Chapter 303: Strange New World, the Jerusalem of the 2D Realm?

Luode thought this place was extremely bizarre; this world seemed to have a strange feeling, and the art style was really weird!

Among the worlds he was familiar with, there indeed were ones with modern backgrounds, modern transportation, and some worlds with magical creatures.

For example, the world of Pokémon, those little spirit pets, are a kind of very magical creature.

But the monsters running on these grasslands, plus that huge, toad-like creature, and black scorpions the size of wild wolves.

Also there were gigantic rhinos wrapped in lightning; these were obviously not the little spirit pets he knew.

After all, I've played Pokémon too; how could I not know the little spirit pets? If they appeared, Luode could recognize them at a glance.

Who didn't like Gigalith, Gyarados, Charizard, Blastoise, and Squirtle as kids? And if it were a Pokémon world, there would surely be magnetic levitation trains, and Poké Balls should exist too! Yet on passing vehicles and pedestrians, Luode saw no Poké Balls or anything like them.

So the Pokémon world can be ruled out.

There's also a world that blends modern civilization with these monsters—that's the famous Dragon Ball universe.

In the Dragon Ball world, Earth is quite dangerous, with dinosaur monsters everywhere, and the Dragon Ball world has a very obvious feature.

That is, there are many humanoid beasts, like animals that have cultivated into spirits; Luode flew into the sky and observed carefully, but found none of such things.

In the vehicles driving around, the occupants were all normal humans, with no monsters or demons appearing.

Moreover, Luode's Observation Haki also didn't detect any dinosaur-like creatures; the monsters running on these grasslands and in the forests didn't match Dragon Ball's style.

So Luode also passed on the Dragon Ball world.

Now he could only ask someone to find out what place this was.

Thinking this, Luode went onto the road, took out a set of modern casual clothes from his space and changed into them, then arrived at a place resembling a gas station.

Here there was a group of two men and two women planning to hitch a ride, and the two girls cosplaying were loudly calling out.

Together they made a strange cheering gesture, waving for cars by the roadside.

"Come on, come on, we can definitely do it; we'll surely catch a ride." The two girls clapped each other's hands, then hopped and jumped on the road.

Beside them was a black man about two meters tall, and a blond youth about 1.7 meters tall who looked rather slender.

When they saw Luode, they merely nodded slightly, then turned their heads away.

"Are you guys cosplaying? Is there a comic expo nearby? Your costumes are pretty spot-on; you're dressed as Cloud, right?"

"You two girls, one is Tifa, the other is Aerith!"

"But this female cosplayer, your figure is a bit off; little girl, if you're cosplaying Tifa, at least pad your chest—if it's not big enough, stuff something in."

"Coming out with such a small chest to cosplay Tifa is really embarrassing; your cosplay isn't even close." Luode stroked his chin and gave this quartet a critique.

"Are you kidding? Cosplaying the 3D zone goddess of the 2D world, the indispensable Jerusalem of the 2D realm, and you've got such a tiny chest? Tifa became famous overnight relying on that unparalleled asset; this girl looks like a D-cup, but still falls short of my ideal goddess."

"And the girl playing Aerith is as skinny as a reed, flat-chested and flat-backed, not even as good as the cosplayers I saw at the expo earlier!" As soon as he finished, the two girls turned heads in surprise. The blond youth then placed his hand on his sword hilt.

The black muscular man also glared at Luode with ferocity, having two massive machine guns strapped to his hands, which he raised and aimed at Luode.

"Damn, are you a lackey sent by Shinra? You actually know our true identities." The black muscular man spoke first.

"Who are you? How do you know our names?"

"And what do you mean by 'coser'? Besides, you just spoke rudely, and I've always been this size—you're really hateful!" The petite girl in Tifa's signature suspender uniform said, thoroughly dissatisfied.

"Are you serious? You said weird things the moment we met, and worst of all, you said I'm small there."

"With your figure, you'd be better off not doing expo cosplay; cosplaying Tifa etc. doesn't suit you—pick another role. And as for the Aerith cosplayer, your build is too flat, and you're too short—completely lacking any feel."

"However, the blond guy cosplaying Cloud over there is not bad—his golden messy hair and his gloomy gaze are quite nice."

"Most importantly, that height of about 1.7 meters is truly Cloud's soul!" Luode gave his critique again.

"Hey hey hey, this strange old man, as soon as you appear you spout weird words.

"Really infuriating words—what do you mean by saying that? I am Aerith, after all."

"And what exactly does 'coser' mean? What are you saying? I don't understand." The girl dressed as Aerith spoke, face full of anger.

"This guy, as soon as he appeared, started spouting weird talk, and why does he know our people? 'Let's attack him directly—he must be a Shinra lackey!' The Cloud cosplayer snorted, gripped his Buster Sword, and flashed forward at Luode. Luode snorted, his eyes turned into Rinnegan, raised his hand, and released a minor Shinra Heavenly Strike."

The blond Cloud cosplayer flew out at invisible speed, hit the nearby iron railing, rebounded backward, and rolled several meters.

"I damn well hate guys who are better-looking than me and act all effeminate."

"'Cloud! Damn it, catch this! Downward kick!'" Seeing his companion fly backward.

The Tifa cosplayer immediately rushed forward, lifted her leg, and unleashed a burst of hard wind, kicking at Luode's head.

"That kicking technique isn't like an ordinary person's! But for such flashy punches and showy kicks, Luode couldn't even be bothered to dodge."

He let the girl's short legs strike his head hard, producing a metallic clang.

"What the hell, what's your head made of? Damn, it hurts!" The Tifa cosplayer clutched her shin, writhing in pain on the ground.

"Are you kidding? I just felt my kick hit a steel plate; my whole leg went numb."

"Perfect, I'll also test this world's fighting power—bring it on!" Luode said to them, the four curling their fingers and showing a faint smile.

"'High-speed serial slash! Rapid fire!'" The black muscular man and the blond youth who had just gotten up from the ground launched another attack on Luode.

"'Still a Shinra Heavenly Strike!'" The two were flung backward again, even the bullets fired at them flew backward.

"Just kidding, my Shinra Heavenly Strike has no cooldown—feel free to keep coming."

"Damn, it hurts so much—what the hell is this guy, what kind of monster is he?"

"Hey! Did he just say the two words 'Shinra'?"

"It probably has nothing to do with the Shinra company; it's likely just the name of his move." Cloud, holding his Buster Sword, struggled to his feet and spoke.

"So strong! This guy's power is really strong—even stronger than that Sephiroth guy. When they faced Sephiroth last time, they never felt this hopeless."

"'Explosive Palm, Aerial Spin Kick!'" The Tifa cosplayer rushed again, striking Luode's chest with a palm, then a whirlwind kick.

Once again she hurt herself; for pretty girls, Luode shows leniency and generally doesn't deal a killing blow.

So he didn't unleash Shinra Heavenly Strike, but those two big guys weren't so lucky—after taking two Shinra Heavenly Strikes, they lay on the ground unable to get up.

"Who... who exactly are you? What do you want?" Aerith's face looked grim as she looked at Luode and asked.

"She's not good at close combat, so she kept casting spells just now, but her magic had no effect on this guy at all."

This guy is very strong; it's completely not something our people can defeat.

"Don't say that, but you were the ones who struck first; I merely made a comment about your outfits. It was you who moved first." Luode shook his head and said.

Things are a bit off, huh? No way? No way? Could it be that I've come to the big boss of the 3D Zone, the legendary turf of Jerusalem?

So these four people are really Ailis, Tifa, Claude, and Barret?

Geez, ruining my childhood! Tifa isn't that small, but if it's in this world, how should I put it?

My combat power is completely overwhelming, but I also gained something.

The only consolation prize is getting to see the childhood goddess who isn't all that impressive, huh?

"You, you're not a Shenluo person, are you?" Tifa widened her eyes and asked.

Then, somewhat speechless, I looked at Barret and Claude lying on the ground; these two guys had already passed out.

Are you mistaken? You two big guys are so unable to take a hit?

Claude, Barret: He went easy on you, but not on us!

"Sir, is this a misunderstanding? We initially thought you were a Shenluo person!" Ailis said apologetically, there's nothing we can do, we totally can't beat you!

"Oh, it's a misunderstanding! If you'd said so earlier, it would've been fine; why insist on fighting me? Look, you're lying on the ground now, aren't you?" Luode's mouth curled into a slight smile as he spoke.

I can finally have some fun! If I'm not mistaken, the world of Final Fantasy VII, this planet is also conscious. (End of chapter)