An Understated Dominance - Chapter 188

“Smack!” With the final slap, Gabriel’s face was left disfigured. His nose was crooked, his mouth twisted, and half of his teeth were gone. He looked utterly miserable.

He fell to the ground, feeling completely powerless. Gabriel never imagined Dustin would be so strong. He couldn’t even fight back during the whole encounter.

All he could do was take the beating without any resistance. With strength like that, Dustin could easily be among the top three fighters of the Hundred Immortals.

“D-did I really see that? Sir Gabriel was actually defeated? And so badly?”

“Who is this guy? What kind of monster is he?” After a long silence in the martial arts gym, whispers finally broke through.

But no one answered, as they all knew the truth. Gabriel had lost and had been thoroughly beaten throughout the fight.

His reputation as one of the top ten in the Hundred Immortals and his so-called “Eclipse Strike,” which he claimed was his ultimate move, had turned into a joke.

Dustin’s strength was beyond anyone’s imagination. With just a single slap, he had made Gabriel completely helpless.

“Who are you?” Gabriel asked, sitting on the ground with fear etched on his face. How could someone so powerful exist in a small place like Swinton, and even more shockingly, be so young? It felt unnatural!

“Who I am doesn’t matter,” Dustin replied coldly. “What matters is, will you still be able to survive after this?”

Gabriel froze for a moment, then suddenly laughed maniacally, his face contorted. “Kid! I admit you are strong—exceptionally talented! But here’s the problem: you are just one person, and I have the entire Horst family behind me!”

“The Horst family has thousands of disciples spread across the seventeen provinces of…”

“Swinton! Do you really think you can defeat ten, a hundred, or even thousands of them? If you kill me today, you’ll make yourself the enemy of the entire Horst family. Then, you’ll have countless warriors chasing you, day and night! Think about what that means for you!”

After hearing this, Nigel and the others, who were initially shocked and confused, quickly regained their focus.

“That’s right! So what if Dustin is strong? He’s still just a human with weaknesses. The Horst family is rich and powerful, filled with skilled warriors, some even stronger than Gabriel. Once they find out what happened, they’ll crush him easily,” the crowd thought.

“A reckless person will always stay that way and never reach true strength!” Nigel shook his head but kept a calm smile.

“Exactly! No matter how powerful he is, he’s just an ant compared to the great Horst family. He’ll be crushed without a doubt!” the girl in the yellow dress added.

“In this world, it’s not just strength that counts, but power and connections. This kid is headed for disaster!” As they realized this, the group felt a thrill at the thought of Dustin’s downfall.

“Are you so sure the Horst family can protect you?” Dustin asked Gabriel, a knowing smile on his face.

“What, do you really think you can take on the entire Horst family by yourself?” Gabriel scoffed, looking down on him.

“Take them on? You’re overestimating yourself. Why don’t you call the Horst family and ask if they can protect you? Do they even have the guts to stand up for you?”

Dustin sneered.

“Huh?” Gabriel squinted at him, unsure if he was joking. When he realized he wasn’t, he quickly pulled out his phone.

Gabriel frowned at the dozens of missed calls on the screen. A feeling of unease settled in his chest. Taking a deep breath, he dialed back the last number.

As soon as the call connected, his father’s furious voice boomed from the other end.

“Gabriel! Where have you been? Your phone has been off! You wretched kid! What have you done? Our whole family is in ruins because of you! If I had known this would happen, I would have ended it all earlier! You’re the reason for our disaster!”

Gabriel was stunned by his father’s angry outburst. After a moment, he cautiously asked, “Dad, what happened?”

“How can you even ask that? It’s all your fault! The military has banned our family from fighting! Do you know who issued the ban? Adam Spanner! The God of War himself! He’s the youngest chief commander in Dragonmarsh! What did you do to make him so angry?”

As his father’s words hit him, Gabriel felt like he had been struck by lightning.

God of War? Adam Spanner? Kill Ban?

How could this be happening?

“Just die! No one can save you! No one will dare to protect you! The only way for the Horst family to survive is if you’re gone!” his father yelled again.

Gabriel stood there in shock, disbelief written all over his face. How could someone as powerful as God of War, Sergeant Spanner, be involved with the Horst family? Who could have asked him to take action?

“Do you really think the Horst family will help you?” Dustin’s voice was cold and uncaring.

“W-was it you? Did you do this? Who are you? Why would Sergeant Spanner support you?” Gabriel trembled, looking at Dustin with fear.

He couldn’t believe it. How could someone so powerful be hiding in a small place like Swinton?

“You don’t need to know who I am. I’m giving you a chance to end your own life, so you can save your family,” Dustin said, kicking a broken sword toward Gabriel.

“Take… my own life?” Gabriel stared at the sword in shock. His face turned pale, and despair filled his eyes.

Then, in front of a crowd that was stunned and unable to believe what was happening, Gabriel picked up the sword and cut his own neck.

In an instant, his head rolled away, and blood splattered on the ground.