"Your brother... is he gone???"
Inside the Black Tortoise, Master Wyatt stumbled, subconsciously blurting the question to Zoran.
He could see it clearly: Shendu had intended to have an evenly matched duel with the Whale Shark King without drawing upon his own reserve of Hetero-Energy. But the problem was, he had "gone" far too quickly. The Tsunami Calamity, unleashed by the Whaleshark King's full Black Hole-level energy, would be enough to tear a chunk out of even someone like Wyatt. Let alone Shendu, who hadn't integrated a single shred of energy. It was, after all, the Whale Shark King's signature ultimate move.
Amidst the endless expanse of sand, the Whale Shark King had already struck a picture-perfect pose of victory. Standing with his hands behind his back, he appeared utterly composed.
Kino and his team had managed to restore their Hetero-Energy to acceptable levels, but standing behind Zoran, even someone as hot-headed as Kino didn't dare speak out of turn. It was a joke. They couldn't afford to talk nonsense here, especially when the newcomer was someone brought in by a Nebula-level being.
After hesitating for a long while, Kino could only mutter, "Should we... maybe go out there instead?"
Kino's logic was simple; he had never been one to shy away from trouble. At the very least, he and his team had their Ultra Beast Force armor. They might have been beaten to a pulp earlier, but surely they wouldn't just use their bare flesh to tank hits like Shendu did.
"It is your turn," the Whale Shark King said, his eyes shifting to glance toward the Black Tortoise.
"He's acting way too cocky! I can't take it!" Kino felt an itch to roll up his sleeves and charge out. Watching someone act so smug made his teeth ache.
"Do not be hasty."
Zoran spoke up then, his expression remaining as calm and breezy as ever. Master Wyatt glanced at him. That look… it was as if it wasn't his own brother who had just been vaporized.
So this is what "brotherly affection" looks like in your world?
Zoran seemed to see right through him, shaking his head with a faint smile. Shendu? How could he possibly die? The mechanics of his existence were set in stone; this was nothing more than a sudden spark of playfulness. As for the Whale Shark King, not to mention Shendu, there were currently at least three people in the Third Parallel Universe who could put him down if they took it seriously: Zoran, Galvas, and Master Wyatt.
Of course, Wyatt could only manage a "mutually assured destruction," but his Primordial Void Annihilation was highly effective against anything below a Nebula Body.
In their field of vision, the Whale Shark King was walking step-by-step toward the Black Tortoise, radiating a low-level pressure. The next instant, his footsteps faltered. A look of astonishment crossed his face, and he couldn't help but look back.
Fine, granular sand blew across Shendu's chest.
He stood perfectly intact upon the earth, tilting his head as he locked eyes with the stunned Whale Shark King.
"Hetero-Energy? So, that is what this stuff is," Shendu murmured, as if tasting something. He tilted his head back, praising it.
"No, wait... this is getting a little creepy," Kino muttered inside the ship.
That Tsunami Calamity had slammed directly into Shendu with real, physical force. The explosion hadn't been a mirage. He should have been dead. Yet, here Shendu was, standing perfectly whole. Looking at that ferocious, muscular frame, he didn't look like he had even suffered a scratch.
Is it a clone?
How were all these otherworldly visitors so damn creepy?
"Oh?" The Whale Shark King regained his composure, his face turning serious. He pondered for a moment. "To be hit head-on by my Tsunami Calamity and still stand up alive..."
He thought about it, but couldn't find an answer. Yet, his fists tightened. Sometimes, the strong don't need to overthink, they only need to lose themselves in the fight.
"I could suppress you once, and I can suppress you a second time..." The Whale Shark King walked toward Shendu. "By that same logic, I can kill you once, and I can kill you again, until you can no longer revive!"
His words drifted away as his figure vanished into the shifting sands.
Opposite him, Shendu casually brushed the dust off his body. "That remains to be seen."
In a flash, the power of the Dragon Talisman and the Pig Talisman ignited simultaneously. A beam of fire and a searing laser blasted straight ahead.
The Whale Shark King had just materialized in front of Shendu, only to be blinded by the beams. His position and his movements had been predicted.
The next second, Shendu moved. Relying on his peerless speed and strength, he met the Whale Shark King's offense head-on, leaning in with a stylish, aggressive punch. The Whale Shark King couldn't dodge in time and was forced to retreat.
Their speed was so fast that to the onlookers, they were barely touching before separating.
Shendu rubbed his arm, his shattered palm knitting itself back together. His face showed no trace of pain.
"It seems you are growing impatient," he laughed at the retreating Whale Shark King.
When a fighter discovers their opponent is seemingly immortal, even the strongest of souls will feel a tremor of doubt. Such was the case for the Whale Shark King.
He was starting to feel impatient.
He didn't respond to Shendu, instead standing tall once more. "Give up. If you cannot even summon your own armor, your attacks will never harm me." The Whale Shark King was speaking the truth. According to the Black Tortoise's sensors, his Hetero-Energy levels hadn't dropped at all. It meant Shendu's hand-to-hand combat had caused virtually no damage.
"You are right," Shendu nodded, agreeing with him. "From a moment ago until now, I have been fighting according to the rules of your world."
"Our... world?" The Whale Shark King chewed on the words.
"But, unexpectedly, it is quite fun."
The moment he finished speaking, Shendu lunged like a gale of wind. He fought like a madman, utilizing his sheer strength and speed to engage the Whale Shark King in a brutal, point-blank brawl. No defense, no technique, just pure, aggressive malice.
Even the Whale Shark King couldn't remain elegant under such an assault. They traded blow for blow, foot for foot, completely abandoning all dignity. It was as if two mangy stray dogs were tearing at each other in the street.
Shendu fought with a maniacal intensity, his grotesque, muscular frame radiating a terrifying level of oppression. The Whale Shark King's armor absorbed the vast majority of the impact, but the same could not be said for Shendu. His body broke apart in the struggle, only to endlessly reassemble itself in the chaos.
The Whale Shark King had exhausted every trick in his repertoire, but the monster before him simply refused to go down. What made it even more infuriating was the look of pure, unadulterated joy radiating from Shendu.
He thinks this is fun?
Time ticked away through the back-and-forth "mauling," and even the Whale Shark King began to feel a sliver of exhaustion.
He had reached a conclusion: The monster before him was truly immortal! Every injury healed, be they arm, head, back, chest, waist, abdomen... everywhere.
He had no weak points.
Because the Whale Shark King had tried obliterating every single part of him, and the outcome never changed.
He just kept getting back up.
The Whale Shark King suddenly felt a surge of weariness. With a sudden, sharp hiss, he exploded with Hetero-Energy, blasting Shendu away.
He waved his hand again, and the Tsunami Calamity came howling out once more.
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