Chapter 896: ...TO KNOCK EM DOWN!(2)

Winning Blow

[Interesting...looks like you’re aiming to end this fight with a single blow. How cinematic.]

’I was gonna quip I have no idea what that means, but you being my head is helping me gain some information I didn’t know existed.’

[Oh? Pray tell. Like what?]

’Well...I think I just figured out what you and my cousin do in order to make him hit so hard. and I think it goes a little something like this...’

...

Most tournaments, or fighting contests in general, rarely ever end due to a single attack.

They’re usually the result of several rounds of concentrated blows, strategic movements and just pure physical prowess.

That said, it’s always a sight to behold when someone decides to finish it with a single punch, especially after getting up from what was supposed to be knock-out!

"Holy shit..."

"What...what’s up with his aura? Why does it feel so ominous?"

"Xiao Hai..."

"Ook...ook..."

When Zhen Hai was sent flying by the Misty Long-Armed Gibbon’s punch, all of the people and beasts watching assumed that that was it.

The Gibbon was already stronger than Zhen Hai by a full cultivation tier, and it’s punches were so powerful by default that Zhen Hai had no choice but to dodge in the first place and deal very minimal damage to the thing.

It was careful dance that would end in tragedy if a single mistake was made, and they had all witnessed and heard that mistake occurring!

So seeing Zhen Hai stand back up, even after hearing what must’ve been his bones and organs shattering into pieces, was unnerving to say the least.

However,it wasn’t as unnerving as feeling Zhen Hai’s aether beginning to circulate in a very weird manner.

Enhancing one’s blows with aether was a very normal and tested technique that everyone and their mother learned to master ay a very young age.

Even the primates of this strange boxing ring made sure to enhance their punches with aether.

It should be noted though, that enhancing one’s punches with aether is normally considered to be a "subtle" art, meaning it was one of those techniques that barely disturbed the surrounding aether, unlike proper aether arts.

However, it should be noted that this wasn’t a hard fast rule.

It’s been recorded in history that those with exceptionally potent aether, or at least those of high cultivation, were able to distort their surroundings via the simple trick of enhancement.

As of this moment, Zhen Hai was appearing to be the embodiment of that particular exception.

"Ook, ook!"

"Eep!"

’What is this feeling?! It’s like staring into the maw of a beast!’

His stance wasn’t anything special, it was simple fighting pose that any novice in the world could perform at a glance.

His aura on the other hand was a different manner.

Surrounding Zhen Hai’s form was this strange, dark aura that was unlike anything these primates or even his family had ever seen before...well, not entirely.

To the latter, Zhen Hai’s aura had always reminded them a bit of the ocean, kind of like Patriarch Zhen Shi’s, but there was this tinge of viciousness to that made them think of sharks and other sharp-toothed ocean predators. Now, there was this strange darkness to it, like something akin to an abyss where creatures of all shape and sizes would eventually fall and rot away...all except for one.

To the former, the aura reminded the primates of Rotting Mandrills, Corpse Monkeys and other such beasts that tapped into the power of rot, decay and death in order to inflict damage on their targets. But there was also this strange...depth to it. None of these primates had ever seen the ocean before, so in their minds, it made them think of a lake so deep that even mountains would crumble into sand when subjected to such pressures.

Any of these auras by themselves was intimidating enough, combining them together though...it made people think of a deep dark ocean, the kind filled with monsters that most people assumed to have gone extinct a long time ago.

And right now, this aura of dead dread was locked on to one very unlucky monkey.

Granted, the aformentioned monkey was still willing to stand and fight...up until Zhen Hai immediately bumrushed the simple simian and punched forward.

As Zhen Hai did so, the aura encapsulating briefly took on the image of a giant undead shark, before slowing over Zhen Hai’s extended arm and washing over the Long-Armed Mist Gibbon...

...

[Huh...impressive.]

’Thank you.’

[By the way, what you just did was very different from what he does. Good show though.]

’That would explain the giant shark skeleton...’

...

Quest: Secure the [Curing Rain Talisman Monument]

Result: Success!

Casualties: Zero

Additional Objectives: ???

________________________________________

Bug Trap

’Ya know...I figured my road of cultivation would involve a lot more dead bodies as opposed to imprisoned ones.’

=To be fair milord, you’ve said it yourself that you’re not a big fan of killing people.=

<It’s not too late to become a lot more brutal.>

’Eh... I’ll rethink my moral compass later. Right now, I have a wild abomination and her mutant spawn to contend with...or whatever these things are, because I don’t think they’re kaijin.’

<=I believe we settled on the term, UMA, not so long ago.=>

’Right...anyways! Razorstella, goalpost is about ready, so get ready to shoot!’

[From stage star to soccer star...all I need to do is film and music and I shall be the queen of media! Stelalala!]

’What the fuck was that?’

[Wanted to try something and it felt wrong.]

’...aight.’

...

[Duck, Miss Rianna!]

"I know! Hup!"

[Swing!]

"Skeee?!"*5.

While Zhen Liu was busy doing...something, and his father was knocking Kamakiller airborne, Rianna and Spring Brawler had been busy keeping Kamakiller’s demon babies off of Jin Fang.

This battle of attrition came to an abrupt end, however, when Zhen Liu relayed a very weird plan to Spring Brawler.

One that involved Rianna acting like bait, long enough for Spring Brawler to clothesline the chasing chibi Kamakillers and use the fact that he was essentially a giant spring to literally slingshot them upwards.

Both woman and kaijin couldn’t believe their eyes when they saw this painfully cartoonish moment occur.

Both woman and kaijin couldn’t help but to stare in disbelief at this moment. Honestly, they had no idea if that was actually gonna work.

"I can’t believe that worked."

[I really shouldn’t be surprised since I’m attached to the ringmaster’s soul...but still, wow.]

Regardless of their own thoughts, this next part was out of their hands.

"Hey...what’s soccer, by the way?’

[Well...]

...

[Fucking fire lion. I need to. Stabilize!]

It’s one thing to suddenly develop self-awareness and thought, it’s another thing entirely when it happens during battle.

Ever since the weird shit in the fountain caused her to mutate and evolve into a #-&(#+, Kamakiller was busy trying to readjust her brain until it was able to control every faculty of her new body. She had just figured out how to get her legs to do some more finesse based movements, but then got knockeded into the air right when she was about to test them out.

Kamakiller vaguely remembered there was a way for her to handle this, but she wasn’t entirely sure what it was...until...

[How do I? Wait...right!]

Eventual, Kamakiller remembered she was a mantis,more specifically, a species of mantis that had wings.

With a quick flex of a muscle she didn’t know she had until this moment, Kamakiller called forth a pair of wings that helped to stabilize her flight.

Once she got a hang of it, she managed to remain airborne and still.

Now that she had a moment to pause, Kamakiller prepared herself to counterattack.

[Alright, stupid mortal get ready to-]

"SKREEEEE!"*5

[MY BABIES!]

Kamakiller didn’t even have to turn around to understand that her children had, not only been born shortly after she had mutated, but that they had also been knocked airborne for some reason. If she had to hazard a guess, it probably involves that human girl that was protected by that walking nightmare of a mortal from earlier.

Regardless, hearing the cry of her babies, Kamakiller immediately dove in the direction her babies were at and prepared herself to snatch them out of the air.

Unfortunately, this was all according to plan.

With her back now turned and oriented in a perfect diagonal away from her children, Razorstella took this opportunity to fly upward and behind Kamakiller and her kin. As she did, Razorstella made sure to infuse her leg with aether and aimed for a very specific point on the ground for Kamakiller and her kin to impact.

A point that just so happened to look like a giant circle drawn in the dirt.

[Shooting Star Kick: Goal!]

[Huh? Bwah!]

Before Kamakiller could even comprehend what was actually going on, she kicked squarely in the back by Razorstella, catching her kids in the process and sent flying towards the dirt circle on the ground.

(Un)surprisingly though, Kamakiller and her kids did not turn into paste upon impact.

Instead, they disappeared as the ground they impacts turned into a rotating door.

Where they ended up, well...only a few had the answer to that.

...

Quest: Secure the [Fountain of Raging White Water]

Result: Success(?)

Casualties: Zero

Complication: Fountain’s...different...