Chapter 138: Imperial Dragon Ki Blast Against Silver Heavenly Spin: A Smile-Infinite Immortal(His given name was Qi, and his courtesy name was Fangyuan.)

"Screech—" The Martial Emperor’s shoes left two tracks on the ground as he braced his hands against his chest, defending against Qi's sudden double-speed strikes.

"Hey, old man, take a few more of these!" Seizing the opportunity, Qi pressed forward, maintaining the double-force output to suppress and pummel the old man.

"Afterimage Fist." In the blink of an eye, the old man transformed into eight afterimages, surrounding Qi.

"Heh, that trick doesn't work on me."

At such close range, his spiritual perception scanned the old man's figure with absolute clarity.

"Fierce Tiger Descends the Mountain."

...

"Aside from that red-haired woman, this boy is the strongest existence here. If the Martial Emperor has no trump cards, he might just be defeated by the lad," Esdeath remarked with a smile.

"In pure hand-to-hand combat, none of us would be their match, excluding the Captain. But Teigu are the ultimate weapons; no matter how strong they are, they cannot withstand them," Seryu said, stroking her biological Teigu, Koro.

"Do not underestimate those who are not Teigu users. Even in my past, before I obtained my Teigu, I slaughtered many Teigu users. No matter how powerful a Teigu is, it is merely a tool used by humans to enhance their strength. Humans themselves can become even stronger without relying on external forces," Esdeath shook her head, admonishing her.

...

"That punch really hurt. It’s been a long time since I was injured. The lad is truly formidable, and he hasn't even used his full strength yet. I suppose I must get serious as well." After taking a punch to his left cheek, the Martial Emperor retreated to the edge of the arena, his expression turning grave.

"Use whatever moves you have. Even if it's a Kamehameha, I'll take it." Qi hooked his finger, revealing a hint of battle intent.

"Ah—ah~~~~" Accompanied by the Martial Emperor's deep roar, veins bulged across his entire body. Then, his lean frame began to expand, and muscles filled with explosive power swelled up as if inflated.

Moments later, the previously thin old man had transformed into a muscular giant nearly two meters tall, his aura surging and far more powerful than before.

"Heh, I can do that too." Qi chuckled and controlled his muscles to expand as well, transforming into a towering, ten-foot-tall super-giant. Compared to him, the old man's two-meter frame looked like a wolf standing before a tiger.

"So amazing."

"Go for it!"

...

The laypeople were just there for the spectacle; never having seen a human transform so drastically, the crowd erupted in cheers.

Only a few masters understood that the ability to change one's body at will required extreme control over one's physical form. The two on the stage were absolute masters of this, and the silver-haired young man had reached a state of perfection.

"Legend says the body closest to a perfect god is ten feet tall. I used to think it was just a myth, but today I’ve seen it with my own eyes. However, while I cannot compete with you youngsters in physical stature, I am quite confident in my application and sensing of Qi," the Martial Emperor’s voice, now sounding like that of a middle-aged man, drifted into Qi's ears.

"I've been waiting for this. Come on then." Casting aside his previous laxity, Qi felt slightly unaccustomed to his first transformation into the perfect ten-foot form.

As the two clashed again, Qi felt the difference of the ten-foot perfect form. The fluidity of the combat was addictive; it felt as if this body was born for battle—a fraction taller would be too heavy, a fraction shorter would be too light. It was truly a perfect vessel.

To the average spectator, the arena now showed nothing but the sounds of impacts; they couldn't even see the figures, as the speed of the two had surpassed their visual perception.

With a massive boom, the Martial Emperor was slammed hard into the ground, creating a deep crater in the solid rock.

Qi reappeared in the crowd's line of sight, his silver hair fluttering, his ten-foot-tall body appearing like a war god.

"Pure physical prowess reaching this level... I fear that apart from myself, no one in the Jaegers is his match. Even Kurome’s Yatsufusa cannot keep up with his speed."

Esdeath spoke with gravity, yet her tone was one of excitement. She couldn't wait to fight this man. Aside from the black-haired man from before, she hadn't felt this blood-boiling excitement in a long time.

"I can only see blurry afterimages, and only at the moments they strike each other. It’s too incredible." Seryu was also stunned by the scene on the stage. Her biological Teigu, Koro, unconsciously shrank back.

"Tei—Dragon—Qi—Energy—Wave!"

"Damn, you really do have one." Hearing the words from within the smoke of the crater, Qi quipped, then placed his left hand in a yin position and his right in a yang position. His ten-foot body began to move with a rhythmic flow. "Rotation of the Heavens!"

A dazzling, massive sphere of energy blasted through the smoke, heading straight for the silver sphere formed by his rotation. Behind the light ball, a beam of energy flowed from the Martial Emperor’s cupped hands into the blast.

The two entered a stalemate, the atmosphere turning heavy. Both the audience and the masters held their breath, waiting for the final outcome.

Suddenly, the Martial Emperor felt a needle-like prick in his brain. The split-second of pain created an opening. Prepared for this, Qi, the moment the energy wave faltered, wrapped his palms in spiritual energy and used the rotation to deflect it.

"Oh no!" the Martial Emperor hissed.

But it was too late. Qi, having instantly closed the distance, grabbed the two-meter-tall man and threw him off the arena.

...

"Oh—" Just as the crowd cheered, a deafening boom echoed from afar.

Everyone turned to look. The deflected energy wave had pierced through a tall building before slamming into the thick, high city wall.

Finally, amid the roar and swirling dust, a hole ten feet in diameter appeared in the Imperial Capital's wall. Even the young Emperor and the Prime Minister in the Imperial Palace heard the commotion; upon learning the news, they were shocked, though their thoughts remained unknown.

"Decent power. Much more imposing than the hole I made in the city gate. A pity it’s still far from Master Roshi’s Kamehameha that blew up the moon." After these silent reflections, Qi reverted to his original height of over 1.6 meters.

"So cool!"

"The silver-haired guy is amazing!"

"Kaitian! Kaitian! I love you!"

...

The audience's enthusiasm startled Qi. He looked around and saw the members of Night Raid giving him a thumbs-up, while Leone blew him a flying kiss.

Emotions are contagious. With the passionate cheering of the crowd, he felt he had to make a gesture.

So, he gave a rare, bright smile, held up his own thumbs-up, and turned to the surrounding audience. "Thank you all for your support!"

"This... what a pure smile." Esdeath was captivated by that bright, untainted grin. She immediately stood up and began walking toward the stage.