From Bullets To Billions novel Chapter 689

Chapter 689: A Pure Genius

Max pulled back fluidly after the explosive exchange, repositioning his feet into a loose, adaptable stance on the polished floor. He had to admit, internally, that he was thoroughly impressed. With the power of his Vow firmly in place, he was operating at a level that was practically superhuman.

He knew that with a bit more capital and resources allocated to his advancement, he would certainly be classified fully as a Superhuman. In his current state, his tactical calculations assumed that the only individuals capable of truly going toe-to-toe with him were other Superhumans. Even Ramon, with all his technical genius, had only been able to match him because of the raw, artificial power of the Exoskeleton, and Max had still emerged victorious in that encounter.

To find a flesh-and-blood opponent who could still offer him a genuine, unassisted challenge was an unexpected delight.

’I suppose I shouldn’t be entirely surprised,’ Max mused, his sharp eyes tracking her subtle weight shifts. ’There will always be outliers out there. Darius from the Black Hounds had those bizarre, erratic fighting techniques, and even Darno managed to catch me off guard with his defensive capabilities. This woman... she might not technically be a Superhuman by definition, but she is certainly radiating the lethal aura of one while using that blade.’

Little did Max know that inside Abby’s mind, a chaotic array of frantic thoughts was spinning completely out of control.

’What do I do now? Do I actually press the advantage and try to attack him, or do I just stay entirely on the defensive?’ Abby glanced over her shoulder for a fraction of a second, her heart hammering against her ribs. ’I hope his leg is okay. I didn’t mean to strike his shin that hard...’

"What the hell are you doing, Vera!" Sarah shouted from the sidelines, her voice cutting through the localized silence of the platform. "So what if their leader is a little bit tougher than the average street thug? If he doesn’t drop to the floor after one clean swing, then you swing again! And if he doesn’t go down after a hundred swings, then what do we do, girls!"

The entire contingent of the Fallen Rose raised their wooden swords and roared back in a thunderous, bloodthirsty unison.

"KEEP SWINGING!"

In a strange, visceral way, although Sarah’s demands placed an immense amount of pressure on Abby’s shoulders, the collective roar of the gang lit a sudden, roaring fire deep within her. Her muscles began to twitch with a dormant, aggressive instinct. Her body was screaming at her to move, demanding that she unleash the weapon in her hands.

’I’ve swung this blade and beaten down rival mob members before,’ Abby told herself, her jaw tightening as she steeled her resolve. ’All I have to do right now is close my eyes and imagine the person standing in front of me isn’t Max. Even if I manage to best him in this spar, it will be fine. I can still use my authority as leader to convince them to form an alliance with the Billion Bloodline group. But for them to listen to a single word I say... I have to convince them right now that I am not Abby. I am Vera of the Fallen Rose!’

With her mind fully locked into the persona, Abby let her body take over. Her legs exploded into motion, covering the distance between them in a series of rapid, jagged strides with the heavy bokken tucked tightly by her side. The moment Max came within her striking radius, she brought the weapon up and swung down with terrifying velocity.

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