An Understated Dominance

“Come out! Get out here now!” Brian’s fury intensified as he repeatedly missed his target.

His eyes blazed with rage as he swung his halberd wildly. Blade aura shot out from his weapon and shredded everything within a 65-foot radius.

The Celestial Alliance disciples were terrified and instantly retreated to avoid being caught in the mayhem.

Brian had lost control as he attacked indiscriminately and disregarded the potential harm to anyone nearby. Those in close proximity were at serious risk of being hit by mistake.

“Argh! Show yourself, coward!” he yelled. His eyes were ablaze with fury as his attacks grew more frantic.

“Young man, you’re too sluggish. You can’t even discern my true form. How do you expect to challenge me?”

Shadowcloak’s laughter echoed all around, shifting in direction and distance, which made it impossible to pinpoint his location.

The taunting laughter only fueled Brian’s fury and drove him to the brink of madness.

Suddenly, Shadowcloak appeared ten yards to Brian’s left.

“I’ll kill you!” Brian roared. He charged without hesitation and swung his halberd down hard.

With a loud bang, Shadowcloak vanished just before Brian’s blade struck and left a deep gash in the ground where he had been standing earlier.

“I’m here,” Shadowcloak’s voice echoed from behind.

Brian turned around and swung his blade, only to find it pass through nothing but Shadowcloak’s lingering afterimage.

“Hey, who are you swinging at? I’m right behind you,” Shadowcloak taunted.

He added, “Oops, missed again. I’m actually on your left. You’re too slow. It’s hard to believe you’re the chief senior disciple of the Celestial Alliance. You’re quite a letdown.”

Shadowcloak’s mocking voice seemed to come from all directions. His form darted around Brian like a phantom, appearing first on his left, then on his right, which was impossible to predict.

Consumed by rage and losing his rationality, Brian struck out wildly like a frenzied animal. Yet he couldn’t land a single blow. His cries of frustration echoed through the courtyard.

The Celestial Alliance disciples watched, and their expressions clouded with a mixture of shame and fear. Brian was being toyed with, and they were powerless to help.

“Alicia, this isn’t looking good. If Brian keeps this up, he’ll exhaust himself without even touching that man.”

Aurora frowned as she watched his frantic and ineffective attacks wreaking havoc in the front yard.This content © Nôv/elDr(a)m/a.Org.

“He is beyond reasoning now. There’s no stopping him.” Alicia sighed and shook her head.

Despite his talent and strength, Brian was known for his volatile temper. When provoked, he would lose all sense of control and indiscriminately lash out even at those trying to help.

“So, what do we do? Just stand here and watch him burn out?” Aurora was baffled.

“Dr. Rhys.” Alicia suddenly turned to Dustin. “Your medical skills are extraordinary. Do you have any way to calm Brian down quickly?”

“Calm him down?” Dustin arched an eyebrow. He pondered momentarily and nodded. “Yes, I do.”

“Really?” Her face lit up. “Please, help Brian immediately.”

“Are you sure?” Dustin asked.

“Yes.” She nodded. “He looks exhausted. If he keeps getting agitated, he’ll wear himself out. We really need your help.”

“I can help, but you’ll need to deal with any consequences,” Dustin replied.

“No problem!” Alicia agreed instantly.

“Okay, I’ll take care of him.” Then, Dustin swiftly approached Brian from behind. Suddenly, he delivered a precise hit to the back of his neck.

Brian’s eyes glazed over, and he slumped unconscious to the ground.

“Done.” Dustin dusted off his hands and returned to Grace’s side.

“Huh?”

Alicia, Aurora, and the others were shocked. They hadn’t expected Dustin’s approach to handling Brian to result in him being knocked unconscious.

“Dr. Rhys, is this your method of calming someone down?” Alicia glanced incredulously from the unconscious Brian to Dustin.

“Well, isn’t this method quick and effective?” Dustin said with a straight face.

“Uh…” Alicia’s eyes twitched. She was momentarily at a loss for words.