The Desolate-Island Strongman had been pounding its chest, displaying the mighty majesty of a "strongman." But when the man in the suit said, "The game begins," it seemed to receive some kind of guidance. Its fierce ochre eyes locked directly onto Gai Nuo.
The meeting of their eyes was the signal to engage.
"Roar—"
The Desolate-Island Strongman leaped out and roared at Gai Nuo. Under the terrifying blast of air, the air itself visibly twisted slightly.
Yet in the face of the Desolate-Island Strongman's intimidation, Gai Nuo showed no fear at all. His hands followed the path of the wind, his ten fingers spread wide. When they reached a certain point in that trajectory, Gai Nuo clenched his open palms, and the energy around him rippled in waves.
Within those spreading ripples, violet flames emerged from nowhere, slowly dancing around his body.
At the sight of the violet flames, disdain flashed through the Desolate-Island Strongman's eyes. Flames might be effective against other strongman species, but against a Desolate-Island Strongman, their effect could practically be ignored!
The Desolate-Island Strongman did not compete with Gai Nuo in aura at all. It directly drew its blood energy into its fists. Its yellow-furred hands crossed into a seal, then it unleashed a crushing hammer blow straight at Gai Nuo.
Gai Nuo had intended to dodge, but the instant he sensed the information within the fist wind, he immediately calculated that his resilience coefficient far exceeded the strongman's hammer blow. Certain that he could withstand it head-on, Gai Nuo crossed his arms, and the violet flames transformed into a massive fire shield before him.
There was no doubting Gai Nuo's computational ability, and the result was indeed exactly as he had expected.
The force of the hammer blow failed to break through the fire shield.