Matthew Atkinson
South Korea
When Matthew appeared at the door of the ward, he was immediately stopped by the two supernatural guards.
"Halt. Who are you? Visitors are not allowed to see the patient here."
The guard's tone was very domineering. Unfortunately, he was speaking in Korean, and Matthew couldn't understand a single word.
In fact, Matthew could now learn other languages very quickly because he had activated his Super Brain Innate Skill. But he hadn't yet found the time to dedicate to it.
So, without hesitation, Matthew suddenly struck, punching the two men on the chest.
-Boom
These two tall, muscular supernaturals felt as if a missile had hit them. They were instantly sent flying backward, crashing through the ward door and walls with a loud bang.
The whole floor heard the sound, and all eyes turned to this side.
This also included Ma Dongwu.
Seeing something happening at the old man's ward, Ma Dongwu's expression changed, and he immediately rushed over.
When he ran, a sudden golden light appeared on his body, and his speed increased.
Matthew had already sensed, through his Observation Haki, a powerful figure heading towards him the moment Ma Dongwu exited the elevator.
But he was slightly surprised to see that it was Ma Dongwu himself.
It seemed that Ma Dongwu was the one investigating Matthew and harboring suspicions about the Kryptonian Bloodline.
After a moment's thought, Matthew realized this made perfect sense. After all, Ma Dongwu had entered the Global Layer this year, believing the championship was already secured.
Therefore, it was quite possible that he would conduct in-depth research and suspect Matthew after losing the championship.
When he saw Ma Dongwu running towards him at high speed, he punched without thinking twice.
[Fist Impact]
-Bang
The air exploded, and the loud sonic boom was even louder than the previous noise.
In the not-so-spacious corridor, a fierce hurricane suddenly swept through, and countless incredibly powerful wind blades shredded the walls of the wards on both sides, rushing towards Ma Dongwu with terrifying, destructive force.
Upon seeing this, Ma Dongwu's expression changed. Without thinking, he stopped, put his arms in front of him to protect himself, and activated his Armament Haki.
Ma Dongwu's Armament Haki was at a very high level, at least Master, maybe even Legend Level.
In an instant, most of Ma Dongwu's body turned pitch black, like metal.
-Clang, clang, clang
The wind blades struck Ma Dongwu, producing many crisp, metallic clanging sounds.
Ma Dongwu was completely unharmed.
Matthew was somewhat surprised.
With his current strength, his [Fist Impact] skill wasn't something that most people could withstand.
He had watched Ma Dongwu's fights against other champions in the Global Layer, but due to the competition's format, he hadn't had the opportunity to fight him one-on-one.
From his observations of the competition, he thought Ma Dongwu followed a more strength-based path. He hadn't anticipated his defense being so strong.
Of course, Matthew hadn't aimed to incapacitate Ma Dongwu with just his Fist Impact skill. But he had at least intended to inflict minor injuries on him in such a confined space.
But it seemed Ma Dongwu's defense was also quite strong.
Still, his punch interrupted Ma Dongwu's running momentum.
With his mission on his mind, Matthew didn't want to get entangled with Ma Dongwu in front of him, so he strode into the ward.
Moreover, fighting a seventh-rank expert would require him to showcase some of his skills, which could later lead to his identity being revealed.
...
At this moment, Ma Dongwu was even more shocked.
Originally, seeing that the bespectacled guy was so young, he thought he couldn't be someone powerful and was about to rush over to subdue him and then interrogate him about who sent him.
Unexpectedly, the punch that the opponent threw casually was terrifyingly powerful due to the force of the punch.
He even felt threatened by that punch, and if he hadn't activated his Armament Haki in time, he probably would have been injured.
'Such strength!!! Where did this seventh-rank expert come from? And so young at that? Why would someone like him do such low-level, dirty work as assassination?' Ma Dongwu thought.
If Matthew weren't wearing his Reporter's Glasses right now, Ma Dongwu would immediately recognize this person, a member of the team that stole his Global Layer championship.
In that case, he would also immediately understand why Matthew was there. Why would one Kryptonian Bloodline user try to sneak into another Kryptonian Bloodline user's room?
After all, the reason he's here, and planning to heal the elderly Kryptonian Bloodline user, was because his research on Matthew led him to suspect that Kryptonian Bloodline wasn't a useless ability.
When he saw Matthew rush into the ward, a murderous glint flashed across Ma Dongwu's face.
He had just come to use the old man for an experiment when someone else tried to thwart his plans.
Anyone who attempted to disrupt Ma Dongwu's plans would pay the price.
Had that man even bothered to investigate how he earned the title of One-Punch Man?
No matter what, he would beat that bespectacled guy to death today.
Many thoughts flashed through Ma Dongwu's mind. And the next moment, Ma Dongwu also rushed into the ward.
But he was still a step too late.
...
-Bang, Bang
When Matthew rushed into the ward, several people drew their guns and fired at him.
Without saying a word, he immediately activated his Conqueror's Haki.
-Buzz
A violent pressure surged from Matthew, raging throughout the entire ward.
Instantly, everyone in the ward, whether they were fighting back against Matthew or hiding, whether they were supernaturals or ordinary people, all collapsed to the ground.
Even high-rank supernaturals, whose mental strength and willpower were not strong enough, couldn't withstand the impact of the supreme-level Conqueror's Haki.
After dealing with these minions, Matthew's gaze immediately turned to the hospital bed.
On the hospital bed, there was an elderly man with gray hair, unconscious. Matthew only needed one glance to confirm that the other party was his target.
Without saying a word, he strode over and touched the old man's forehead with his finger.
The next moment, the old man's whole body suddenly jolted, then rapidly disintegrated and exploded.
To ensure this old guy was truly dead, Matthew directly attacked him with the Tremor-Tremor Fruit's power, and the vibration attack rendered his body beyond repair.
In an instant, the entire hospital bed was covered in blood.
Fortunately, the old man had a blanket; otherwise, Matthew would have been covered in blood as well.
At this moment, the old man was absolutely dead, and Matthew's mission was completed.
Seeing this, Matthew suddenly felt as if he had breathed a huge sigh of relief, and even his body felt much lighter.
Matthew was about to leave when Ma Dongwu arrived.
Ma Dongwu did not act immediately. He glanced around the ward first and his face darkened.
The important target had already been eliminated.
Meanwhile, Ma Dongwu also noticed the people on the ground who were unconscious or even brain-dead.
"Conqueror's Haki? Who exactly are you?" Ma Dongwu said English.
Because he was certain that there was absolutely no such person in the country, and this young man looked more European than Korean.
Even though Matthew understood what was being said to him this time, he had no intention of causing a scene in South Korea.
And he certainly had no intention of conveying information to the other side by speaking either.
Having accomplished his mission, he didn't want to linger in this place any longer, so he ignored Ma Dongwu and acted to leave.
-Bang
Matthew crashed through the ward's outer wall and flew out.
Ma Dongwu's expression changed. He didn't expect that this guy not only possessed the extremely rare Conqueror's Haki but could also fly.
'So young, yet possessing so many rare abilities—where did this monster come from?' he thought.
However, thinking of escaping from Ma Dongwu was just wishful thinking.
No matter who this kid was, if he dared to kill someone in front of him, he was going to make sure this kid stayed here today. Alive or dead.
Thinking about this, Ma Dongwu immediately accelerated forward, then leaped into the air like a cannonball, chasing after Matthew in mid-air.
He couldn't fly. So, he was simply using his jumping power to catch Matthew.
However, since Matthew hadn't yet gained speed, Ma Dongwu managed to catch up thanks to this full-power jump.
"Get down!!!" Ma Dongwu roared and threw a punch at Matthew.
Matthew hadn't expected Ma Dongwu to follow him through the air like that, but thanks to his Observation Haki and Future Sight, he'd noticed his arrival even before he'd jumped.
If he wanted to, Matthew could easily dodge the attack. After all, Matthew could change direction in mid-air at will.
But instead of dodging, Matthew decided to confront Ma Dongwu's attack. It wouldn't hurt to leave one last gift before parting.
Therefore, he activated his Armament Haki and threw a punch in return.
-Thump
Their fists collided, creating a terrifying sound.
A powerful shockwave erupted from between their fists and spread rapidly outwards.
The windows of many surrounding buildings shattered instantly, and countless shards of glass fell from the sky, injuring many pedestrians.
Pedestrians on the ground screamed, and car sirens blared incessantly.
And the two people in the air...
Although Matthew was the clear winner of this fight, the force of their punches created a shockwave that sent him flying a long way, almost knocking him off balance.
Although he only used 70% of his strength, and did not use the Tremor-Tremor Fruit's power or other destructive techniques...
Ma Dongwu had managed to display almost equal strength. It was enough to prove how formidable Ma Dongwu's power was.
But still, he wasn't on Matthew's level, and he couldn't pursue Matthew now.
Following this, Matthew smiled faintly, turned, and left.
...
On the other side, Ma Dongwu was sent flying backward by Matthew's punch, crashing back into the inpatient building and even smashing a large hole in it.
When Ma Dongwu climbed out of the rubble, his face immediately turned bright red.
It was a powerful punch that had broken through his defenses. Therefore, its impact on him when it hit the building was not light.
At this moment, Ma Dongwu's face was full of shock.
Although he couldn't fly and had nowhere to gain leverage in the high sky, being punched away by an unknown person was still hard for him to accept.
Most importantly, he could tell that the kid hadn't used any other skills besides Armament Haki in that punch.
Meaning the kid's power came purely from his strength, unlike him, whose punch just now was imbued with his Gilgamesh Bloodline ability.
Comparing the two, it was clear that the kid had surpassed him by a great deal in strength.
Thinking about this, Ma Dongwu was both angry and puzzled.
Where did that kid come from?
Judging from his appearance, he was clearly a European.
But why had he never heard of such a strong person among Europeans?
Furthermore, why would such a powerful person come to the hospital and kill the old man from the Choi family?
Was it revenge? Or was it for some other purpose?
Many questions arose in Ma Dongwu's mind.
When Ma Dongwu reached the gap, he could no longer see the guy.
This also showed that the other party had a clear goal and didn't want to get entangled with him.
Ma Dongwu had no choice but to abandon the pursuit. After all, the other person could fly, while he couldn't, so chasing after him would be futile.
However, he remembered what happened today. And he absolutely would not let this go.
Then Ma Dongwu looked out onto the street and frowned as he listened to the screams and cries coming from the buildings and the street.
The collision just now caused considerable damage to this area.
The shattered windows of many buildings injured passersby, smashed many shop signs, and caused considerable damage to some public facilities on the ground.
But these damages were considered mild.
The inpatient building was the one that suffered the most damage.
Ma Dongwu was just punched and sent flying backward, not only smashing a big hole in the building, but also breaking several load-bearing walls.
As for casualties, there were no statistics yet.
To put it bluntly, this luxurious building had suddenly become a dangerous structure.
A single collision and its aftershocks caused severe consequences for the street.
This was the destructive power of a powerful supernatural.
No wonder countries around the world prohibit supernaturals from taking action in downtown areas.
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Next Chapters' Name:
Ch.197: Changes in the Kryptonian Bloodline
Ch.198: Tenth Layer – An Apocalyptic World
Ch.199: The Most Dangerous Mandatory Layer