CHAPTER 387: CHAPTER 385 THE SHOCK OF THE GIANT MONSTER_1

Night descended on Tokyo; the hunting hour had arrived.

Aozawa stood at the top of the Tokyo Skytree, his arms folded across his chest.

A full moon seemed to be suspended right behind his head.

Unfortunately, he hadn’t picked up the good habit of carrying a speaker with him and was unable to promptly add a piece of music to enhance the atmosphere on site.

Aozawa swept his gaze over nighttime Tokyo, thinking of the martial artists he had seen during the day’s competition.

I’ve already decided on my target for the experiment, he thought. Before that, I need to try something first.

Aozawa used his Global Travel ability to vanish from the Tokyo Skytree in an instant and appeared in Wales, England.

It was morning there. The scorching sun showered from the sky, and on one side of the long coastline was a deep blue sea surface, shining like a sapphire.

On the other side were grass-covered hills, the occasional absence of grass revealing the gray-green rocks beneath.

The scenery was as picturesque as a painting, with a town in the distance as if lifted from a fairy tale.

Aozawa floated in the air, raised his hand, and used Will-o’-the-wisp Hypnotic World to conjure the Second-stage Terror Emperor into this world.

In an instant, shadows flitted across the ground. The birds in the distant woods were startled and flew out en masse, heading south.

On the streets of the fairy-tale town, at first, no one noticed anything unusual. Then, a little girl picking up a ball happened to look up and naturally caught sight of the far-off horizon. The ball once again fell from her hands and rolled forward.

She had no reaction, but tears gathered in her eyes before she started wailing loudly. Her cries were drowned out by a thunderous noise as tentacles waving high in the sky cast shadows over the town.

Aozawa felt somewhat surprised.

When I created the Second-stage Terror Emperor in the Different World, I knew it was enormous—the largest creature I could create with Hypnosis.

Actually bringing such a creature into this world, Aozawa was still shocked by the sheer ugliness and enormity of the Second-stage Terror Emperor.

It merely stood there, and the hills flattened. The wind spurred by the impact rampaged, and the sea surface churned, spreading waves in concentric circles.

Regaining his composure, he used his Enlightening ability to try and strengthen the Second-stage Terror Emperor but found that the weakened Enlightening could not be applied.

The Second-stage Terror Emperor was simply too large.

With a resounding roar, the thunderous sound continued to spread outward, shredding the clouds as the giant form vanished.

It was not Aozawa who dispelled it, but Will-o’-the-wisp that had failed.

The existence of the Second-stage Terror Emperor severely deviated from the world’s common understanding, and its time in this world was extremely brief.

I’ll have to give up on that greedy idea,

Aozawa thought. I should just stick to enhancing the Holy Lord, then strip away its voice and bestow it upon a martial artist to see if they can bear it.

He used his Global Travel ability to leap back to Tokyo.

Before long, the U.S. Army stationed in England urgently dispatched their air force to the area.

Following them was the stationed naval fleet. They had received orders to occupy this area under the pretext of a military exercise and prevent anyone from entering.

"FARK, what the hell is this? Human footprints?"

From a fighter jet, a U.S. pilot looked down at the ground. The shapes resembled enormous elephant footprints. A single print was so vast that a hundred elephants couldn’t fill it.

What kind of creature could possess such gigantic footprints?

「Tokyo, Ikebukuro.」

Lights illuminated the interior of the Karate Dojo where Higashiyama Jiro stood in the center, facing a metal Iron Man Stake.

"Ah!"

He let out a roar, stepping forward into a bow stance with his right foot, his right hand shooting straight forward in a piercing strike that hit the Iron Man Stake.

THUD. His four fingers pierced directly into the metal, and cracks spread around them.

Higashiyama Jiro exhaled and withdrew his hand. He looked at the imprint on the stake and fell into contemplation.

A new disciple clapped and said, "Master Higashiyama, your piercing hand is unparalleled in the world! The title of ’strongest on earth’ definitely belongs to you!"

The older disciples sitting on their knees sneered inwardly, saying nothing.

They knew all too well how volatile Higashiyama Jiro’s temperament was.

This new disciple, eager to flatter his way to true martial arts, was clearly too impatient.

"Is that so?"

Higashiyama Jiro turned his head, looked at this disciple, and with a piercing hand, struck through his protective ribcage. Four fingers stabbed into the heart, feeling the warmth of flesh and blood.

He withdrew his hand. The disciple looked down, unable to imagine that this man would kill so casually.

The kneeling disciples showed no surprise and even felt a trace of excitement in their hearts. They were eager to learn Higashiyama Jiro’s karate and become powerful beings like him, free to take lives at will.

"Karate is the world’s strongest martial art. This is an undeniable truth, but it shouldn’t come from a flatterer like you. That would only lower the class of karate."

Higashiyama Jiro flicked the blood off his hands, his expression calm as he said, "Take this guy away."

"Yes."

The disciples nodded in unison. Two of them stepped forward to carry the body away, while another wiped the bloodstains off the floor with a cloth.

"You all go back. Come back tomorrow."

"Yes."

The disciples voiced their acknowledgment in unison and bowed as they walked towards the exit.

Nobody worried about how to deal with the murder case.

Higashiyama Jiro was protected by influential figures; covering up a murder was not difficult.

Now alone in the dojo, Higashiyama Jiro stared at the Iron Man Stake, dissatisfied. He had been stuck at this stage for three years.

Why can’t my piercing hand grow stronger?

"Do you yearn to become stronger?"

A magnetic voice suddenly resonated. Higashiyama Jiro’s pupils narrowed as he turned and demanded, "Who are you?!"

Behind him, where there had been no one, suddenly stood a tall, blonde Caucasian man.

Those eyes seemed to have the power to see through people’s hearts, brimming with bewitching charm.

"Who I am is not important. What is important is that I can give you power."

Aozawa lifted his left hand.

Higashiyama Jiro clenched his right fist. He felt the provocative stare of the Caucasian man in front of him, and his urge to kill surged. He stepped forward and suddenly felt a strong push on his back.

His body soared forward.

"What?!"

He let out a sound of astonishment. He barely had time to react when he realized the other’s left hand was already on his shoulder.

Milky white vapor flowed into his body.

"Ah!"

As if receiving a precise massage, Higashiyama Jiro involuntarily let out a sound that echoed within the dojo.

A surge of overwhelming power assaulted his insides, causing his entire body to shake.

Aozawa withdrew his hand, watching his trembling form, which didn’t exhibit the same physical swelling as that yellow-haired fellow had.

After shaking for a moment, Higashiyama Jiro straightened his back, looking at his own hands.

What kind of power is this?

Higashiyama Jiro swiftly turned and walked to the Iron Man Stake. He slapped it with both hands, directly flattening the top of the stake—which was as thick as a water bucket—into a thin iron sheet.

"Haha!"

Higashiyama Jiro laughed ecstatically, feeling as though at that moment he had become invincible.

But he quickly suppressed this delusion. He turned around, looking at the blonde Caucasian man behind him with a carefully controlled expression, and asked, "What do you want?"

"Your life."

So, I have the results I wanted, Aozawa thought. The Holy Lord’s powerful sound requires a strong martial artist to withstand it. Ordinary people who try to harness it would only be devoured by their rampaging muscles. Since I have my results, I need to eliminate him. Whether this affects tomorrow’s top-eight competition doesn’t matter; I’ve already found the person I was looking for. Among the top-eight competitors, Amat has the strongest voice. The others are strong, but still a bit weaker.

"Kill me?"

A flicker of surprise crossed Higashiyama Jiro’s face. He clenched his fists, noticing the power that surged within them, and said with a cold smile, "Seems like your brain isn’t working well. I am invincible now."

"The last guy who claimed to be invincible in front of me is now floating in outer space."

Aozawa smiled and advanced with catlike grace.

A spark flared in Higashiyama Jiro’s eyes. An unprecedented feeling surged within him, as if a decade-old computer had suddenly been upgraded with the latest hardware—a fluidity and exhilaration that made him want to burst into song.

He was about to make a move.

A grayish-white filter engulfed the dojo.

Aozawa stepped forward, looking at Higashiyama Jiro, who stood still like a statue. Higashiyama Jiro was bending his waist, his legs like coiled springs gathering strength, his whole posture exuding a powerful tension.

He circled behind and placed his right hand on the other’s shoulder.

Time resumed its flow.

Just as Higashiyama Jiro was about to pounce, he found the man had vanished. Stunned, he then felt the right hand on his shoulder.

"You?!"

An unprecedented weakness emerged from within him. His voice was taken by Aozawa, who then applied the Marked Detonation ability with a flick of his wrist. Eradicating the corpse and all traces.

The whole set of movements was smooth and seamless.

Aozawa inwardly marveled at his own fluid combinations. After dispelling the Sound of Everything, he used the Will-o’-the-wisp Hypnotic World to create a four-meter-tall Holy Lord. I need to see whether the power of Enlightening is greater or the same, he thought. The former would require finding a lucky individual; the latter wouldn’t need someone to test it on.

「Meanwhile.」

England, 10 Downing Street.

A satellite image was laid out on the desk.

The Chief Cabinet Secretary said with a respectful face, "Prime Minister, this is an image captured by the satellite over the coast of Wales at 10:12 this morning."

The man sitting in the chair appeared to be in his thirties, with black hair and darker skin. He picked up the photo and said, "Does Wales have such scenery?"

"Not previously."

The Chief Cabinet Secretary answered softly, then placed another photo on the desk.

"HISS!"

The Prime Minister gasped upon seeing this photo. It showed a creature, indescribable in words, breaking through the clouds.

Long tentacles wafted in the sky, its visage terrifying. The mere sight frightened him so much he dropped the photo and exclaimed in panic, "What is this?"

The Chief Cabinet Secretary reported truthfully, "According to information from The White House, it is probably a Monster from a Different World that briefly broke through the world barrier to get here. The reason for its disappearance is unknown."

The Prime Minister swallowed, loosening his collar with his right hand. "Why did it come to England? Why Wales? Why not New York or Moscow?"

The Chief Cabinet Secretary pondered before answering cautiously, "It’s unclear, but the site of the incident is close to the Sellafield Nuclear Waste Reprocessing Plant. The two might be related."

The Prime Minister looked thoughtful, stroking his chin. "Could it be that the weakening of the barrier is due to the environmental degradation of the world?"

The Chief Cabinet Secretary bowed. "That possibility cannot be excluded."

The Prime Minister considered for a moment. "The postponed G7 summit can’t be delayed any longer. There are issues we must discuss face to face!"