Demon Possession (Part 2)

A supernatural item resembling a Pendant—its effect was most likely enhanced strength. The blow it unleashed had been stronger than my arm strength. I couldn't meet it head-on.

Thoughts flashed through his mind like lightning, and Chu Hengkong, still in midair, had already grasped the key. He used the impact to spin himself around as he landed, then rolled repeatedly to bleed off the force.

As he rose, a massive black shadow bore down like a storm cloud. Hugos's next blow had already arrived. Chu Hengkong's feet flickered without pause, and at the razor-thin edge of danger, he dodged the tusk's charge. The second attack did not use the Iron Ring, yet it was still enough to smash bricks and send fragments flying. Chu Hengkong silently reset his stance while the demon-transformed Hugos threw back his head and laughed wildly.

"You were pretty cocky just now, weren't you? Come on, take another one! Come on, come on, come on!!"

Boom! Boom! Boom! The succession of explosive crashes called to mind artillery shells striking the ground. Hugos's tusks blasted pit after pit into the earth. In the blink of an eye, three exchanges had passed. Chu Hengkong had not counterattacked, only dodged again and again. He was faster than his demonized opponent, but could not easily strike back, because the strength-enhancing Iron Ring could activate at any moment.

The earlier shockwave had made Chu Hengkong feel pain he had not felt in a long time. His bones were fine, but his muscles had undoubtedly been damaged. Taking a direct hit from that thing would be no small matter. If he could not kill the enemy in one blow, a strength-enhanced attack at close range would only bring disaster upon himself.

I'll circle around him for now... watch his movements, find an opening...

Chu Hengkong leaped left, dodging another sweeping strike from Hugos. As their positions shifted, an opportunity appeared. Groin, throat, flank, side ribs—beneath that attack riddled with openings, there were no fewer than four places he could ambush. The head was too high for a good strike, the lower body too thick and sturdy to shake. The flank was the best target.

Chu Hengkong stomped out with his left foot, and an Iron Mountain Lean slammed squarely into Hugos's flank. In an instant, force erupted from his waist and arm, delivering a crushing blow to his enemy!

Hugos's gigantic body shuddered, but he did not fall. The sight was like a mayfly trying to shake a great tree. Chu Hengkong cursed inwardly.

Old habits will get me killed. I forgot my left arm turned into a tentacle!

The Iron Mountain Lean relied not only on the shoulder, but even more on the elbow joint. Yet a freely retractable tentacle had neither joints nor bones. That meant the previous strike had lost much of its power. An Iron Mountain Lean that was too soft had put him at a disadvantage. The distance between them shrank further, and Hugos's eyes brimmed with triumph.

"Tentacle brat, you're finished!"

Hugos raised his head high, and the tusks on both sides crashed down at once. His demonized giant body sealed off the space around them. Chu Hengkong had almost nowhere left to dodge. This was the tactic of demon-possessed people: they never needed so-called technique. They only had to use their power to claim victory.

As the shadow of violence plummeted toward him, Chu Hengkong remained calm. He had no interest in reflecting on himself during a fight, nor could he be bothered to praise an enemy with no technique. The next step of the battle had already surfaced before him. All he had to do was win.

"Then I'll be... a little more violent too," he said softly.

A silver trail flashed through the one-eyed field of vision. Chu Hengkong's tentacle sprang up like a great serpent! The silver serpent whipped around with incredible speed, wrapping itself around one of Hugos's tusks in the midst of battle. Chu Hengkong stomped heavily to the left, gathering all the strength in his body into the tentacle and yanking fiercely sideways!

He had wrapped the tusk without the Iron Ring—the one on the side that had just taken the Iron Mountain Lean. Struck repeatedly on the same side, Hugos's center of gravity immediately went awry. His right leg lifted from the ground with the momentum, and the downward assault of both tusks fell into complete disarray. His top-heavy body looked ready to topple over.

Pulling without leaving any room... Is that brat trying to use a throwing technique? An over-the-shoulder throw with a tentacle?!

Hugos was startled. His enemy was too fast, and he absolutely did not want to fall now. He hastily slowed his offensive, straightened up, and tried to steady himself before continuing the fight.

But this was exactly the chance Chu Hengkong had been waiting for. The pulling force in his hand suddenly loosened, and he leaped upward with Hugos's momentum. The stretched tentacle, elongated by the wrapping, gave back ample elastic force. The stance that had been as steady as an old tree moments ago now became light as a flying bird. Chu Hengkong shot into the air in an instant, rising above the elephant head. He relaxed the tentacle, drew back his right fist, and brought down his left heel in a vicious cleave, carrying the force of ten thousand pounds as it smashed into Hugos's single eye.

Kyokushin Karate, Heel Drop!

This was a killing move of full-contact karate. This school emphasized turning the limbs into weapons, and Chu Hengkong's limbs were the sharpest blades of war. That ferocious blow directly smashed Hugos's single eye. Blood and shattered eyeball matter gushed out like a fountain, while the giant man's howl was enough to shatter glass. The surrounding thugs had been scared out of their wits, but Chu Hengkong, who had dealt the blow, remained expressionless.

There was neither delight nor excitement on his face. It was simply the expression of something natural and inevitable. He was a good killer. Once he made a move, he had to achieve results. So long as he struck, he would claim victory.

Severely wounded, Hugos went completely berserk. He activated the Iron Ring's power again and charged about wildly, trying to throw Chu Hengkong off. His overwhelming violence smashed brickwork and stairs, sent the watching thugs flying, yet could not shake the killer from the demon's back. Chu Hengkong used his tentacle to strangle Hugos's neck tightly, then drove his right fist down with all his strength, striking the tusk bearing the Iron Ring.

Thud! Thud! Thud!

Each impact was heavier than the last, each punch stronger than the one before. Hugos's tusks were hard and thick. He had once used them to crush several people's skulls, but now those invincible tusks trembled beneath the blows of one man alone. The fourth punch left cracks across the tusk's surface. The fifth sent fissures spreading from its root. Hugos struggled desperately, but his strength grew weaker and weaker, because the tentacle was choking off his breath like a noose.

Chu Hengkong roared and threw the sixth punch. As it landed, the injuries accumulated by the first five punches erupted all at once, and the tusk split from its root on the spot. He grabbed the broken tusk and smashed it down onto Hugos's crown in one final blow!

After a deafening crash, Hugos's eyes rolled white and his knees hit the ground. Chu Hengkong sat on his broad, door-plank back, just about to add another strike for good measure, when his hand halted.

He saw a colorless "image" fly out from Hugos's body. Its outline resembled a jellyfish, with a single eye growing in the center of its body. Its presence was so illusory that it seemed like a hallucination. In that eye, Chu Hengkong saw the same brutality as Hugos's, but also an exceedingly strange satisfaction, like the fullness after a meal.

The One-Eyed Jellyfish met Chu Hengkong's gaze for an instant, then silently faded away. At the same moment, Hugos shrank like a balloon pricked by a needle, eventually becoming a one-eyed man with a severed arm.

Demon possession... so this is a "demon"? It looks rather like seafood.

Chu Hengkong pondered for a moment, then realized he was still holding the tusk that had reverted into a severed arm. Unhurriedly, he removed Hugos's Iron Ring, discarded the useless severed arm, and swept his gaze over the stupefied thugs around him.

"Next," he said.

There was no next. There was not even any howling. The strength to make a sound had left the thugs' bodies forever, together with their courage. They ran in hysterics, rolling and crawling about like worms, using every ounce of strength to get away from that blood-covered man. The man who had broken a tusk with his bare fists, along with his tentacle, had become the symbol of terror. He was a nightmare even madder than a demon.

Only one person had not left: the old man who had been swept to the rear at the start. The old shopkeeper stared blankly at Chu Hengkong, his lips moving unconsciously, unable to make a sound.

"Sorry, uncle. Things got a little loud during law enforcement," he heard the tentacle man say. "This guy's bounty is one hundred thousand Flow Pearls. Is that enough to repair your shop?"

"Enough... enough..." the old man said instinctively. "Thirty thousand would be enough..."

"Prices are pretty cheap here." Chu Hengkong smiled. He raised a hand and wiped the blood from his watch. "Let's see how long that took..."

"Five minutes and thirty-one seconds. Not bad, young man."

At the entrance of the Iron Oar Shop, Huaisu's Father stopped the timer, approval appearing in his eyes.

Ji Huaishu, standing beside him, was unimpressed. "If it were me, I'd have killed that stupid elephant in five seconds."

"Miss, you're already at Quality Point 2, and you're still comparing yourself to a rookie who hasn't entered the path?" Huaisu's Father said with a smile.

"None of your business." Ji Huaishu rolled her eyes at him. "Speaking of which, Father, you were really out of line this time."

Huaisu's Father feigned surprise. "Why do you say that?"

"We never touched Hugos because he belonged to the Black Workshop, didn't we? Taking him out is satisfying, sure, but offending the biggest criminal force in the city on his first day here—how is that killer supposed to get by afterward?"

"So you'll be the one protecting him from now on." Huaisu's Father smiled.

"...Huh?"

After staring blankly for a moment, Ji Huaishu reacted. "Hey, Father, are you serious? He's demon-possessed!"

"I checked. The aura is very similar, but he isn't an Imaginary Demon." Huaisu's Father shook his paper fan. "Use that little brain of yours and think it through. If he really were a demon, why would this old man waste words on him?"

As they spoke, Chu Hengkong dragged Hugos out. The killer was covered in blood, but his smile was bright as sunshine. "Mr. Ji, does this token of allegiance show enough sincerity?"

"What token of allegiance? We're a legitimate organization. This is your job entrance exam!" Huaisu's Father said. "From today onward, you're a provisional member of the Resurrection Corps! Our benefits are second to none in the entire city, and every kind of professional welfare is included."

Chu Hengkong was overjoyed. "That's wonderful. May I ask if our corps cafeteria is still open?"

For the first time since they had met, Huaisu's Father wore the same bewildered look as his daughter. Chu Hengkong's attitude was earnest and perfectly justified.

"I've been fighting from afternoon until night. I really want a bowl of roast goose Lai Fun."

On the very first day after publication, I truly never expected to receive a Silver League Leader. To express my gratitude, I've specially released three chapters. Thank you all very much for your support!

Also, I commissioned character art for Ah Kong, the protagonist, and will attach it to the chapter comments at the end of this chapter. I'll gradually commission art for other characters as well.