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"You suddenly look very confident. Is it because of that sword?"Zhuyue stared at the Zanpakutō glowing blue in Riku's hand, curious.
"Who knows."Riku said coldly. Anyone who casually reveals their hand is either stupid or arrogant — and he was neither.
"I'm going in."Riku's eyes flashed, and he suddenly moved.
"Boom—!"In the next instant, he vanished from the spot. The air where he stood exploded with a thunderous crack.
Zhuyue wasn't flustered by the sudden attack, just surprised. Riku's speed had at least doubled since before — he'd clearly been holding back.
Caught off guard, Zhuyue swung her dragon claws, trying to block Riku.
But being smaller had its perks — she was way more agile.
Riku easily dodged the claws, even stepped on one, then rushed to Zhuyue's belly, throwing a heavy punch without holding back.
"Boom—!"The air exploded instantly as Riku's fist slammed into Zhuyue's abdomen. A huge impact echoed; Zhuyue was blasted back, a massive fist-shaped imprint burned into her belly scales, some shattered.
Her whole dragon body flew up into the sky.
"Roar—!"Zhuyue screamed from the heavy blow. Honestly, she knew Riku was strong, but she didn't expect his speed and power to be this insane — just raw strength alone beating a Sky Wing breed like her.
She'd underestimated him badly.
"Zhu Hu!!!!"
But it wasn't over. After the hit, Riku didn't give Zhuyue a moment to recover. His veins bulged, a pale blue aura crackling around him as he swung his fist again.
In an instant, the pale blue energy formed into a giant fierce tiger shape, blazing with blue flames, roaring as it tore across the sky straight at Zhuyue.
This was the ultimate skill of the Eight Gates technique, the Seventh Gate — the Gate of Shock!
"Roar! Human, don't underestimate me!"Though Zhuyue was seriously hurt by Riku's punch, she wasn't paralyzed and quickly adjusted her stance, hovering in the sky with a roar.
"Boom—!" In the next instant, Zhu Yue's mouth suddenly gathered a terrifying wave of energy, then blasted it out. It was the Dragon Spirit race's Dragon Breath!
In a flash, the Dragon Breath collided with Zhoutu's attack, like a fierce battle between a dragon and a tiger—absolutely earth-shattering.
In the end, the two energy forces canceled each other out simultaneously, and the resulting explosion completely destroyed the surrounding area. The once-beautiful forest was utterly ruined. Many demon beasts nearby were crushed and killed by the aftershock. Even distant rivers churned with huge, terrifying waves! It looked like the end of the world.
"Where's the guy?" After the explosion faded, Zhu Yue healed her injuries and scanned the area, but didn't see Riku anywhere. She started getting impatient.
"Where are you looking, you big lizard?" Suddenly, Riku's voice appeared right above her head, making her jump.
"Thud—!" Just as Zhu Yue reacted, Riku kicked down hard on her head, hitting her so hard she felt dizzy. His massive body then fell like a meteor toward the ground below.
"Bastard!"
Falling, Zhu Yue looked up at Riku standing in the air and flew into a rage. Being pinned down like this was humiliating beyond belief.
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So, Zhu Yue stopped caring about her falling body. Instead, she opened her huge mouth, gathered energy, and unleashed a Dragon Breath that sliced across the sky and slammed into Riku — then exploded. The terrifying blast lit up the sky with a deep, blazing red.
"Did I get him?" Zhu Yue blinked, stunned to see Riku swallowed up by her Dragon Breath so easily. It felt unreal that she might have actually taken him down this simply.
"No good!!!" Suddenly, Zhu Yue's dragon eyes shrank sharply as she sensed something.
But it was already too late. Riku had mysteriously reappeared just above her and slammed another kick right on her head.
"Boom—!" A heavy thud rang out, and Zhu Yue's dragon head dented deeply again. Her whole massive body crashed down like a meteorite.
The ground shook violently as if hit by a meteor. Cracks spread everywhere. Centered on Zhu Yue's giant form, a huge pit formed, affecting tens of thousands of meters around.
"Roar—!" One second later, Zhu Yue let out a furious roar and flew out from the crater, dust covering her body, looking utterly beaten.
Flying in the air, a flash of light showed her injuries oddly disappearing again, restoring her to peak condition. Even her aura surged back.
But no matter how much her body recovered, Zhu Yue's fury didn't fade. She stared daggers at Riku, radiating murderous intent.
Being kicked in the head twice like that was unbearable humiliation.
"What kind of ability is that? I clearly felt my attack hit you!" Zhu Yue finally calmed down a bit and asked seriously.
Not only did he take her Dragon Breath head-on without a scratch, but he also appeared next to her without any spatial distortion—it was just too strange!
"....."