Chapter 216: Become a Monster or Die?
Screams erupted throughout the stadium.
Three pitch black, three legged crows descended from the sky. Each Monster carried a human in the pair of arms growing from its wings.
They landed in the centre of the arena with heavy thuds.
Only then did the audience recognise the people in their grasp.
The announcer stared through his sunglasses, fear creeping into his voice.
"Those are... the contestants who were taken to the hospital!"
A contestant with a ponytail took one look at the situation and immediately turned toward the exit.
"You Monsters can deal with this yourselves. Goodbye."
He had barely taken two steps when a massive hand struck the back of his neck.
The contestant collapsed without resistance.
A scaly hand grabbed him and casually threw him back into the arena.
"Are all the tournament participants here?"
Heavy footsteps echoed through the stadium.
Each step made the floor tremble.
A towering figure entered the arena and finally revealed itself beneath the stadium lights.
It was Gouketsu, an Executive of the Monster Association.
He stepped onto the stage and looked down at the assembled martial artists with open contempt.
"Hmph. Nothing but weaklings."
His four crimson eyes swept across them.
"Has the martial arts world truly fallen this far?"
Gouketsu folded his arms.
"Not that it matters. All of you will become Monsters."
"Even worthless martial artists like you should gain a little strength after monsterizing."
Lightning Max immediately stepped forward from among the contestants.
"You want us to become Monsters?"
He raised his fists.
"We are professional heroes. We'll stop you here!"
The crowd erupted in cheers.
Gouketsu answered with a casual kick.
Lightning Max vanished from where he stood and crashed into the distant wall.
The entire stadium shook from the impact.
"Did he just die?"
The audience descended into panic.
People screamed and pushed toward the exits, desperately trying to flee the venue.
Gouketsu did not spare them a glance.
He did not care about ordinary civilians.
He did not even care whether Lightning Max was alive.
His attention remained fixed on the martial artists before him.
"My purpose today is not to slaughter everyone here."
He placed one massive hand against his chest.
"I am Gouketsu of the Monster Association."
The announcer's face changed the moment he heard the name.
"Gouketsu?"
Shock overwhelmed his fear.
"Are you the champion of the very first Super Fight Tournament?"
Gouketsu crossed his arms again.
All four eyes stared down at the contestants.
"Good. You remember me."
His voice carried through the silent stadium.
"Then this should be simple. You already know resistance is useless."
The announcer was still unable to understand.
"But you were supposed to have died years ago after encountering a Monster."
He hesitated before asking, "How did you become... this?"
The question stirred memories from Gouketsu's past.
"You are correct."
"A few years ago, I was defeated by a Monster and dragged back to its lair."
His massive fist tightened.
"It told me that by becoming a Monster, I could cross the boundary no human could overcome."
"I could shatter the wall that had always stood beyond my reach."
Gouketsu's lips twisted into a cruel smile.
"Do you understand now?"
"The person I was back then and the being standing before you are on completely different levels."
He reached into his clothing and removed several fleshy objects.
Then he scattered them across the arena floor.
They landed with wet, unpleasant sounds.
"Look carefully."
"Those are monster cells."
"Eat one, and you will become a Monster."
His killing intent filled the stadium.
"Refuse, and I will kill you."
The words had barely settled when a thin young man wearing glasses rushed forward.
He snatched a monster cell from the ground and swallowed it without hesitation.
His body changed almost immediately.
Muscles swelled beneath his skin.
His flesh expanded at a terrifying rate, tearing apart his clothing as his body twisted into something no longer human.
The young man stared at his transformed hands in astonishment.
"So much power..."
He trembled with excitement.
"It keeps pouring out of me!"
The newly born Monster immediately turned toward the opponent he had fought earlier in the tournament.
The man was overweight, injured, and still unconscious.
The Monster grabbed him and flung him aside as though he weighed nothing.
But before it could enjoy its new power for more than a few seconds, a crimson figure appeared behind it.
Two powerful arms wrapped around its head.
Crack!
Its neck twisted completely around.
The Monster collapsed.
The crimson martial artist looked down at the corpse without emotion.
"If an ordinary person can gain this much power, then someone like me, who possesses the finest human genes, should awaken strength far beyond this."
He bent down, picked up another monster cell, and swallowed it.
His body mutated.
His skin fused with the mesh suit he wore, transforming the clothing into part of his flesh.
Two sharp crimson horns grew from his head.
His entire presence became sinister and inhuman.
He examined his transformed body with fascination.
"My physical abilities have improved."
He slowly clenched his fists.
"My mind feels liberated as well."
A delighted smile appeared on his face.
"So this is what it means to become a Monster."
His eyes shifted toward Suiryu.
The hatred within them could no longer be concealed.
"It seems I can finally kill you."
He bared his teeth.
"You humiliated me in front of everyone."
"I will make you regret it until the moment you die."
Gouketsu observed him from behind.
"This one is promising."
Suiryu looked at the Monster before him with a relaxed smile.
"You do seem a little stronger."
He raised one hand and gestured for him to approach.
"Come on, then. Let's have some more fun."
Both figures moved at once.
Their exchange became too fast for most of the audience to follow.
Fists collided.
The arena floor cracked beneath their feet.
When the two appeared clearly again, Suiryu had already launched himself upward.
"Void Fist, Phoenix Ascension!"
His strike blasted the Monster into the air.
The transformed martial artist crashed back into the arena.
Bones shattered throughout his body. His internal organs ruptured, and his life ended before he could rise again.
Suiryu landed lightly.
A thin line of blood ran from his forehead and down the side of his face.
He wiped it away and looked at the red stain on his fingers.
"It has been a long time since someone injured me."
His smile faded slightly as he looked at the dead Monster.
"I have to admit, though. Monsterization really does grant impressive power."
Gouketsu regarded him with a hint of appreciation.
"It would be a waste to kill someone like you."
He gestured toward the remaining monster cells.
"There is still time. Become a Monster."
"The future belongs to us."
His four eyes narrowed.
"In that world, only the strong will matter. People like you and me will be free to do whatever we please."
"Does that not sound perfect?"
Suiryu crouched and picked up a monster cell.
He examined it for a moment.
Then he looked at Gouketsu.
"I don't particularly like the world you're describing."
His gaze moved toward Gouketsu's mechanical arm.
"Besides, I'm curious."
"What happened to that metal arm?"
Suiryu's smile returned.
"Did someone break your original one?"
He lowered his stance.
"If someone else managed it, then I should be able to do the same."
Suiryu leapt into the air.
His body spun rapidly as he gathered all his strength into a descending strike.
"Void Dragon Fist!"
The audience watched with renewed hope.
Gouketsu merely raised one fist.
He punched.
The difference was overwhelming.
Suiryu was struck from the air like an insect and smashed into the arena floor.
The ground shattered beneath him.
The force of the impact bounced his body upward, and he spat out a mouthful of blood before crashing down again.
Gouketsu's earlier appreciation disappeared.
"If you refuse, then die."
He looked down at Suiryu without mercy.
"Is that all you can do?"
His mechanical arm hung at his side, completely unharmed.
"Weren't you going to break my arm?"
Gouketsu lifted one foot.
"I'll give you three seconds to stand."
"Three."
"Two."
"One."
The countdown ended.
Gouketsu brought his foot down.
Suiryu forced his battered body to move and narrowly avoided being crushed.
He sprang upward, landed on Gouketsu's shoulder, and unleashed a rapid barrage of punches against his head.
Every strike carried enough force to shatter stone.
None of them mattered.
Gouketsu did not even flinch.
"Good."
A cruel smile appeared on his face.
"Struggle harder."
He raised his left hand and reached for his shoulder.
Suiryu sensed the danger and immediately retreated to a safer distance.
The easy confidence he had displayed throughout the tournament was gone.
He stared at Gouketsu, breathing heavily.
What am I supposed to do?
I cannot hurt him at all.
.....
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