"Big Brother!"
Seeing Axel's shattered arm, Yang Jian roared and rushed forward, catching Axel before he could be sent flying farther back.
Axel steadied himself with Yang Jian's support, then burst into laughter.
Flames ignited across his shoulder, and within seconds, his destroyed arm regenerated completely. He rolled his wrist, clenched his fist, and grinned.
"Erlang, relax. Your big brother isn't dying that easily.
It's just Old Tathagata. I'll deal with him myself.
You focus on those Bodhisattvas. Watch closely while I blow this monk apart, then I'll take you to meet your conveniently missing uncle."
The moment he finished speaking, Axel shot forward again, charging straight toward Tathagata's crown.
All around the battlefield, the heavenly officials stared in disbelief at the cracks spreading across Tathagata's right hand.
That was the Buddha.
The Buddha.
Minor injuries were nothing unusual for him. He had suffered embarrassing incidents before.
He had been poisoned by the Scorpion Demon, had lamp oil stolen by a rat spirit, and had even been swallowed by a peacock.
Buddhism loved grand displays of sacrifice and righteousness, and Tathagata himself was an expert at enduring humiliation for appearances.
But everyone present could tell the difference between putting on a performance and genuinely being overwhelmed.
This time, Tathagata was truly losing ground.
Even the God of Thunder looked tempted to drag the Goddess of Lightning over just so she could witness it herself.
Across the heavens, how many beings had ever seen Tathagata forced into such a state?
Inside the Hall of Supreme Heaven, the Jade Emperor exchanged a glance with the Supreme Lord.
The Supreme Lord let out a bitter sigh.
"Your Majesty, if even Tathagata's Palm-Sized Buddhist Kingdom cannot restrain him, then no prison within the Three Realms can.
Spiritual treasures are ineffective against him, and although his body can be damaged, it regenerates almost instantly.
Even if I personally intervened, the result would likely be no different from Tathagata's.
At best, I could avoid defeat. I doubt I could suppress or kill him."
The Jade Emperor narrowed his eyes slightly.
"Then his position is already secured.
Prepare the Moon Palace. Tell the Star Lord of the Moon to summon the celestial maidens and arrange a banquet with the Queen Mother.
We cannot afford to embarrass the Heavenly Court.
This Axel is far too strange. Until we uncover the source of his power, nobody can truly deal with him.
Even if I am stronger than Tathagata, our methods fundamentally belong to the same system.
But Axel... he feels completely separate from everything within the Three Realms."
For the first time, genuine concern appeared on the Jade Emperor's face.
The Supreme Lord nodded before dissolving into a stream of clear qi and vanishing.
Outside the hall, Axel had already reached Tathagata.
For the first time since the battle began, Tathagata rose from his lotus seat.
He raised his hand to meet Axel's fist directly.
"Benefactor, why are you so obsessed with destruction?
Even if you kill me, can you erase greed, desire, hatred, and obsession from all living beings?
As long as emotions remain, suffering will continue.
As long as desire exists, morality will decay."
Axel immediately cut him off.
"Why the hell would I care about any of that?
I just want to kill you, buddy."
Boom!!!
Their fists collided.
The resulting shockwave exploded through the heavens.
Millions of heavenly soldiers were blasted backward instantly. Thousands of star officials lost control and tumbled through the skies.
Even Yang Jian, Nezha, and the Bull Demon King had to drive their weapons into the clouds just to stop themselves from being blown away.
Inside the Hall of Supreme Heaven, the Jade Emperor's expression twitched slightly as invisible barriers spread around the palace to block the impact.
At the center of the collision, Axel's body exploded into a storm of blood and flesh.
The scattered remains slammed into nearby heavenly soldiers, instantly reducing thousands of them to ash.
But Tathagata suffered just as badly.
His already damaged golden arm shattered completely.
Cracks spread all the way to his shoulder before finally stopping. Golden blood sprayed across the heavens, causing golden lotus flowers to bloom in the air.
Nezha's eyes widened.
Before he could react, flames erupted from the scattered blood.
Axel stepped out from the fire completely restored, grinning at Tathagata.
Tathagata looked at him silently before letting out a weary sigh.
"Benefactor Axel, our conflict serves no purpose.
Why not answer my question instead?
If Spirit Mountain and the Heavenly Court collapse together, how will you govern the world afterward?
Can you truly create something better?
And if you cannot, why insist on solving everything with violence?"
"Talk?"
Axel laughed loudly.
He pointed directly at Tathagata's face.
"You've said a lot, old monk, and honestly, some of it even sounds reasonable.
But why should I care?
Why should I care what happens to the world after this?
If the world falls into chaos, future generations will figure it out themselves.
And another thing, who the hell are you to decide whether anyone else is worthy?
You never let people try in the first place.
Whether someone deserves the throne or not should be decided after they take the seat, not before.
The worthy survive. The worthless die.
I'd rather watch the entire world descend into chaos if it means everyone gets a chance to fight for those positions, instead of seeing the same old bastards sitting in Heaven forever.
First, drag all of you off your thrones.
Then we can talk about worthiness afterward.
As for all living beings, save the lecture.
Right now, I'm just here to enjoy myself!"
The moment his words ended, Axel lunged forward.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
He unleashed punch after punch directly into Tathagata's body.
Every impact rang like a heavenly bell.
Again and again, Axel's flesh exploded apart from the force, only to regenerate instantly as more cracks spread across Tathagata's golden body.
Then Axel drove one final punch into Tathagata's chest.
Before Tathagata could react, Axel swung his leg upward and kicked him directly beneath the chin.
Boom!!!
Tathagata's head exploded instantly.
But the next moment, his shattered body transformed.
An infinitely massive Buddha form emerged from the collapsing golden body.
It expanded endlessly, towering above heaven and earth itself.
Compared to that gigantic form, the Heavenly Court looked smaller than a toy.
The Jade Emperor reacted instantly.
He lifted the entire Heavenly Court into his palm and protected the Eastern Heaven Region behind layers of divine light.
At the same time, Axel shot upward.
He tore through the Milky Way and rushed straight into the chaos beyond the heavens before finally stopping between the Jade Emperor and the enormous Buddha form.
He glanced at both giants and smirked.
"What now? Planning to jump me together?"
The Jade Emperor immediately smiled.
"True Monarch Axel misunderstands. I only wish to protect the Heavenly Court.
Besides, you are technically part of Eastern Heaven. Why would I oppose you?"
Axel stared at him for a few seconds before snorting.
"Fine. One doesn't punch a smiling face.
After I finish dealing with Old Tathagata, maybe I'll come back and have a drink with you.
But next time I visit Heaven, don't try acting friendly again.
As for now, move aside and stop delaying this monk's funeral."
The instant he finished speaking, Axel charged toward Tathagata's colossal form.
Then he plunged directly into Tathagata's forehead.
Ten full minutes passed.
He still hadn't emerged.
The situation quickly became awkward.
In truth, Tathagata's golden body was his greatest weapon.
Without relying on treasures or spells, very few beings in the Three Realms could break through it.
Now that he had expanded his form to an unimaginable scale, his destructive power had increased dramatically.
But ironically, the larger body made it even harder for him to seriously injure Axel.