Jericho Kane froze in ce for a heartbeat, then burst into harshughter.
"You''ve got a lot of nerve talking to me like that," he growled.
Alex just smiled and flipped a small tinum badge through the aft
Jericho snatched it, then felt his pulse spike the moment he recognized the symbol: the Kignswell, the secret task force working directly under the new King.
"The Hunting Dogs of the King."
"Mind your tongue," Alex said, stepping forward with a confidence that matched Jericho''s icy arrogance.
"The King has had enough of you. You think Vermont is yours just because your father-inw was the old king? It''s time to return the state to its rightful ruler."
Jericho bared his teeth.
"Never. The people voted for me to govern this ce-nobody''s gonna change that!"
"You? You''re just another fool who thinks he''s the hero. All I have to do is end you here and now. Nobody will even know."
Alex''s easy grin didn''t waver.
"Kill me? You really think you can pull that off?"
"You''re a pup," Jericho shot back.
"Just because you have some internal energy, you think you''re untouchable? I was mastering it before you were even born!"
He inhaled sharply, channeling his power, and unleashed a fierce energy st.
"How dare you show off your tricks in front of a real expert? Die!"
It tore the night apart, sizzling toward Alex, who raised a hand to block.
The collision thundered across the rooftop.
Alex skidded back a dozen feet, boots scraping deep lines into the concrete. Jericho snorted.
"Pathetic. I expected a real challenge, not someone who can''t handle a single hit."
He closed in, voice dripping contempt.
"Now, you know who I am, so let''s cut to the chase. Kneel and beg. Maybe I''ll spare your life."
Despite Jericho''s bravado, a dread coiled in his gut.
He knew the truth about the Kingswell.
They were the King''s dogs.
And if you dared to hit the dog or kill the dog...
The master woulde knocking.
Alex rolled his shoulders, looking entirely calm.
"I took your best shot. Fair''s fair-you should take mine."
Heunched forward, fist swinging hard enough that Jericho scrambled to defend.
Their impact exploded like a cannon st.
Jericho''s eyes went wide the instant Alex''s punch connected.
The force hurled him clean off his feet. He mmed into the rooftop''s edge, coughing blood,
Bones in his forearms cracked. He could barely keep upright; his organs felt like they''d been rattled by a wrecking ball.
Compared to Alex''s raw strength, Jericho''s energy and skills wereughably weak.
"Mr. Kane! This man''s dangerous-run for your life!" Vet screamed, voice shaking
He knew he couldn''t match Alex in strength, but he couldn''t leave Jericho behind.
Raising his wooden staff, he struck the ground.
A chilling voice echoed in the night. "Curse that man!" Vet shouted.
A dark figure began to rise, swirling in the shadows.
But before Vet could finish his spell, Alex had already flown straight toward him.
"Don''t y ck magic in front of me!" Alex yelled. "We hate that the most."
Alex''s hand lit up, glowing bright.
Vet''s face turned ghost-white in shock.
"You... you''re the Chosen One!"
Alex''s fist connected-Vet flew ten meters back, mming into the ground.
He crumpled, unconscious, the dark power shattering like ss.
Jericho Kane staggered to his feet. He shoved two forbidden pills into his mouth and ripped open his shirt.
He tore open his shirt. "You want a real fight?" he spat, eyes wild.
"Then face me at my strongest."
His muscles bulged, wounds sealing as if by sorcery.
Alex chuckled. "You think doping up will save you?"
Jericho narrowed his eyes, as his flesh hardened like rock.
"Haven''t run into a show-off like you in some time."
He was already a fearsome brawler, but fueled by the pills, his power tripled.
For him, that was worth any consequencester.
Jerichoughed, low and dangerous.
Flexing, he dug his heels into the ground and shot forward like an arrow, aiming to crush Alex with his full force-his stone- hard body ready to smash anything in its
way.
But Alex clenched his fist tight, muscles coiling with power.
The two collided-fist against body.
BOOM!
The impact echoed like thunder, loud enough to shatter the windows below.
Alexunched his next strike, and Jericho''s massive frame mmed into the floor,
the impact echoing with another deafening
crash.
The entire building shook as if a meteor had crashed into it.
Before he could recover, Alex stepped forward, reached down, and grabbed
Jericho by the neck, lifting him off the ground.
Jericho hung in the air, helpless, like a puppet with its strings cut.
Then Alexunched a brutal, whiplike kick into his gut.
CRACK!
Jericho Kane''s body shot out of the helipad level, smashing through the open
space, and fell-tumbling from the tenth floor of the hospital.
He was flying.
The world slowed. The moon stared back at him from the sky.
He had no idea what just happened.
Then-
THUD!
His body crashed into the ground below.
Secondster, Alexnded, stepping on Jericho''s neck.
"Give up the governor''s seat," Alex said coldly, "or I press down and send you to your maker."
Never in his wildest dreams had Jericho Kane imagined he''d be restrained by
Alex with just a few moves.
It had all happened too fast.
He didn''t even have a chance to fight back.
His mind reeled. (1
How could Alex, alone, defeat a powerful martial artist like him?
This was insane.