An Understated Dominance - Chapter 2423

“Take a guess.” Willard didn’t respond. Instead, he took another sip from his flask.

His powers were sealed, but the wine in his hand gave him strength. It was made with special herbs and was packed with spiritual energy, which he could absorb to boost his combat skills.

In simple terms, every sip made him stronger. Even without his powers, he could still perform strong attacks.

“It’s the wine, isn’t it?” Garrett’s eyes locked onto the flask, and he quickly realized the truth. Willard always drank before and after every attack, which seemed suspicious.

“Bingo. But no prize for you.” Willard grinned and charged at Garrett with a palm strike. Although he wasn’t at his full strength, the attack was still a serious threat to the already injured Garrett.

“Mr. Styles, save me.” Garrett knew he couldn’t defend against the strike and cried out for help.

“Go to hell, traitor!” Hank saw what was happening and immediately threw a powerful punch at Willard.

Even though his own powers were sealed, he had taken a special herb earlier that gave him a temporary boost for ten strikes. After that, he would be just as vulnerable as everyone else.

He had planned to use the herb at a crucial moment to defend himself or change the battle’s outcome. But with Garrett shouting for help, he couldn’t just stand by.

Willard didn’t hesitate when Hank intervened. He quickly turned to face him and countered with his own palm strike.

The clash of their fists created a shockwave that rippled outwards. Martial artists within a 30-foot radius were thrown through the air by the force of the impact.

Hank stumbled back more than ten steps as his energy surged wildly inside him. In contrast, Willard stood firm and remained steady.

Hank’s calm demeanor quickly faded. “That’s impossible!” he exclaimed, his surprise evident. He had not expected Willard’s palm strike to be so strong that he couldn’t block it.

Even in his weakened state, Willard still had immense strength. If he were at his best, he would be nearly unstoppable. His reputation as the Wein Sage in the martial world showed that he was not an ordinary opponent.

“Willard! The Hall of Gods has rewarded you well. Why are you betraying us?” Hank growled.

Dustin’s betrayal during the mission had already thrown Hank off balance. Now, with Willard also turning against them, the tension increased.

“Betrayal?” Willard laughed as he took a sip from his flask. “I hate to inform you, but someone paid me a lot to sneak into your Hall of Gods and mess up your plans at a key moment. So, I’m not really a traitor. I’m more like an undercover agent.”

At that moment, Willard couldn’t use his internal energy. Instead, he relied on the spiritual energy from the wine to enhance his abilities. While this gave him a temporary boost, he knew he needed to finish the fight quickly before the wine ran out.

“So, you’re a spy!” Hank gritted his teeth, his face contorting with anger. “Don’t forget—you drank poison before this mission. Without my antidote, you’re as good as dead!”

“If I kill you, the antidote is mine, right?” Willard replied with a faint smile.

“You…” Hank’s expression wavered for a moment, but then he snarled. “Fine. Since you’re so stubborn, you leave me no choice!”

With a wave of his hand, Hank called out, “Everyone, listen! Anyone who kills him will…”

“Get double the reward!”

More than half of the martial artists quickly shifted their focus and rushed toward Willard. They thought he would be an easier opponent than Dustin, and they preferred to avoid a tough fight.

“Come on, then!” Willard laughed loudly, taunting them as they charged from all sides. Without a moment’s hesitation, he downed his wine flask in one gulp. His face turned bright red, and he seemed even more powerful.

“Today, you’ll see a long-lost technique called the Infinite Spirit Manifestation!” He took a deep breath and clapped his hands sharply to the sides.

Suddenly, countless illusory images burst from his body, flowing out in a dense wave. The illusions multiplied quickly, first in hundreds and then thousands, creating a flood of shadows that seemed endless.

With his eyes tightly shut, Willard stood still. The illusory images began to attack the surrounding martial artists as if they had a mind of their own.

Even though the images looked unreal, their strikes hit with incredible force. The martial artists felt as though Willard himself had struck them, and many fell to the ground, screaming in pain.

What made it even scarier was that whenever the martial artists managed to destroy some of the illusions, new ones instantly appeared, continuing their relentless assault.

The sheer number of illusions and their ability to regenerate turned the fight into a slaughter, leaving no chance for defense. In just a few seconds, more than half of the attacking martial artists were already down.

Hank, Garrett, and the others stood frozen in shock. They never expected Willard to possess such an incredible skill. He had taken out most of their elite martial artists with just one move. To them, Willard’s overwhelming power was frightening.