Shu Vs Ox xing

Shu, upon receiving his mission, summoned the red cloud he had created and soared swiftly toward the far south of Pata village.

Upon reaching the area, Shu began his search for the Ox King. He glanced around as he muttered to himself, "The guy's an ox humanoid, right? Shouldn’t be that hard to spot."

He searched for a while, but before long, a deafening roar erupted through the air, followed by the sound of destruction as the Ox King began to rampage through the outskirts of the village. Shu spotted the hulking demon and leapt from his cloud, dashing at immense speed toward the beast. With a powerful strike, he tackled the Ox King and slammed it into a nearby forest.

Landing on his feet, Shu exhaled sharply. "Since the government’s searching for the staff, using it out in the open’s probably a bad idea. But not using it? That’s not even an option... The kantar I’m sensing from this demon is insane."

In the forest, the Ox King stood and locked eyes with Shu. Its deep, gravelly voice growled, “You’re the one who threw me here, aren’t you? You’re strong—but this is where you die.”

Shu smirked and dropped into a battle stance. He reached into his pocket, pulled out the staff, and extended it with a swift motion. “We’ll see about that.”

The Ox King roared and unleashed a torrent of fire from its mouth. Reacting quickly, Shu spun his staff at high speed, creating a vortex that caught the flames and spiraled them around. With a grin, he swung the staff, launching the flames back toward the demon.

But the Ox King didn’t flinch. With a grunt, it caught the fire in its massive hands and extinguished it with brute force. Shu’s eyes widened. “Wait… didn’t the king say this was a first-class demon? If that’s the case, I might be toast.”

His moment of panic quickly turned into determination. A wild grin spread across his face. “If I’m destined to beat the Great Celestial Lord, I might as well start with a first-class demon.”

He extended his staff lightning-fast, striking the Ox King and launching it through several trees. Then, using the staff to propel himself forward, Shu surged toward the demon. Channeling most of his kantar into his fist, he landed a devastating punch aimed straight at the Ox King's chest.

The Ox King, however, raised its arms just in time to block. The blow landed—but barely left a scratch.

With a snarl, the Ox King grabbed Shu by the head. Using its other hand, it delivered a series of punishing blows to Shu’s stomach. Shu gasped as blood spilled from his mouth. His body, limp and battered, was tossed to the ground like a ragdoll.

The demon laughed darkly. “If you can’t handle me in my base form, you’d be dead in an instant if I transformed.”

Shu lay on the ground in agony, his vision blurring. Memories flashed through his mind. He smiled faintly.

“I got too cocky,” he thought. “Should’ve had a plan. Should’ve waited… Now it’s all for nothing. Toby… Mom… I might’ve doomed them because of my recklessness…”

As the Ox King raised a massive hand for the final blow, Shu closed his eyes, bracing for death.

But just before the fatal strike landed, a blur cut through the air.

A strange figure swooped in, wielding a sleek black katana. His outfit—unfamiliar in this world—looked like a modern-day tracksuit. With a single slash, a magnificent purple dragon erupted from his blade and coiled through the air, colliding with the Ox King and forcing the beast back.

Shu, dazed, blinked through the blood in his eyes as the man looked down at him.

“So,” the stranger said, his voice calm but filled with weight. “You’re his ancestor. The resemblance is uncanny.”