Chapter 264: Saving Masha (2)

"Asshole! Who the hell are you!?"

The smile on Nolan’s face vanished, replaced by a cold, indifferent expression. He gave Jack a brief glance before asking Masha, "Did this guy hurt you?"

Masha timidly turned toward Jack. "Yeah, Brother Nolan. He choked me and said he’d sell me to a slave trader."

Her grip around Nolan’s neck tightened. To Masha, who had never seen the outside world, Jack looked truly terrifying.

Not only had he beaten the old baker, but he had also strangled her and threatened to sell her to a slave trader.

Masha knew what slavery was. Her sister had told her it was an illicit practice where a person was turned into someone else’s property.

Although she didn’t fully understand the bigger picture, it was still terrifying.

Nolan’s expression darkened once more. His gaze sharpened as he spoke with killing intent. "You’ve crossed the line. Now then, how would you like to die?"

His arrogant words shocked everyone present. They knew how powerful Jack was. That man was no mere human—he was a monster!

Yet none of them dared to say it aloud. Otherwise, they would only invite trouble.

"Hahaha!" Jack burst into laughter, covering half his face with his left palm. "How arrogant! But I like it. It’s been a long time since anyone treated me this way. Honestly, I missed it, you know?"

The bones in his right wrist, previously crushed by Nolan, had already recovered—as if they had never been injured at all.

Nolan noticed, but he didn’t care. With his sharp eyesight, he could see that Jack was indeed no ordinary human.

He possessed incredible powers—stamina, strength, and healing—that far surpassed the average human. Cases like this weren’t rare; even many soldiers in the imperial palace were like Jack, some even stronger.

After all, this was a fantasy world, where impossible things could truly happen.

Seeing Nolan’s silence, Jack’s laughter faded, and his face turned grim.

"Damn it! Just because you’re a noble, you think you can look down on me?" he roared. "People like you are the most ignorant! Today I’ll show you the consequences of messing with me!"

He clenched both fists and lunged.

To others, his movements seemed fast, but in Nolan’s eyes, they were slower than a snail.

"Danger! Young man, run!" The old baker shouted.

He didn’t know Nolan, but seeing how close he was to Masha, he assumed he must be her relative.

"Run? Hahaha! Too late!"

Jack was already right in front of Nolan. With a swing of his right fist aimed at Nolan’s face, one solid hit could have killed him.

But...

Bang!

The heavy punch was blocked with ease. Jack’s eyes widened in horror.

"You—" Before he could finish, Nolan had already seized his fist.

Crunch!

The sound of bones shattering echoed, making Jack scream in agony.

"Argh! It hurts! Damn it! Let go! Argh!"

His howl sent chills down everyone’s spine, yet at the same time, they felt a grim satisfaction.

Jack had tormented them for far too long. Rarely did they get to witness him suffer like this.

"Let go! Arghh!" Jack wailed in agony.

His face turned pale, drool dripping from the corners of his lips.

Nolan gave him a faint smile and asked calmly, "So, you want me to let go?"

Jack was caught off guard. Enduring the excruciating pain, he nodded frantically. "Yes! Please let go! I swear I won’t do it again."

Of course, it was a lie. The moment Nolan released him, Jack planned to strike again—this time, aiming a deadly blow at his left chest.

That strike could kill him instantly.

Thinking about how wealthy Nolan might be, and the money hidden under his clothes, Jack grew even more eager.

A faint smile crept across his face. Unfortunately for him, his thoughts were far too easy to read.

With a small sigh, Nolan glanced at Masha and said softly, "Close your eyes."

Despite her confusion, the little girl didn’t resist and quickly covered her eyes with both palms.

Jack frowned, puzzled by Nolan’s behavior. But before he could react, Nolan released his grip on Jack’s fist—only to seize him tightly by the lower jaw.

Under Jack’s confused and horrified gaze, Nolan activated the Eyes of Chaos.

Whoosh!

His eyes transformed into a sun-and-star symbol, and Jack’s face froze in terror.

Those eyes... the Singularity of Chaos!

he screamed inwardly.

In this world, who didn’t know the Singularity of Chaos?

Of the seven, he was the strongest. Jack himself had witnessed it—though perhaps "witnessed" was too generous a word.

During the catastrophe-level monster attack in the western region, Jack had merely happened to be there.

In the midst of despair, a figure appeared and slaughtered the monster.

He still remembered clearly—the figure had worn a black mask that concealed his face.

But those strange, shining eyes—symbolizing the moon and the sun—were impossible to forget.

And now, those same eyes appeared before him. That could only mean one thing—this young man was the Singularity of Chaos!

"I..." He opened his mouth to speak, but suddenly his throat tightened as if choked by an unseen force.

He struggled, but no sound came out.

Then he realized—the flow of time around him had stopped. People stood frozen in silence, like lifeless statues.

Before he could even process the horror, black flames erupted from the air and engulfed him.

"A... A..." He tried to scream, but his voice was trapped in his throat. Tears streamed down his face.

At last, the black flames consumed him completely, reducing him to ashes. A moment later, time returned to normal.

Everyone was stunned. Jack had vanished—only a pile of black ash remained where he had once stood.

"This..." The old baker was at a loss for words.

Just seconds ago, Jack had been there. And now—gone.

His gaze drifted toward Nolan, suspicion rising within him. But he dared not voice it and instead swallowed it in silence.

"All right, Masha. You can open your eyes now," Nolan said gently.

Masha lowered her hands and looked ahead.

"Hmm? Where did the bad guy go, big brother?" she asked in confusion.

Nolan smiled and pinched her chubby cheeks. "I’ve punished him, and he won’t be coming back."

Masha didn’t really understand what "won’t be coming back" meant, but she was happy to hear it.

"Brother, you’re amazing!" She giggled and planted a quick kiss on Nolan’s cheek.

Nolan chuckled softly and pinched her cheek in return. Then he asked what had happened, and Masha began to explain.

A few minutes later, Nolan finally understood. He turned toward the old baker.

"Thank you for giving my sister some bread, old man," he said politely with a small nod.

The old man was surprised but quickly smiled. "You’re welcome, young master. The little girl was starving, so I simply did what I could."

Sensing the man’s sincerity, Nolan smiled faintly. He reached into his pocket and pulled out a pouch of coins.

Walking over, he placed it into the old man’s palm. "This is to cover the damage to your stall and to pay for the bread my sister ate."

The old man was taken aback, but before he could refuse, Nolan gave him no chance.

With a simple wave of his hand, Nolan’s figure vanished along with Masha—leaving everyone stunned.