Trip to Mount Tenno

Bang!

A violent crash rang out across the training ground, whipping up a gale even within the enclosed space.

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

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

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

He had originally 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 shouted, and Inumaki's slender figure shot out from behind him.

Lu Lu only felt an inexplicably powerful force seize hold of him and send him flying.

Meanwhile, Maki Zenin had slipped out from behind Panda while he was clashing with Lu Lu and was already waiting behind Lu Lu.

Her naginata whirled with a fierce wind, waiting for Lu Lu to fall so she could 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 were using Panda as a cushion for his landing.

"Tch..."

Maki had no choice but to dodge away.

Only at the instant before impact did Panda realize Lu Lu's intention, and his expression changed drastically.

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

Boom!!!

The impact of the landing was even louder than expected.

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

Panda weakly rolled over on the ground, his entire 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, standing at the edge of the field, raised a hand to signal it.

Only a little over ten seconds had passed since the match began, yet Panda had already lost one of his cores in a single blow.

Lu Lu's strength exceeded their previous expectations.

"Damn it!" Maki Zenin gritted her teeth, stomped her foot, and charged forward at high speed.

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

Facing the charging Maki Zenin, Lu Lu merely stood where he was and waited for her to arrive.

Smack!

Maki's foot slammed heavily into the ground.

With her tremendous speed and raw strength, she swung the naginata 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 it nearly impossible to withstand such an attack.

Yet Lu Lu merely tilted slightly to one side and dodged Maki Zenin's swing.

His feet had not even moved.

Maki Zenin nearly ground her teeth to pieces at the sight.

"Are you looking down on me?!"

Maki Zenin was usually calm and composed, but for some reason, seeing Lu Lu today—especially 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, followed immediately by violent coughing.

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

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

Lu Lu felt as though all the space around him had been locked down.

A powerful force squeezed him from every direction, pinning him firmly to the ground in that position.

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

She spun her naginata and likewise drove it straight toward Lu Lu's abdomen.

"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 around him became.

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

But...

"Hah! SarPiu!"

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

In an instant, Star Platinum's form became more solid. If it had previously been a translucent phantom, it now looked like a tangible entity.

Even the outlines of its thighs had appeared below its waist. Before long, both legs would be fully manifested.

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

The amount of blood was so great that it seemed as if his internal organs had ruptured, and he collapsed flat onto his back.

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

She could not react at all 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 about his students being defeated.

[Thanks to Mu Feng for the monthly ticket.]