Yingyue stood watching from a distance, her face filled with disbelief and shock.
Looking at the immensely powerful Ant King, she murmured:
"This Ant King is a monster! Its strength is beyond imagination, and its explosive power is truly astonishing."
After a pause, she added:
"And like the Golden Blade Mantis, it seems highly intelligent. It has been imitating and learning Kakarot's fighting style all along!"
Just then, Lilith, Lina, and the others finished their battles and hurried over.
They still carried the air of battle about them, and surprise crossed their faces at the sight before them.
Yingyue quickly recounted the course of the fight, gesturing as she spoke.
Lilith nodded slightly, a glimmer of certainty flashing in her eyes:
"Kakarot will definitely win. He's the real monster. Not only does he grow stronger as he fights, but his body's ability to recover is astonishing. This Ant King is definitely no match for him!"
Everyone nodded, their eyes filled with trust in Kakarot.
On the smoke-filled battlefield, Kakarot keenly caught a fleeting gap in the rhythm of the Ant King's attacks and lunged in.
His right fist blasted out like a cannonball ready to fire, carrying unstoppable momentum. The dense Armament Haki coating it resembled solid iron, heavy with oppressive force.
The Ant King reacted with incredible speed, sidestepping with light, agile movements almost the instant Kakarot threw his punch.
At the same time, one limb swept across at an extremely tricky angle, attempting to deflect the fierce punch.
Boom!
Their attacks collided with a thunderous crash, and an overwhelming shock wave spread rapidly from the point of impact like ripples.
The air seemed to be churned wildly by an invisible giant hand, instantly forming small, rapidly spinning vortices.
The immense force tore basalt from the ground, sending it whistling in every direction like concealed weapons.
Caught by the impact, Kakarot used its momentum to leap backward like a swallow, flipping nimbly through the air before landing steadily. The powerful recoil drove two deep footprints into the ground beneath his feet.
Without pausing after its strike, the Ant King launched another fierce assault. Its four upper limbs moved like nimble snakes, attacking from above, below, left, and right with blinding speed.
His gaze firm, Kakarot stomped hard on the ground. With a boom, he shot straight upward like an arrow loosed from a bow, evading the tightly woven barrage.
Its attack missed, but the Ant King showed no discouragement. It crouched slightly, gathered strength in its lower limbs, then launched itself like a cannonball, rapidly pursuing Kakarot into the air.
Kakarot quickly adjusted his posture in midair and, seizing the right moment, lashed out with his left leg like lightning.
A crescent-shaped blade of energy wrapped in dense Haki whistled forward, slicing through the air with a piercing shriek.
The Ant King showed no fear. It instantly crossed two limbs before its body, reinforcing its Armament Haki to the utmost to form an impregnable defensive barrier.
The energy blade slammed into it with a sizzling hiss. The glow of Haki flickered violently, like a candle flame wavering in the wind, about to go out.
While the Ant King blocked the energy blade, Kakarot plunged down like a meteor chasing the moon. With both hands clenched into fists, he smashed toward the Ant King with the crushing momentum of a mountain and tremendous force.
The Ant King's eyes widened, its gaze vicious. Its other two limbs rose like lightning and collided heavily with Kakarot's fists.
This collision was several times more powerful than the previous ones, making the battlefield shake violently as though struck by an earthquake.
Fine cracks appeared on the surfaces of nearby small hills, and billowing dust partially obscured the view.
The powerful recoil hurled Kakarot and the Ant King apart at the same time.
The Ant King flew backward hundreds of meters, crashing through a stretch of thick trees before steadying itself, the cracking of broken trunks ringing out without pause.
Using the thrust of his Flight Technique in midair, Kakarot performed several clean flips, then braced his feet against a cliff face, scattering stone chips before steadying himself.
The Ant King regained its footing and let out an earth-shaking roar. In an instant, the glow of Haki around its body surged, churning and distorting the surrounding air like boiling water.
Light refracted strangely as well. Then it charged toward Kakarot even faster, like black lightning, almost becoming an afterimage too elusive to track.
Kakarot took a deep breath and mobilized every bit of Haki in his body without holding anything back. A dazzling halo of Haki formed around him, making him look like a demon god descending.
The Ant King reached him in an instant, its four upper limbs attacking simultaneously along dazzling trajectories.
Kakarot dared not be careless. Relying on his keen perception and extensive experience, he twisted his body like a corkscrew, narrowly evading most of the attacks with strange, ingenious movements.
But the Ant King's assault was fierce, and one punch still grazed his shoulder. The tremendous force cut like a blade, sending piercing pain and a slight numbness through his shoulder. Haki tore open his clothing, revealing a shallow bloody mark.
Though wounded, Kakarot's fighting spirit remained tenacious. Taking advantage of the momentum of the Ant King's attack, he suddenly seized one of its upper limbs and twisted hard, driving his knee toward its chest like a cannonball at the same time.
The Ant King reacted swiftly, turning with the motion and using centrifugal force to break free. Another upper limb whipped toward Kakarot's head with a rush of wind.
Unable to dodge in time, Kakarot blocked with his arm. With a smack, excruciating pain shot through it, as though the bone were about to be cracked by the blow. He endured it and used the momentum to leap backward, putting distance between them.
Even though Kakarot had tempered his skin with Armament Haki, it still could not withstand the Ant King's fierce attacks. His injuries gradually worsened, bloody marks spreading and staining his clothing red.
But the traits of his Saiyan bloodline took effect. As the battle continued, he grew stronger through the pain, and his recovery accelerated, damaged skin healing at a visible rate.
Thin cracks appeared in the Ant King's hard shell. Each collision widened them, worsening its injuries.
Several hours passed. Kakarot and the Ant King were both monsters brimming with energy, their stamina almost inexhaustible.
Though both were badly wounded, their battle did not weaken in the slightest. Instead, it grew fiercer.
Through countless exchanges, Kakarot discovered that the Ant King had been shifting its fighting style from that of a beast toward that of a human.
Though the transformation was incomplete, it was already showing a greater preference for fighting in an upright, humanoid stance.
In another exchange, the Ant King fell one move short.
Spotting a tiny opening, Kakarot gathered all his strength and struck at the exposed vital joint with even stronger Armament Haki, entwined with Conqueror's Haki.
Though the Ant King fought desperately to block, placing all four upper limbs before Kakarot's fist, the powerful impact still struck its waist heavily.
The blow sent the Ant King flying backward like a meteor. It slammed into the ground, throwing up a huge cloud of dust.
Kakarot's hair hung loose and disheveled. His clothes had been torn into strips that fluttered in the wind, and wounds of varying depths covered his body. Blood slowly seeped out, staining his tattered clothing red.
Yet he threw back his head and laughed, his eyes filled with exhilaration and excitement, shouting, "That fight was so satisfying! I feel like I've gotten much stronger again!"
Just then, Lilith and the others hurried over.
With a pained expression, Lina gently brushed the messy hair away from his forehead and chided, "You always push yourself so hard." Despite her words, her eyes were filled with relief and joy.
Lilith said, "Brother, you've gotten stronger again. I knew you'd win!"
The others gathered around as well, exclaiming in admiration, "Kakarot, you're incredible!"
"Yes, that battle was truly spectacular!"
Everyone chimed in, sharing in the joy of victory.
The sun had already set, and the yellow-red lava gave off light.
The Hellfire Demon Ants surrounded the Ant King. Though it had been struck in a vital spot, its naturally powerful physique and strong recovery allowed it to regain its ability to move before long.
Its antennae twitched slightly as it conveyed its orders, and the Hellfire Ant Colony scattered in all directions.
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