Chapter 115: I Didn't Control My Strength Well for a Moment
The moment his consciousness faded, Gouketsu felt as if he had fallen into an endless dark sea, with only coldness and silence remaining around him.
Is this death... In his blurred consciousness, a muscular young man glowing with confidence appeared before his eyes; that clean, sharp martial arts uniform felt inexplicably familiar to him.
Who is he? Why did he appear in my memories?
After thinking for a full second or two, Gouketsu finally remembered that this guy was himself—or rather, the human self forgotten by the Monster he had become.
Once, Gouketsu, as the champion of the human martial arts tournament, was in the limelight, even called the number one martial artist of the younger generation by many.
At that time, he maintained full confidence in his strength, always believing he could continue to climb the Peaks of martial arts and become an even more powerful being.
Until that day, when he encountered that legendary Monster, the Monster that made him tremble even to this day.
A massive body, a terrifying face like a dragon or a snake, and those cold eyes that seemed to contain no human emotion.
Monster King Orochi.
However, back then, even though Gouketsu faced such a terrifying Monster and every cell in his body was trembling, he still unleashed his signature technique, the [Hades God Killing Fist].
That day, Gouketsu felt his own weakness.
His proud signature technique was easily blocked by one of the opponent's tentacles; his body, tempered through years of martial arts training, couldn't withstand a casual swat and was already on the verge of death.
When that still-pulsing Monster cell fell onto the dirt in front of him, Gouketsu wavered.
He wasn't wavering in his martial arts, but in his identity as a human.
Can humans really defeat such terrifying Monsters? Can humans really reach the Peak of martial arts? Can humans really avoid extinction in the face of such terrifying Monsters?
With various doubts, Gouketsu ultimately chose to swallow that pulsing Monster cell, abandoning his human identity.
He didn't want to die; he would rather abandon his human identity than face death. Only by living could he continue to climb the Peak; if he died, everything would be gone.
But the appearance of King made this Dragon-Level Executive, who had abandoned his human identity, realize for the first time that humans could also be this strong.
Perhaps... my choice back then was wrong... With such a thought, all the Monster cells in Gouketsu's body lost their vitality, and his consciousness completely dissipated.
Seeing a Dragon-Level Executive of Gouketsu's caliber get blown apart by a single punch, Gale, who was constantly moving through the air, was stunned.
A hint of doubt couldn't help but rise in Gale's heart: if this guy really was human, then wasn't their act of discarding their human bodies to become Monsters just to pursue ultimate speed completely idiotic?
But he couldn't care about that now; noticing King's gaze turning toward him, Gale immediately felt every Monster cell in his body screaming frantically, urging him, the host, to run away quickly.
Without the slightest hesitation, Gale flicked his wrist and threw his incredibly sharp blade, which instantly turned into a streak of light piercing toward King's face.
As for himself, he turned and fled, unleashing all his secret Ninja techniques as his figure turned into an afterimage and vanished instantly.
It's no big deal; staying alive is more important than anything!
His friend Hellfire had already been punched into a headless horseman; if he didn't run now, he feared he would follow in his footsteps.
Now, by discarding his weapon as a distraction and combining it with extreme speed, his survival capability was maxed out!
[Monsterization] fully unleashed! [Twenty Shadow Burials] fully unleashed!
Dense green ripples spread across Gale's body surface; his physical form rapidly changed, becoming extremely hideous, while his speed surged once again.
His legs moved in a strange rhythm, and his formidable speed allowed Gale to create 20 forward-running afterimages in mid-air, making it impossible to tell which one was the original.
In this state, Gale was confident that even the so-called Monster King Orochi wouldn't be able to catch him, and the same went for the The Strongest Man on Earth, King!
Unfortunately, while the ideal was plump, reality was skinny.
When he heard the piercing sound of a sonic boom from behind, Gale turned his head and saw the most terrifying scene.
A figure shrouded in blue steam was sprinting at a speed almost invisible to the naked eye, arriving by his side in the blink of an eye.
King simply threw a punch, and the space in front of him distorted in layers, instantly blowing apart all of Gale's Clones on the left side.
Holy crap!
Gale was scared out of his wits, feeling as though his very soul had been frightened away; he ignored the strain on his body to force an even greater burst of speed, not caring if his muscles would be torn afterward.
But the most despairing scene played out right before his eyes.
Facing the extreme speed he had unleashed, King wasn't even running seriously; he was still floating in mid-air using Psychic Power, striking a reclining pose like a predator toying with its weak and pathetic prey:
"Stop on your own?"
Are you kidding me?!
Gale's eyes were bloodshot, and his mind was on the verge of collapse, but no matter how desperately he tried to increase his speed, King followed him like a ghost.
Ten seconds later, seeing that Gale was about to reach the surface, King shook his head helplessly:
"What a pity. If your speed were dozens of times faster, maybe I really wouldn't be able to catch you."
"As a thank-you for accompanying me in this chase for so long, I'll treat you to a punch."
Saying that, King flashed in front of Gale and threw an unremarkable punch.
"No!!!"
Gale's eyes nearly burst from their sockets as he quickly crossed his arms in front of his chest, attempting to block King's punch.
At the instant of contact, an extremely violent force surged from his arms into his entire body.
The Dragon-Level Monster, known for his speed, didn't even have time to react before he exploded into a mist of blood.
King floated in mid-air, surrounded by a layer of light green Psychic Power that blocked the blood mist drifting through the air.
He looked at Gale, who had been blown apart by a single punch, and spoke with some emotion:
"Honestly, it's been a long time since I've crushed a weakling; I didn't control my strength well for a moment."
...