Chapter 164: Stopping and Resolving

Chapter 164: Chapter 164: Stopping and Resolving

Seeing Coco Sullivan’s tense little face, Julian Shaw’s smile grew even more smug. He stepped forward and said in a flippant tone, "Coco, don’t be so tense. Come on, call me Shaw. Who knows, if you do, my heart might soften, and I might even look after you in this dangerous hellhole."

The blond-haired man behind him chimed in with a sleazy tone, "Julian, with her meddlesome brother gone, isn’t she all yours to do with as you please? This little girl has such delicate skin..."

Hearing these foul words, Coco Sullivan’s fiery temper instantly flared.

She already couldn’t stand Julian Shaw and his gang; now, she was burning with fury.

"Shut your filthy mouth!"

Her eyes sharpened. Wasting no more words, she flicked her finger. With a soft "PUFF," the cigarette butt dangling from Julian Shaw’s mouth, as if doused in gasoline, suddenly erupted into a fist-sized, blazing Fireball!

This gave Julian Shaw quite a start.

The Fireball didn’t dissipate. Instead, it remained condensed, as if controlled by an invisible hand. Carrying a scorching blast of heat, it shot precisely toward the foul-mouthed Blondie!

But Blondie was clearly no slouch. He reacted in a flash. An earthy yellow glow instantly flared to life around him as he crossed his arms in front of his chest, barely managing to block the Fireball’s direct impact.

Still, the explosive force and intense heat sent him staggering backward, the clothes on his arms scorched. He was left looking quite pathetic.

"You damn girl! You dare to make a move on me!" Blondie sputtered, both shocked and enraged.

Julian Shaw remained where he stood. Far from stopping the fight, he cradled his mechanical arm, a flicker of amused excitement in his one eye, as if he were enjoying the show.

His attitude of tacit approval—even encouragement—was the spark that lit the fuse.

Julian Shaw had other lackeys with him. Seeing their boss give no order to stop, several of them began to clamor and surround Coco Sullivan, some already drawing their weapons.

Coco Sullivan wasn’t one to swallow her anger. Now she was genuinely furious. Seeing the crowd of opponents and their malicious intent, why would she care that they were inside the Shelter?

She let out a sharp cry. Her spiritual power surged, and an even more powerful Flame Ability erupted in an instant!

BOOM!

Crimson Magic Flames radiated out from her in a circular shock wave, though she took care not to aim at the surrounding stalls.

But the terrifying heat and wild Energy fluctuations instantly forced back Julian Shaw’s approaching lackeys, set fire to nearby clutter, and created localized chaos and a towering pillar of light!

And it was this uncontrolled burst of Flame that created the sudden, conspicuous scene Seraphina Sullivan had witnessed from the trading plaza in the distance.

The conflict escalated in an instant.

...

When Seraphina Sullivan saw the distant glow—the familiar light of a Flame bearing a Magic trait—she knew instantly that Coco Sullivan was in trouble.

Since she had already decided to partner with Dustin Sullivan, she couldn’t, in good conscience, stand by and watch his sister face danger.

Without a moment’s hesitation, she spun around. Weaving through the noisy crowd like an agile fish, she raced toward the source of the firelight.

Elsewhere, the sudden commotion also drew the attention of Drake Hayes, Jason Young, and their men.

Drake Hayes’s brow furrowed, his tone laced with displeasure. "What’s going on? Did some of those Genetic Warriors from outside start a fight? They’ve got a death wish, daring to cause trouble in the Shelter!"

Jason Young closed his eyes, sensing for a moment before opening them again. "The Energy signature is highly active. It’s an Ability fluctuation from the Elemental System. Captain, we need to go take a look. We can’t let this escalate."

"Let’s go!"

...

In the center of the fray, although Coco Sullivan’s Ability was peculiar and powerful, she was still young and lacked combat experience. Facing the combined assault of two or three opponents of a similar level, she soon found herself struggling to keep up and was forced onto the defensive.

The Blondie’s Ability, in particular, was a strong counter to her Flame.

Blondie waved his arms, and the dust and gravel on the ground quickly converged, forming flowing sand and hard rock that coated his arms and fists.

"Coco Sullivan! Don’t push your luck! You really think I wouldn’t dare do something to you, huh?!"

Blondie laughed. His fists, encased in thick rock, were like sledgehammers, repeatedly and brazenly smashing against the Flame Shield Coco Sullivan had hastily thrown up, sending showers of sparks into the air.

The rock seemed to have a high resistance to the Flame. Although it was burned glowing red, it didn’t immediately crumble.

Coco Sullivan bit her lower lip, fine beads of sweat forming on her forehead as she struggled to maintain the Flame Protection Ring. But anyone could see she was a spent force, her spiritual power nearly exhausted.

Julian Shaw watched from the side, cradling his mechanical arm with an amused smile on his face, seemingly relishing this game of cat and mouse.

But when he saw Blondie’s rock-clad Heavy Punch—wreathed in flowing sand and clearly thrown with all his might—was about to shatter the Flame defense and severely injure Coco Sullivan, his brow twitched. He felt the game had gone too far and would be hard to answer for, so he prepared to call it off.

SHIING!

A black shadow, like a venomous snake that had long lain in wait, shot through the air at an astonishing speed!

With the piercing sound of slicing air, it wrapped with unerring precision around Blondie’s descending, rock-covered arm!

It was a whip!

A long whip, pitch-black from end to end and gleaming with a cold, metallic luster!

The immense pulling force from the whip brought Blondie’s forward momentum to a sudden halt, stopping his sure-fire punch dead in mid-air.

Everyone was stunned by this sudden turn of events.

Seraphina Sullivan’s figure had appeared at the edge of the fight. She held the grip of the [Poisonous Python Black Whip] in one hand, calmly observing the scene.

"A group of you ganging up on one girl. Real impressive."

With a flick of her wrist, the snakelike Poisonous Python Black Whip moved. It didn’t lash out, but instead cleverly coiled and wound itself around its target, instantly binding the rock-encased Heavy Punch of the blond, Trevor Tanner!

Then, with what seemed like a casual tug backward—

"Urk!" Trevor Tanner felt an utterly irresistible force travel up the whip, and he instantly lost his balance.

He was sent flying several meters through the air like a discarded sandbag, landing hard on the ground with a loud THUD that kicked up a cloud of dust.

The throw didn’t cause much actual damage to the thick-skinned Trevor Tanner, but being so easily tossed aside like garbage in front of everyone was a major loss of face.

He scrambled to his feet, his face flushed a deep, purplish red. He shot Seraphina Sullivan, the one who had ruined his fun, a venomous glare, as if he wanted to eat her alive.

With the crisis averted, Coco Sullivan’s taut nerves finally relaxed, and the blazing Flame surrounding her dissipated.

She quickly ran to Seraphina Sullivan’s side and, still shaken but full of gratitude, called out, "Thank you!"