Zhao was also undergoing intense training, tirelessly striving to master his black sword. Of course, it wasn't easy—the sword seemed to absorb his energy repeatedly, leaving him gasping for breath.
He tried to slash at a tree trunk, but instead of a mere scratch, it was cleanly sliced. This frustrated Zhao greatly—he struggled to control the sword's power output.
After a short rest, Zhao intended to try again. A tree branch became his new target—this time, he only wanted to scratch it, not cut it through.
Zhao held the sword with both hands. His eyes closed, his grip tightened, and slowly, he began to feel the sword's spiritual power.
He swung his sword swiftly, releasing a black-colored slash toward the branch. However, the sword cut the branch cleanly once more.
"Arrgh! Too strong again," Zhao grumbled in frustration.
"Hahahaha!" laughed Tora, watching Zhao fail yet again.
"Zhao! I'm heading back home to get some bananas," Tora said.
Zhao raised his hand, signaling that he was fine being left alone.
However, the noise from Zhao's training caught the attention of some individuals—unfortunately, they were Sora's underlings. They reported Zhao and Tora's activity to one of the demon power users.
Two skinny men arrived at the hilly area where Zhao was training. They were twin brothers named Bass and Dass. Both of them hid behind bushes.
"Isn't that Zhao? The guy we've been looking for all this time," said Bass.
"You're right! Let's report back to Sora first," replied Dass.
"No! Let's just capture him now. We'll definitely get a big reward from Sora," Bass said with a sly plan.
Dass agreed to his brother's plan. In a flash, they transformed into Poccog demons resembling mummies. White bandages wrapped their entire bodies, binding their heads, torsos, and legs.
Zhao sensed their demonic aura. His eyes turned toward the forest where Bass and Dass were hiding. "Who's there?" he muttered.
In an instant, Bass and Dass leaped high into the air and landed in front of Zhao. Their transformations were terrifying—sharp fangs protruded from their mouths, and their eyes glowed red.
Zhao took a step back to maintain distance. "Why are there demons here?"
"I'm warning you—don't fight if you want to stay alive," Dass threatened.
Zhao smirked and said, "I am a warrior. I'd rather fight than bow to ugly demons like you."
Without further words, Bass and Dass attacked. They leapt and bombarded Zhao with deadly kicks. Whenever Zhao dodged, their kicks cracked the ground.
"Their attacks are like Poccog demons… Is this their transformation?" Zhao wondered about this while he evaded blow after blow.
Of course, Zhao didn't just dodge—he also fought back. Unfortunately, Zhao easily avoided every sword slash he attempted.
Bass and Dass attacked from all directions, overwhelming Zhao. Eventually, several punches and kicks broke through his defenses.
Zhao staggered backward. Blood dripped from the corner of his lips. His body ached all over, especially his chest and shoulders from the relentless blows. His black sword nearly slipped from his grasp. Yet his eyes remained sharp, full of resolve not to give up.
"If this game keeps up, I'll lose for sure…" he muttered. He took a deep breath, trying to reset his breathing rhythm. His whole body trembled with exhaustion and pain.
"If only I weren't worn out from training, I'd have sliced them already."
Bass and Dass shook their heads mockingly. "Turns out he's weak," said Bass.
Zhao readied himself again, now more focused. He charged forward, slashing faster and harder.
Bass dodged by leaping to the side but threw a punch toward Zhao's head. Zhao caught the motion from the corner of his eye, spun around, and blocked the attack.
Not stopping there, Zhao slashed upward. The strike cut Bass's wrist, and the demon howled in pain.
"Arrgh!"
"Just kidding," said Bass with a wide grin.
Suddenly, Bass's hand regenerated. Zhao couldn't hide his shock, which caused him to lose focus. From behind, Dass lunged and bit Zhao's neck with his sharp fangs.
"Your resistance ends here," Dass whispered.
"HAHAHAHAHA!" Bass and Dass's laughter echoed through the training area.
But this alerted Tora, who had thought the earlier ruckus was just Zhao's intense training.
"Zhao, wait for me!" Tora shouted, immediately transforming into his white ape form.
He swiftly accelerated, arriving at the training grounds in a matter of seconds. Bass and Dass were just about to take Zhao away.
"You'll die," Zhao muttered faintly as his consciousness began to fade.
Tora arrived just in time. With his white ape strength, he struck Dass, sending him crashing into a large tree. Zhao, who had been held tightly, fell to the ground unconscious.
"Don't touch my friend!" Tora yelled, his eyes glowing red, white hair billowing in the wind.
Bass quickly attacked Tora, but the strike was reckless. Tora leapt back and slammed his hands to the ground, creating a violent tremor that flung Bass away.
"ARGHH! What is this?!" Bass shouted.
"This is the power of a forest guardian, idiot," Tora replied coldly.
Tora leapt into the air and struck Bass's head with his knee, slamming the Poccog demon to the ground. Black blood gushed from his forehead, but like before, the wound healed quickly.
Dass, having recovered from the tree slam, joined his brother. The two stood side by side, now more serious than ever.
"You think you can beat us, you dumb monkey?" Dass spat on the ground.
"I'm not a monkey. I'm Tora—and this is my territory. You should be the ones afraid," Tora growled.
The battle erupted again—this time far more intense. Tora moved like a shadow, dodging attacks and countering with deadly punches and slashes. But Bass and Dass's regeneration made it all the more difficult.
Tora pulled out his giant mace. "If I lose after drawing this weapon, then you truly are powerful."
Tora rampaged—his movements so swift that Bass and Dass struggled to keep up. His mace struck their bodies repeatedly, but again, they regenerated.
Dass counterattacked—he leapt like a rocket, a blistering fast strike. Tora dodged by jumping back, but Dass didn't stop. The moment he landed, he lunged again, kicking Tora with both legs.
The kick sent Tora flying several meters. "Not bad!" he said, brushing dust off his chest.
"I must kill them quickly," Tora thought, panic rising as he saw Zhao unconscious—poisoned and in mortal danger.
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