"Three Heads and Six Arms?"
"That's right, Three Heads and Six Arms!"
Sun Wukong looked down at him from above, all three faces breaking into grins at once.
"Big blue, today Old Sun will let you taste the power of Three Heads and Six Arms!"
The moment he finished speaking, the Golden Cudgel in his palm swelled and lengthened, becoming a sky-piercing pillar that smashed down toward Ika's head.
Ika's pupils contracted sharply. He raised his long blade horizontally, and shadow energy gathered above his head into a thick black energy barrier.
The instant the Golden Cudgel struck the barrier, a deafening crash erupted. Shock waves spread violently from the point of impact, and the ground caved in by more than half a meter.
Ika's legs bent slightly under the immense pressure, but he gritted his teeth and held firm against the blow.
Seeing this, Sun Wukong's other two bodies moved as well.
The other two Golden Cudgels abruptly grew larger and smashed in from the left and right simultaneously. The three sky-piercing pillars formed a triangle, sealing off every direction Ika could defend!
Ika's expression tightened. He freed his left hand and swept it upward, and a gigantic black energy hand reached out from behind him to grab the incoming Golden Cudgels.
But the moment the giant hand touched the surface of a Golden Cudgel, the violent, brute force shattered it.
With Three Heads and Six Arms, Sun Wukong's strength had risen far more than a single level from before. The energy hand was as fragile as paper before it.
The energy barrier shattered under the impact of the other two Golden Cudgels, and the three giant pillars slammed into Ika's chest almost simultaneously.
His dark teal armor caved in deeply in that instant. Like a nail driven into the earth, Ika was hammered underground by that tremendous force!
Boom!
A deep crater several meters across burst open in the ground, sending dust and rubble soaring into the sky.
Sun Wukong withdrew his Golden Cudgels. His Three Heads and Six Arms slowly receded as well, returning him to his original appearance, and he landed at the edge of the crater.
He lowered his head and glanced into it.
The bottom of the crater was empty, with nothing but spiderweb cracks and dust that had yet to settle.
Ika had vanished completely.
Sun Wukong grinned, a hint of smugness in his voice.
"I thought he was someone impressive, but that was all he had."
He turned toward Qin Feng, who had been watching from the sidelines with both hands in his pockets the entire time.
"Hey, kid, Old Sun has taken care of your subordinate. Now it's your turn!"
Qin Feng leaned against a tree trunk. Rather than fading, the smile on his face deepened. "Oh? Is that so?"
Sun Wukong froze. Before he could figure out why Qin Feng was still so composed at a time like this, a sharp whistle suddenly rang out behind him!
He dodged sideways almost on instinct, but that shadow was too fast.
A cold gleam flashed, slashing a long gash across the Golden Chainmail on his chest.
Sun Wukong narrowly pulled away and took a closer look.
Ika stood where he had just been standing.
Though he looked somewhat bedraggled, he looked nothing like someone who had taken a direct hit from three Golden Cudgels.
"You're not dead?!!"
Sun Wukong's pupils contracted slightly, his voice full of shock.
He was certain that his Golden Cudgels had landed solidly on his opponent just now.
Anyone below a Third Generation Super Soldier would undoubtedly have died from taking that blow head-on.
Yet this big blue fellow was standing right before him, alive and practically unscathed apart from his damaged clothing and armor. It even made him begin to question whether he had actually hit him.
Ika chuckled and spun the long blade in his hand.
"Monkey, you're not dead yet. How could I be?"
After being struck by the three Golden Cudgels, he had used the momentum to merge into the shadow beneath his feet.
Otherwise, given the force of that combined three-cudgel strike from his opponent's Three Heads and Six Arms form, he would have been gravely injured even if he survived.
Still, even actually being beaten to death would not have been a big deal.
The Shadowkhan were inherently undying, indestructible beings.
As long as Qin Feng remained, even if they died in battle, they would reform in the Shadow Realm, ready to return at any time.
He simply could not be bothered to explain any of that to Sun Wukong.
"Monkey, let's go again."
"Interesting, truly interesting! It's been ages since Old Sun had such a satisfying fight!"
Sun Wukong tightened his grip on the Golden Cudgel, pointing its tip straight at Ika. "Then let's go again!"
Just as Ika and Sun Wukong were about to clash again, an almost imperceptible ripple suddenly passed through the air beside Qin Feng.
The disturbance was faint, but all three of them sensed its presence at the same time.
Immediately afterward, a dark red figure silently emerged from the shadows behind Qin Feng.
"Hmm? Tara, you're done with your seclusion?"
Qin Feng turned his head and saw that familiar demonic face, looking slightly surprised.
When Tara had said he was going into seclusion to break through, he had thought he would not see him for quite some time.
After all, it had taken him a month to advance to a Third Generation Super Soldier himself. Tara was stronger, so logically, he should have needed even longer.
Yet he had emerged in less than a day?
Tara walked over to stand beside Qin Feng and bowed slightly. "My king, our system of power differs from yours, so the time required for a breakthrough naturally differs as well."
Qin Feng nodded and sank his consciousness into the Dark Plane. The Great Clock's computational power silently swept over Tara's body.
A moment later, he withdrew his consciousness, a trace of satisfaction flashing in his eyes.
The level of energy contained within Tara's body was already on par with Morgana's.
In other words, he now had another fighter with the combat power of a Fourth Generation God's body at his disposal.
At that moment, Ika strode over to Tara and placed one hand against his chest. "Congratulations on advancing your strength further, Commander!"
Tara lowered his head to look at him, scrutiny in his golden, slit-pupiled eyes.
"General Ika, what's going on with you? You can't even handle a monkey? How am I supposed to entrust the king's safety to you like this?"
After emerging from seclusion, he had sensed someone fighting near Qin Feng. To ensure Qin Feng's safety, he had hurried over from the Shadow Realm almost without pause.
But when he saw that the enemy was a monkey, he even wondered whether he had been too lenient with the generals under him lately, causing them to forget to improve their strength.
Seeing this, Qin Feng waved a hand.
"Tara, don't criticize him. This monkey has some skill. It's already quite an achievement for General Ika to fight him to this extent."
Hearing this, Ika was deeply moved.
At the same time, he regretted failing to seize this opportunity.
He had wanted to use this opportunity to prove his ability, only to encounter such a troublesome opponent as Sun Wukong. His performance had not even looked as good as Mingta's last time.
He did not know whether this would leave Qin Feng with a bad impression of him.
Tara snorted. "Since the king doesn't blame you, I won't say anything more. Stand aside and watch how I handle this monkey."
"Yes, Commander."
Ika straightened and retreated to Qin Feng's side.
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