Great Ape Power

Roar!

On the night of the full moon, two figures dozens of meters tall roared across the Wasteland. The scene was filled with savagery and primal wildness, as if far removed from the civilized world.

Bang!

Without any surprise, Great Ape Aila was sent flying backward again before Giant Ape Rhode, crashing heavily into the ground.

"Aila, wake up!"

After kicking Great Ape Aila to the ground and seeing that she could not recover for the moment, Rhode did not attack again. Instead, he immediately opened his mouth and roared at her.

Hmm?

Under the cover of that terrifying roar, the dazed Great Ape Aila froze for a moment. But it was only a moment. Soon afterward, she sank back into a muddled, chaotic state devoid of reason.

Looking down from above, Rhode took in Great Ape Aila's every movement. Seeing that she had paused for an instant, seemingly showing signs of waking up, he immediately descended from the sky and stomped down on Great Ape Aila, who was about to climb back up and start causing trouble again.

Boom!

Giant Ape Rhode's violent power erupted. His foot came down on Great Ape Aila, forcing her back down and driving her more than ten meters into the earth, leaving behind a giant ape-shaped crater.

At that moment, Great Ape Aila was restrained by the earth and suppressed by Rhode, unable to move in the slightest. She had completely lost the ability to act.

"Aila, wake up!"

Having suppressed the irrationally rampaging Great Ape Aila, Giant Ape Rhode roared at her once more.

However, embedded in the ground with Giant Ape Rhode standing on top of her, Great Ape Aila's eyes were filled only with rage under such suppression. Forget waking up—even the brief daze from before did not appear.

It seemed that shouting alone was completely useless!

Rhode noticed that the pair of lantern-sized crimson eyes of Great Ape Aila held nothing but agitation and anger, without the slightest sign of regaining consciousness. He could not help thinking to himself.

In this situation, Rhode immediately understood that merely suppressing Aila after her Great Ape Transformation and trying to awaken her consciousness through words was utterly useless.

With that thought, Giant Ape Rhode immediately moved his foot aside and released Great Ape Aila from his suppression.

Roar!

Once Rhode's suppression vanished, a depression only a dozen meters deep could not restrain transformed Aila at all. With a single leap, she jumped out and immediately fixed her gaze on Rhode, who had been extremely unfriendly toward her.

Heh!

Seeing Great Ape Aila charge at him stubbornly once more, Rhode, also in Great Ape form, grinned, shook his huge head, and raised a fist to Blast Away her.

Great Ape Aila's flying body blotted out the sky, smashing who knew how many small hills across the Wasteland.

Bang!

Just as the fallen Great Ape Aila was about to get up, Rhode had already arrived before her and promptly began raining punches and kicks upon her.

Though both had transformed into Great Apes, setting aside the difference in their Power Levels, the gap in how much strength they could wield was like heaven and earth. Before Rhode, Great Ape Aila could only suffer a one-sided beating.

After fifteen minutes of Giant Ape Rhode's carefully measured punches and kicks, Great Ape Aila finally collapsed and could no longer muster the strength to wreak havoc.

At this moment, Great Ape Aila was still irrational and unconscious, but Rhode had beaten her until her entire body was limp with exhaustion. She could not get up at all.

Though her crimson eyes were full of anger and hatred toward Rhode, all she could do was lie on the ground and glare at him.

Aila, I can only help you this much!

Having beaten Great Ape Aila to the point of exhaustion without knocking her unconscious, Rhode felt that this state was perfect for Aila to recover her senses. After all, there was nothing else she could do.

After dealing with Great Ape Aila, Rhode, still maintaining his Great Ape form, carefully sensed his current condition and began meditating.

He first needed to fully master the tenfold power surge brought by transforming into a Great Ape, until he could control it perfectly at will. Only then could he proceed to the next step.

Time passed, and the Blutz Waves emitted by the full moon in the sky gradually weakened. Once their intensity fell below the threshold, Rhode and Aila began gradually reverting from their Great Ape Transformations.

Whoosh!

With the transformation undone and unable to continue experiencing Great Ape Power, Rhode opened his eyes and immediately appeared where Aila was, checking on her condition.

Looking down, he saw Aila lying on her back on the ground, disappointment flickering in her eyes.

Upon seeing Rhode appear, Aila's eyes shifted slightly. She glanced at him from the corner of her eye, her irritation plain to see. Clearly, her memories of being beaten by Rhode had not vanished.

But that was all she could do, because Aila could not make many movements at the moment. She had been exhausted in her Great Ape form, so returning to normal naturally did not leave her unaffected.

At this moment, Aila could barely even open her mouth!

"Don't worry!"

Seeing Aila in such a miserable state, a trace of embarrassment flashed across Rhode's face. Then, as though nothing had happened, he took out a Senzu Bean, crushed it, and washed it down Aila's throat with water.

"You guy!"

As soon as the Senzu Bean entered her stomach, Aila became lively again. After getting to her feet, she immediately glared at Rhode, expressing her dissatisfaction.

Rhode acted completely innocent. "Wasn't I helping you? If you went berserk recklessly, Earth wouldn't be able to take it!"

Faced with Rhode's sophistry, Aila opened her mouth, but for a moment, she could not refute him. After a pause, she spoke coldly, "Fine. You did the right thing. We'll do it like this from now on!"

Though she had failed to remain conscious today, it was not as if she had gained nothing. At least there had been some signs of progress. Aila believed that after doing this a few more times, she would be able to remain conscious after transforming into a Great Ape.

"Huh?"

Hearing Aila's words that did not match her true feelings, Rhode was speechless. He did not bother arguing with her and ran off to meditate, out of sight and out of mind.

"Hmph!"

Watching Rhode meditate, Aila gave a soft snort and said nothing more. After carefully sensing her own strength, disappointment flashed through her eyes. The Senzu Bean had barely increased her power at all.

Though disappointed, she understood that she had merely been exhausted rather than seriously injured. It was only natural that recovering would not increase her strength.

Aila stopped dwelling on it. She looked at Rhode, whose clothes were clean and tidy, then looked at herself, dirty and disheveled, making her even more annoyed.

Seeing Rhode sitting with his eyes closed in meditation, unaffected by the outside world, Aila could not be bothered to say anything to him. Nor did she want to remain in this uninhabited place, so she got up and flew back to West City, intending to wash up and get some proper rest.

Aila's return to West City did not attract Rhode's attention. After an unknown amount of time, Rhode, still on the Wasteland, suddenly opened his eyes. A sharp gleam flashed through them as he raised his head toward the moon in the sky.

At that moment, he stood still, gazing into the sky. His eyes flickered as one thought after another passed through his mind. Countless ideas collided and were sorted through, until all his thoughts finally converged into a path worth trying.

The night sky faded and daylight arrived, yet the moon in the morning sky had not completely disappeared.

Suddenly, Rhode, who had stood still for a long time, unleashed a Ki Burst. Under his control, that ki began to change, becoming incomparably dazzling, like the noon sun, impossible to look at directly.

"No, not this."

Feeling as though he had become the sun, Rhode immediately dispersed his ki. This was not what he wanted. After pondering for a moment, he mobilized the ki within his body again, then condensed an energy sphere in his hand that emitted a ghastly White Light.