Chapter 178: Beidou Also Has Its Own Galactic Warship

——Since the emergence of the Land of Shura, the music of hell has never ceased—

Hokuto Shinken—does he truly live up to his divine name?

The answer is: yes, absolutely!

His unparalleled achievements have moved even Heaven itself to submission!

Yet if one were to name the greatest enemy of Hokuto Shinken in this world, it would not be Nanto Seiken nor Gento Kōken—but rather this other martial art bearing the same name, sharing the same roots: "Hokuto Ryūken."

Ryū's concerns are not unfounded: as the counterpart to Hokuto Shinken, Ryūken possesses similar pressure-point techniques, but in Ryūken, these are called "Meridian Rupture," with a staggering 1, 09 secret acupoints—far exceeding the 708 known to Hokuto Shinken's predecessors.

If the martial arts of the Hokuto world were arranged like a periodic table, with higher sequence numbers indicating greater instability, danger, and backlash upon the practitioner, then the two lowest-ranked arts would undoubtedly be "Hokuto Ryūken"!!

For the art known as "Hokuto Ryūken" is one that dares to challenge the gods themselves—every drop of blood in its inheritors is stained with the color of ambition!

Its greatest distinction from Hokuto Shinken lies in the existence of "Makai"—a state entered when a warrior is consumed by overwhelming rage or hatred, known as "Inma," regarded as the ultimate destiny of Hokuto Ryūken.

Those who enter "Makai" appear like demons, their shadows on the ground manifesting as monstrous forms—the embodiment of an evil fighting soul, the "Demon Soul," unstoppable, capable of inducing instant weightlessness to strip enemies of their footing while absorbing all combat energy from their attacks, nullifying their power.

Naturally, this comes with a terrible side effect—those who enter "Makai" become demons devoid of love or emotion.

"What's this, some homemade version of the Lone Star of Heaven who deliberately goes mad and gains triple skill power, plus that 'Demon Descent' move—isn't that just a horror-themed skill from some creepy game? Who copied whom?"

Given the sheer number of absurd and over-the-top abilities in Hokuto Ryūken, Jaki couldn't help but complain: "How is practicing this martial art any different from studying the Path of Supreme Detachment—you have to deliberately enter hallucinatory realms to sever your seven emotions?"

Wait, what's wrong with a hallucinatory world. pg

But whoever says Hokuto-style martial arts are just "fists," I'll be the first to crush them with Hokuto Shinken.

"Master Ryū, my intuition tells me—now is the perfect moment."

Jaki snapped back to awareness, his gaze locked firmly on Ryū.

His demeanor was more serious than ever, his tone more resolute than ever before.

Ryū stubbornly shook his head; Jaki had grown immensely strong, but he was still too young—Ryū feared none of them were truly ready.

The others might be fine, but Jaki… he could sense that since his return, the very essence of this man had changed—he felt something deeply "abnormal."

It was as if… as if… Jaki had inevitably used "Sui Ei Shin" to secretly learn the dangerous Hokuto Ryūken—and his descent into Inma was merely a matter of time…

The Land of Shura must be visited, but not yet—wait a little longer, wait until they've all fully matured…

He won't be able to resist it—after all, Ryū himself had nearly failed to resist it once.

"Master Ryū, awakening is never measured by age."

As Jaki spoke, an invisible force coalesced behind him into a massive, indistinct silhouette—flickering like a glitching ghost.

But when Ryū stared closely, he saw nothing—perhaps it was merely an illusion.

Was that a trick?

Not an illusion… Ryū trusted his senses—what he had glimpsed was no phantom, but something strangely familiar and intimate.

"Tears? Did I cry? Why…?"

A cold sensation surfaced.

Ryū touched his cheek and realized, without noticing, a single tear had slipped from his eye—leaving him more bewildered than ever.

Suddenly, his brow furrowed. He stopped speaking to Jaki, who remained oblivious to his own anomaly, and instead lifted his gaze toward the dark night sky beside him.

Jaki followed his gaze, staring at the seemingly empty heavens—his black eyes reflecting the shape of the Big Dipper.

In an instant, brilliant, majestic starlight erupted from the heavens—the radiance of the Big Dipper flooded half the sky, as if shattering the firmament and obliterating the darkness.

"It seems… you were right…"

Heaven had shown Ryū what he must do.

The elderly man, past sixty, felt his aging heart throb violently—he rose abruptly, as if lifting the entire sky, his crimson and golden monk's robes billowing, his white beard dancing in the wind, his body flawless, his face radiating an aura of supreme dominion over all.

A surge of battle fervor suddenly seized his aged frame—now, no one could stop him.

"Whoa, so cool!"

Jaki gave his master a thumbs-up.

……

Raoh, Toki, Jaki, Kenshiro, and Ryū—all five emerged together from the "Hokuto Kihō Dōza" for the first time, none left behind, since the place had already been accidentally reduced to rubble by two of them.

No one would dare come to challenge them—not even a blonde girl riding a broomstick.

The five moved like an invincible, unstoppable galactic warship, crushing every biker gang, robber, and street racer in their path. At Jaki's suggestion, they all mounted motorcycles and raced at breakneck speed toward the direction indicated by the Big Dipper.

"The End-of-the-Century Battle Tank"—though unaware of it, those lucky enough to witness their rampage dubbed this scene of five muscular men obliterating evil-doers with this name.

Only two days.

The group arrived at the edge of the "Shura Sea."

If listened to closely, one could hear the sobbing sound of water, like the weeping of people.

"Let's go," Ryū said gravely. "Now that we've decided, we must all face it."

Jaki nodded, took a deep breath, and stepped forward—firmly placing his foot upon the water's surface.

Far in the distance, a low, rumbling roar echoed faintly—as if welcoming their arrival.

The Land of Shura is the homeland of the three Hokuto brothers—and the destiny they must confront. Only by uncovering the secrets of this land can they find the key to changing the fate of the Hokuto world…

A ritual that should have occurred… but never did.

(End of Chapter)