### Chapter 18: Ruthlessly Teaching Garou a Lesson
"Of course." Kouki didn't even open his eyes, but a determined smile curled on his lips. His tone was as relaxed as if discussing the weather. "I understand him. That guy is an unyielding and paranoid lunatic to his bones. Knowing I'm waiting for him here, he will definitely come. This is his 'hunting game,' and he will never miss it."
He had a near-intuitive grasp of Garou's obsession.
The moment his voice fell—
*Tap, tap, tap...*
Clear and steady footsteps came unhurriedly from the edge of the woods.
Fubuki jerked her head towards the sound. The moment she saw the newcomer clearly, her pupils contracted sharply.
It's him!
Garou!
He actually came!
"Yo~~"
Garou's figure paced out from the shadows of the trees. His iconic white pompadour was particularly conspicuous in the sunlight, and his black tight-fitting outfit outlined his tough muscle lines.
With hands in his pockets, his posture seemed casual, but his eyes were sharp as knives, firmly locked onto Kouki. "Didn't expect to 'catch up' again so soon. Truly... a delightful reunion."
There was no warmth in his smile, only naked fighting intent.
Kouki slowly opened his eyes, calmly meeting that aggressive gaze. His arms remained crossed over his chest, his posture composed.
"Since you've already been expelled from the sect," his voice was low and clear, "why return? Why hurt Sourface and the others?"
The question carried a trace of confusion and cold anger.
"Why?" Garou grinned exaggeratedly, revealing stark white teeth, as if hearing an amusing joke. "Didn't I say it long ago? I want to become a 'Monster'! I want to crush you hypocritical 'heroes,' one by one! Especially you—my most 'beloved' Senior Brother!"
His voice suddenly rose, filled with twisted resentment. "From the first day I stepped into the dojo, everyone was chanting in my ear about how strong Senior Brother is, a genius rarely seen in a century... But I've never seen you truly fight, not once!"
Before his voice faded, a violent and bloody aura erupted from Garou.
The surrounding air seemed to become viscous and heavy.
His body sank slightly, fists clenched tight, assuming the classic starting stance of the Water Stream Rock Smashing Fist. His movements were fluid but carried an evil hostility.
"Today! Let me use these fists to personally verify if the legendary Senior Brother's strength is just an undeserved reputation!"
Crazy flames burned in Garou's eyes.
"Heh~~"
Facing the oncoming fierce aura, Kouki only chuckled lightly.
That laughter contained a trace of imperceptible pity and absolute confidence.
"Fine. Since you want to see it so much..." He slowly lowered his crossed arms, letting them hang casually at his sides. Then, facing Garou, he hooked his finger nonchalantly. "Then bring it on. Let me, your Senior Brother, teach you well what 'there is a sky beyond the sky, and there are people beyond people' means."
That posture was as if facing a naughty junior brother who was ignorant and needed a lesson.
"You—!"
Kouki's contemptuous attitude, bordering on humiliation, instantly ignited the anger that had been accumulating in Garou's heart for a long time.
He had left the dojo for three years, spending every day in hellish training.
Hovering on the edge of life and death countless times, challenging and defeating countless opponents, even including those lofty S-Class heroes!
He was long past being the boy who could be easily knocked down.
*Boom!*
Without warning, Garou's figure disappeared abruptly from the spot.
Leaving only a ring of airflow stirred up by high-speed movement and flying dust.
*Swish!*
In an instant, he appeared like a ghost less than a foot in front of Kouki.
His right fist tore through the air, carrying a piercing shriek and terrifying kinetic energy, like a cannonball out of the chamber, blasting straight at Kouki's face.
This punch condensed all the power of his bitter cultivation and his hatred for "heroes."
However—
*Smack!*
A soft sound, like swatting away an annoying fly.
Kouki didn't even move his feet. He merely raised his left hand casually, fingers spread, unbiased, and with incomparable precision... caught that fist containing the force of a thousand jun!
The violent fist wind stopped abruptly.
Time seemed to freeze at this moment.
"Wha... What?!"
The grin on Garou's face froze instantly, his pupils contracting sharply due to extreme shock.
He could clearly feel his fist, capable of shattering steel, firmly imprisoned by an irresistible, unshakable power as vast as a mountain!
It wouldn't budge an inch!
Immediately after—
A terrifying, irresistible force erupted from that palm.
"Ugh—!"
Garou didn't even have time to react before he was flung away viciously like a kite with a cut string.
His body traced a wretched arc in the air, smashing through several trees as thick as bowls one after another.
Accompanied by the loud cracking sounds of "crack crack," he finally barely stopped amidst a mess of broken wood and dust.
"Pfft!"
Just one move, the intense impact made Garou's throat taste sweet. His internal organs seemed to have shifted, blood surging, and he couldn't help spitting out a mouthful of clotted blood.
Every bone in his body was groaning, intense pain spreading through his limbs like electric current.
"H-How is this possible?!"
Garou struggled to lift his head, looking at the distant figure that remained calm and composed, his eyes filled with disbelief, horror, and wavering.
This gap... was like a chasm.
Is this really human power?!
"So... so strong!"
Fubuki, watching from the side, felt her heart almost jump out of her chest.
Garou's ghost-like raid speed just now, which she couldn't capture at all, had already shocked her inexplicably.
But she never expected Kouki's response to be so effortless.
The terrifying power displayed by that casual throw made her deeply understand just how powerful Kouki truly was.
"Hey, don't play dead over there." Kouki's slightly mocking voice came from the center of the clearing, carrying a trace of laziness. "Can't get up after just this much? With just this little ability, you dare to swagger through the streets and attack Junior Brother Sourface and the others? Truly... not knowing the height of the sky and the depth of the earth."
His words were like a cold whip, lashing fiercely on Garou's self-esteem.
"Bas—tard—!!"
Kouki's contempt was like the strongest poison, completely igniting all the humiliation, anger, and madness in Garou's heart.
A beast-like roar exploded from the dust.
*Bang!*
The ground exploded!
Garou's figure rushed out again like a cannonball, wrapped in white Ki flames that were more violent and condensed than before.
This time, his whole body was wrapped in substantial, burning-like white airflow. His aura climbed madly, as if some shackles had been unlocked.
Even more shocking was that he abandoned the moves of the Water Stream Rock Smashing Fist. His fists swung out in an unprecedented, wild, violent, and strange trajectory.
This was the fist technique he had honed, fused, and created himself through countless life-and-death struggles over three years, born specifically to crush "heroes."
Every punch carried a ferocity that tore everything apart. The offensive was like a violent storm, instantly enveloping Kouki.
...