No strange things are allowed to evolve!

In fact, the Hiroshima heatwave was not ineffective; it truly brought out the power of Jiang Shu's famous sword.

Although he appears uninjured now, only Jiang Shu knows that this is just a replay of the life-or-death duel he had with the abbot of Yunfu Temple years ago.

It may seem like a complete victory, but in reality, a single misstep could lead to utter ruin.

If I had to describe this situation, it would be like Jiang Shu could only be immune to a fatal blow if he used every means possible. The reason he is still at full health is simply because the "nuclear explosion" of the Hiroshima heat wave means that full health is the threshold for his execution.

Jiang Shu did indeed pay a heavy price in order to quell the Hiroshima heatwave, which was burning with the power of all eight gates.

First is the [deceased's pocket watch].

Although it was only a second, it was enough for Jiang Shu to get as far away from the center of the "nuclear explosion" as possible while making all the necessary preparations.

Immediately afterwards, Jiang Shu used the [Earth and Wood Sealing Technique] again, but this time the target was not the Hiroshima Heatwave, but the Four Heavenly Kings.

Jiang Shu had always believed that the [Undead Puppet Technique] was an absolute divine skill and shouldn't only be at the level of Catastrophe.

As it is described, the puppet changes with the power of its creator.

The puppets possess the ability to replicate the abilities of their creators.

Whether it's ability values, skills, or spiritual root characteristics.

In short, although the puppets have independent souls, the containers that hold these absolutely loyal souls are like copies and extensions of the creator himself.

Therefore, after much thought, Jiang Shu could only conclude that the reason why the [Undead Puppet Technique] was only at the Catastrophe level was because it did not possess the powerful, innate ability to distort reality like other Catastrophe-level skills.

Its capabilities depend largely on the user; it's a skill with an extremely high ceiling and an extremely low floor.

If an evolved being with only numerical values ​​possesses it, then at most it can create a puppet that also only has numerical values, but is weaker than itself.

However, for an evolved being like Jiang Shu, who possesses both numerical value and mechanics, the benefits that the puppet can bring are greater than the sum of its parts.

And Jiang Shu has four such one plus one.

[Catastrophe-level spiritual root trait: Messenger of Love and Desire]

Those with a higher charm value than you will take more damage. The specific value is based on the ratio of the difference between their charm values ​​and your charm value, with a maximum value of fifty percent.

The damage dealt to you by people with a lower charm value than you is reduced, with the specific value based on the ratio of the difference in their charm values ​​to your charm value, and a maximum of fifty percent.

When the ratio is less than or equal to 10%, both damage amplification and damage reduction will be obtained simultaneously.

The same principle applies to the effects of skills and items based on the Love and Desire Spiritual Root on you.

Unfortunately, Hiroshima heatwave, which seems to have no charm at all, unsurprisingly has a pitifully low charm rating.

Perhaps he hasn't put much effort into his charm.

Therefore, from the very beginning, the "nuclear explosion" could only cause 50% damage to Jiang Shu, who had activated his spiritual root characteristics.

The same applies to the Four Heavenly Kings.

So they constructed four lines of defense to firmly surround Jiang Shu—

The city wall, woven from white silk threads that have absorbed the power of puppets and thus possess the same qualities, buffered the impact of the "nuclear explosion" to the greatest extent possible.

In this way, the power of the "nuclear explosion" will decrease layer by layer, and by the time it reaches Jiang Shu, it will be damage that he can withstand.

This is not a skill, but rather an effect that combines skills with spiritual root characteristics, similar to the Hiroshima heatwave, and works in tandem.

Jiang Shu called it the "Wall of Sighs".

However, since the power of the "nuclear explosion" is equivalent to the limit of a level 12 evolved being in terms of strength, the first three of the Four Heavenly Kings who built the city wall were completely destroyed, and the fourth was also seriously injured and had to be sent back to the factory for repairs.

Moreover, even after being weakened four times, the aftershocks still took Jiang Shu a long time to process and recover from.

Therefore, Jiang Shu is no longer able to use the "Wall of Sighs" in the short term, nor can he withstand another "nuclear explosion" of the Hiroshima heat wave.

That's why he was initially wary, and only felt relieved after confirming the state of the heatwave in Hiroshima.

He was already at his wit's end.

"Why..."

"Why?!"

Seeing that he had put in a lot of effort but not only did he not get a reward, but he also got a worse result, he finally couldn't control his emotions and cried bitterly, falling into confusion and despair like Hiroshima.

Jiang Shu slowly raised her head and looked at the mushroom cloud that was gradually dissipating, as well as the sky that was originally azure but was now incredibly dark, gray and yellowish.

Then he revealed a heartwarming smile.

"Probably because I'm not a bad person, the Spirit Bomb is useless against me."

"But this is a nuclear explosion..."

“Yes,” Jiang Shu nodded, “so all the Saiyans died.”

"you..."

The confusion in Hiroshima's eyes gradually faded.

Reason returned to him.

Then came overwhelming anger: "What the hell are you spouting?"

"Alright." Jiang Shu clapped her hands, looking like a kindergarten teacher comforting a child: "Anyway, it's over."

"I also... uh!"

Hiroshima's heatwave wanted to say something, but it couldn't utter a sound.

Because Jiang Shu's fist had already slammed into his throat the moment he opened his mouth.

"Good night," Jiang Shu said softly.

At this moment, the Hiroshima heatwave finally realized what was going on.

So, all those strange things were just a distraction to launch a sneak attack...?

Even when facing an opponent who was already at their wit's end, they did not let their guard down for a moment.

What a cunning fellow...

That's probably why I lost...

If I hadn't underestimated him...

Just as the Hiroshima heatwave was letting me close my eyes in relief.

"It's a pity, but I still won."

How the hell can you hear what I'm thinking?!

Chapter 304 Formulaic Playstyle

Jiang Shu doesn't have any mind-reading abilities.

But he saw regret in the other person's eyes, the classic kind of regret—if only I had done something back then, things would probably be very different now.

But this is a false proposition.

So-called regret is nothing more than fantasizing about the outcome of another choice after knowing that the result is not as expected. It does not mean that you know you are wrong, but is just dissatisfaction with the status quo.

Even if one travels back in time, or faces a similar choice again, without the corresponding memories, one would most likely still make the same decision.

A person's fundamental nature will never change, no matter what.

Moreover, even if Hiroshima Heatwave hadn't underestimated the enemy and had launched a "nuclear explosion" from the start, taking the safest approach to leave Jiang Shu with no chance, it would still have been blocked by the "Wall of Sighs," and the result would still have been the same.

Jiang Shu wasn't as happy as he had imagined after the Hiroshima heatwave was resolved.

It's not just because he realized his own shortcomings. Although he has many powerful skills that can have a decisive impact, he still lacks some mobility skills or skills for controlling the field.

For example, when facing an opponent like Hiroshima Heatwave who can fly, you either need to be able to fly like him or be able to restrict his movements. Otherwise, it will be difficult to have an equal confrontation, and when you attack, it will feel like you are punching cotton, which will put you in a very passive position.

In addition, he realized that he seemed to have underestimated the impact of spiritual root characteristics on the battle situation. After level six, the battles between evolvers were no longer as simple as before level six.

He wasn't the only evolved being who could utilize the characteristics of spiritual roots to imbue skills with new power. Many evolved being possessed unique skills that allowed them to temporarily surpass their level, the only difference being the extent of the surpass.

Methods that risk one's life, such as the Hiroshima heatwave, should be given special attention.

Therefore, we must be more careful in the future, and even if victory is assured, we must guard against the opponent's last-ditch counterattack.

In short, although they won this time, it also exposed many problems and did not meet Jiang Shu's expected goal of a complete victory; it could only be considered a narrow victory.

But to say I'm completely dissatisfied wouldn't be an exaggeration.

Discovering problems is a good thing, especially in a place where there is no punishment even if you die. It is a good opportunity to try and learn from mistakes and step on landmines.

If problems arise during practice, as long as lessons are learned, it's better than encountering problems on a real battlefield in the future. This is one of the reasons why Jiang Shu came here and put pressure on himself—to gain practical experience.

So if I had to give a definitive answer, I'd say the process and outcome of this battle were about 50/50, or in short, not bad.

"Okay, that's settled then."

Jiang Shu nodded and left the hatchery.

Meanwhile, the final arena was in complete turmoil.

It wasn't just because Jiang Shu defeated Hiroshima Heatwave, but also because Hiroshima Heatwave displayed a level of strength that even they hadn't expected.

This is like Hiroshima Heatwave, who is usually seen as a Kamen Rider, but at the crucial moment he suddenly becomes giant Ultraman, yet in the end he still can't defeat him despite his best efforts.

It's worth noting that even in his normal form, Kamen Rider is already the number one outside the top ten, and his "nuclear explosion" attack would likely put even the top ten under immense pressure.

But Jiang Shu overcame the Hiroshima heatwave.

Therefore, the significance of his achievement goes far beyond simply defeating the top player in the top ten.

So, where exactly is his limit?

This became the answer everyone wanted to know.

"Why are you asking me? How would I know? Go ask him!"

Hiroshima Heatwave only found the incessant chatter of those around him, who completely disregarded his feelings, utterly annoying.

He just lost the game and is in a bad mood. Can't these bastards read the atmosphere at all?

"Alright, alright." The Sugar Knight appeared just in time, helping to deflect the enthusiastic crowd from the Hiroshima heatwave: "Let him have some peace and quiet."

After saying that, he turned to Hiroshima Atsura and said, "Your performance was amazing. That was indeed a very strong new move. I will keep my promise and call Sachima over."

The Sugar Knight spoke sincerely because that was truly what he thought.

Others might not be able to feel the power of the "nuclear explosion," but he had already discerned the clues from the state of Hiroshima after the heatwave was cast.

While Jiang Shu's powerful punches that blasted at the giant cocoon enveloping the Hiroshima heatwave were indeed fierce, the injuries sustained by the Hiroshima heatwave, which had broken free from the cocoon and released a "nuclear explosion," were definitely not entirely caused by Jiang Shu.

Therefore, Sugar Knight judged that this skill, which required a huge price to be released, would require even him to be on high alert to deal with.

This could definitely threaten Sachima, and there's even a very high chance he could be defeated.

Therefore, even though Hiroshima Heatwave ultimately lost, Sugar Knight still acknowledged him.

However, to Sugar Knight's surprise, Hiroshima Heatwave refused.

"No need to comfort me." He shook his head. "Let's talk about the sachima later."

"Why?" Sugar Knight asked, puzzled. "After leaving the hatchery, all your injuries should have been completely reset and healed, right? You should still be able to use that, right?"

“It’s possible, but it’s pointless.” Although Hiroshima Hot Wave was very unwilling to accept it, he could only try to appear dignified in the face of reality: “I lost, and my opponent was that kind of person. This means that I misjudged the power of this move, which shows that I am still lacking in experience. I can’t beat Sachima in this state.”

"Hmm..." Sugar Knight understood something.

It seems the other party felt that the problem lay with him; that the "nuclear explosion" wasn't actually as strong as he thought, and that even those one level below him couldn't break through it, which was why he lost.

As an observer, Sugar Knight could see its strength, but he didn't expect that in the end, it was Hiroshima Heatwave who lost confidence first.

Is this what they call being blinded by one's own involvement?

Sugar Knight was about to say something.

Jiang Shu, who happened to come out at this moment and overheard Hiroshima Heatwave's dejected words, couldn't help but speak first.

"That's not how it is!"

"You've already tried your best!"

"Your final, all-or-nothing move was really powerful!"

Hiroshima Heatwave looked at Jiang Shu in disbelief.

The Sugar Knight and the others looked at him in shock.

Even Xue Wang and Bo Ya were quite surprised, as if they had seen him in a new light.