Chapter 397

Banggu surged forward, then leapt high, his feet slamming into the ground with explosive force—the earth shattered beneath him as he shot toward the arena like an arrow released from a bow.

Haojie gazed at Banggu, who had now reached the arena, and felt a hint of disappointment.

"What's this? Just an old man?"

Banggu, with his hands clasped behind his back and his posture hunched, chuckled: "Hehehe, don't underestimate the elderly."

First match.

The Martial Arts Eccentric Haojie versus the Martial Arts Master Banggu!

Both men stomped the ground; the iron-hard surface cracked slightly. Two figures, large and small, dashed toward each other at astonishing speed under ninefold gravity, as if unaffected at all.

Haojie punched forward, his fist wrapped in a gale of force.

Banggu's hands traced the flow of water through the air; Haojie's devastating punch crashed straight into the ground. Banggu leapt upward, delivering a high kick squarely to Haojie's chin, sending the giant's massive frame reeling backward several steps.

"Is this the famed Flowing Rock Shattering Fist?"

Haojie twisted his neck, his multiple pairs of eyes fixing on Banggu, who held the stance of the Flowing Rock Shattering Fist.

"Clever technique—but isn't that meant for humans? To me, it's like scratching an itch—your attacks don't even sting."

Haojie spread his arms wide, muscles bulging with immense force, his already colossal frame growing even more massive, as a suffocating, terrifying aura erupted from him.

Banggu couldn't help but narrow his eyes.

47, violated the rules, die!

Watching the two figures—large and small—flickering and clashing on the arena, the heroes' expressions grew tense.

"To fight Banggu to this extent… that monster's strength cannot be underestimated."

"Indeed, he's strong."

"Banggu's martial arts work wonders against humans, but seem far less effective against monsters."

"Who will win?"

……

Boom!

One figure was blasted flying.

Everyone stared— it was Banggu.

He had been pushed to the edge of the arena.

"No good—if you fall off, you lose."

Atomic Samurai's eyes widened.

The other heroes also fixed their gazes on that spot.

Metal Bat clenched his bat, gritting his teeth: "Are we just standing here, powerless to do anything? Damn it!"

Genos gazed at the silver-haired boy in the sky, his brow furrowed tightly.

He was becoming increasingly unable to understand this Luo En.

Is he friend or foe?

The bald demon king Gyuki, with his dead-fish eyes, watched the arena with keen interest.

"So this is martial arts."

Tornado, arms crossed beside Snow White, smirked at the scene on the arena: "Banggu's supposed to be the third-ranked S-Class hero—how pathetically weak. That guy should've been crushed in three hits."

"Sister…"

Snow White gave a faint, bitter smile—even she could feel the immense power of this monster named Haojie. Undoubtedly a Dragon-class threat capable of destroying multiple cities alone, and even among Dragon-class monsters, he was a strong one.

Normally, such a monster would require several S-Class heroes to defeat together—but now…

Her beautiful eyes turned to the silver-haired boy in the sky.

If it's his decision, he must have his own reasons.

…………

Meanwhile.

The battle here was broadcast live via television to every corner of the world.

On giant screens in every city, the fight's imagery appeared.

"Oh? An arena?"

Wolf, hunting heroes in City Z, saw the floating arena and the combatants on screen, his eyes widening slightly: "That's… Master? Master Banggu is fighting a monster on the arena?"

A grin of excitement slowly spread across Wolf's face.

"Hero versus monster, one-on-one in an arena match—how perfectly fair!"

"This is the true battle of justice versus evil!"

"Fascinating!!"

Wolf immediately headed toward that direction.

…………

Masked Sweetheart, the top A-Class hero, upon seeing this, contacted the Hero Association, learned that broadcasting this footage was not part of their plan but a decision made solely by the TV station—something even they couldn't interfere with—and crushed his communicator in his hand.

He stared at the screen, where the silver-fanged hero was being overwhelmed by the monster, veins bulging on his forehead.

"A proper media outlet's most important duty is to portray heroes as powerful and magnificent—how dare they broadcast the heroes' humiliation to the public? Those damned TV people…"

"Silver Fang, an S-Class hero, can't even cleanly defeat a monster? He's clearly getting old."

"No choice…"

Masked Sweetheart swept his hair back, put on sunglasses, and drove off in a supercar toward the uninhabited zone of City Z.

………………

Sonic, who had just finished training and come to the city searching for the man who had once defeated him, also saw the scene being broadcast on the screen.

He had no interest in the battle between the hero and the monster.

But the silver-haired figure that flashed across the screen made his eyes widen.

"That was…"

Though its appearance and build were different, that familiar feeling made Sonic instinctively think of one person.

The man who had defeated him effortlessly!

"No mistake! I've finally found you! Master of the Sword—wait for me! I, Sonic the Hedgehog, am coming to seek my revenge!"

Sonic's form flickered and vanished from the street.

…………

KING also saw the image on the TV, but unlike others, he glanced at it twice, then looked away and returned to playing his game.

His hero communicator lay discarded nearby, beeping steadily.

"With Luo En around, those monsters will be dealt with soon enough. If I went, I'd only be a burden. Better to pretend I didn't hear it."

…………

On the arena.

"It's over!"

The hero brought down a devastating downward slash toward Bangu, who had been backed into a corner.

Rolling air currents surged apart to either side.

With this blow, even a small mountain could be split open.

At that moment.

Bangu trembled all over, his clothes bursting open to reveal the hardened, scarred muscles forged through countless trials; his full aura as a martial arts master erupted forth.

"Awakened Breathing Technique!"

His eyes glowed with Bai Guang as he raised both arms, which moved like flowing water and slithering snakes, striking forward repeatedly—each punch sending out waves of air.

Boom boom boom boom boom boom—

Hundreds of exquisitely precise punches struck the leg of Haojie as it came crashing down, each impact deflecting force, successfully causing Haojie's blow to land on empty air beside him.

"Flowing Rock Shattering Fist!"

With a roar from Bangu, a powerful knee strike slammed into Haojie's chin, leaving it momentarily stunned.

Immediately after, Bangu channeled his entire fist power into flowing energy, wrapping around Haojie's massive body, using its own force to neutralize it.

Before the wide-eyed gazes of the heroes and monsters alike, he hurled it clean off the arena.

Thud.

Haojie's massive body crashed onto the ground, leaving a deep crater in the earth.