The monster froze.
Michael froze too.
They stared at each other in silence.
Michael glanced around the cave, then looked back at the ape.
"…No wonder this place looked like a dwelling. You must have been away for so long that your traces had long since washed off. Or is this just one of your hideouts?"
Michael activated Detect.
[Ironback Mountain Ape]
[Grade: Extraordinary ★★★]
[Rank: 4]
[Level: 85]
Michael raised an eyebrow.
"Oh?"
The ape's eyes immediately turned bloodshot.
ROOOAR!
It threw away the prey in its hand and rushed forward, its massive fist smashing toward Michael like a falling boulder.
Michael calmly raised one hand.
BANG!
His palm caught the fist directly. The impact exploded outward. The cave could not withstand the force at all. Cracks spread across the walls before the entire structure burst apart. Rocks flew everywhere as dust filled the air.
A heartbeat later, the cave was gone.
Michael stood beneath the light of the three moons, one hand still holding the ape's fist. The enormous monster strained with all its strength, but Michael didn't move. He looked up at it and sighed.
"I just finished resting."
His fingers tightened.
CRACK!
The ape's expression changed. Despite its brute appearance, its instincts were exceptionally sharp. The instant pain shot through its hand, it forcefully tore its arm free and retreated several steps.
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
Each backward step shattered the rocky ground beneath its feet.
Instead of pursuing immediately, Michael slowly rolled his shoulders. A smile gradually appeared on his face.
The frustration that had accumulated from being chased by hundreds of Rank Four experts, the pressure of constantly calculating every move, and the exhaustion brought by Echoed Bestowal could finally be vented.
The ape, however, interpreted the smile very differently.
It roared furiously. Its chest swelled before it pounded both fists against itself.
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
The sound echoed throughout the mountain. Without warning, the gigantic creature vanished.
BOOM!
A fist descended from above. Michael calmly shifted half a step sideways. The fist smashed into the earth. The entire cliff trembled.
Before the ape could recover, Michael's elbow descended onto its forearm.
CRACK!
Bone snapped. The ape howled before swinging its other arm horizontally. Michael lowered his body. The enormous arm swept over his head, uprooting dozens of ancient trees behind him.
The instant the attack missed, Michael's fist struck upward.
BANG!
The punch landed directly beneath the ape's chin. The five-meter monster was actually lifted off its feet. Its enormous body spun through the air before crashing hundreds of meters away.
BOOOOOOM!
A section of the forest disappeared beneath the impact. The ape climbed back to its feet almost immediately. Its breathing had already become noticeably heavier. Blood trickled from the corner of its mouth. Its crimson eyes stared at Michael with increasing disbelief.
It couldn't understand. It was the physically strongest creature throughout this entire territory. How was this tiny creature overpowering it?
ROOOOAR!!
Its roar became even more furious. This time it tore an enormous boulder from the ground and hurled it. Michael didn't dodge. He punched forward.
BOOM!
The mountain-sized rock exploded into countless fragments. The broken pieces rained across the forest like meteors. The ape rushed through the cloud of debris. Its fists became a blur.
BOOM! BANG! BOOM!
Punch after punch descended. The surrounding landscape continuously collapsed. Cliffs broke apart. Ancient trees shattered. The ground split open beneath the relentless barrage.
Yet not a single attack landed on Michael, and every successful dodge was almost immediately followed by a strike of his own.
Gradually, as the fight progressed, the ape realized something. This two-legged being wasn't fighting seriously. He was playing.
Rage instantly exploded inside it. Its aura erupted violently. The surrounding mana surged toward its enormous body. Its muscles visibly expanded. Blue veins spread across its arms. Its fur stood upright.
With another furious roar, it slammed both fists together before smashing downward with enough force to flatten a hill.
Michael finally raised both hands.
BOOOOOOM!!
The collision generated a deafening explosion. A circular shockwave spread for hundreds of meters. The ground beneath Michael's feet sank several meters. Yet he remained standing.
The ape, however, was horrified. Its strongest attack had been stopped. With bare hands.
Michael slowly pushed upward. The ape's gigantic arms were forced higher and higher despite its desperate resistance. Then Michael suddenly disappeared.
The ape's pupils contracted.
Too late.
BANG!
A punch buried itself deep into its stomach. The enormous creature bent nearly ninety degrees. Before it could even cough blood, Michael grabbed one of its arms. He twisted.
CRACK!
The shoulder dislocated. Using the momentum, he swung the five-meter monster completely off the ground.
BOOM!
It smashed into the earth.
BOOM!
Michael slammed it down again. The entire mountain shook.
Again. BOOM!
Again. BOOM!
Again. BOOM!
By the fifth impact, the ape's struggles had noticeably weakened. Its entire body was covered in blood. Several ribs had pierced through its flesh. One eye had swollen shut. Its breathing sounded like a broken bellows.
Finally, it gathered the last of its strength and kicked away from Michael, retreating hundreds of meters in panic. It no longer wished to fight. Its instincts screamed only one thing.
Run.
Michael watched the fleeing figure and smiled faintly.
"You've already helped me enough."
His figure vanished. The distance of several hundred meters disappeared in an instant. The ape had only enough time to widen its remaining eye.
Michael's fist descended.
BOOOOOOM!!
The punch crushed straight through its skull. The gigantic body froze. Michael slowly withdrew his fist. The colossal corpse crashed heavily onto the shattered earth.
Silence returned beneath the three moons.
He exhaled slowly. The frustration that had been weighing on his heart finally disappeared.
It had been a long time since he had experienced being pursued relentlessly. The last time had been back when he was still a Rank Two Awakener.
At that time, he had also been at the very peak of his rank and had found himself being relentlessly chased by a Rank Four officer of the Federation alongside Director Arven.
Now, history had strangely repeated itself. Once again, he was standing at the peak of his current realm.
The coincidence was almost absurd.
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