Chapter 133: Who Else But Me?

Belial unleashed his power, his demeanor turning serious, which immediately intensified the pressure on Yue Longze. Although Belial had explicitly stated he would not kill him, Yue Longze knew that if he were captured, he would likely face a fate far worse than death.

Yue Longze felt an unprecedented burden. Even though Belial’s current strength was not yet on par with the Kyrieloid God of the past, he at least had the Ultra Brothers and others to assist him back then. Now, however, Yue Longze stood alone in the depths of the vast universe, facing a Belial whose strength had surged once more.

Regret? Yue Longze did feel a tinge of it in his heart. But this was absolutely not the time for regret. He would treat this as a trial more terrifying than he had ever imagined. Braving this immense pressure, instead of choosing to flee as Belial had expected, Yue Longze chose to charge head-on!

"Come on! You old geezer named Belial!"

...

Yue Longze exhaled, his mind growing completely calm as he whispered to himself, "Don't worry, Camearra... I won't bring shame to the original Tiga!" As if in response, the diamond-shaped crystal on his forehead seemed to flash with a warm glow. Belial merely sneered, his gaze turning grim; he seemed somewhat angered. Yue Longze tensed his entire body, not daring to relax for even a second.

"Bang!"

Two sturdy iron fists collided, generating a howling gale. The intense force caused the nearby magma to flow in reverse. The fists remained locked for barely a second before Yue Longze was repelled by the massive force in Belial's grip. Like a jet taking off, he was sent flying backward at extreme speed, only coming to a halt when his dark form slammed into a volcanic peak.

Scalding magma flowed toward the prone Yue Longze, while several massive brown boulders pinned him down. The fiery red lava clung to his body like nimble little snakes, hissing as they made contact. White steam began to rise violently from his dark form. Enduring the pain, Yue Longze slowly stood up, unleashing a surge of energy that shook the clinging magma from his body.

Belial, relentless, saw Yue Longze rise and reached out his sinister, pitch-black claws once more.

...

"Clang!" "Boom!" "Bang!"

Yue Longze was tossed about like a ball, beaten mercilessly by Belial. Yet, he did not lose heart; he sought a breakthrough in this desperate situation. Strength—for Yue Longze, it was everything!

...

Under Belial’s overwhelming assault, though Yue Longze could barely parry, he refused to collapse. He was like a tumbler toy: no matter how hard he was struck, he would not fall. Only those who fall and cannot rise are the true losers!

Much like the Kyrieloid God before him, Belial felt a sense of shock at Yue Longze’s incredible resilience. Every time Yue Longze was knocked down, he would rise again. Almost every inch of his body had been "tended to" by Belial’s evil claws. Even his left arm had been wounded, with seven-colored sparks—the blood of a giant—gushing out. Yue Longze clutched his injured arm, trying to stem the flow and ease the pain.

...

"I don't know why you lot covet my body so much, but I will never let you succeed!"

Fueled by anger, Yue Longze’s momentum exploded as he lunged forward, sword pointed directly at Belial. The strike was stunning, filled with a spirit that brooked no rivals, exuding immense dominance.

"Shing!"

Yue Longze seemed to transform into an indestructible blade, shooting toward Belial like a streak of purple-black light. Belial, confident in his massive, ghastly black claws, reached out once more, his palms radiating an aura of evil, preparing to meet the attack head-on.

"Boom—"

This was a strike beyond Yue Longze’s limits. It was also a strike of pure surprise.

...

Belial clutched his agonizingly painful right claw; Yue Longze had pierced a deep, hollow hole straight through it! A hole that went right through to the other side! Belial stared at Yue Longze with shocked eyes, seemingly forgetting the pain of his injury.

"What a marvelous fellow you are."

Belial watched him for a long moment before speaking slowly. This, however, made Belial take him even more seriously; he could no longer afford to treat this special individual with a playful attitude. Adjusting his mindset, a flash of black light swept by as Belial summoned the legendary Giga Battlenizer. This alone proved that Belial had begun to treat Yue Longze with genuine focus.

...

Yue Longze knew the most lethal moment had arrived! Gripping the heavy Giga Battlenizer with his dark claws, Belial swung it toward Yue Longze with the force of a collapsing mountain. Yue Longze could not evade the strike.

"Crack."

Yue Longze’s energy blade shattered instantly! The Giga Battlenizer, its momentum unchecked, slammed into his shoulder. He felt his right arm sink, overcome by intense pain. Yet, he did not panic; his left hand fired a palm beam that struck Belial’s face. While it caused no damage, it served as a distraction. Just as Yue Longze had anticipated, Belial was momentarily disrupted.

Yue Longze seized the chance to retreat. His left arm and right shoulder were both wounded. Belial, however, remained unscathed. In such a dire crisis, Yue Longze grew only calmer. But against absolute, overwhelming strength, any scheme was useless; the only option was to fight to the death! Besides, winning through trickery was not the purpose of his journey!

"Let's go completely mad!"

Yue Longze suddenly burst into wild laughter, his voice tinged with madness. Belial looked at him, puzzled by this sudden maniacal outburst.

"Have you gone insane?"

While Belial pondered this, Yue Longze discarded the hilt of his broken sword and charged again. Dragging his injured arms, he unleashed a fierce style of cosmic martial arts. His footwork was illusory and unpredictable; his strikes were sharp and peerless.

Faintly, it seemed as if Yue Longze’s bottleneck was beginning to shatter. Scalding magma splashed all around, hissing as it turned into wisps of white steam. The more Yue Longze fought, the more fluid he became; Leo’s cosmic martial arts seemed to have reached a new height under his command!

"Is this... a breakthrough?" Yue Longze murmured mid-battle. In truth, it was a breakthrough in the power of his skills, rather than a breakthrough in his physical attributes.