BUILDING MY OWN EMPIRE - My Journey from Nothing to Overwhelming Power-Chapter 79 – The Solitary Path
The old Second-Rank Lord’s body had become filled with solid muscles, hard as concrete boulders.
A single strike was enough to send the leader of the Rock Fighters flying backward.
The leader stood up again.
A sharp pain burrowed deep into his ribs.
"Control over the body itself..." he whispered in anger.
He knew such an ability existed.
In fact, he had once wished to possess it himself.
But instead—
His opponent was the one who had obtained that wish.
The calm and steady leader suddenly became furious.
His thirty rock fighters stood waiting for his orders.
They had never seen such details before.
Anger had never shown on their leader’s face in the past.
"Is the enemy that strong?" one of them whispered, trying to explain the reason behind his leader’s anger.
But he quickly reconsidered.
"But... we have faced those calamities before. They were undoubtedly stronger than this man."
The others heard him.
None of them had an answer.
Only the leader knew the true reason for his anger.
Suddenly—
The old Second-Rank Lord rushed forward.
His body resembled a massive mass of steel-like muscle.
Every step shook the ground beneath his feet.
Every movement carried a terrifying weight, like a moving hill.
On the opposite side stood the leader of the Rock Fighters.
He carried no weapon.
Neither did his opponent.
No swords.
No spears.
Only fists.
The lord arrived.
He raised his fist.
His hand was enormous.
Veins bulged across it like thick ropes.
The muscles beneath his skin swelled with strength.
Then—
He struck.
His fist shot forward like a stone launched from a giant catapult.
The leader instantly raised both arms in front of his chest to block.
And in the next moment—
BOOOOM!
A violent collision echoed.
The air around them trembled.
The ground cracked beneath their feet.
The leader’s body slid backward violently.
Ten meters...
Fifteen...
Until he finally stopped nearly twenty meters away.
His body lowered slightly.
But he did not fall.
No visible injury appeared.
However—
His arms were trembling.
A heavy vibration rang through his bones from the sheer force of the blow.
The leader slowly raised his head.
His eyes fixed on his opponent.
But the lord gave him no time to recover.
He rushed forward again.
Another fist.
Then a third.
The two began exchanging blows.
Fist against fist.
Shoulder against shoulder.
Knees striking bodies.
The sound of impacts echoed across the field like thunder.
Boom!
Boom!
Boom!
With every strike the ground shook.
Stones cracked.
Even the air seemed to tear apart from the force of their collisions.
And as the battle continued—
One thing became clear.
The lord held the upper hand.
His strikes were heavier.
His speed more precise.
His strength more controlled.
But—
The leader of the Rock Fighters was no easy prey either.
His rock-like body endured the blows.
His combat skill kept him standing.
During their exchange of punches—
The leader narrowed his eyes slightly.
Then he spoke between strikes.
"Are you truly... a Second-Rank Lord?"
His fist shot toward the old man’s face.
The lord dodged with a slight tilt.
Then countered with a powerful strike to his stomach.
The rock-like body absorbed the impact.
The old lord smiled.
A short laugh escaped his chest.
"That isn’t a secret."
He said while throwing another strike toward the leader’s shoulder.
"You simply don’t know it."
Their bodies collided again.
The lord continued speaking as if the battle were merely casual conversation.
"For the Lords... each rank has a certain ceiling of power."
BOOM!
Another punch slammed into the leader’s muscular defense.
"And each rank also carries... a unique weight to its energy."
He raised his arm and blocked the leader’s strike.
Then delivered a punch to his chest.
"When a lord rises in rank... his energy rises."
BOOM!
"And with it... the weight of that energy."
The leader stepped back.
But the lord continued talking without pause.
"If a First-Rank Lord possesses sixty percent strength..."
Another strike surged forward.
Their bodies collided again.
"Then that same lord... if he became Second Rank with the same level of strength..."
His body twisted.
Then he delivered a sideways punch.
"He would be many times stronger."
Stones scattered beneath their feet.
Then the old man added with a smile,
"In fact, even a Second-Rank Lord with only thirty percent strength..."
BOOOOM!
Their fists collided together.
The air trembled.
"Would be stronger than a First-Rank Lord at one hundred percent."
The leader breathed slowly.
Another punch struck his shoulder.
But he countered with a powerful blow to the old man’s jaw.
The old man stepped back half a step.
The leader smiled slightly.
"I already know this information."
He said while tightening his fist.
"That is why I am surprised."
He launched another punch.
"Because your strength right now... does not feel like the strength of a Second-Rank Lord."
Then he added,
"It feels higher."
The old man laughed.
A deep laugh.
"You’re right."
He said while raising his fist again.
"But I am indeed... still Second Rank."
The two exchanged another blow.
Then the lord continued speaking.
"The secret lies in two things."
He blocked the leader’s punch.
Then struck his chest.
"First... the ability to control the body of a lord himself."
His fist collided heavily.
"That ability multiplies one’s strength."
Then he added,
"Even if you are a Second-Rank Lord with a limited ceiling of power..."
His body twisted again.
Then he struck the leader’s shoulder.
"Perfect control over your body allows your strength to rise beyond that."
The leader breathed slowly.
But the old man continued.
"As for the second reason..."
He raised his fist.
"The lord’s own age."
Their bodies collided once more.
Then he spoke calmly.
"Ten years ago..."
He chuckled lightly.
"I was a retired man."
He stepped back.
Then surged forward with another punch.
"I spent my days quietly in my mountain home."
BOOM!
"Doing small tasks."
Another strike.
"I raised goats... and chickens... for fun."
He slipped past the leader’s punch.
Then continued.
"I was looking for adventure..."
A strange smile appeared on his face.
"And I could not find it."
They exchanged another strike.
Then he continued.
"Then suddenly..."
He paused.
"I fell into the river."
A powerful punch surged forward.
"I accepted death."
Then he said quietly,
"But I... was transferred."
The leader’s eyes narrowed slightly.
The old man continued.
"I found myself in a new world."
"A window appeared before me... like a television."
"It gave me tasks... and information."
With every strike his body moved confidently.
"And each time I completed a task..."
BOOM!
"I felt my body improving."
But his voice softened slightly.
"Until I reached... the peak of the Second Rank."
He sighed.
"And then I discovered the truth."
Their fists collided again.
"My age when I was transferred..."
"Had a great impact on both my body and my soul."
"Both were exhausted from the previous world."
He paused briefly.
Then said,
"The Third Rank..."
"Was more than my body could endure."
He looked directly at the leader.
"I was destined to remain in the Second Rank... until I died."
Silence lingered for a moment.
Then a slow smile appeared on his face.
"But... when one door closes... another opens."
He raised his fist.
"This world... is fair."
Then he said quietly,
"The restriction placed upon me... opened another restriction."
Another blow shook the ground.
"My strength within the Second Rank..."
"Will never stop growing."
The leader’s eyes widened slightly.
The lord continued,
"Yes... the energy of the Second Rank will remain the same."
"It will not grow heavier like the energy of Third-Rank masters."
Then he smiled broadly.
"But..."
He clenched his fist.
"The power of the Second Rank..."
"Has been laid completely bare before me."
He rushed forward.
A massive punch slammed into the leader’s body.
BOOOOM!
Then he spoke calmly.
"That is why, Leader of the Rock Fighters..."
"You feel that I am stronger than ordinary Second-Rank Lords."
He leaned forward slightly.
His eyes shining.
"Because I truly am..."
Stronger than them.
The leader of the Rock Fighters breathed slowly after the fierce exchange.
His chest rose and fell heavily while signs of battle covered his rocky body.
He lifted his head slightly and looked at the old lord.
Then he spoke calmly.
"Now... I finally understand."
He paused for a moment.
A faint smile appeared on his lips.
"But..."
He lifted his gaze toward the sky as if remembering something from long ago.
"I always wished... to face a Third-Rank Lord."
He paused briefly.
As if the next words carried special weight.
Then he continued.
"I was told..."
He fell silent.
His breath left slowly.
"...that I had become capable of fighting them."
The leader stepped back several meters.
His body, which had been swollen with massive muscles, began calming down.
Gradually it returned closer to its natural form.
But in the next moment—
He began murmuring.
A faint voice... barely audible.
"Path of combat..."
He paused.
"...the commander’s body."
Suddenly—
His body changed.
His skin slowly turned into a shining bronze color.
As if a layer of molten metal had covered him.
His massive muscles began shrinking.
His body was no longer monstrously large.
It became slightly smaller.
More compact.
More concentrated.
But—
The aura emanating from him...
Was far stronger.
A heavy pressure spread through the air.
The soldiers behind him felt it instantly.
The leader slowly raised his head.
Then spoke in a deep voice.
"This is..."
He slightly raised his fist.
"...my current solitary path."
Then he continued.
"The Commander’s Body."
His eyes settled on the old lord.
"A form that allows me to reach a higher level."
He took one step.
Then another.
The ground beneath his feet barely made a sound.
"All of my strength..."
His fist slowly closed.
"...is concentrated within this body."
Then—
He vanished.
It was not a jump.
It was not a dash that could be followed.
He simply disappeared.
On the other side—
The old lord’s eyes narrowed.
He looked around quickly.
Right.
Left.
But—
He saw nothing.
Silence lasted for a fraction of a second.
Then suddenly—
He screamed.
A terrifying strike crashed onto his back from behind.
BOOOOM!
The sound echoed like a shattered mountain.
His entire body trembled.
The sound of bone breaking rang clearly through the air.
His steel-like muscular body...
Collapsed inward at the point of impact.
His back caved in frighteningly.
Behind him—
Stood the leader.
His voice was heavier now.
Even the air around him had changed.
He spoke calmly.
"Every strike..."
He raised his fist slightly.
"...no longer wastes any energy."
He stepped closer.
"Each blow I deliver..."
His eyes flashed.
"...will carry its full hidden power."
The old lord leapt away quickly, trying to create distance.
He landed on the ground breathing heavily.
He raised his head.
But—
The leader stood right in front of him.
He spoke coldly.
"There is no escape... Lord."
Then—
He struck.
His fist pierced the distance.
A violent blow landed in the old man’s stomach.
The air exploded out of his mouth.
Huge amounts of blood burst out.
His body staggered.
But the next strike came immediately.
BOOOOM!
Another scream rose across the battlefield.
The leader whispered quietly.
"Sixty stages... of brutal training."
His fist moved again.
"Three long years."
Another strike.
"Far away..."
Another blow.
"...where I never saw my family."
The old man’s body staggered under the attacks.
Then the leader said coldly,
"I will not make this last longer."
Suddenly—
A storm of demonic strikes exploded.
Punches.
Kicks.
Shoulder blows.
Each strike fell with terrifying precision.
The old man’s screams echoed again and again.
He tried to run—
The leader caught him.
He tried to dodge—
The leader appeared before him.
He tried to defend—
The strikes shattered his guard.
He tried to attack—
He was stopped before he could finish.
Every moment—
A bone cracked.
An arm tore from its joint.
Muscles ripped beneath the blows.
Behind them—
The soldiers watched.
Concern appeared in their eyes.
That was their leader.
Yet despite that—
Fear was clearly visible on their faces.
Not one of them doubted—
If this new transformation of their leader turned toward them...
They would all be crushed within moments.
After a short while—
The sounds began to fade.
Then—
The strikes stopped.
In the center of the field—
The old lord’s body fell to the ground.
No longer that huge steel-like physique.
He had returned to his natural form.
An old man...
Barely moving.
Above him—
Stood the leader of the Rock Fighters.
His shining bronze body still radiated immense energy into the air.
He looked down at the silent old man.
The lord slowly closed his eyes.
He no longer resisted.
He surrendered.
To death...
Once again.
And in that final moment—
A simple image crossed his mind.
His small goat...
And the chickens he fed every morning.
And he wished—
If only he could...
Return to them one more time.
