Chapter 698

The tail flame still spat unwillingly on Lu Ka's arm, yet he could no longer advance even a fraction. His prosthetic limb was firmly caught by Shi Wa Luo, the opponent not even retreating a step.

"The outcome is decided." Swaro's cold voice sounded again.

"... Enough, Lu Ka! Let's stop here!" Xier also urged anxiously from the side.

"... No... no, it's not over yet! I must make you... see..."

"You left a deep impression on me, Lu Ka of Earth Fire." Swaro lowered his head, his crimson gaze sweeping over the youth's face, "I will remember this battle."

"Ha... ha... thank you... but... it's not... not over yet..."

Swaro no longer held back; his final punch directly forced Lu Ka to kneel, unable to rise.

"Lu Ka of Earth Fire, regardless of your motive for coming—I acknowledge your strength. Your performance is worthy of me reassessing the limits of humanity."

In the last moments before consciousness faded, Lu Ka still tried to rise again, but all he heard beside him was his own thumping heartbeat... his vision gradually blurred until everything went black.

"Hey, wake up! Don't collapse, get up quickly! Lu Ka! Hey, Lu Ka——!"

—

Saint Seiya: Hades Myth.

"What are you still waiting for? Arudiba?" Yapherika raised an eyebrow, "Do you think this kid can still get up?"

"It's just a pity; this kid is a fine Saint Seiya seedling, but he didn't appear on Earth, otherwise I would surely try to recruit him..." Arudiba clenched his fists, "This kid's willpower is astonishing; if he could join the Sea Patrol Rangers to temper himself, he might one day become a powerhouse comparable to Ginzu and Botio."

"You mean he should travel the universe for a while?"

"Exactly." Arudiba nodded, "Sometimes a person wants to become strong, and opponents matter. If this kid stayed only in the fighting club, improvement would be hard... but facing a machine behemoth like Swaro feels a bit over the top."

"The point isn't the opponent, but the teacher. Even we don't always meet foes of equal strength." The white sheep's Sion spoke lightly, "Just like Yan Qing of the Astral Express, that youth's swordsmanship is top-notch in Penglai, but without a teacher like Jing Yuan, it wouldn't work. And Jing Yuan's martial arts today also rely on the guidance of Jing Liu when he was young—teacher is the key to Lu Ka's growth."

"Where would we find teachers like Jing Yuan and Jing Liu? Even if he weren't from the Astral Express, even if he were, not everyone there has that fortune—"

Arudiba crossed his arms, displeased, "Unless he's willing to go to the Astral Express to become a disciple. But only the Astral Express can arrange that. Now that Xing is right here, it depends on whether Lu Ka himself has that intention."

—

"Lu Ka... can you hear me?"

"......"

"Hey... hey! Wake up, Lu Ka!"

Lu Ka struggled to open his eyes, rubbed his dazed head, and found himself back in Na Ta Sha's clinic.

"Well, finally awake! You've been out for a whole day, scared us half to death."

Na Ta Sha indicated Lu Ka was fine; Swaro had deliberately not gone all out. But she also repeatedly warned that no matter his intentions, next time he must not do such foolish things.

However, Xier wasn't going to let him off, glaring fiercely at Lu Ka: "... I'm not as easygoing as Na Ta, this can't just pass. While you're at it, hurry up and explain—what wire got crossed earlier?"

"... And your previous victory chant..."

"... The only good thing about you passing out is that we don't have to hear you shout it again..."

Lu Ka tried to deflect: "Haha... being so serious is your style. I said this is my trial plan... cough, cough, cough!"

"... Don't move, you haven't fully recovered. Xier, don't press too hard... Lu Ka needs rest now."

"Thank you, Na Ta—but I've mostly recovered. I... still have something to attend to. Hey..." In the blink of an eye, Lu Ka dashed out of the clinic, leaving only his slightly staggering back.

"Hey, you bastard——"

"... Let him go, Xier."

By now, Xier also sensed Lu Ka was hiding something from her, yet she couldn't bring herself to confront him, feeling uneasy, so she decided to follow him. Na Ta Sha also sensed something odd; she knew Lu Ka occasionally got overly enthusiastic but was never reckless, so she asked Xing to find Oleg and inquire about his situation.

—

Akame ga Kill!

"I'm really curious what he's up to......"

Inside the Night Raid's forest base, Tatsumi sat cross-legged on the grass, earnestly analyzing, "Since he's hiding things from Xier... even from Na Ta Sha, the Earth Fire boss, could he be training some secret technique?"

"Pfft—Tatsumi, are you training so much with Akame that your muscles are squeezing your brain?" Lebark lazily leaned against the tree behind him, "Your ideas are too rigid! Look at his secretive demeanor, darting eyes, half-spoken words... according to my wide reading, this guy is definitely up to something!"

"Up to something? What could Lu Ka possibly be up to?"

Lebark sprang up, putting on a mysterious expression, "If you ask me, he might be a hidden ambitious type, ultimately aiming to replace Na Ta Sha, become the leader of Earth Fire, secretly control the lower districts of Belobog, and split power with Bronya——"

"Shut up, Lebark! Lu Ka is so kind, how could he be a bad guy! You're just seeing villains everywhere from reading too many novels!" Mein walked over from behind, jabbing Lebark's shoulder with her pumpkin-gun barrel, "Don't spout nonsense next time!"

"... Then Mein, what do you think Lu Ka is doing this for?"

Under the gazes of the two, Mein's earlier aura weakened a bit, an unnatural blush rose on her face, her eyes darting elsewhere.

"I think... because... because... Lu Ka... has someone he likes!"

Tatsumi: "?"

Lebark: "?"

"You, you guys think! He's striving so hard to get stronger, surely to protect the one he likes; those weird lines might be his victory slogan agreed upon with his love interest! As for not wanting to admit defeat against Swaro... maybe it's because the one he likes is watching him from afar! That's got to be it!"

"Is... is that right?" Tatsumi blinked in confusion.

"Nonsense, her guess is even more outrageous than mine." Lebark rolled his eyes, looking at the blushing pink-haired girl, "Come on, Mein... are you in love? Or have you read too many romance stories? Could it be... you have a crush yourself?"

As if struck, Mein's face turned even redder.

"You, you... what nonsense are you spouting! Lebark! Do you want to feel the power of my pumpkin?!"

—

"Xing quickly found Oleg and told him all of Lu Ka's recent odd behavior; after hearing Xing's account, Oleg's white brows furrowed together."

"Hmm... hearing you say that, there are indeed many strange things, totally unlike him... I say, don't judge Lu Ka by his clueless appearance; he actually holds a lot in his heart. Have you told him about the origin of that mechanical hand, Xing?"