Chapter 743 459: Understanding (4)

Hu Qi slowly straightened up, flicking the blood from his wrist.

A good portion of his clothes had turned to Ashes. The slightest movement sent them fluttering down from his body.

Wisps of faint white smoke rose from his form.

The exposed skin on his torso and arm was covered in large blisters and charred black, as if it had been seared by intense flames.

Dark red blood flowed from the split-open wounds.

These were all burns caused by the flames from Ired.

The flames hadn't looked very large.

But upon contact, one would discover the extremely high temperature contained within the streams of fire.

If an ordinary person had suffered such injuries, they would likely be on the ground, screaming ceaselessly.

These injuries already qualified as severe burns.

But Hu Qi's expression was as placid as an old well. It was as if the arm wasn't his own, as if he couldn't feel any pain at all.

He walked over and closed the door.

Then he turned his gaze to the unconscious Ired.

With his relatively unharmed hand, he picked up the Dagger lying nearby.

The Dagger rose and fell. Twice, the sickening sound of a sharp blade tearing through muscle and sinew echoed through the room.

The next second, the intense pain of having the tendons in both his legs severed jolted Ired awake from his stupor.

"Ah!"

His face, covered in blood, was contorted. Veins bulged on his ferocious expression as he glared at Hu Qi, his eyes looking like they would split open.

WHOOSH!

Suddenly, the nearby flames erupted. The fiery torrent in the fireplace surged like a wild beast, as if it would break its bonds and devour everything in the next moment.

SHING!

However, before the flames could even get close, a flash of cold light appeared as Hu Qi's hand, gripping the Dagger, flashed past Ired's face in an instant.

Ired didn't even have time to react before he felt a sharp, intense pain in his left eye, followed by a plunge into endless darkness.

A warm liquid trickled down his cheek, and the stench of blood filled the air.

"AHHH—!!!"

A bloodcurdling howl, more like the dying cry of a beast than a human scream, erupted from his throat.

At the same time, the fire in the fireplace seemed to lose control. It exploded with a sudden BANG, sending out a few sparks.

"You despicable coward! You only know how to use cheap tricks! If you have any guts, fight me head-on..."

Ired gasped for breath.

His tone was filled with venomous resentment and indignation.

He could sense it.

'His opponent is strong, but he's still flesh and blood. He can be injured. If he hadn't ambushed me and used poison... how could a Professional like me, someone far beyond ordinary people, fall into his hands so easily?'

This outcome was something that Ired, who had inherited the Knight's Spirit and revered a fair duel, found difficult to accept.

"Despicable?"

Hu Qi sneered.

He didn't care in the slightest.

Words like that had zero effect on him.

'Because if someone says that to you, it just means they've lost to you. As the victor, why should I feel ashamed? After all, this isn't child's play. The means don't matter. The result is all that counts. Just like now. He's the one lying on the ground. That's all that matters.'

"Alright. Now, I ask, you answer. If you try any more funny business, believe me, I'll cut your head off with this Dagger before you can finish."

Hu Qi's calm voice sounded.

At the same time, a killing intent so tangible it felt real emanated from his body.

Like a bone-chilling wind, it seemed to make the temperature in the room drop by several degrees.

Ired, who had been screaming on the floor, shuddered and fell silent.

His remaining, bloodshot eye was filled with terror as he stared at Hu Qi.

He had never felt such an extreme killing intent from anyone before.

Not even the great figure he had once met, a man rumored to have slaughtered tens of thousands, possessed this level of killing intent.

Compared to the man before him, that person was like a firefly next to the bright moon.

No, the gap might have been even wider.

Killing intent, though ethereal, was a very real thing.

The more living beings one killed, the heavier one's killing intent became.

'Just how many people has this man killed?'

At this thought, a trace of fear flashed in Ired's eyes.

But he forcibly suppressed that fear the moment it appeared.

"Heh, if you're going to kill me, then kill me. You think you'll let me go if I cooperate?"

Ired spat out a mouthful of bloody saliva, his tone laced with scorn.

"Is that so? Looks like we have a Hard Bone here."

Hearing this, Hu Qi smiled instead of getting angry.

The corners of his mouth turned up.

He looked down at Ired, who was now like a human stick with his limbs crippled.

He casually found a rag and stuffed it into the other man's mouth.

Then he raised the Dagger in his hand.

And brought it down sharply before Ired's wide, terrified eyes.

"Mmph... mmph..."

Muffled, agonized screams echoed through the room.

In his long journey, Hu Qi had encountered his share of so-called Hard Bones—people who weren't afraid of death.

But their fearlessness only applied to a quick, instantaneous death.

Not to enduring torture.

The human body has its limits.

Continuous physical torment leads to the collapse of the nervous system, organ failure, and even death.

Even those with immense willpower can lose consciousness or be forced to submit as their bodily functions fail.

Even strong beliefs and special training can only delay the breakdown; they cannot eliminate the pain entirely.

Therefore, whether it's losing consciousness physically, surrendering psychologically, or breaking down completely mentally, human endurance has its limits. The only difference lies in how long it takes and the form the breakdown takes—be it begging, lying, losing consciousness, or going insane.