Chapter 440: Aizen vs. Shengzhu

"Isn't it said that fighting is strictly forbidden?"

Young Ying Zheng asked with a puzzled expression.

He would not let go of any opportunity to come into contact with information about the Samsara Game.

Terumi Mei explained: "Under normal circumstances, players cannot fight in Safe Zones like Game Town, but the Arena is a place specifically designed for players to slaughter each other and resolve conflicts."

Is that so? Young Ying Zheng watched Laipishe and Whitebeard disappear, lost in thought.

So it turns out every world is the same, possessing rules as ubiquitous as iron chains, which to a certain extent protect the weaker side.

It is just like the states of the 【Warring States World】, bound by morality, blood ties, and all sorts of complex yet intangible things, unable to easily invade weaker nations.

Nobles are bound by certain shackles, unable to openly slaughter slaves and commoners.

Unless one can possess the power to truly break free from those shackles.

And as for himself right now, his body is bound by many invisible chains: there is Lao Ai, there is Lv Buwei, there are the ministers of the court, there are slaves, there are palace maids... What he must do is, like a spider, peel away the silk and cocoon, and twist apart every single chain.

Battle formations, Dao arts, Yin-Yang, Magic...

Everything is fine, everything is irrelevant; his ultimate goal is to sweep away everything before him.

【Shengzhu has sent you an Arena Duel request. Do you accept?】

Just as Aizen expected, Shengzhu, whose arrogance was visible to the naked eye, had been ignored, and after seeing the conflict between Whitebeard and Laipishe, he stared straight at Aizen.

Humans, Hollows, Soul Reapers, Quincy...

Including the wisdom demons he met for the first time, as long as there are bonds, one cannot control one's emotions; this is also the tragic aspect of life.

Tsunade frowned deeply and said: "Shengzhu's strength is such that even for me, winning would not be easy."

The implication of her words was to let Aizen refuse.

After all, even if the Konoha Mobile Unit and the Shadow Organization were not on good terms, everyone was a player from Konoha Village.

"It doesn't matter."

Losing an Arena Duel only results in the deduction of Reward Points; it will not cost one's life.

Aizen smiled gently and added: "Just treat it as testing Shengzhu's strength."

A player like Shengzhu, whether joining a player faction or acting as a lone wolf, could rise rapidly.

If one could test the opponent's strength by losing a few Reward Points, it was indeed a good deal.

"Is that so?"

Tsunade was noncommittal and did not continue to try to stop him.

To tell the truth, until now she had not seen the slightest flaw in Aizen, and the Will of Fire burning within him far surpassed that of most native Konoha people.

But she always felt something was not quite right...

【Arena opened. This random Arena map: First Floor of Flame Hell.】

The cracked, pitch-black earth had scorching magma flowing through its fissures.

The entire forest was covered in flames.

The thick tree trunks, hundreds of meters high, were like crystalline red, emitting high temperatures, and even the canopy at the top was red, burning fiercely.

Just after being teleported in, Shengzhu felt an abundant amount of Flame Power.

"It seems that even the world is favoring me?"

Shengzhu lowered his body provocatively, spread his dragon claws, and frantically gathered the thick Flame Power from all around.

The scorching temperature alone would have already baked a low-level player dry.

Aizen, wearing a white Haori, seemed to shed some kind of disguise; his gentle expression gradually faded, and his eyes were as cold as moonlight.

Konoha Moonlight.

From beginning to end, the moon had no light of its own; it merely borrowed the sun's light to disguise itself.

The true moon is dead, cold, and no life can survive there.

"Although I am unwilling to shatter the illusions of life, as a senior who understands the Arena rules slightly better than you, I must offer a reminder."

Aizen's palm landed on the scabbard at his waist, his thumb gently pushing out a section of the Blade.

Crack!

A sound like a mirror shattering echoed throughout the entire Arena.

Shengzhu laughed disdainfully, pointing at him: "The battle hasn't even started, and your weapon has already been baked to pieces by the high temperature? What a feeble human!"

A demon needs no weapons; he himself is the most powerful weapon.

It wasn't that he hadn't considered that this was one of Aizen's tricks, but so what? A great demon, a king who rules the world, a primordial creature that appeared when the world was born, could not possibly be defeated by a mere human! Especially since the aura Aizen emitted was not strong; it was so weak that it posed no threat to him at all.

"What I wanted to say is..."

Aizen stood where he was, explaining the Arena rules to Shengzhu in a calm voice. However, Shengzhu suddenly felt a blur before his eyes, and by the time he reacted, he had not discovered anything amiss.

Aizen was still standing in the same spot, not even having moved his feet.

But the voice came from behind him.

"The Arena judges based on the comprehensive strength of both fighting players, and the environment favors the weaker player."

"So, it is not that you are lucky, but that you are too weak."

Pfft.

His back was suddenly torn open, and blood gushed out.

The ant-like human before his eyes, his figure gradually disappeared as if blown away by the wind.

Shengzhu endured the pain, quickly sprinted forward two steps to create distance, and turned his head to look at Aizen, who had inexplicably appeared behind him.

"Is this... teleportation?"

Shengzhu scratched his injured back, looking at the blood all over the ground, and a look of astonishment flashed through his tyrannical dragon eyes.

Could his own perception be wrong?

He clearly sensed that given the opponent's strength, even if he stood still and let the opponent strike him, it would be impossible to break his defense.

Although he was a Demon Sorcerer and his shell was not as thick as Dikuai's, he was still a genuine demon; if an ordinary human swung a weapon at him, their arms would be shattered by the recoil.

"Apologies, although some Shinigami would do that, it has nothing to do with me; I do not have the habit of explaining my abilities to enemies."

Shatter, Kyoka Suigetsu!

Watching Aizen walk slowly toward him, Shengzhu felt as if he were facing a formidable enemy, barely managing to think that it was his own negligence that allowed the opponent to ambush him.

His scarlet eyes stared fixedly at the moving Aizen; as long as the opponent disappeared... he would...

Pfft.

The narrow Blade pierced through Shengzhu's chest.

Aizen's voice sounded from behind: "Do not completely trust what your eyes see; sometimes, eyes can also lie."

How is this possible?! Shengzhu's eyes widened; his gaze had not shifted for even a second, and even if it were Magic of instantaneous movement, there should have been spatial fluctuations.

He was the great Fire Demon, yet now he was being fooled by the opponent like an ordinary person.

"No, despicable ant, it is impossible for me to lose to you!"

Shengzhu's entire body ignited with raging flames, which enveloped his massive frame like a protective shield.

"Worried about me getting close, so you released an area-of-effect skill?"

Aizen nodded slightly and acknowledged: "Not a bad idea; worthy of a demon capable of ruling the world, but it is still not enough..."

"Arrogant!"

Shengzhu's massive figure was reflected within the flames, emitting bursts of cold laughter.

He admitted that he had been injured due to underestimating the enemy.

However, if a human ant with strange abilities could only rely on Weirdness to launch sneak attacks, then this battle should end now.

His entire body was covered in Demon Blaze; if Aizen still wanted to strike, he would only be vaporized into ash by the high temperature.

"Indeed, if it were the Aizen of the past, he would be unable to penetrate the Demon Blaze to wound you."

Aizen remained in that nonchalant manner, stepping forward one pace.

"I am different from most players; I have not Reinforced any game skills. Since becoming a player, I have only done one thing."

"Trying every possible way to raise my spirit attribute."

Aizen was all smiles and did not mind the battle time being drawn out.

Sometimes, revealing the truth to a beast trapped in a cage is also an interesting thing.

"So, at what point did you get the illusion that you had already released Demon Blaze to surround yourself?"

Pfft! The Demon Blaze that was burning fiercely around Shengzhu, distorting and vaporizing the air, suddenly extinguished in the next second.

Not even a trace of temperature remained.

It did not look like the skill had been interrupted;

Instead, it was as if Shengzhu had never released the skill from the very beginning, standing nakedly on the spot, waiting for Aizen to strike him.

【Arena Winner: Aizen】

Reward: 50,000 Reward Point.

Notification: The winner's reward is paid by the loser; if Reward Point are insufficient, valuable game items will be automatically deducted.

(End of this chapter)