**Chapter 38: Metamorphosis**
Currently, Hades was at a disadvantage when clashing head-on with the Giant Ape.
This was because Hades' Haki intensity was not stronger than the Giant Ape's.
It's true that combat can improve Armament Haki, but there's always a limit; it can't be infinitely improved.
Ultimately, it still needs to be based on one's own physical strength as the foundation.
Coupled with the Giant Ape's massive body, powerful physique, and vitality.
Even though Hades possessed the Haki Internal Destruction and Inch Force techniques, the damage inflicted on the Giant Ape was truly limited.
Facing the Giant Ape, Hades couldn't passively dodge forever; he had to display a clash of strength against strength to defeat it.
And what Hades relied on was the Force Dissipation Technique.
With every clash, Hades would try his best to weaken the Giant Ape's attack power, preventing it from using its full strength, while also dispersing the strength he himself bore.
The Giant Ape always felt like it had strength but nowhere to use it. It had long sensed the strangeness of this point, but had no way to counter it, making it incredibly difficult to deal with.
Hades wasn't using physical techniques to dissipate force; that would be no different from facing the Giant Ape's punch head-on, and would be fundamentally impossible to achieve.
How could the Giant Ape, wearing "armor" on its body, be affected by such a small technique?
The strength Hades truly utilized was Armament Haki; the flowing Haki was a special kind of strength.
Under Hades' control, he brought the characteristic of "softness" to its extreme, using it to weaken the Giant Ape's offense and also avoid taking damage himself.
And as long as Hades seized an opportunity, he could inflict wounds upon it. For Hades, offense and defense could switch at any time.
The two fighting styles were completely merged, integrating into Hades' combat system.
And this was also the path of balance that Hades had comprehended.
He was a person who pursued perfection. His father, Jaeger, was powerful enough, but ultimately sacrificed himself.
If Hades were to face such a situation, what should he do?
"Eight Extremes: Dragon Fang!"
Dodging the Giant Ape's punch, and taking advantage of its inability to react in time, five streaks of bloody light flashed through the air. Hades tore open the Giant Ape's strong back with his claw technique.
Ever since comprehending the Voice of All Things, Hades could, in a sense, be called a swordsman.
As for swordsmanship, Hades had also been exposed to it. The move "Sword Flash" incorporated swordsmanship techniques, and now it was integrated into Hades' claw technique.
"Roar!"
The Giant Ape felt pain. As it twisted its body, its right arm, like a steel pillar, fiercely swung towards Hades.
Hades lightly stepped into the air, extended a finger, and gently tapped the Giant Ape's sweeping arm, directly avoiding the move.
Turning in mid-air, "Burst Foot!"
Hades' figure reappeared before the Giant Ape. His right foot had already accumulated terrifying strength.
"Eight Extremes: Razor!"
A silver crescent sliced through the air, and a hideous bloody mark appeared on the Giant Ape's face.
As long as it was a head-on confrontation, Hades would use the Force Dissipation Technique to weaken the attack.
Under normal circumstances, Hades would dodge, and then look for an opportunity to counterattack.
This was Hades' winning strategy. The battle had gradually begun to fall into Hades' rhythm.
The Giant Ape couldn't fully utilize its strength, as if it were being toyed with by Hades.
"Roaming Dragon!"
"Eight Extremes: Falcon!"
"Roaming Dragon!"
"Eight Extremes: Hurricane!"
"Burst Foot!"
"Eight Extremes: Whale Strike!"
...
Over the past two years, Hades had formed a powerful body technique based on Baji Quan, encompassing claw, fist, and kick techniques. It also included moves involving elbows and shoulders, though they weren't frequently used.
The damage caused by Inch Force and Haki Internal Destruction continuously accumulated.
"Boom!"
Following Hades' final punch, the massive body of this Beast King of Rusukaina Island finally collapsed.
Its entire body was soaked in blood, especially the scabs formed from the recovery of injuries by its powerful vitality.
Hades lightly exhaled, his expression unchanged.
This was not something worth showing off, because he had already achieved this feat two months ago.
Hades, already fourteen years old, was truly a monster.
However, before this Beast King of Rusukaina Island, his Ferocious God Physique currently couldn't give him an advantage, because due to the limitation of his age, his physical potential had not yet fully erupted.
And the Giant Ape itself was a monster, possessing advantages that Hades currently lacked.
If Hades was a giant dragon, then the current gap between them was like that between a young dragon and an adult giant.
Even though Hades' potential was greater, he ultimately hadn't grown to his peak.
Potential is potential, strength is strength; they cannot be confused.
He could only defeat the Giant Ape through this method.
Inflicting damage little by little and wearing the Giant Ape down until it died didn't align with the absolute strength he hoped for.
And this was also a common fighting style among many powerful individuals on The Great Sea.
However, he could only use this method. The gap in Haki quality made the Giant Ape stronger than Hades in both offense and defense.
As an ape, the Giant Ape possessed astonishing intelligence and learning ability.
During this time, it was also getting familiar with Hades' combat rhythm. Even its Observation Haki had improved significantly, and its usage technique of Armament Haki had also seen some improvement.
Facing such a monster could constantly bring pressure upon Hades, promoting the progress of his own strength.
In Hades' view, the Giant Ape's combat power had already reached the quasi-admiral level. At the very least, in terms of vitality and physique, it had completely reached the admiral level.
But before him, the strength it could display wasn't that powerful.
As Hades' Force Dissipation Technique integrated into combat, both his defense and evasion effects saw astonishing improvements.
Sensing the flow of air, and using the Force Dissipation Technique to dissipate the friction brought by the air, from this perspective, Hades' development in the perception aspect of Observation Haki became even deeper.
Finishing the battle, Hades sat on a large rock, a hint of a smile on his face. He slightly turned his head, looking towards the battle on another battlefield.
That battle was thousands of meters away. The two main participants were none other than Titan and a Giant Lion.
(end of chapter)