-----
-----
"So much power?"
"The Dragon Talisman's power comes from the Shendu… and Shendu's power comes from his dimension. So… what if I absorb this magic directly into my body?"
Floating high in the sky, Jiro pondered the possibility.
"Well, there's only one way to find out."
He casually waved his hand, and the Rooster and Dragon Talismans floated into the air before him.
He began forming hand seals, and a golden magic circle slowly spun beneath the talismans.
It was a spell he learned from Old Man's ancient texts—a magical extraction technique.
"Demons and monsters, go away… Demons and monsters, go away…"
As he chanted the incantation, the magic circle suddenly flared to life. The talismans trembled violently as the runes on them peeled away, transforming into streams of light.
The bluish energy of the Rooster Talisman and the fiery red energy of the Dragon Talisman intertwined and spiraled upward.
Jiro opened his arms, letting both streams of energy flood into his body.
BOOM!
His eyes burst with brilliant golden light, and a wave of energy surged out from him.
Floating mid-air, behind him appeared vague outlines of a dragon and a bird, shimmering like phantoms.
Ancient patterns began flowing across his skin as the two powers fused with him.
He closed his eyes, focusing on the energies swirling inside his body.
Finally, the storm calmed.
Jiro slowly opened his eyes. The golden glow faded, but deep in his pupils, faint runes still flickered.
He clenched his fists, feeling the brand-new strength flowing through him.
The Rooster Talisman's telekinesis had now perfectly merged with his bio-field and natural mental power.
Now, he didn't even need to concentrate—just a thought could make objects float.
He could also launch telekinetic shockwaves to sneak-attack enemies, and the style? Honestly, even Magneto would be impressed.
As for the Dragon Talisman's explosive fire, it had fused with his heat vision and freeze breath. Now, not only could he fire high-temp beams, he could also unleash a devastating dragon flame breath—way stronger than before.
"I did it." Jiro smiled, pleased.
"The talismans' magic has completely become part of me. Even without the physical talismans, I can still use their powers."
"But this is only the beginning…" His thoughts shifted to the remaining talismans.
"Each of the twelve talismans represents a different kind of rule or force. If I fuse them all…"
Jiro could feel it—he'd be stepping into a whole new tier of power. Epic-level.
Meanwhile…
Dark Hand Headquarters
Shendu's stone statue trembled violently, his fury almost becoming tangible."The talisman's power… vanished?!"
Valmont backed up, trembling. "Shendu, what happened?"
"No! That's impossible!" Shendu growled lowly.
"A talisman's power can't just disappear unless it's wiped out by an even higher force!"
Then he froze, dragon eyes flashing with alarm."Unless… someone used magic to extract its power—and absorbed it!"
Valmont gulped. "So… what do we do now?"
Shendu went quiet for a moment, then chuckled coldly.
"Keep looking! Bring me all the talismans! If someone really can absorb their magic, then that person's body… will make the perfect container."
"Now that I know how powerful these talismans are… next up—"
Jiro scanned across Mexico with his super-vision, and soon his gaze stopped at a construction site on the outskirts of a city.
Piercing through clouds of dust, his eyes locked onto a figure—familiar, yet out of place.
El Toro Fuerte, the bull-headed wrestler hero who should've been shining on the wrestling stage…
Now shirtless, wearing his iconic bull mask, and carrying a mini excavator like it was nothing.
Around him, the workers didn't seem to find anything odd. In fact, someone even handed him a bottle of water.
Jiro: …
His expression twisted slightly.
This was El Toro Fuerte? The El Toro Fuerte who never takes off his mask?
What was this—Mexico-exclusive edition? "Construction Site" limited skin?
Jiro rubbed his temples and gave up trying to figure it out.
With a wave, he sliced open a golden portal and stepped through.
Mexico – A Construction Site
The sun blazed overhead. Dust filled the air.
Standing at the edge of the construction site, Jiro used his super-vision to scan through the chaos and zeroed in on the bull-masked powerhouse.
Yep—he really was carrying excavators around.
And on his mask, embedded right in the center, was a talisman glowing with a yellow-brown light.
Jiro strode toward him. The workers instinctively stepped aside, feeling an invisible pressure in the air.
El Toro Fuerte had just finished setting down an excavator. He wiped the sweat from his brow—then suddenly felt a chill down his spine.
He whipped around—and saw a man in black armor staring calmly at him.
"Who are you?" he asked warily, taking a half-step back as his muscles tensed.
Jiro didn't answer. His eyes were locked on the mask.
The Ox Talisman was embedded right in the forehead of the bull mask, faintly pulsing with energy.
"El Toro Fuerte, right?" Jiro said in flawless Spanish."I came for something."
Instinctively, El Toro Fuerte covered the mask. "You can't take it!"
Jiro raised an eyebrow. "Didn't El Toro Fuerte never take off his mask?"
He nodded seriously. "That's right."
Jiro sighed. "Then why are you out here working construction? Whatever, let's try a different approach."
He raised his hand and took out a glowing, pale-blue gene enhancement serum from his system inventory.
"This stuff can help you lift excavators effortlessly—maybe even more."
He gave the test tube a little shake."In exchange for the talisman. Deal?"
El Toro Fuerte eyed the serum suspiciously, then shook his head. "El Toro Fuerte never takes off his mask!"
Jiro had no patience for this. His eyes flared red.
Fwoosh!
A boulder in the distance instantly vaporized—not even ash left behind.
El Toro's pupils shrank. He could feel it—if he refused, things were gonna get real ugly.
"Or… wanna find out what vaporization feels like?" Jiro smiled at him.
El Toro gulped. His face under the mask was drenched in sweat.
He looked at the talisman. Then at Jiro. And suddenly shouted:
"EL TORO FUERTE NEVER SURRENDERS!"
Then—
He ran.
Jiro: ….
"Tsk."
Jiro vanished in a blur, reappearing right in front of the fleeing El Toro.
"Gave you a chance, and you blew it."
"Damn it!" El Toro skidded to a halt, nearly slamming into him.
Gritting his teeth, he suddenly pulled out a metal rod from the site. "Then fight me!"
Jiro didn't even bother to lift a finger—he just thought.
Bang!
El Toro suddenly felt a crushing weight on his shoulder. He dropped to one knee as the ground cracked beneath him.
"Now." Jiro walked up slowly. "Hand over the talisman, and you can go back to hauling excavators."
El Toro struggled but couldn't move at all.
"Fine! You win!" he shouted, frustrated.
Jiro nodded casually. "Don't worry, I won't cheat you. You still get the serum."
He snapped his fingers. The pressure on El Toro vanished.
Then he tossed the vial over.
El Toro caught it, hesitated for a second, then gave in to temptation. Gritting his teeth, he said, "Alright!"
Carefully, he removed the Ox Talisman from the mask and handed it to Jiro—then jabbed the serum into his own arm without hesitation.
Buzz!
The serum spread through his body. His muscles swelled slightly, and his skin gained a faint sheen.
He clenched his fists, feeling the rush of power, then laughed out loud:"This is awesome!"
He spun around and effortlessly picked up an excavator—even easier than before.
"Thanks, man!" El Toro said, slapping Jiro on the shoulder.
Completely unaware Jiro was looking at him like he'd just been tricked by a child's toy commercial.
Jiro ignored him and looked down at the Ox Talisman in his hand, a glint of surprise in his eyes.
"System, what's this talisman's rule?"
[Ding! Ox Talisman detected. Rule: Amplification. The stronger the user, the greater the boost.]
[Normal humans can reach bullet-resistant level at best. Strength increase is limited.]
[But host's base strength far exceeds human level—amplification will be exponential!]
Jiro grinned."Now this… this is getting interesting."
"....."