CHAPTER 390: CHAPTER 388: CREATING THE STRONGEST BODY ON THE SURFACE_1

In the chorus of cicadas, the morning passed.

The noon sun blazed, with even the breeze carrying the heat, and students only found relief when stepping into the shade of the trees.

Aozawa turned off the main path and followed a small trail to the side of the club building.

The trail wasn’t covered by shade, allowing the sunlight to shine brightly.

He hadn’t taken two steps before sweat beaded on his forehead as he arrived at the window of the Guzheng Club.

"Sneak attack!"

A clear shout rang out as Natsuka Yanagimachi brought down her Air Hammer with both hands.

Aozawa easily dodged, annoyed. "Natsuka, don’t be so childish. We’re high schoolers now, not still playing elementary school games."

"Senpai, please address me as the innocence of a beautiful girl."

Natsuka Yanagimachi unabashedly crowned herself with the title. She was as reserved around strangers as she was uninhibited with acquaintances.

Hojo Shouko, long accustomed to her friend’s wild talk, took out the prepared bento box, saying, "Aozawa-senpai, today’s bento is sweet and sour pork ribs, a new dish I’ve learned. Try it and see how it tastes?"

"I trust Shouko’s culinary skills; it’s definitely delicious."

Aozawa took the bento box.

Natsuka Yanagimachi smiled cheekily. "By the way, Senpai, did you know that Hojo-senpai participated in the Strongest on Earth martial arts competition yesterday and made it all the way to the final match of the top eight?"

"Yeah, Tetsuji told me he went to find inspiration for his manga and decided to fight," Aozawa replied.

"Hojo-senpai is so amazing! Aozawa-senpai, did you really ever beat him? I don’t believe it!"

Natsuka Yanagimachi crossed her arms, an expression of skepticism worthy of Sherlock Holmes on her face as she surveyed Aozawa’s body. Her gaze finally rested on his arms, where distinct muscle contours were visible.

"The videos circulating online are super exaggerated; it’s almost like they’re using special effects. Everyone is commenting, ’I’m sorry, I’ve disgraced humanity.’ That foreigner was tossing Hojo-senpai around, slamming him, and even breaking the tatami mats on the floor. Senpai, can you break a wooden board with one punch?"

"You’re really underestimating me," Aozawa retorted.

Natsuka Yanagimachi was about to ask more when Hojo Shouko interrupted, "Alright, Natsuka, don’t waste Aozawa-senpai’s time."

"Yeah, yeah." Natsuka Yanagimachi nodded, then added curiously, "Aozawa-senpai, next time let me witness you breaking a wooden board with your bare hands."

As she said this, she mimed the motion, not to test whether Aozawa could do it, but purely out of a desire to see it happen. She had only watched it on TV before and was very curious to see it in person.

"Bring one over now, and I’ll show you."

"Great!"

Natsuka Yanagimachi quickly glanced around, her eyes landing on the only object in the room that could pass as a wooden board: the small table.

Hojo Shouko hastened to stop her. "Don’t touch it! If you break the table, where will we find a new one?"

Natsuka Yanagimachi could only say with regret, "I’ll bring a wooden board tomorrow."

"No problem." Aozawa nodded.

Even without using his physical strength, he could use Sound of Everything to release stored explosive sounds. Breaking a wooden board would be a piece of cake. If he were to make a trip to Odessa, he might even be able to capture the sound of missile explosions. In the truest sense, a punch with the power of a missile. It was just regrettable that he couldn’t capture sound from videos; otherwise, by playing videos, he could capture all kinds of sounds. An atomic bomb strike would be like an ordinary punch.

「The Strongest on Earth.」

A gold belt engraved with those four characters lay on the table, its center adorned with a goose-egg-sized ruby. Yet the gold and gems were the cheapest parts of the belt. What was truly precious were the engraved characters, representing supreme glory.

Amat dos Santos wasn’t usually keen on chasing glory; he knew his personality and ideas would never earn him any in a proper competition. He detested the numerous rules of the ring. Therefore, competitions like "The Strongest on Earth," without any rules, allowing him to fully employ his methods, were particularly important. This might be a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. Even the usually indifferent Amat cherished this belt.

He grabbed a suckling pig, gnawing on it to replenish his lost energy, aiming to restore himself to optimal condition before heading to Brilliant High School for a rematch with Hojo.

After devouring the pig, Amat reached for a giant lobster, snapped off its head and tail, then took big bites of shell and meat. The LCD TV in front of him was reporting the results of "The Strongest on Earth" martial arts competition.

Eventually, it will be my turn to appear—the champion. That’s my enjoyment in watching the news. Human happiness is like battle. The fight for the top eight, the battles of the top eight, the top four, and finally, the championship bout—battling all the way through. The process is exhilarating, and winning the championship is even more delightful and satisfying. But such emotions often last only a moment. After the applause, comes endless emptiness. So when I can feel the applause, when I can revel in the joy of the crowd’s cheers, I must thoroughly indulge myself, not hold back. Only in this way can I do justice to that time, to each and every fierce battle.

Amat grabbed the whiskey, drained the bottle in one go, and let out a satisfied belch before grabbing a leg of lamb and biting into it greedily. His teeth were incredibly hard, capable of crushing even bones. A crunching sound echoed in his mouth.

"This time, the champion of The Strongest on Earth is Amat dos Santos, a controversial figure and once one of Austria’s most notorious criminals," the reporter announced at a crucial moment. Amat, having swallowed the lamb in his mouth, smashed the remote control into the LCD TV. "I knew it," he seethed. "Once I gained fame, people would come knocking."

Amat turned to glance at the door. There was no sound of it opening, yet a person stood there quietly. He was tall with blond hair, his pale skin almost translucent enough to reveal the veins beneath it.

"Are you here for this belt?" Amat licked the grease off his thumb, his left eye flashing with excitement.

What is this feeling? It’s been a long time since I’ve felt something like this; just one glance at him sends a chilling sensation crawling up my spine. This man is dangerous, more dangerous than any enemy I’ve ever encountered.

"I heard one of the top eight, a guy named Higashiyama Jiro, has disappeared. Was that your doing?"

Amat didn’t believe Higashiyama Jiro would run away out of fear; it could only mean that some irresistible force had made him vanish. MI6 had tasked him to capture Onofre. They had also told him about a very powerful and dangerous person in Tokyo, a presence no martial artist could match. The name was Dio. Amat had never met Dio, but he knew that anyone who could enter this room so silently and give him such a chill had to be the Dio MI6 had mentioned.

"You guessed it, but there’s no reward for you." Aozawa raised his right hand.

Amat let out a ferocious smile. "You are the best reward!"

With a clench of both hands, his fearsome muscles ripped through the black vest. Years of training had sculpted every muscle on his tall, powerful frame. Not a single one had been neglected, their clear definition making him look as if he were clad in an armor of pure muscle.

Aozawa smiled, stretching the Defense Barrier that covered his body, extending it behind Amat. He marked Amat as an enemy and then pushed the barrier forward.

SNAP!

A diamond-shaped flash of light flickered behind Amat, unseen by him. He only felt a powerful thrust on his back, propelling him forward.

What just happened?

He wasn’t sure, but he reacted immediately, using the pushing sensation to kick his right leg up, slashing diagonally toward Aozawa’s neck like a pair of scissors.

BANG!

A diamond-shaped, colored Light Shield appeared in front of Aozawa.

The built-in counterattack capability of the Defense Barrier rendered Amat’s strong right leg as fragile as a potato chip.

CRACK! Amat’s right leg twisted backward, blood spurting from ruptured blood vessels.

Amat’s left eye bulged as he sensed something amiss; it was as if an invisible hand was squeezing him. Not even the blood could reach the ground.

Aozawa placed his right hand on Amat’s abdomen. Using his Sound of Everything ability, he pulled back, and a milky-white gas immediately surged into his palm.

The loss of his sound made Amat feel his strength rapidly depleting. "Bastard, what have you done?" he roared furiously. This wasn’t the fight I anticipated!

Aozawa drew out Amat’s sound and channeled it into himself with his left hand.

THUMP!

His heart pounded as the milky gas seeped into his body.

There was no noticeable change in his appearance, but he could feel the surge of strength when he clenched his right fist. Unlike Superpowers, this muscular strength was something he could sense with a simple clench.

"This is fantastic." Aozawa deactivated his Sound of Everything ability; the sound remained within him. He rested his hand on Amat’s abdomen and triggered Marked Detonation. "I should thank you, Amat dos Santos. For years, you’ve been training my body for me. I really appreciate it."

Amat’s left eye nearly bulged out of its socket, yet he lacked the strength even to speak. He was experiencing the despair of those he had tormented in the past.

Surely, they felt as hopeless as I do now.

"Farewell."

Marked Detonation activated. Flames rose from within Amat; smoke briefly filled the air, then swiftly dissipated, leaving not even a single drop of blood.

Aozawa used Schrödinger’s Cat to leave the hotel.

「Inside an abandoned, desolate warehouse.」

Aozawa appeared. He raised his hand and used Will-o’-the-wisp to create a two-meter-tall Holy Lord, which he then strengthened with the Power of Enlightening. He made the Holy Lord’s frame and muscles swell significantly, giving it an even more destructive appearance.

Aozawa released his Transformation Ability, drew out the Holy Lord’s sound, and granted it to himself with his left hand.

THUMP!

An even stronger heartbeat slammed within him. Aozawa gasped heavily. Looking down at his hands, they showed no obvious changes, yet he could feel the power in his muscles increasing.

He threw a punch with all his might.

BOOM!

The resulting sonic boom kicked up a cloud of dust.

"Haha, time to find someone to test this on."