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"That's a neat ability, but against someone way stronger than you, it's not gonna do much," Reigen Levi said with a serious tone as he looked at Riku.
"Haha, yeah, no argument there." Riku just shrugged. He knew full well that Reigen Levi outclassed him by miles. His Kyōka Suigetsu illusion technique wasn't perfect, and using it drained him like crazy. No surprise it got seen through right away.
"But I'm not going down that easily!" Riku's eyes sharpened again. He vanished from sight, using Ten'i to teleport right above Reigen Levi's head.
THUD——!
He poured all his strength into a punch and slammed it down.
But the moment his fist landed, the dragon's white scales shimmered faintly, completely blocking the attack. It didn't even leave a scratch.
"Man, that's tough!" Riku's face changed. He grabbed his Zanpakutō and slashed down hard.
CLANG——!
Even at full power, all he managed was a shallow mark on those scales. He hadn't even broken through the surface.
"That kind of power… won't cut it," Reigen Levi said calmly. At the same time, his giant claw disappeared into what looked like a space rift.
Then, above Riku's head, another rift opened—and that massive claw came crashing down at terrifying speed and strength.
Riku instantly noticed something else—space had been sealed off! He couldn't use Ten'i to escape!
"His space manipulation's stronger than mine?!" Feeling the danger closing in, Riku's expression turned grim. He immediately launched into a dash, hoping to break free before the claw struck.
But that claw was faster than he'd expected—at this rate, he was gonna get hit.
And if he got hit by that, even if he didn't die, he'd be seriously messed up.
"DAY TIGER!!!!!"
Grinding his teeth, Riku roared and threw a punch that shattered the air. A massive azure tiger formed in the blast and launched itself at the dragon claw.
BOOM——!
With a deafening explosion, the claw was finally stopped. The tiger tore through the scales, causing blood to spray as the dragon's defense was broken.
Taking advantage of the moment, Riku bolted away, stopping a kilometer from Conglong. He was breathing a little heavily, eyes fixed on Conglong with a serious expression.
So strong... it's just unreal. His power is on a whole other level.
"Oh? You actually managed to injure me. That last hit wasn't bad," Conglong said casually. The space-time rift around him faded, his dragon claw returning to normal. With a flick of time manipulation, his injuries vanished. He calmly added, "But that's all it was—not bad. That level of attack is still nowhere near enough to beat me."
"Haha, true. It's the first time I've gone up against someone on your level—I was a little caught off guard," Riku said with a shake of his head and a smile.
On the sidelines, Zhu Yue and the others watched silently, sighing inwardly. As expected, Riku still isn't anywhere near Conglong's level yet.
But they also remembered how Riku once admitted to holding back a trump card… Maybe, just maybe...
Zhu Yue's dragon eyes flickered thoughtfully.
The other dragonkin were much simpler—they stared at Conglong Raijin Levi with crazed devotion. In their eyes, their lord could not be defeated.
"That human's actually fighting Lord Raijin Levi?"
"Hmph, what a fool. He's got a death wish."
At that moment, Vard and the other four black dragons returned. Watching the fight from afar, they looked smug and satisfied.
With Lord Conglong in action, that human's gonna get crushed. Just thinking about it made them feel good.
Only Jibril and Zubi remained calm. Even though they hadn't known Riku for very long, the look on his face told them he wasn't going to lose.
"So this is all you've got, human? If so, I'm a little disappointed," Conglong Raijin Levi said, shaking his head. Maybe to a normal human, this level of power was enough to shock the world, but he was still nowhere near qualified to challenge the God of War.
"Well, since you put it that way, guess I've got no choice but to get serious," Riku replied with a slight grin, his tone suddenly turning serious.
"That's what I like to hear," Conglong said, visibly intrigued.
"Eight Inner Gates Formation—Eighth Gate: Death Gate… OPEN!!!!!!!"Under everyone's stunned gaze, veins popped on Riku's forehead. Then a terrifying aura exploded from his body, sweeping across the entire battlefield. As the pressure built, Riku let out a thunderous roar.
In an instant, the wind howled and clouds churned. The violent energy burst from Riku, shaking heaven and earth, blasting away all the dust and debris in the area.
Suddenly, his skin turned a burning red, like it was being scorched by intense heat. Pale blue and white stripes—the lines of human meridians—ran across his body.
His whole body was wrapped in a deep red aura, and his power skyrocketed to its absolute limit.
"This power… it's insanely strong!"Zhu Yue and the other white dragons stared at Riku in shock, completely stunned.
From Zhu Yue's perception, Riku's strength hadn't just multiplied—it had exploded to dozens of times stronger! The current Riku could probably crush her in an instant!
"As expected of Master! So strong! He's incredible!"Jibril stared at Riku, eyes full of madness and admiration.
"Riku…"Zubi's eyes flickered too—part shock, part worry. Because this state… it definitely wasn't normal.
"No way! How can he be this strong?!"On the other side, Vard and the other four black dragons looked like they'd just been hit by a truck. Their huge bodies froze in midair, dragon eyes stretched wide, staring at Riku in utter disbelief. A chill ran through their entire being.
This… this shattered everything they thought they knew.
"Interesting... how very interesting."Conglong looked at Riku with rare awe."You've actually gotten this strong? But this form… you're burning your life force, aren't you? That kind of determination... is really something else."
"RAAAAHHHHHHHH!!!!!!" Riku didn't answer. Instead, he let out a deafening roar that shook the whole battlefield. Zhu Yue and the others trembled under the sheer pressure of his voice.
Then, Riku vanished. It wasn't teleportation—it was pure, overwhelming speed!
"BOOM——!"In the blink of an eye, Riku appeared right in front of Conglong and threw a punch. The force shattered space like broken glass. It couldn't even begin to contain the blow.
Conglong's dragon pupils shrank rapidly. He'd nearly failed to react at all—and now, it was too late to dodge!
"CRACK——!"All he could do was channel energy to his surface for defense. But with a loud crack, his protective barrier shattered like glass, and Riku's fist slammed brutally into him.
"THUD——!""SPLAT——!"With a thunderous boom, Conglong was sent flying, blood spraying from his mouth. His massive body was launched like a meteor, crashing into the ground over a million meters away!
"....."