From the looks of it, Shin was already struggling to hold his ground against Domon Kyouji alone. And his opponent still had several teammates waiting in the wings.
Sure enough, just as Shin was wondering what their next move would be, Sakamoto Kenji joined the fray.
Kenji also possessed a degree of martial arts skill. His Iron Palm technique whistled through the air, each strike seemingly aimed to kill Shin outright.
But Shin could tell that, despite the exoskeleton armor, Kenji's physical prowess was a far cry from Domon Kyouji's. For a warrior like Kyouji, an exoskeleton might boost defense, but it would also severely restrict their movements. For seasoned martial artists, while the armor was useful, it didn't enhance their personal combat effectiveness as much as one might think.
Just as he predicted, when Kenji's fist landed on his back, the damage was significantly less. It lacked the overwhelming, oppressive force of Kyouji's attacks.
At the same time, however, Shin felt a powerful electric current surge through his back. His entire body was instantly paralyzed by the shock.
Shin knew that even if he stood still and let Kenji zap him, it wouldn't cause any critical damage. But this wasn't a one-on-one duel. The others were watching him like vultures.
In a flash, he knew. If he didn't use the reward he'd earned for defeating Lightning Cell, he might never get another chance. If he died here, it would all be for nothing.
His mind raced, and he issued a command to the system: "Claim reward: Super Saiyan 2."
In an instant, an earth-shattering power erupted from his body.
His hair shot upward, turning a brilliant gold, with some strands shimmering with a silver-white glow. Even more bizarrely, a corona of golden lightning began to crackle around him.
This lightning wasn't something Kenji's exoskeleton could generate; it was a physical manifestation of Shin's power aligning with the fundamental laws of this world.
Shin could feel it—after entering the Super Saiyan 2 state, his physical abilities had multiplied several times over. Even a casual blow would now be enough to overwhelm most opponents. If he went all out, his physical attacks would be far more devastating than anything he could manage in his regular Super Saiyan form.
At that moment, the five Reincarnators were utterly stunned.
They knew the protagonist of this world wasn't the man in front of them. How could he just break through his limits in the middle of a fight?
From Super Saiyan to Super Saiyan 2, just like that.
What was even more terrifying was that his Super Saiyan state hadn't even reached its peak.
But they had no time to stand there gawking. Shin's counter-attack had already begun.
Fighting through the paralyzing current, Shin spun around, grabbed Kenji's shoulder, and unleashed a palm strike.
Kenji was sent flying, crashing heavily to the ground. The blackish-green exoskeleton armor seemed to have taken considerable damage, immediately belching thick black smoke.
Kisaragi Rei and Domon Kyouji certainly weren't going to stand by and watch. They knew that even though Kenji was down, the fight wasn't over. Shin was in his Super Saiyan 2 state now, but they couldn't just give up.
Besides, even if they wanted to retreat, would Shin be so forgiving as to just let them walk away? They had just been beating him down, fully intending to kill him.
It was only because of Shin's last-minute breakthrough that he had escaped their encirclement. Now that he had the chance, he was definitely going to strike back.
Letting someone beat you senseless and just walking away was not in Shin's nature.
More importantly, he wanted something from these Reincarnators—information, or perhaps a way out. He wanted to escape this world and return to the Reincarnation Space, or even back to Earth.
The Main God had to have that kind of power.
Whether it was possible or not, no one could say for sure. But capturing these Reincarnators would definitely yield some answers. At the very least, he could fleece them for what they were worth and pick up a few new combat tricks.
Those strange items of theirs were incredibly effective. Their coordinated assault had nearly been the end of him. If not for his sudden breakthrough, he would have met his end right there.
It had been less than ten minutes since the fight started. If you counted from the moment they gained the upper hand, it was probably less than three minutes.
In just three short minutes, they had almost killed him.
That fact alone was enough to genuinely startle Shin. And this wasn't even all five of them fighting together. Only three had been directly involved. The other two—one injured and one support member controlling equipment—had stayed out of it.
As the three fought in the sky, Sakamoto Kenji injected himself with a shot of adrenaline on the ground, stabilizing his condition.
Yoshida Haru quickly appeared at his side, taking a medical kit from a small ring on his finger and pressing a red button. The kit instantly unfolded into something the size of a stretcher with a small cabinet attached.
Haru swiftly pulled out a variety of medical supplies, placed Kenji on the stretcher, and began to treat his wounds.
At that moment, Domon Kyouji renewed his assault on Shin. But Kyouji's attack power was truly immense.
Even with Shin in his Super Saiyan 2 state, when he met Kyouji's punch head-on, he still coughed up a mouthful of blood. Kyouji, on the other hand, only looked slightly flushed.
Just then, Kisaragi Rei let out a piercing shriek.
Shin felt a violent tremor deep within his organs. He spat out another mouthful of blood, feeling no signs of recovery. Instead, the pain in his insides intensified.
Shin coughed up several more mouthfuls of blood, his body swaying as he struggled to stabilize himself in mid-air, on the verge of collapsing.
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