CHAPTER 89
The opponent finally spoke his name.
"Meng Siyu."
Akaza's eyes lit up immediately.
"Meng Siyu…"
A savage grin spread across his face.
"What a magnificent name!"
The moment the words left his mouth, Akaza disappeared.
Destructive Death: Compass Needle!
A snowflake-shaped compass array instantly spread beneath his feet.
His senses sharpened to an extraordinary degree.
Every movement.
Every fluctuation of fighting spirit.
Every trace of murderous intent.
Everything within his opponent's battle aura was perfectly reflected within the compass.
"Come!"
Akaza lunged forward.
Destructive Death: Air Type!
A barrage of invisible shockwaves erupted from his fists.
Six consecutive strikes tore through the air, arriving before Meng Siyu almost instantly.
Yet Meng Siyu showed no fear.
The flesh on both of his arms split apart.
Jagged bone blades erupted outward.
Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom!
The shockwaves shattered one after another against the blades.
Not a single strike landed directly.
After blocking the final attack, Meng Siyu laughed loudly.
"Hahaha!"
"Excellent!"
"Again!"
The excitement in his voice was genuine.
Before becoming a Manjushiro, he had been nothing more than a tiny flea hidden among countless insects.
After shedding his skin and evolving into this form, however, every aspect of his body had undergone a complete transformation.
His instincts.
His strength.
His combat talent.
Everything had ascended to a higher level.
And much like Akaza himself
Meng Siyu was obsessed with battle.
The two warriors instantly rushed toward one another.
Akaza launched a powerful upward kick.
The strike was aimed directly at Meng Siyu's jaw.
The force behind it was enough to pulverize stone.
Yet Meng Siyu calmly raised his own leg.
BOOM!
The collision echoed across the battlefield.
For a brief moment, Akaza's expression changed.
His right leg exploded apart.
The impact had completely destroyed it.
Akaza leaped backward.
His eyes narrowed.
That exchange had surprised him.
The power hidden within Meng Siyu's body exceeded expectations.
Yet such injuries meant little to demons.
Muscles regenerated.
Bones reformed.
Flesh rapidly restored itself.
In the blink of an eye, Akaza's leg was completely healed.
He immediately launched another attack.
His fist shot forward like a cannon.
PFFT!
The punch pierced directly through Meng Siyu's chest.
However, there was no satisfaction in the strike.
The instant before impact, Meng Siyu's true body had slipped away beneath the flesh.
His outer shell had merely served as bait.
Before Akaza could withdraw, Meng Siyu grabbed his arm.
A massive bone blade extended from his forearm.
SLASH!
Akaza's entire arm was severed.
The two combatants immediately separated.
Both regenerated at astonishing speed.
Akaza observed the wound.
His recovery was noticeably slower than normal.
A smile appeared.
"So you can interfere with a demon's regeneration."
That ability alone made Meng Siyu dangerous.
Without hesitation, Akaza flooded the damaged area with demonic power.
His muscles writhed.
The suppression was forcibly overwhelmed.
His severed arm regenerated completely.
Meng Siyu's eyes widened slightly.
Clearly, he had not expected someone to break through the regenerative suppression so quickly.
Then his expression sharpened.
He lowered his stance.
A killing intent unlike before erupted from his body.
"Come, Akaza."
"Show me your true strength!"
"Let me witness it!"
Akaza laughed.
Rarely did he encounter opponents capable of pushing him this far.
Missions.
Orders.
The battlefield itself.
At this moment, none of it mattered.
There was only the fight.
Only the thrill of testing himself against a worthy opponent.
The ground exploded beneath their feet.
They charged simultaneously.
Fist met fist.
Elbow met blade.
Knee met bone.
Shockwaves erupted with every collision.
The speed of their attacks became nearly impossible to follow.
Dozens.
Hundreds.
Thousands of strikes were exchanged.
Blood scattered continuously through the air.
Neither combatant could determine whose blood stained the battlefield anymore.
Broken bones regenerated instantly.
Shattered flesh restored itself repeatedly.
The fight escalated without pause.
Every strike carried enough force to kill lesser demons instantly.
Yet neither side yielded.
Akaza's eyes gleamed brighter with every exchange.
His martial skill was gradually taking control of the battle.
Meng Siyu's raw physical power remained terrifying.
But Akaza possessed centuries of combat experience.
That difference slowly began to reveal itself.
Suddenly
Both fists connected simultaneously.
BOOM!
Their heads snapped backward.
Akaza ignored the damage completely.
He stepped forward immediately.
A devastating hook smashed into Meng Siyu's jaw.
The sound of cracking bones echoed loudly.
Before Meng Siyu could recover, Akaza unleashed a relentless barrage.
Punch after punch.
Strike after strike.
Each attack landed with brutal precision.
Meng Siyu's body was gradually forced backward.
The gap between them had finally become visible.
No matter how extraordinary Meng Siyu's evolution had been
He was still facing Upper Moon Three.
A monster who had spent centuries perfecting martial combat.
A warrior whose very existence revolved around battle.
Realizing the situation, both fighters unleashed their strongest techniques.
At the exact same moment.
Destructive Death: Chaotic Type!
Blood Demon Art: Explosive Carapace!
Akaza's fists transformed into a storm of destruction.
The barrage struck Meng Siyu directly.
Yet the instant his attacks connected
BOOM!
Violent explosions erupted across Akaza's arms.
The force blasted him backward.
Chunks of flesh were torn away.
Akaza landed several meters away.
He stared at his damaged arms.
Then his grin widened.
"So that's your ability."
Every time skin made direct contact with Meng Siyu's body, an explosive reaction occurred.
The hardened skeletal structure hidden beneath the flesh remained unaffected by the blasts.
A troublesome ability.
But not an unbeatable one.
Akaza regenerated instantly.
Then he charged again.
The same explosion occurred.
The same destructive reaction erupted.
Yet this time, Akaza had already begun analyzing the pattern.
His eyes narrowed.
Understanding dawned.
The next moment, he changed tactics.
Destructive Death: Crushing Type!
Akaza slammed his fist into the ground.
The battlefield shattered.
Cracks spread outward like a spiderweb.
Countless fragments of stone launched toward Meng Siyu.
The rubble struck first.
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
Explosions erupted everywhere.
The detonations consumed Meng Siyu's flesh.
For a brief instant, his skeletal frame became exposed.
And that was all Akaza needed.
He vanished.
Appearing directly before his opponent.
Destructive Death!
A devastating punch landed against the exposed skeleton.
The impact launched Meng Siyu across the battlefield.
Even Akaza suffered injuries from the remaining explosions.
But his smile only widened.
He had discovered the weakness.
Which meant victory was only a matter of time.
The commotion naturally attracted Doma's attention.
Unlike Akaza, Doma had already established complete control over his own battle.
Observing the struggle from afar, he smiled pleasantly.
"How unusual."
"Lord Akaza is actually having fun."
As a gesture of goodwill, Doma casually waved his fan.
A stream of freezing air drifted toward Meng Siyu.
Ice rapidly spread across the battlefield.
Within moments, Meng Siyu's movements slowed.
Just as Doma prepared to interfere further
Akaza glared at him.
"This is my battle."
"Stay out of it."
Doma blinked.
Then sighed dramatically.
"How cold."
"I was only trying to help."
Despite their frequent disagreements, Doma understood Akaza better than most.
He simply shrugged.
"Very well."
Then he returned his attention to his own opponent.
The creature facing Doma had originally been some form of cockroach-like Manjushiro.
Its regenerative ability was remarkable.
Unfortunately for it
Its opponent was Doma.
"What was your name again?"
Doma tapped his chin thoughtfully with his fan.
The creature attempted to answer.
A sheet of ice immediately sealed its mouth.
"Never mind."
"I don't really care."
Doma smiled brightly.
Remembering names required effort.
And effort was troublesome.
A nickname would suffice.
"Little Cockroach."
"Yes, that's much easier."
The Upper Moon's rainbow-colored eyes curved happily.
His smile remained gentle.
Yet beneath that smile lurked something profoundly terrifying.
Doma slowly raised his fan.
The surrounding temperature plummeted.
Frost spread across the battlefield.
Ice crystals floated through the moonlit air.
"You insects are quite resilient."
"Cockroaches especially."
His smile widened.
"But I wonder…"
A freezing mist escaped his lips.
"Can your cells survive absolute cold?"
The entire battlefield froze silent.
Then Doma's Blood Demon Art erupted once more.