Chapter 274: treasure pleasure

"I'm truly sorry!"

If anyone had been present at this moment, they would have seen a seven-foot-tall giant bowing before a girl whose frame was less than half his size.

"Um… I don't know what happened, but did something just occur?"

The awakened girl seemed to have no memory of what had just happened; she rubbed the back of her head and pinched her unharmed forearm, looking puzzled.

Had her brain subconsciously deleted the memory due to excessive stimulation?

"Ha, hah…"

Jia Ji chuckled awkwardly, about to say more, when Xiang laughed brightly: "It's fine, it's just a small thing… After all, no matter what Master Jia did to me, your intention was to help me, right? Then there's no problem!"

The girl even patted his spiky head in a comforting gesture, signaling that he hadn't done anything wrong.

Her memory still lingers on the time when Jia Ji was about to teach her boxing, which is why she called him Master.

Xiang really is a good child; Jia Ji was so moved he nearly teared up.

"Good!"

Jia Ji put his sunglasses back on and rallied himself once more; as a man who had never questioned the reason before punching any strong opponent, for the first time in his life he asked someone for a "reason."

"Xiang, is there someone you absolutely want to protect? For example, if a noise suddenly attacked right now, who is the first person you'd think of? Who is the one you absolutely refuse to let get hurt?"

"Future."

The girl answered without hesitation; having been accidentally caught in a noise attack before, she imagined just for a moment her best friend being struck by noise—and shuddered.

"Remember how you feel right now—this is the reason you'll clench your fist and fight in the future." Jia Ji took a deep breath, forcing himself to keep a poker face; having learned his lesson well, he knew he wasn't suited for teaching, so this time he decided on a different approach.

He pulled out an MP3 from his pocket and played a song.

Let me say it again: song has power.

For instance, during morning runs, the first track on the playlist is always "Gonnaflynow"—this morning run anthem will never grow outdated, even in another hundred years.

It doesn't just instantly put you into exercise mode—it creates a psychological suggestion of "50% increased training effect."

For ordinary people, this effect is already extraordinary; for Battle Maidens whose power stems from song, it would amplify their training even further.

And the song he now played was one he believed most suited for Hana Xiang right now—the ultimate battle anthem capable of awakening her peerless talent…

As the stirring melody began, a subtle change occurred.

Thump—thump—

Clear, loud heartbeats echoed from within the girl's body, drumlike; suddenly, a lyric she didn't understand surfaced in her mind, and as naturally as instinct, she had to sing it out.

"Balwisyallnescellgungnirtron—"

Gentle light once again enveloped her body; when the glow faded, the awakened girl stared in shock—her appearance had changed utterly.

"I… my body?"

Looking at the peculiar armor covering her skin, the girl gasped.

"Huh?"

She simply took one step forward—and her figure shot over ten meters away, leaving a deep footprint behind.

So light… and as if she had endless strength; yet compared to the terrifying power she unleashed when she lost control before, now she couldn't even properly use her strength, let alone throw a punch.

"This…?"

The unleashed power was astonishing—Hana Xiang now understood why the two Battle Maidens that day had crushed so many noises like cutting through melons and vegetables.

And… she stared blankly at her wrist encased in gauntlets—was this the power to protect others? She felt that if she kept singing the song rising in her heart, she could unleash even greater strength.

Even a darkened transformation is still a transformation; once you've succeeded once, becoming a Battle Maiden again becomes effortless.

"Xiang, punch."

Jia Ji suddenly spoke from beside her.

Without a single extra thought, merely hearing his request, her body moved automatically.

"I will never let go of this hand we hold!"

As the girl's strange song echoed around her, she launched a storm of punches at the towering figure before her.

"Only HE can create this warmth…"

Chaotic, unstructured, blow after blow, each heavier than the last, hammering him like a pile driver, sending ripples through the air.

Yet every punch, each heavier than a thousand juns, was deflected by Jia Ji's hand as easily as brushing away fallen leaves, while his other hand demonstrated various techniques—as if playing a martial arts tutorial film simultaneously.

"No need for words too hard to speak."

Beneath an insurmountable wall, under the immense pressure Jia Ji imposed…

The girl's fists grew faster, more urgent; Hana Xiang's movements shifted from clumsy to clean and concise, her body and limbs refining bit by bit, her breathing rhythm gradually adjusting.

"This moment's resonance—Braveminds!"

The girl showed no discouragement; punches, kicks, elbow strikes—all came naturally, her speed so great it seemed as if multiple versions of her moved at once.

PLAN B—shift perspective: if she couldn't control her own fists, then why not just endure the opponent's punches? In the process, correct her form—this would still serve as training.

No amount of mental learning is faster than muscle memory; Jia Ji, through this method, silently taught the girl the fundamentals of combat—combo strikes!

"—Try to break through me, Xiang!"

He effortlessly blocked every attack while shouting loudly.

"Yes, Master!"

The girl shouted back with full determination.

For a time, explosive sounds echoed endlessly through the space; the two remained locked in high-speed exchanges, rapid movements clashing—and Hana Xiang evolved at an astonishing pace.

…

This world stood in the 2050s, and the clearest proof of that was—information!

The massive disturbance and commotion Hana Xiang unleashed upon awakening could not possibly go unnoticed by certain people—or rather, by one organization.

"Ding—!"

A machine alert sounded in a hidden underground chamber no one could find, transmitting distant images and sounds here.

"Quickly verify the waveform—no, listen closely, what song is he playing?"

"Zzz… trea…"

"Yes, there—adjust it."

"Treasure Pleasure!"

(End of Chapter)