Three Against One, and They Still Got Taken Out

Bang!

A violent collision rang out across the training ground, kicking up a fierce gust even within the enclosed space.

In his gorilla form, Panda's massive fist was held completely still by Lu Lu's fist, which looked far slimmer by comparison.

"Wha... what...?!"

Panda braced himself with both fists, his thick arms beginning to tremble slightly.

He had thought he could overpower Lu Lu in terms of strength, but he had not expected to be the one getting suppressed instead.

And judging by Lu Lu's expression, he did not seem to have used his full strength yet.

"Inumaki!"

"Blow away!"

Panda roared, and Inumaki's slender figure shot out from behind him.

Lu Lu only felt an inexplicably powerful force strike his body and send him flying.

Maki Zenin had already slipped out from behind Panda while he was clashing with Panda, waiting for Lu Lu behind him in advance.

Her naginata whistled through the air as she waited for Lu Lu to fall and deliver the final, decisive blow.

But what they had not expected was that, the instant Lu Lu was sent flying, Star Platinum's arm suddenly appeared and grabbed Panda before he could react.

"Huh?"

"Maki! Get out of the way!"

Panda, who had been sent flying along with Lu Lu, had both arms tightly seized by Lu Lu in midair, while Lu Lu planted both feet directly on Panda's body.

It looked as though he had simply turned Panda into a cushion for his landing.

"Tch..."

Maki had no choice but to dodge aside.

It was only at the instant before impact that Panda realized Lu Lu's intention, his expression changing drastically.

But he simply did not have enough strength to break free from Star Platinum's restraint in such a short time.

Boom!!!

The sound of the impact was even louder than expected.

Panda was slammed straight into the ground beneath Lu Lu's feet, while Lu Lu himself was completely unharmed.

Panda weakly rolled over on the ground, his body gradually shrinking as he slowly returned to his original panda form.

At the instant they landed, Lu Lu had shattered Panda's gorilla core, forcing him back into this balanced form.

"Panda is eliminated..."

Satoru Gojo raised a hand from the sidelines to signal it.

Only a dozen or so seconds had passed since the start, yet Panda had already had one of his cores destroyed.

Lu Lu's strength had exceeded their previous expectations.

"Damn it!" Maki Zenin gritted her teeth, stamped her foot, and charged forward.

Her long naginata dragged across the ground, scraping violently against the floor and producing an ear-piercing screech.

Faced with Maki Zenin's aggressive charge, Lu Lu merely stood where he was and waited for her to arrive.

Smack!

Maki's foot slammed heavily against the ground.

Her incredible speed, combined with her own strength, sent the naginata sweeping out at a speed too fast for the naked eye to follow, leaving only a black afterimage in the air.

An ordinary sorcerer would have found such an attack impossible to withstand.

Yet Lu Lu simply leaned slightly to one side and evaded Maki Zenin's swing.

His feet had not even moved.

Seeing that only made Maki Zenin clench her teeth harder.

"Are you looking down on me?!"

Maki Zenin was normally calm and composed, but for some reason, seeing Lu Lu today—especially after seeing Star Platinum—had made her act so unusually.

Since her strike had missed, Maki Zenin's stance was wide open, leaving her completely defenseless.

Without the slightest hesitation, Star Platinum's fist shot straight toward Maki's abdomen.

"Don't move! Cough, cough... cough...!"

Inumaki's shout came from the distance, immediately followed by violent coughing.

Just those two simple words had already pushed Inumaki's throat beyond its limits.

The instant Inumaki spoke the words "Don't move," Lu Lu and Star Platinum behind him froze in place.

Lu Lu felt all the space around him become locked down.

A powerful force pressed in on him from every direction, pinning him firmly to the ground and forcing him to maintain that posture.

Maki Zenin, having been saved, did not waste this rare opportunity.

She spun her naginata and sent it hurtling toward Lu Lu's abdomen as well.

"Let's see whether your stomach is as hard as that purple vengeful spirit of yours!"

But Lu Lu was still pinned in place. His eyes widened, and the harder he struggled, the greater the pressure surrounding him became.

He had not expected a cursed speech user's power to reach such a level.

But...

"Haah! SarPiu!"

Powerful spiritual energy erupted from within Lu Lu's body.

Star Platinum's form instantly became more solid. If it had previously been a semi-transparent phantom, it now looked like a physical entity.

Even the outline of its thighs had appeared below its waist. Before long, its legs would be able to manifest completely.

Just as Star Platinum evolved, Inumaki, who had been drinking throat medicine, suddenly coughed up a mouthful of blood.

The amount of blood was so great that it looked as though his internal organs had ruptured, and he fell backward onto the ground.

Star Platinum's sudden movement also caught Maki Zenin off guard.

She had no time to react before Star Platinum struck her neck with a chop, knocking her unconscious on the spot.

"Oh! Toge Inumaki and Maki Zenin are eliminated!"

Satoru Gojo, who had been watching from the side, said excitedly. It was unclear why he was so thrilled when his own students had been defeated.

[Thanks to Mu Feng for the monthly vote.]