Reluctant Mercy

Satan paid no heed to Gui Yao's plea. He swung his massive fists and charged at Pandora with blistering speed.

Yet Pandora was equally swift—her combat prowess befitting a tenth-level ability user. With a fluid motion, she closed the distance, her twin blades shimmering silver beneath the night sky, slicing Satan's form into several fragments in an instant.

But Satan's body suddenly dissolved into a swirl of black mist, re-forming elsewhere as he stared at Pandora in astonishment.

Pandora furrowed her brow, equally surprised that Satan could survive such grievous wounds by merely transforming into mist.

Seeing Satan unharmed once more, Xiao Feng's brow knit tightly in frustration, uncertain how to deliver a fatal blow.

Pandora, brandishing her twin blades, prepared to strike again—hoping that a few more cuts might finally fell him. Yet Xiao Feng gripped her arm firmly. "Enough. You won't kill him. I'll handle this."

"Do you have a way?"

Xiao Feng nodded. "Yes."

He stepped toward Satan, but Gui Yao blocked his path. "Boss Xiao Feng, please, for my sake, let Satan go."

Xiao Feng shook his head. "He beat me badly earlier—I won't let him walk away. Besides, letting someone like him go is far too dangerous. Haven't you heard the saying, 'to release the tiger back into the mountains'? If we let him go now, that's exactly what we're doing."

Gui Yao's voice softened with entreaty. "He's been my boss for years and treated the brothers well. I can't just stand by and watch him be killed."

Xiao Feng smiled wryly. "You have faith in me—that I can defeat the leader of the Seven Killers?"

"Anything you set your mind to, I believe there's no one you cannot overcome," Gui Yao replied without exaggeration.

"Heh. If I am to let him go, it will be only after I've bested him," Xiao Feng said sternly.

"You won't kill him?"

Xiao Feng's voice was resolute: "I won't."

Gui Yao fell silent and stepped aside, relieved by Xiao Feng's decision.

Satan, not far off, watched Xiao Feng cautiously. Xiao Feng had by now gleaned much about Satan's abilities: formidable strength and speed, and the uncanny power to instantly dissolve into black mist, rendering him impervious to attack.

Xiao Feng quickened his pace, still clutching the curled car hood. Under the streetlamp's glow, his body surged forward toward Satan.

Satan gritted his teeth and met Xiao Feng head-on. His oversized fists thundered with sonic booms toward Xiao Feng.

As Xiao Feng swung the hood, Satan, fierce and unyielding, did not dodge but struck directly at Xiao Feng's abdomen.

With a heavy impact, Satan was sent kneeling, while Xiao Feng staggered back several steps, wincing in pain.

Onlookers held their breath. At such power levels, a single punch like that would be lethal to an ordinary man.

Nursing his pain, Xiao Feng bent forward and accelerated, swinging the car hood like a baseball bat, fiercely driving it toward Satan.

Satan, still aching from the previous blow, rose just in time to see the hood descending again. Rather than resist, he dispersed into mist to evade.

Xiao Feng's strike cut through empty air, as if slashing smoke. Then, astonishingly, he dropped the hood and spread his hands wide toward the misty Satan.

"Give up..." Xiao Feng whispered, unleashing his full psychic force. His mental power enveloped Satan's swirling black mist, then he swiftly retreated.

Satan froze, utterly unprepared for this. Xiao Feng's psychic grip had seized part of his form. If he re-solidified, he would be missing a vital piece.

Yet he could not maintain mist form indefinitely. Reluctantly, he reconstituted his body, desperate to assess what was lost.

A sinister smile flickered across Xiao Feng's lips as Satan's form solidified again. This time, Satan's eyes widened in shock—an empty void gaped across his chest.

His heart was gone.

He stared in disbelief at Xiao Feng, who held the stolen heart beating steadily, wrapped in psychic energy.

Xiao Feng grinned. "Scared? If I put in a little more effort, I could crush your heart to pulp. And even if I don't move, within minutes you'd suffocate without it, right?"

Satan's expression soured. "Fine. You win... return my heart, and I'll leave at once."

Xiao Feng chuckled. "Agreed." He glanced toward a small cargo truck nearby. "Pandora, bring that truck over."

Though puzzled, Pandora trusted Xiao Feng's judgment. She dashed to the vehicle, yanking open the door. Even if it were locked, her strength rendered the lock meaningless.

Sliding into the driver's seat, she inserted her blade's tip into the ignition and with a satisfying click, the engine roared to life. She then drove swiftly back to Xiao Feng's side.

Xiao Feng approached Satan. "Sorry to trouble you, but please step inside the truck's cargo bay."

With a wave of his hand, the metal door swung open under Xiao Feng's control.

Satan frowned sharply. "What do you mean by this?"

"Heh, no hidden meaning. Though I promised not to kill you, I've changed my mind. I won't let you go. So you'll be staying here, in Black Whale City, for the time being."

Satan spat a curse. "You're shameless."

Xiao Feng shook his head. "Wrong choice of words. I'm only thinking of everyone's safety. Your time is running out. Or maybe you'd rather do without your heart."

Satan scowled at the heart floating in Xiao Feng's grasp but said nothing further. Without hesitation, he stepped into the truck's cargo hold.

Xiao Feng smiled and, using his psychic power, returned the heart to Satan's chest. As the door sealed shut, Xiao Feng withdrew his mental grip, restoring the heart intact.

Yet the matter was far from over. Not far off, Xiao Feng spotted a fire hydrant and, without hesitation, delivered a powerful kick. A torrent of water burst forth with fierce velocity.

He swiftly seized control of the water, directing it toward the truck, and began freezing the flow with precision and speed.