Chapter 255: Amusement Park Nightmare (24)

"Resonance?!" Xin Ba Ji was shocked.

"A Yin, you don't actually want to fight it, A Lu?" Shenle blinked his eyes.

"Huh? Who would fight a cloud of smoke!" Yin Sang rolled his eyes, "Besides, if we really have to fight, I'd definitely let the brain‑made‑of‑muscle True Selection Squad go first."

"Aren't you completely cowardly!?" Shin Hachi sighed, "You guy, you can't possibly admire a villain like Floating Smoke, can you?"

"Admire a ghost. I just think that compared to boring conspiracies, this straightforward lunatic is actually more reassuring."

"Oh! I get it!" Shenle said with a grin, "A Yin just likes this single‑minded fool A Lu!"

"Shut up! Go eat your vinegar kelp!"

——

"With the aid of these ghostly flames, Floating Smoke's confidence in confronting the crowd increased. It reignited the battle, fighting Xing and the others until a stalemate was reached."

"Huo Huo was concerned about Floating Smoke's near‑endless recovery, and Weiba said lightly, 'Rest assured, although Suiyang has no physical form, it can still be overcome by material things; Floating Smoke is merely holding on.'"

"Once it believes it has lost on the mental level, even the mightiest Suiyang would find it hard to coalesce like this."

"And at present, the only one who can make it feel mentally defeated is the General."

"Just as they spoke, Jing Yuan strolled leisurely into Sui Garden."

"About to engage in the battle he had long anticipated, Floating Smoke suddenly became excited: 'You finally came, General of Luo Fu. Finally willing to face me?'"

"Jing Yuan kept his word, not backing down, and kindly warned before the fight: 'However, as I said before, Liaoyuan and Tengxiao were evenly matched at that time. But for you, Floating Smoke, this chess‑like battle has never been fair from the start—my strength completely surpasses yours.'"

"Observing the rules and being evenly matched are merely illusions that players often have, so let me teach you the endgame."

"Accompanied by a snarling laugh from Floating Smoke, the Mingcha Boy it possessed suddenly expanded countless times, becoming a mountain range towering into the clouds. Floating Smoke wore a confident smile, and its shadow completely enveloped Jing Yuan."

——

Still Gintama.

"Hey hey... this is absurd!" Gintoki widened his eyes, "Suddenly becoming higher than a Kabukicho bill—what the heck is this!?"

"Shin Hachi's glasses reflected wildly, his voice trembling: 'This... this is no longer a duel between warriors, is it?! It's basically a monster movie!'"

"In the celestial canopy, Jing Yuan's figure appeared as tiny as an ant beneath Floating Smoke's massive shadow, yet a carefree smile still lingered at the corner of his mouth."

"Yin Sang fell silent for two seconds, dug his ear, and said, 'But... this blindfolded General reminds me of some idiot.'"

"Eh? Who?" Shin Hachi asked, puzzled.

"It's that guy... who laughs 'ah ha ha' all day, but when he gets serious he's scarier than anyone—Natural Curl."

"You mean Mr. Sakamoto?" Shin Hachi exclaimed, "No, right? General Jing Yuan is clearly more steady... wait, Yin Sang, you aren't secretly referring to yourself, are you?!"

"Huh?! Who would compare themselves to a guy like Sakamoto! When I'm nervous, I actually run away properly!"

"Shenle suddenly pulled out vinegar kelp as a telescope and observed, 'But A Yin, when you fought the Night King last time, didn't you...'"

"Shut up! How can that be the same? That was to preserve the JUMP serialization!"

——

"Human contests are meaningless to me; we have our own rules."

"The enlarged Floating Smoke extended a finger, intending to crush the seemingly infinitesimal Jing Yuan as one would crush an ant."

"The moment the fingertip pressed down, bursts of golden thunder erupted from the swirling dust, and the Divine Lord's massive palm firmly caught Floating Smoke's strike. The thunder, together with the Divine Lord's colossal body, expanded rapidly, like a towering divine image, raising the spear of thunder toward it."

"Originally robust Floating Smoke now, under the Divine Lord's blade, was merely a struggling wisp; aside from shock and bewilderment, it could do nothing else."

"Floating Smoke closed its eyes; faced with the Divine Lord's mountain‑splitting slash, it could only instinctively block with both hands, yet what it finally received was not a blade but a light tap on its forehead and Jing Yuan's casual voice."

"General."

——

One Punch Man.

"Jenos's mechanical pupils narrowed slightly, his core processor emitting a faint hum from overanalysis. The pressure of the Divine Lord's slash instantly emptied his mind... his eyes were filled only with a dazzling golden thunder."

— Death.

It was the only thought remaining in his mind.

(The despair that only a serious punch from the teacher could give me... can it now be transmitted through the celestial canopy?)

(It seems the threat level of the emissary needs to be reassessed.)

"Teacher..." he turned to Qi Yu, who was digging his ear, his voice unusually trembling, "Did you see the power of that slash?"

Qi Yu yawned, "Huh? Oh... it's quite big. If it were on Earth, it could probably kill a lot of weirdos, right?"

"Teacher! Please take the emissary‑level combat power seriously!" Jenos raised his voice unusually, "For a strong one of this tier, if in the future—"

"Jenos," Qi Yu patted his disciple's shoulder, "You're overanalyzing again. Those scenarios are only the path a destructive emissary would take."

"Moreover, given Jing Yuan's temperament, worrying about what to eat the next day might trouble him more than dealing with an opponent of Floating Smoke's caliber."

"I see, diet is also one of many considerations..."

When Teacher Qi Yu returned to the living room, Jenos pulled up the data panel and secretly performed another update:

【Common Traits of the Strongest—Additional Observation Items】

1. Maintain composure in battle (Qi Yu: 100%; General Jing Yuan: 100%)

2. Daily dietary preferences (General Jing Yuan: Lin Yuan Spring and White Cloud Pastry, Immortal Happy Tea; Qi Yu: premium beef hot pot)