A muscular girl is presented to the passionate world of crossover anime.

In other words, are Pike's muscles even more solid than the arena's surface? You know, although Tokugawa Mitsunari covered it with a layer of sand, the bottom layer was still a poured concrete floor!

Therefore, this swing simultaneously demonstrates the resilience of both the precious sword and the pike.

"This is the first time I've ever seen a body capable of withstanding a blade," Musashi exclaimed in admiration.

Huh? Musashi? He got up?

Indeed, after Pike swung his sword, people heard Musashi speak and then realized that he had stood up from the sidelines at some point, and his face was quite clean—not the kind of clean that comes from being uninjured, but he wasn't bleeding or unconscious either. It was like the face of a child after playing, dirty but full of healthy vitality.

“It is ‘force dissipation’.” King Liehai solemnly said, “All martial arts under heaven return to the same source. Even if a master who has reached the level of Miyamoto Musashi has not learned Chinese boxing, he has still touched the highest realm of martial arts in the dark. His recovery has the meaning of ‘force dissipation’ in my Chinese boxing.”

In the arena, Musashi was still praising Pike: "My slashes can split steel armor in two, but they can't cut through your muscles. I've never seen such a thick and strong body. It had a strong impact on me, so much so that my sword slipped from my hand..."

"Ow!"

The praise group was nice, but unfortunately, Pi couldn't understand human language. He didn't know anything about what Musashi was saying, nor did he care. All he knew was that the guy he wanted to eat was alive and kicking again, so he had to attack him again.

So Pike took Musashi's sword and slashed at Musashi.

But when faced with Pike, whom he had just praised so highly, Musashi showed a look of boredom: "How boring."

Author's note: I hope today's battle between Pikachu and Musashi is over.

Section 832, Chapter 823: Bloodshed Without Slaughter

Musashi was indeed feeling a bit bored, because Pikachu was using his sword.

When primitive humans created swords and spears, they were a devastating catastrophe for wild animals all over the world. But when humans developed martial arts, a person who didn't know how to use a sword would only be bored to a skilled martial artist if they picked one up.

Because a swordsman can only use a sword. If one doesn't know swordsmanship, it's like losing three of their limbs, leaving only the hand holding the sword to attack. Their every move is even easier to predict than if they were unarmed. If everyone is an ordinary person, then the one with a weapon naturally has the advantage. But if the opponent is a martial arts expert, it's easy to be countered.

Besides, the person Pike is now slashing at is Miyamoto Musashi. If a samurai sword had a soul, it probably wouldn't dare to face it head-on.

Musashi dodged the sword's edge and delivered a chop to Pike's face. Just as Musashi's defensive maneuvers unconsciously reached the extremely high level of "force absorption," Musashi's unarmed attack was equally formidable, containing profound martial arts skills. The strike landed squarely on Pike's face, and even the mighty Pike couldn't help but cry out in pain.

Taking advantage of Pike's momentary lapse in concentration, Musashi swiftly extended his arm, took his "Nameless Golden Heavy" katana, and with a few flourishes, cleanly and decisively slashed Pike several times.

Musashi's all-out slash just now couldn't seriously injure Pike, so how powerful will this series of slashes be?

The answer is quite excellent.

"Although your muscles are as hard as a city wall, you are not without weaknesses, in fact, you have many." Musashi and Pike separated as soon as they joined together, then put their swords back in their sheaths and smiled.

As for Pike, blood spurted from his shoulders, elbows, and knees, indicating that he had suffered a rather serious injury!

If the enemy's defenses are solid, then take their four corners. Theoretically, even skyscrapers are just supported by a few core load-bearing beams! As long as the key points are broken, the weight of the building itself will crush every floor. When the World Trade Center crashed into the plane, the final collapse was not due to the impact, but because the fire burned through the supporting beams.

"This is Miyamoto Musashi, so scary... and so powerful." Miyamoto Musashi is the idol of many Japanese teenagers' chuunibyou dreams. Even Katsumi Guji grew up admiring him. Seeing Musashi unleash his power, his joy was even greater than that of Retsu Kaioh and Adam.

Meanwhile, in the distant stands, Katsumi's adoptive father, Yuji Doppo, was not sitting with his disciples. Just as Katsumi was with Adam, the person next to Doppo was the old martial saint, Shibukawa Takeki.

“That’s ancient swordsmanship!” Doppo sighed heavily. “Without the rules and restrictions of modern swordsmanship, you can attack the enemy’s vitals without hesitation, cutting off fingers and toes. It’s insidious and despicable, bloody and cruel… but that’s the true meaning of swordsmanship.”

Mr. Shibukawa glanced at him, but didn't continue the conversation. He only said, "You were completely defeated by Musashi before, and you said you were going into seclusion. But today you secretly came to watch the battle. Is that really a good thing?"

Sigh, given Doppo's status in the martial arts world, there are very few people who can talk back to him like this, and these people are all familiar with him. So even if they say a few sarcastic things to him, Doppo won't get angry. He just smiled calmly: "Who can blame him? Such a great battle is a once-in-a-lifetime event. Who will win the duel between Pikachu and Musashi? You really can't imagine it with your imagination!"

Shibukawa laughed angrily, "What? Pike's vital joints have all been severed, blood is flowing like a gushing stream, defeat is inevitable, don't you know who will win?"

"You're joking." Doppo looked at Shibukawa Takeki with a "looking at an old fox" expression, while Shibukawa Takeki returned his look with a "same to you" look. The two martial arts masters were of one mind—this fight was far from over!

"I thought attacking your weak points would dislocate your joints, but I didn't expect it to only cause you to bleed..." In the arena, Miyamoto Musashi continued to marvel at Pike's body: "I have never seen such physical resilience before. Amazing! It's a pity that you keep bleeding. You will soon faint from blood loss. My victory is just around the corner."

Musashi showed no joy, but rather a slight regret: "It's not satisfying that I couldn't gracefully cut you in two. How about I lure you in and give you another strike... Pikachu!" He spread his arms, striking a pose of inviting acceptance: "Come and eat me~"

Damn, the warriors in the stands were all disgusted. This was such an obvious trap, were they kidding me? If Miyamoto Musashi were to brandish his katana and invite us to attack, who would actually dare to go for it? Even Hanma Yujiro and Yokoto would probably hesitate!

But Pi Ke dares to do it! He doesn't understand all these complicated details!

Pike lunged at Musashi again, opening his mouth wide to bite, and Musashi also opened his mouth... and laughed.

This is the moment he's been waiting for.

Just like the final clash between Kanon and Pike, where every step was aimed precisely at the moment before Pike launched his attack, Miyamoto Musashi, a master at the pinnacle of martial arts, had no reason not to achieve the same, or even more powerful, feat, because he wielded a sword. Musashi's longsword was once again drawn in a flowing, iaido motion, meeting Pike's lightning-fast charge with even greater speed, slashing diagonally across Pike's chest first!

Another slip, and blood spurted out. It was a slashing technique called "Ōkesa" in Japanese swordsmanship, intended to cut Pi Ke in two... but it failed. Pi Ke only bled from his shoulder, adding another terrible wound.

But this is still quite severe. Since he was born tens of millions of years ago, the injury he has suffered from the same opponent today is the worst. Even when he fought Hanon last time, he did not bleed this much!

"Alas, the outcome is now decided..." The martial artists looked at Pike's injuries, their hearts aching. If it were them, they believed no one could survive such severe injuries.

But some people still hold a different view: "No, there's the smell of another person's blood!"

The speaker was Jack Vanma. Because his Achilles tendon had been cut by headquarters, he was watching the game on crutches today. But he hadn't been idle while recovering. Yingchu had added a very sensitive electronic nose to him, so he wouldn't have to worry about headquarters, a seasoned veteran, damaging his eyesight right away.

With the new prop in hand—no, he was hooked! Jack was able to closely monitor the scent dynamics in the ring. In addition to the bloody smell of Peco, a new scent had just been added!

That naturally belonged to Miyamoto Musashi—the man whose skin had been cut turned around, and people first saw him chewing something in his mouth, then they saw Musashi's shoulder covered in blood: "Oh dear! It turns out that when he slipped away just now, Musashi was bitten too!"

"Am I tasty?" Musashi, who had missed a move, was still quite relaxed? Or perhaps that was to be expected, given that Miyamoto Musashi had been on the battlefield and experienced many fierce battles; injuries were commonplace for him. He even had the leisure to calmly ask Pike, "You're really amazing. I had perfectly timed my strike, but I still couldn't cut you. There's not much flesh on your shoulder, is it? Want some more?"

Musashi gestured to his head: "Remember to bite here next time."

Hey, Miyamoto Musashi started talking like an old Thanos the moment he opened his mouth...

Author's Note: The next chapter will end this battle, and then it'll be time for headquarters...

Section 833, Chapter 824: The Person Before My Eyes

In the movie, after Thanos told Thor, "Next time, aim for the head," Thor briefly went into a frenzy and successfully beheaded Thanos the next time they met. However, with Thanos's death and the destruction of the Infinity Stones, Thor, seeing his plan to save the world fail, fell into endless despair.

These days, Miyamoto Musashi talks like an old Thanos the moment he opens his mouth, and Pike's mental journey is also very similar to Thor's...

First came fury. Although this ancient warrior couldn't understand the language of later civilized people, he could still sense the changes in his opponent's emotions. From Musashi, he felt obvious contempt and insult, which encouraged the Pike warrior's competitive spirit!

The change in inner spirit was reflected in the body, "It's the second stage of transformation!" Lie Haiwang stood up in the stands, and the other martial artists were in a similar state. They understood that this was the sign that Pi Ke was going all out.

Thanks to Kanon, her duel with Pike attracted thousands of spectators. From Tokyo to Japan, then to China, Asia, and the world, countless prominent martial artists came. With word of mouth from these people, almost everyone now knows about Pike's "second transformation".

Compared to the others' enthusiasm, Akemi Souyuuin was completely out of touch. At first, she was so eager for Pike's muscles that she couldn't control herself. However, after the battle started, Musashi and Pike fought quickly and bloodily, which frightened Akemi so much that her heart was pounding. After she finally recovered under the breathing technique taught by Retsu Kaiou, she was ready to continue to admire Pike's "beautiful muscles" when she saw Pike's body suddenly deform, turning from a muscular man into something that was, in short, a monster.

"What...what is all this about!" Zhu Mei was both amused and exasperated, and could only try to think of the bright side: "At least after the skin transformed, the bleeding on its body stopped."

After Pike's "second transformation," his muscles swelled, pressing the wound back into place and indirectly stopping the bleeding. In this state, only a large, diagonal scar on Pike's chest was noticeable—an old wound from his battle with Tyrannosaurus Rex in ancient times. However, unlike the one Retsu and the others had seen earlier, this scar was now darker and wider…

"This scar is quite interesting! It's an old wound that has been connected to a new one, the latter reopening and expanding the traces left by the former." Facing the menacing "Second Stage" Pikachu, Miyamoto Musashi calmly commented, "Pikachu, it seems you've encountered two life-threatening opponents in your life."

“I am willing to be, no, I will be the third formidable enemy you encounter, and the first to slay you.” Musashi sheathed “Nameless Golden Weight”, gripped the hilt again, and prepared to use iaido: “Since the giant ape of Hida, I will hunt monsters again.”

This time, Pike didn't argue with Musashi again—that's one of Pike's strengths; he doesn't need trash talk, nor does he understand it. When they're at odds, he just goes for it, charge!

At its strongest, Pikachu charged toward Musashi, and Musashi's Iaijutsu arrived just in time!

With a series of swift "swish swish swish swish" sounds, four swords struck Pike's wrist and ankle respectively. These attacks still failed to sever Pike's muscles and bones, but Musashi's sword strikes were extremely heavy, hitting multiple tendons and bones. The pain caused Pike to jump up on the spot. If it were just one sword wound, he could bear it, but the pain coming from many parts of his body at the same time was truly excruciating, and he couldn't focus on one thing at a time.

“Your movements are faster now.” Musashi sheathed his sword, still mostly dissatisfied. “My best strategy was to strike the scar on your chest, which is undoubtedly your most vulnerable spot, and I might have been able to cut you in two. However, it’s too far away, you’re too fast, and you’re intentionally or unintentionally protecting your front, so I had to change my sword path. My middle strategy was to repeat the previous strike points, namely the shoulder, elbow, and knee joints, but I hesitated because of the best strategy, so I didn’t have time to implement the middle strategy either. In the end, I had to choose the easier option and attack your wrists and ankles, which can only be considered the worst strategy.”

“But it’s alright.” Musashi laughed, sheathing his sword and preparing to re-engage. “I like you, Pikachu!” He was completely unaware of the shocking statement he had made. “Because I like slashing. Ever since I started learning swordsmanship, I’ve seized every opportunity to slash—it’s a bad habit! But people are fragile, and usually one slash is enough to end the fight, which gives me a headache. I always hope my opponent can get up so I can slash a few more times. If only there were bodies in the world that could never be cut down! Isn’t there someone in the world who can withstand ten of my slashes without falling? The world is vast and profound, and it was in this era that I met you.”

At this point, Musashi's famous sword "Unnamed Kinjutsu" suddenly sprang three inches out of its sheath, only to be pushed back by Musashi. It seemed that this top swordsman of Japan could no longer suppress his surging sword intent: "One slash, two slashes, three slashes, four slashes... Pike, how many of my slashes can you withstand?"

"Whoa! Musashi's fighting spirit has reached its peak!" Almost all the warriors in the stands couldn't sit still anymore. After all, Musashi's condition was obvious. It was Miyamoto Musashi going all out! Who wouldn't want to see what he was like?

However, some people don't want to watch it.

"Everyone's so scary, Mingming is going to get killed." Zhu Mei's first trip to watch the underworld was not pleasant. The people inside and outside the ring were all acting strangely as they fought. This world is too bloody and violent!

"Where is Kanon... Waaah, she's the strongest among these people?" The image of Kanon in Zhu Mei's mind was beyond saving. She felt that either she or Kanon had a mental breakdown. How could someone who had fought her way out of this alternate world be so... normal?

Another person who didn't want to watch Musashi's performance was Jack's... Yingchu, who was standing next to him. He also came and watched the whole battle. Compared to Musashi's swordsmanship, he was more concerned about Pikachu: "Miyamoto Musashi is really strong! Although Pikachu is also amazing, he is only strong because he has a lot of health and thick skin. The difference in martial arts skills means that he can only be slashed by Musashi. Even after 'transforming', he can't hit his opponent. So, he only has one way out: death... Dr. Payne will be super sad."

Yes, after the "second transformation" failed to achieve its purpose, Pikachu's defeat was almost certain. What everyone wanted to see next was Musashi's fancy killing spree... It's not that the martial artists are cruel, it's just that the battle had naturally developed to this point. Pikachu had no other choice...?

At this moment, Pico made a move that exceeded the expectations of onlookers. He retracted his bulging muscles, went from "Phase Two" to "Phase One", turned around, let the blood from his wound flow again, and slowly walked towards the entrance passage.

He wanted to escape.

"Eh—" The martial artists were shocked, because the martial artists who came to watch the battle today were all highly respected experts. Out of their pride, they would never consider admitting defeat or running away. Putting themselves in their shoes, no one expected that Pike would run away so decisively. This is not the spirit of a martial artist!

Speaking of which, can you eat this stuff called "fenggu"? I certainly don't know what it is.

People like to draw analogies between the unfamiliar and the familiar, so Piko can always find corresponding figures from ancient times in the martial artists he sees. So what is Musashi in Piko's eyes?

Musashi is not a thing... no, not "not a thing", but "not a beast", nor is he a "nature type" like Kanon, but an insect.

Enlarged to the height of a person, this insect has flexible wings, fierce pincers, and hidden venom. Being attacked by it causes excruciating pain, making it the most hated creature by Piko in ancient times.

That thing is no match for us; it's just an annoying "mobile natural disaster"!

So you have to soak your skin, just like when dealing with swarms of insects in ancient times, find a safe place to live, and wait for everything to pass.

"Pico, where are you going?" Seeing Pico retreat, Musashi flashed in front of him to block his way, but this only made Pico more frightened. He thought that the enormous insect he had never seen before was about to attack! Terrified, he scrambled his hands and feet, trembling all over, and ran towards the entrance passage while howling in pain!

"Hey, showing cowardice in front of the enemy, shouting without caring what others think, and using all four limbs to run away, Piko, you're really wild~" Musashi chuckled, not giving chase. Firstly, he wasn't that despicable as to want to wipe out an opponent who had lost the will to fight; secondly, Musashi was a man who loved fame and fortune, in other words, he was a show-off. He would be happy to kill Piko in front of so many martial artists, but chasing him to an empty backstage area to kill him would be too boring...

Thirdly, Musashi had a premonition that something else was about to arrive in the entrance passage where Pike had escaped.

Everyone else was also wondering: "Pico didn't even try to stop the bleeding, is that alright? And where is he trying to escape to?"

Pike's instincts were more acute than Musashi's senses; he actively sought help from "Musashi," whom he respected, during his escape.

At the end of the entrance passage stood Honbu Izo! Pico rushed over, hugged Honbu, and burst into tears.

He was truly terrified. Just as Thor had completely fallen into despair after realizing that Thanos's plan to destroy the world had succeeded and could not be reversed, so too had Pike lost all fighting spirit and was utterly defeated.

The heroes of old have fallen, it's time for new heroes to rise! Honbu Izou is going to—

The commander nodded his head, then nodded it again, and then again and again... and the guy kowtowed all the way down, his butt sticking out as he lay face down on the ground, huddled together with the kneeling Pi Ke.

Eh?