Lu Li was genuinely stunned by the intel. Even though the Kengan Ashura fandom often joked that the manga was actually "The Legend of the Devil Lance" (referring to Kuroki Gensai), Ohma Tokita was undeniably the official protagonist.
In the climax of the original Ashura manga, Ohma was defeated by the martial arts Grandmaster Kuroki Gensai. He completely burned through his life force and died on Ganryu Island. But in the sequel, Kengan Omega, he was miraculously resurrected and continued to play a major role.
Lu Li had loved this manga specifically because it was an ensemble cast where the "plot armor" wasn't overwhelmingly obvious. In the finals, when Ohma fought Kuroki, he simply couldn't beat the old master. Throwing a desperate, final power-up didn't magically secure the win. It was a grounded, brutal reality check.
Throughout the entire narrative, it was highly debatable if Ohma could even be ranked in the top five strongest fighters. But regardless of his power ranking, he was still the protagonist! How the hell could the protagonist just die out of nowhere? Did the "Deus Ex Machina" resurrection protocol fail?
Then, a sobering realization hit Lu Li.
This is a real, living world. It is not a manga.
In the real world, there is no such thing as absolute plot armor.
He calmed down and began scrolling through the frantic discussions in the Public Chat, piecing together the circumstances of Ohma's death.
While there was no hard evidence, it was almost certain that Ohma Tokita had been assassinated by the Violator.
Lu Li deduced this based on the complaints of the other Explorers in the chat. He could roughly gauge their overall strength. They were constantly whining about how brutally difficult this world was, regretting ever being deployed here.
There were two main reasons for their despair. First, their baseline attributes didn't grant them an overwhelming advantage; there were plenty of biologically impossible, stat-checking mutants native to this world. Second, and far more importantly, in a matched-stat scenario, the vast majority of Explorers were completely incapable of defeating a Kengan fighter in unarmed combat.
Initially, Lu Li had found this absurd. How could an Explorer possibly lose to a native fighter? Many of the low-tier Kengan fighters don't even have insanely high stats!
But after a moment of reflection, he understood. Not everyone was like him. Not everyone was an established martial arts Grandmaster before they even entered the Terminus Space.
Tier 1 Explorers were essentially rookies. Based on the World Level cap, the Explorers deployed here were likely all below Level 7. That meant they hadn't survived many Trial Worlds and hadn't fully adapted to brutal, life-or-death combat.
In terms of combat proficiency, these ordinary Explorers likely hadn't even reached the "Expert" tier in Unarmed Combat. How could they possibly be a match for the elite, lifelong martial artists of the Kengan Association?
To put it bluntly, a significant portion of Explorers could easily be completely humiliated and butchered by a Kengan fighter with lower overall stats. The Explorers' only advantage was their numerical stats, while the native fighters' absolute advantage was pure, refined technique.
Lu Li was a complete anomaly. He possessed an overwhelming stat advantage, and his technique vastly eclipsed almost every fighter in this world. That was why he could effortlessly dismantle Raian.
So, were there any ordinary Explorers capable of assassinating Ohma Tokita right now? Lu Li wouldn't completely rule it out, but he firmly believed that anyone capable of pulling it off wouldn't actually do it.
As the canonical protagonist, Ohma was intrinsically tied to countless major plotlines. Assassinating him would trigger a catastrophic butterfly effect, violently accelerating and mutating the overarching narrative. It would make the Mission World exponentially more dangerous and chaotic. The assassin themselves would immediately become the primary target of several powerful, shadowy factions.
That went against the fundamental survival principles of a standard Tier 1 Explorer. There was absolutely zero tangible benefit to killing Ohma.
But for a Violator... the rules were entirely different. For a Violator, the more chaotic and muddy the waters became, the easier it was to hide and operate.
"Is this a direct provocation...?" Lu Li sneered internally. "I seriously hope you're durable."
Ohma Tokita's assassination was a blaring alarm bell. The Violator had officially made their move. With Ohma dead, the hidden undercurrents of the Kengan world were about to erupt into a violent tsunami.
The Westward Faction (Wu Clan), the Worm, and other shadowy syndicates would undoubtedly mobilize immediately. The upcoming Kengan Annihilation Tournament had just become entirely unpredictable.
And for Lu Li, the absolute worst-case scenario was suddenly a terrifying possibility: What if Ohma Tokita was the host of the Origin Seed?!
If that were true, the Violator might have already extracted the Seed. If the Violator just found a deep hole to hide in, Lu Li would fail both of his Pioneer Missions and be instantly eradicated by the Terminus Space.
After a few minutes of grim contemplation, Lu Li reasoned it probably wasn't that catastrophic. Ohma was too high-profile a target. If the Origin Seed had been on him, any Explorer in his vicinity would have visually confirmed it. The location of the Seed would be broadcasted to the entire chat. The Terminus Space wouldn't design a "Certain Death" mission that could be failed before he even had a chance to play.
Regardless, the clock was ticking. He had to dramatically accelerate his plans. He couldn't afford to idle in the Kure Village any longer.
Seeing Fusui walking toward him across the veranda, Lu Li stood up. "Let's go. It's time to begin the martial arts exchange."
Fusui blinked in surprise, then smiled warmly. "Actually, I came to tell you breakfast is ready."
"The average human can only consciously exert roughly 30% of their true physical output. The vast majority of their latent power remains dormant. This is an evolutionary limiter hardwired into the brain to prevent the muscles from tearing themselves apart and shattering the bones..."
Inside a private, secluded training ground, Erioh Kure was patiently explaining the theoretical mechanics of their secret technique.
"...Our Removal technique is the absolute mastery of bypassing that limiter, allowing us to forcibly unleash up to 100% of our body's latent kinetic power."
His ancient eyes carefully evaluated Lu Li's physique.
"Although your martial arts comprehension is undoubtedly a once-in-a-millennium anomaly, and your baseline physical strength is terrifyingly high, learning the mental trigger for this technique shouldn't be difficult for you. However... I suspect you will not be able to actually manifest a high Removal percentage."
"Oh? Why is that? Because I don't possess the Kure bloodline?" Lu Li asked, genuinely curious.
Erioh shook his head. "Not at all. The Kure Clan possesses an ancient lineage, and we constantly interbreed with outsiders. There is no concept of 'blood purity' required to activate the technique. Our ability to utilize Removal without dying relies entirely on 1,300 years of selective biological optimization. Our physical constitution and durability are fundamentally superior to ordinary humans, allowing us to withstand the catastrophic internal stress of unleashing that latent power."
Lu Li pondered this for a moment and instantly understood the old man's logic in terms of the Terminus Space's mechanics.
In systemic terms, the members of the Kure Clan possessed a [Constitution] attribute that was disproportionately higher than their base [Strength] attribute.
When Removal deactivated the brain's limiter, it caused an explosive, unnatural spike in [Strength]. Normally, this sudden surge in kinetic output would literally rip a person's tendons and shatter their skeleton. But because the Kure had selectively bred for hyper-durability over centuries, their disproportionately high [Constitution] acted as a reinforced chassis, preventing their bodies from imploding.
"So what you're saying is... I cannot sustain a high Removal rate specifically because my body is too perfectly balanced?" Lu Li concluded.
Erioh nodded approvingly. "Precisely. I can see it clearly. As a supreme martial artist, you have tempered your physical vessel to absolute equilibrium. Your strength output and your structural durability are perfectly matched. Therefore, if you forcibly unleash Removal, your strength will instantly eclipse your durability, and your body will begin to violently tear itself apart."
Lu Li understood perfectly. It seemed that moving forward, he would need to prioritize dumping his Free Attribute Points into [Constitution], while relying on explosive buff skills like Removal to artificially inflate his [Strength].
"Having understood the fundamental mechanism and its inherent risks, do you still wish to proceed? If you choose to back out now, you may keep your hardening technique," Erioh offered, looking directly into Lu Li's eyes.
Lu Li grinned feral. "You underestimate me, Patriarch. Even if I fail to master it, I would never back out of an agreed exchange. Besides... I don't believe for a second that I will fail."
"Hahaha... I truly am growing fond of you, young man. Perhaps..." Erioh started, before violently shaking his head to dispel the thought. No! Absolutely not! Under no circumstances will I allow him anywhere near my precious Karla!
Lu Li didn't press the old man's internal conflict. He reached into his pocket and handed over a handwritten notebook he had drafted the night before.
"The theoretical foundation and core training methodologies of my technique are fully documented here. Please, review it. With your profound martial insight, Patriarch, I trust you will instantly recognize its authenticity."
Erioh took the notebook and rapidly skimmed through the pages. A brilliant, almost fanatical light ignited in his ancient eyes.
"This... this is the ultimate pinnacle of martial arts... To think that raw spiritual willpower and physical intent could manifest in such a tangible form..."
He meticulously tucked the notebook into his robes, his expression turning deadly serious as he looked back at Lu Li.
"Very well. Let us begin your instruction in the art of Removal."
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