Huff!
In the empty gymnasium, Lu PingAn stood alone at the center.
He calmly raised his arms and assumed the "Mimicry Boxing" stance from his memories.
"Tiger."
Claws became his form, beast his name; a golden tail became a whip, transforming his momentum into—
"Fang."
When his palms swept out, they instinctively became the double-strike "Fang." Lu PingAn's expression remained calm, yet his momentum was as fierce as a tiger's.
The air trembled faintly. The young man was not moving quickly, but with every strike, the world quivered slightly.
"Fist."
One punch, two punches, eight punches.
The tiger's stance transformed into a human stance; the human form became Buddha, an eight-armed asura, throwing seemingly slow punches through empty air.
Space split apart.
Annihilate Space, something Lu PingAn had once been unable to touch, was now being struck into existence again and again.
Lu PingAn understood what he had been lacking.
He lacked Hanna's helplessness.
He lacked Hanna's rage.
He lacked Hanna's—
"Despair."
He had finally touched upon the "Shark Tooth" mimicry—or rather, killing intent.
So the Three Absolute Kills were such a sorrowful thing.
Without realizing it, Lu PingAn calmed down again. The exoskeleton's multiple arms vanished without a trace, leaving only a young man in martial attire, punching at the sky again and again.
Helplessness, exhaustion, and the immense pressure of not even being able to see the enemy were everywhere. Even enraged roars had become meaningless.
She—or rather, they—had tried to tear apart this ocean, tried to rip open—
"...Annihilate Space."
Lu PingAn merely extended his palm and slowly spread it open, pulling out a rift in space and the endless void behind it.
"Enough! Lu PingAn! Your body—"
It was rare for Big Cat to actually stop Lu PingAn's training.
And this time, Lu PingAn had no