Rising from the Ashes (Andrew) novel Chapter 2003

Andrew flashed a cold smile and said, "Curious? Why don't you ask the Grim Reaper?"

He stepped left and vanished from sight, reappearing on Franklin's right like a phantom.

Franklin's Mighty Beast Palm slammed into empty air on the left, hitting nothing and leaving him frustrated. Without warning, his bald head snapped forward at a ninety-degree angle, and he crashed face-first into the floor.

In the next instant, his body bent like a bow, folding in half before being hurled over ten yards away, smashing into the wall and leaving a crater so deep the street outside was visible.

"What…" Scarlett's entire body trembled, the word barely escaping her lips.

Franklin roared as he tore himself free from the rubble, but just as he regained his footing, his head whipped backward violently, nearly snapping his neck.

Andrew had suddenly appeared in front of him and drove a punch straight into his forehead.

Blood that had been building inside finally erupted, spraying from Franklin's mouth like a fountain nearly 20 feet high. Then, Andrew's fists came down on him in a torrential barrage, pounding his shoulders and body without pause. Within moments, countless bones had shattered under the relentless assault.

"No!" Franklin's scream was raw with agony.

The once-proud number one fighter of Gabo Creek looked as if he had seen a ghost, terror etched into every line of his face. He wanted to beg for his life, to say anything that might make Andrew stop, but he did not even get the chance to open his mouth because pain and dizziness had swallowed him whole.

Andrew grabbed him by one leg and slammed him around the floor like he weighed nothing. Crater after crater formed beneath them, each one leaving Franklin's body closer to breaking apart completely.

When Andrew finally let go, Franklin lay sprawled on the ground, his eyes bloodshot, his body so battered that only his bald head still made him recognizable as human.

A gulp echoed through the room.

His right hand formed a claw and moved with lightning speed. Scarlett remained kneeling as her head twisted around, her neck snapping with a sickening crack as she died instantly.

With his second seal unlocked, killing her was too easy. Forget about Scarlett. Even if Maurice had been here at full strength or if Edwin and Grace from Goldridge had been present for a three-on-one fight, Andrew was confident he could eliminate them all as long as they did not run away.

Across the room, several top martial artists who had come with the Driscoll family, including senior grandmasters and even one on the brink of reaching martial king, had done nothing but stand by and watch.

They could only witness Scarlett's death, powerless to interfere, because the sheer, violent pressure radiating from Andrew made them feel like they were standing before a force of nature.

The fact that they had not dropped to their knees was only because they had already used every ounce of willpower they had left. Their heads spun, and many were barely able to stand.

Andrew pressed his palm toward the ground and drew something up with tremendous suction. Then, he casually flicked it outward.