference between a Knight and a Warrior Class?" a young medical intern asked curiously.

?"Well, if my combat academy lectures serve me right: a knight-class Awakened boasts significantly higher physical and magical defense than almost any other combat role. While they still deal respectable baseline damage, it doesn’t compare to a Warrior class, who possess far superior mobility and speed." An experienced middle-aged administrator explained.

?"So in short, Warriors are faster and hit harder, whereas Knights specialize in impenetrable defense."

?"Precisely. But never underestimate a high-Rank knight—Their defensive barriers can outright negate debuffs and block nearly any conventional attack, which is why they are invariably stationed on the frontlines as the ultimate vanguard tanks."

?"Alright, so between a summoned knight and an elite ranged archer, who realistically takes this?"

?"Well, archers are long-range specialists; their absolute first reflex is to instantly create maximum distance from their opponent before unleashing their highest piercing skills... Most high-ranking archers have even evolved past the need for physical bows and arrows; their dense spirit energy is more than sufficient. Captain Zion is comfortably operating at that advanced stage."

?Kelly turned her gaze toward the medical staff in quiet surprise. While they were professional healthcare workers, their understanding of elite Awakened classes was surprisingly refined.

?However, while their textbook logic was sound, true combat supremacy often relied on elemental and energy advantages. For instance, a Light Archer possessed immense combat utility due to having very few natural elemental weaknesses—but how would they fare against an entity that utilized no standard elements whatsoever?

?A knowing smirk tugged at the corner of Kelly’s lips. Sara had already explained the finer details through Juliana: Asher’s unique energy signature did not belong to any elemental classification; it was pure, foundational Aether. Shockingly, it meant he—and by extension his direct constructs—possessed zero elemental weaknesses or vulnerabilities.

?"Go all out against him, but ensure you don’t accidentally kill him," Kelly instructed calmly.

?BAM!

?One of the massive, eight-foot-tall red-armored knights stepped forward with heavy, earth-shattering precision, taking its position in front of Kelly and locking its crimson-visored gaze directly onto Zion.

?’With all that heavy crimson plate armor weighing it down, those knights can’t possibly possess high movement speed... I can easily out-maneuver and kite—’

?BOOM!!

?Before Zion could even finish his thought, the knight vanished from its spot, materializing instantly directly in front of him with its iron gauntlet raised.

?’Such terrifying speed!’

?BOOOOM!!!!

?The knight’s massive armored fist smashed squarely into Zion’s chest, releasing a shockwave of force that lifted the captain completely off his feet and sent him rocketing backward through the air like a cannonball straight into the office reception desk.

?BOOOOM!!!

?He obliterated the heavy mahogany desk into splinters before crashing violently into the concrete rear wall, his body sliding limp to the floor as he instantly lost consciousness.

?".....?!"

?Everyone in the lobby blinked in unison, slowly turning their heads toward the wreckage to find Zion crumpled motionless on the floor, framed by a massive spiderweb crater carved deep into the wall.

?"....?!!"

?Lord Daniel was utterly flabbergasted. One could argue without hyperbole that Captain Zion was among the top three most powerful combat assets under his direct command in the Association—yet he had been completely incapacitated by a single, un-channeled punch from a summoned guard.

?Daniel slowly shifted his terrified eyes back to the knight. The armored figure simply stood upright, pivoted on its heel, walked back with composure, and resumed its quiet post directly behind the three madams as if it had done nothing more strenuous than brush off a speck of dust.

?’Are those things really EX-Rank?! Even with the Awakened system, I can’t pierce their profile at all... What the fuck are these entities?’ Daniel thought, a chill running down his spine as he snapped his head toward Zion’s motionless form:

?’It moved so fast I only caught a fleeting flash of red light... Could I honestly survive taking that kind of physical blow head-on?’ he wondered nervously, just as the second Association officer rushed forward to check the fallen captain’s pulse.

?"He’s still breathing, but... multiple ribs are cracked, he will take two or more months in the hospital." The officer reported grimly, looking up at Daniel.

?"What?!" Daniel whipped his head around toward Kelly, Juliana, and Sara, his temper flaring:

?"This was supposed to be a simple, controlled sparring match! Why go to such brutal extremes?! Tomorrow morning is going to be an apocalyptic nightmare for the city—we desperately need every experienced combatant we can muster!" He yelled, unable to hide his frustration.

?"Why on earth are you raising your voice at us? He specifically begged for a full-power demonstration; besides, you stood right there and didn’t lift a finger to stop him." Kelly replied coolly, turning her gaze back to Daniel:

?"Besides... I am entirely certain you secretly wanted a firsthand demonstration of our household’s actual combat strength anyway, didn’t you?"

?"You...?"

?Daniel was struck completely speechless, caught red-handed.

?"We are departing now. Chief Dean, you will retain your full administrative position as head of the hospital; should any critical logistical issues arise during the defense, simply contact me directly." Kelly commanded, giving a dismissive wave of her hand as she turned toward the exit.

?"We can’t just stand here and let them walk away after hospitalizing our captain!!" The second Association officer shouted furiously, taking an aggressive step forward.

?WHOOSH!!

?BAM!!!!

?"....?!"