Chapter 5394

In that crucial moment, Gideon sensed an extraordinarily swift and powerful force hurtling straight towards him, realizing that Charlie hadn't unleashed just two strikes, but three! And this third strike was aimed directly at him! Panicked, Gideon hastily retreated while channeling aura to his arms, bracing himself to withstand the impending impact. He had assumed that his own strength would suffice to withstand an opponent's attack. However, as he positioned his arms to meet the soul-piercing blade, he realized he had gravely underestimated both Charlie's strength and the might of his magical weapon. With a resounding bang, the tremendous force crashed into his arms. The sensation resembled being struck by a heavily loaded train hurtling at lightning speed! The aura amassed on Gideon's arms was almost instantly crushed under this overwhelming force. His arms throbbed with searing pain, as if they were on the verge of breaking. But the ordeal was far from over. The sheer impact sent Gideon stumbling back tens of meters, struggling to regain his balance. Just as Gideon managed to steady himself, he spewed a mouthful of blood in the very next second. His arms had lost nearly all sensation and his chest felt as though it had been shattered, inflicted with numerous internal injuries. Yet, little did Gideon realize that while he barely managed to maintain his stance, Charlie, with astonishing speed, swiftly closed in on him! Gideon was taken aback, preparing to muster all his strength to resist, but before he could react, he felt Charlie swiftly flick his arm towards him. In a sudden turn of events, a resounding slap landed on his face! In truth, as Charlie charged towards him, he could have directly targeted Gideon's face with the soul-piercing blade. If he couldn't defend against it, his life might have been severed. Even if he managed to ward it off, he could have suffered severe injuries. However, Charlie chose to forgo this prime opportunity to harm Gideon. He did not desire Gideon's life just yet for one, he still needed to extract vital information from him and secondly, he did not wish for Gideon to meet such an easy demise. Unexpectedly, Gideon, in that moment, could never have anticipated that as Charlie closed in on him, he would abruptly change his tactics. Instead of resorting to spells or magical tools, Charlie delivered a resounding slap to his face!

What made it even more impactful was that Charlie employed every ounce of his strength in that slap. It possessed an overwhelming aura, propelling Gideon to be suspended in the air, being slapped thrice before crashing heavily onto the ground! Gideon emitted a pained cry, forcing himself to shield his face as he struggled to rise. Fury consumed him, an emotion he had rarely experienced in the past century. Being slapped in the face by someone else proved more discomforting to him than if he were to be killed! Gritting his teeth, he pointed at Charlie, coughing up blood and inquired, "You...cough cough...you're merely in your twenties, how...how could you possess such strength?" Gripping the Thunderbolt Wood tightly, Gideon channeled an intense surge of reiki into it, aiming to deliver a fatal blow to Charlie. In terms of sheer power, the Thunder Struck Wood's ability to summon sky thunder far surpassed the wooden sword bestowed upon him by the British Lord. Despite Gideon's repeated attempts to attack Charlie with the wooden sword, he believed that the opponent could likely sense the impending strike. This rendered the attack ineffective in delivering a sudden, devastating blow. However, the thunder summoned by the Thunder Struck Wood was different. When the thunder struck, it would descend without granting the other party a moment to react. If he managed to strike Charlie with a bolt of thunder, even if it didn't kill him, it would leave him with only half his life remaining. Charlie had long observed Gideon's subtle tactics. Yet, at this moment, he purposely feigned ignorance and replied sarcastically, "To be honest, despite being twenty-eight years old, I've only had less than two years to practice reiki." Taken aback, Gideon blurted out, "What? Less than two years?" Charlie smiled and retorted, "That's correct. How many years have you been practicing, I wonder?" Gritting his teeth, Gideon responded, "I've been practicing Martial Arts for over a hundred years, young man! You must be harboring a great secret within you. Hand it over obediently and I may spare you. Otherwise..." Charlie interrupted, "Otherwise, What? You’ll strike me down with lightning?" Gideon sneered, believing that the formation within the Thunder Struck Wood had been fully activated. He raised his head and bellowed, "Boy! Your guess was right! Lightning Strike!!!"