Hearing the results of the draw, Lin Xuan couldn't help but feel a bit surprised.
He glanced at Madara Uchiha and smiled, saying, "I didn't expect we'd see you perform in the very first match."
Madara merely gave a light snort and replied, "Just what I wanted."
With that, he leapt into the air and landed directly onto the arena ring.
At the same time, Piccolo, who had been standing on the roof, floated down gracefully toward the stage. As he descended, a wave of cheers erupted from the crowd.
In the previous round, the battle between Piccolo and Izuna Uchiha had displayed such overwhelming power that many had etched his image into their minds; some had even become his admirers. Consequently, seeing Piccolo take the stage again sent a ripple of excitement through the audience.
Meanwhile, in the waiting area, Son Goku furrowed his brows. His gaze was fixed tightly on Piccolo, his expression growing grave.
Others might not have known Piccolo's true identity, but Goku had long realized that this opponent was the offspring of the original Demon King Piccolo. From the very beginning, he had sensed the familiar, ominous aura emanating from him—the same aura as King Piccolo.
Furthermore, he had already secretly conferred with Kami earlier, confirming without a doubt that Piccolo was indeed the descendant of the former Demon King.
Piccolo sensed Goku's intense gaze and turned his head to meet it. Seeing Goku looking as if he were facing a mortal enemy, a cold sneer surfaced on Piccolo's face, his eyes surging with murderous intent.
However, he only spared Goku a glance before withdrawing his gaze and fixing it on his opponent across the ring, Madara Uchiha.
Suddenly, as if realizing something, Piccolo wore a mocking smile. "You look quite similar to that fellow I defeated earlier. Are you two brothers?"
"It seems I guessed correctly. Going by your expression, you must be eager to defeat me to avenge your brother, aren't you?"
Piccolo let out a cold laugh, shook his head, and continued, "Your strength is insufficient. My target has always been Son Goku. As for irrelevant people like you, you exist only to be crushed by me."
Hearing this, Madara Uchiha raised an eyebrow.
What an arrogant brat!
Who gave you the audacity to speak such nonsense in front of me, Madara Uchiha?!
Just then, the host announced loudly, "Let the match begin!"
Whoosh!
The moment the words fell, Piccolo's figure vanished. He reappeared instantly behind Madara Uchiha, his eyes suddenly erupting with two intense beams of energy shooting straight for Madara!
"Eye Lasers!"
The sharp and powerful beams surged toward Madara's vital points, threatening to pierce right through him in the next second.
Despite Piccolo's outward show of disdain, he actually felt a heavy pressure coming from Madara. His previous battle with Izuna Uchiha had taught him how tricky these opponents with their strange techniques could be; he had expended considerable effort just to knock Izuna out of the ring.
And now, Madara Uchiha was exerting an even greater pressure on him!
There was no doubt—Madara was far stronger than Izuna.
That was exactly why Piccolo chose to strike first, hoping to seize the initiative in battle!
The Eye Lasers were incredibly fast, striking Madara in the blink of an eye. They pierced directly through his chest, leaving two holes the size of fingers running through his body!
Faced with this, Madara's expression barely changed. Instead of panic, a cold smile appeared on his face!
In the next instant, Madara's body transformed into wooden splinters, scattering onto the ground.
This sight made Piccolo narrow his eyes slightly, though he felt no alarm.
In fact, having fought Izuna earlier, he was already aware of such techniques, specifically this Wood Clone Jutsu.
As the wooden clone shattered, Madara's cold snort resonated through the air, and his true body instantly materialized behind Piccolo.
Piccolo instantly sensed the approaching danger. He dodged Madara's attack, then violently twisted his body, accelerating to appear on Madara's flank.
Continuous Energy Bullets!
His palms unleashed a rapid barrage of energy waves, blasting forward relentlessly. In an instant, the sky was filled with energy blasts that completely engulfed Madara Uchiha.
Since a single strike couldn't wound him, Piccolo decided to obliterate him completely with this method!
Boom! Rumble!
The energy waves crashed down with a terrifying roar that deafened the ears. The shockwaves forced many spectators to stumble backward.
But Piccolo didn't stop there. He raised two fingers to his forehead and then thrust them forward.
"Special Beam Cannon!"
A super-concentrated beam of energy, surrounded by a spiraling ring, shot from Piccolo's fingers. It pierced through the air instantly, striking the location where Madara was buried under the energy barrage, slicing deep fissures into the ground.
"Heavens, this guy is actually this strong?!"
"What a terrifying attack! His opponent must be dead or critically injured, right?"
"So strong... can martial arts really reach this level?!"
The audience was shaken to the core by the terrifying battle on the ring.
As for Madara, who was completely obscured by the thick smoke, many believed he had already perished.
Even Piccolo couldn't help but curve his lips into a smirk of arrogance. He ceased his attack, believing there was a high probability Madara had been finished off by his frantic bombardment.
Suddenly, the smoke on the ring dispersed.
A figure emerged from within the dust. It was Madara Uchiha—completely unharmed!
"How is that possible? You're actually unhurt?"
Piccolo's pupils constricted as he looked at Madara in disbelief.
He had been confident in his attack, yet to his shock, despite the full-force bombardment, his opponent hadn't sustained a single scratch.
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T/N:
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