Chapter 127: Try a Little Harder, Will You?
Saiyu was well aware of how terrifying Haze was.
Why did he ever think he could defeat him…?
A year ago, the Twelve Zodiac Signs were invited to Hero Island, and during that time, King Freecss had evaluated Haze's strength.
It was roughly equivalent to Ginta's (the Goat) among them.
But among all twelve Zodiac members, who would dare to claim they could defeat Haze with 100% certainty… in terms of sheer physical power?
Perhaps only Chenlong (the Dragon) Botebai.
Of course, King Freecss had been referring to them ... not to himself.
Back then, after witnessing the real-world game Haze had created, that statement gained credibility.
Aside from brute strength, from an overall perspective, no one could truly defeat Haze.
Not even King Freecss himself could guarantee victory against him…
Because many factors influence a battle: environment, strategy, intellect, and more.
Haze might be slightly weaker in raw strength, but his cunning was unfathomable.
Moreover, he knew the Zodiac members extremely well ...
including Shenhou (Monkey) Saiyu.
Byon had once said that among the twelve signs under the Chairman, only the Rat and the Boar were truly worth paying attention to.
That indirectly indicated that the King's ability far surpassed theirs ... and that both the King and Pariston viewed Haze as a threat.
Furthermore, Haze knew his own true strength, which further confirmed Saiyu's earlier warnings.
Therefore, according to the King's assessment of Haze, even if Haze were stronger, he wouldn't surpass Chenlong's level ... at most, he could contain him.
Now, they just needed to wait for Byon's allies to act.
That was Saiyu's true thought ... logical, well-reasoned, and well-prepared.
King Freecss had deduced that Haze's Nen ability was related to games…
but it had likely undergone some modification.
"...What are you waiting for? Attack already!" Haze shouted, his eyes gleaming with anticipation.
This made Saiyu extremely uneasy.
From what he knew, Haze wasn't like this ... he was usually cold and dominant.
Why was he being urged to attack first?
Why wasn't Haze making the first move?
"Trying to use stillness to control motion?" Saiyu frowned.
Without another thought, he braced his mind and dove headfirst into the battle before him.
Swish!
He and the three Nian Monkeys lunged toward Haze.
Haze responded by taking a single step forward.
That simple motion made Saiyu ... who was charging straight ahead ... change direction instantly, thinking a counterattack was coming.
His entire body became a blur, bouncing off the ground and disappearing among the trees, impossible to track.
When Haze took another step, Saiyu reacted as if facing a deadly foe, retreating into the surrounding forest and zigzagging between tree trunks at extreme speed.
"Don't be so tense…" Haze murmured, expression twisting.
It was as if he had expected Saiyu to go all out ... but was disappointed instead.
Clap clap clap!
The rapid movement of Saiyu's steps echoed across the battlefield, his figure invisible to the naked eye.
A white breath escaped Haze's lips as he performed a breathing technique.
Meanwhile, Saiyu darted between trees, intending to use his incredible speed to pressure Haze into revealing a weakness ...
but in the blink of an eye, Haze vanished.
Almost instantly, Saiyu's neck hair stood on end as he felt hot breath on his nape.
He was still mid-air when a face appeared over his shoulder.
"Let's begin. Since it's a fight… there's no need for warm-ups. You should know I won't give you much data to analyze,"
Haze's cold voice whispered into his ear.
Saiyu's pupils shrank. His staff spun in his hand, ready to strike.
Haze hadn't even moved closer ... yet his reaction speed was terrifying.
But the instant Saiyu twisted his waist to attack, his raised arm trembled ...
and five deep, bloody gashes suddenly appeared across his chest, from neck to abdomen, nearly a meter long.
Blood splattered, clouding his vision.
Saiyu plummeted from the air, disbelief etched on his face.
Above, Haze stood upon a tree branch, his five right-hand fingers dripping with blood, his face filled with disappointment.
"Is that… all you've got?"
Haze's voice was cold and cutting.
Saiyu's mind went blank.
His Nen defenses had been torn apart effortlessly.
That sheer power ... the force behind those fingers…
He had only felt such pressure once before ... when fighting the Guild Master!
Ging's assessment had been wrong.
Haze was definitely not comparable to Gin!
Perhaps Ging wasn't mistaken back then ... but nearly a year had passed, and Haze's strength had grown again, to an unbelievable level ... beyond reason.
"Stop holding back. Use all your cards… or you'll die,"
Haze said, still perched on the tree, his tone urgent rather than mocking.
He didn't strike while Saiyu was vulnerable.
In such a lethal battle, any opening after a powerful blow would normally be exploited immediately ...
yet Haze didn't.
This made Saiyu realize that Haze didn't just want to kill him ...
he wanted something else.
"He's experimenting on me…"
The thought flashed through Saiyu's mind, and a surge of shame and anger filled his chest.
"Ah!" he growled, inner energy flaring violently.
"Yes, yes, yes… that's it ... stronger, stronger!"
Haze's eyes lit up, his voice rising with excitement.
In an instant, dust exploded where Saiyu had been, and he vanished.
Three flashes of light appeared from different directions, closing in on Haze from all sides at lightning speed ...
the three Mind Monkeys, whose positions Saiyu had carefully concealed, now launching a surprise attack.
But when they got within five meters, Haze simply snapped his fingers twice.
Sharp bursts of light, like blades, tore through the air, slicing the Mental Monkeys apart in an instant.
They exploded into fragments ... dead instantly.
The other two clones barely managed to dodge.
Saiyu seized the opportunity, his staff swelling in size as he slammed it against Haze's left cheek, knocking his head slightly aside.
His weapon was special ... it could change length and size at will, much like the Ruyi Ginggu Bang (Golden Staff) Haze was familiar with.
The transformation from short to long was nearly instantaneous.
It allowed him to strike from afar ... an attack that ignored distance.
Yet before Saiyu could celebrate, his grip tightened involuntarily, his face twisting in horror.
Crack…
He clenched harder, but the staff trembled, emitting strange noises.
In front of him, Haze's tilted head slowly returned to its original position against the force of the blow ...
bending the staff itself.
The most terrifying part ...
the strike had landed directly on his head, a vital point…
but Haze appeared completely unharmed.
"That's good… but… not enough.
I still don't feel threatened."
Haze stared at Saiyu's shocked expression, took hold of the weapon, and said each word slowly and clearly:
"Could you… try a little harder?"
"What?!"
At that moment, Saiyu felt a chill run down his spine as he looked into Haze's face.
He realized he wasn't facing a man…
but something else ...
a creature wearing a human disguise.
(End of Chapter)