But that required their strengths to be relatively matched... Zhao Yingkong's pace wasn't particularly fast, merely a light jog, her hands maintaining the posture of gripping a sword. She appeared utterly relaxed until she was only a short corridor's distance from the East Sea team, when she suddenly swung both hands, and the transparent greatsword in her grasp slashed out beyond the walkway.

With a faint hiss, the transparent greatsword tore through steel as if it were mere cloth, cleanly slicing through the edge of the walkway, passing directly over the wall to strike the two figures outside.

Koinu Masao was unfazed, but Miyata Kuraki’s expression instantly shifted dramatically. He lunged, tackling Koinu Masao down, while his other hand drew his katana and thrust upward. A tremendous clang of metal on metal echoed, nearly ripping the katana from Miyata Kuraki’s grasp. However, the force also propelled him and Koinu Masao sliding several meters back until they slammed into the wall.

“So strong…” Miyata Kuraki sprang up from the floor, tightening his grip on the katana. He murmured the words internally, then urgently projected his thoughts: “Koinu Masao! Transform quickly! This is a super-powered individual! Our lives depend on this very moment…” As he finished speaking, a small, petite figure walked out from the edge of the walkway. Her steps were light, and she carried no weapon in her hands, merely holding them loosely, as if grasping something unique.

She didn't exude any particularly menacing aura.

Koinu Masao, who had been tense moments before, immediately jumped up upon seeing this sight: “Kuraki. Is this the great strength you spoke of? What kind of joke is this…” “Idiot…” Miyata Kuraki didn't dare look at Koinu Masao, murmuring only, “Her killing intent is like surging waves… This is the first time I’ve seen such fierce killing intent. Can’t you feel it at all?” Clearly, Koinu Masao could not. The gap in strength was too wide; he couldn't even sense the level of Zhao Yingkong’s power.

Still, he heeded Miyata Kuraki’s command. As the order was given, he let out a furious roar. Every muscle in his body bulged, one after another, as if imbued with life, until his muscles began to keratinize. His entire frame expanded by more than a fifth, reaching a height of over two meters. He appeared like a small giant.

“Ah!” Koinu Masao’s muscle expansion was complete. With a great shout, he lunged toward Zhao Yingkong. Miyata Kuraki inwardly cursed, clutching his katana as he followed closely behind. A giant charging laterally like this exerted a pressure far exceeding that of the delicate girl, Zhao Yingkong, standing there empty-handed.

Zhao Yingkong remained unfazed, meeting the charge of the two. She raised the Sword of Victory and Vow and brought it down through the air. It easily struck Koinu Masao’s expanded musculature. Yet, contrary to expectations, the greatsword only sank about a third of the way into his muscle. The flesh was hard as steel, and the instant Koinu Masao was wounded, it contracted, leaving the greatsword embedded only three-tenths of an inch into the surface of his muscle. Koinu Masao immediately roared and slammed into the front of Zhao Yingkong’s body.

Koinu Masao’s enhanced attribute was likely similar, perhaps identical, to someone from the India team previously. If Zhao Yingkong had faced an attack of this magnitude back then, she might not have dodged it, or might have sustained minor injuries even if she had. However, she had been in the Reincarnation World for a significant time now. Especially with the revival of her core personality. Her power had increased by more than a small margin. The instant Koinu Masao collided with her body, the little girl slapped a hand onto his chest, pushed off with her feet, and leaped up as if Koinu Masao were a wall. She soared over his head toward his back. As she passed above him, Zhao Yingkong hooked her feet backward around his throat, seemingly intending to use the momentum of her pass to snap his neck.

But Koinu Masao was not alone here. Miyata Kuraki followed closely behind. Without a word, he slashed his katana toward Zhao Yingkong’s neck like lightning. The strike was traceless; Miyata Kuraki’s swordsmanship had reached a certain level. Even Zhao Yingkong had no choice but to abandon her attack on Koinu Masao, raising the Sword of Victory and Vow for a direct parry. With another resounding clang, Zhao Yingkong used the force of the impact to propel herself several meters away.

(It’s no use, the gap between us and her is still so vast…) Zhao Yingkong sighed internally. If the scenario moments ago had involved her core personality, Koinu Masao would already be a corpse lying there with his neck broken. The gap in ability was so enormous that even with her own significant advancements, the disparity remained overwhelming by comparison.

“Again!” Zhao Yingkong cried out sharply, charging forward once more with the Sword of Victory and Vow, making a direct line for Koinu Masao. That giant had broken out in a cold sweat just now; his neck had been slightly twisted, and it still ached secretly. Seeing Zhao Yingkong charge again, he bellowed and threw a right punch straight out, bringing a massive wave of pressure toward her. But the punch was only halfway delivered when, unexpectedly, Zhao Yingkong didn't swing her sword at him. She merely brought her hands together, gripping his wrist. Then, with a sharp backward shake following his momentum, the wrist of that arm immediately snapped.

Koinu Masao let out a terrible scream. Instinctively, he kicked out at Zhao Yingkong, but she supported herself on that kick with one hand and leaped backward, narrowly dodging a direct slash coming toward her. By a hair’s breadth, that blade grazed past Zhao Yingkong’s hair. Only after she had retreated several meters did a few strands of her hair slowly drift down. This time, even Zhao Yingkong’s forehead broke out in a cold sweat.

(This is too strenuous. The strength of my other self must have undergone countless trials, aided by the Fourth Stage's subtle control, to achieve such effortless mastery in close combat. My own strength is simply too far behind hers…) Zhao Yingkong felt a pang of weariness. Yet, she was stubborn and refused to admit defeat, muttering sharply, “Again!” With that, she charged toward the two once more. Her demeanor suggested she was the one who had been disadvantaged, but compared to the two terrified men before her, her state of mind wasn't that different from Zheng Zha's—she was testing techniques against them.

“Masao! Give it your all! This girl is extremely dangerous. If she ties us down, we’ll both end up dead here!” Miyata Kuraki urgently commanded Koinu Masao mentally. Simultaneously, he slashed his arm open with a backhanded motion. Then, grabbing his own blood, he smeared it all over his body. There were strange runes on his skin and face, and as the blood coated them, these runes began to emit a faint black light. In moments, Miyata Kuraki’s entire body was enveloped in a thin, dark sheen.

“Warrior of the Central Continent team. The two of us fighting one of you violates the spirit of Bushido. If we weren't bound by the constraints of the Reincarnation Squads, I would fight you fairly… My enhancement attribute is called Oni Swordsman, borrowing the strength of a demon god to achieve heavenly might. My companion’s enhancement is 90% physical strengthening from the Hogosha muscle modification. We carry the shame of a two-on-one fight, and the lives of all East Sea team members rest on our shoulders… Today, we must capture you!”

“Oni Slash!” Zheng Zha, running from the deck down into the ship's cabin, had been intending to sandwich the East Sea team with Zhao Yingkong from front and rear when his ears twitched. He heard a burst of familiar popping gunfire nearby—the unmistakable sound of the Gauss Pistol. His heart skipped a beat, and he launched himself toward Chu Xuan's room. It wasn't just Chu Xuan controlling the Eastern Emperor Bell there; there were also the sleeping team members and several newcomers. If they had been captured by the East Sea team… escaping on their own would be extremely difficult.

Rushing through several corridors, Zheng Zha flashed directly into the room. Just as he was preparing to attack the strangers, he saw everyone sitting there unharmed, with only a single corpse on the floor. It was a tall, thin man lying there, his face frozen in shock, covered in dozens of tiny, needle-like wounds—the marks of the Gauss Pistol.

“Chu Xuan! Didn’t you say you were immobile? You won’t even patrol, yet you managed to kill an East Sea team member? Don’t tell me you were lying to me again!” Having rushed over only to find a corpse, he couldn’t help but question Chu Xuan immediately.

“Mmm, I can’t move around much, but moving my hands is fine,” Chu Xuan replied calmly without looking up from his documents.

“You…” Before Zheng Zha could finish speaking, he heard a massive crash in the distance that made the entire destroyer shudder violently. Then came several more loud impacts. Zheng Zha no longer had time to talk to Chu Xuan; his body flashed with light, and he used the momentum to shoot rapidly toward the source of the sound.

Zheng Zha’s speed was incredible. In the blink of an eye, he covered several corridors. His powerful strides left a trail of footprints where he ran. By the time he reached the corridor where the noises originated, the entire passage had completely collapsed. A wave of intense heat washed over him, and many pieces of steel were melted. But there was no one left in the corridor. Zheng Zha didn't hesitate; he turned and charged upward out of the cabin.

This exchange took only about ten seconds. When he burst out of the cabin, he saw three men and the unconscious Zhao Yingkong. They were perched atop a giant eagle with a wingspan exceeding ten meters. The eagle spread its wings and carried the four figures away through the air, its speed quite impressive.

Zheng Zha’s “Shave” technique could certainly catch up to the three, but upon seeing that Zhao Yingkong was completely unharmed, merely knocked unconscious, he finally slowed his pace and stopped on the deck. All three turned to look at him. In particular, one of the bald, muscular men burst into laughter, while his other hand reached out to Zhao Yingkong’s neck and lifted her up.

“…You want to die?” Zheng Zha’s eyes sharpened, and he roared. The three naturally heard the sound. They watched as Zheng Zha ripped a nearby railing bar free, wrenching half of it off. Without any apparent effort, he flung the piece of railing toward the three. With a crisp snap, before the trio could react, the metal bar was embedded in the arm of the bald man gripping Zhao Yingkong’s neck. Using the leverage, he tore, ripping the man's arm in half. By then, the giant eagle was already several hundred meters from the destroyer, and gradually, the three men and the eagle vanished into the vast night.

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