"Roarrr!" The Honkai beasts responded with ferocious cries as Selene shot off toward the battle between Leiva and Jackie at San Francisco Bay.
In the moments after Selene's departure, the pulsating sounds from the massive black-and-purple cocoon intensified, like the beating heart of a giant. Each thundering pulse sent shockwaves through the earth, spreading more violet cracks across the ground and accelerating the Honkai's invasion of the world.
With Shendu, the fire demon and top representative of Black Qi, fully revived and no unyielding immortal god on the side of Righteous Qi to balance the scales, the world of Jackie Chan Adventures had fallen into complete imbalance. The clouds darkened, casting a heavy, ominous aura over the sky within hundreds of miles, centered on the now-crystallized dragon statue.
Half of the West Coast was now under the heavy shadow of an impending return to the era of demons. On the surface, it seemed that supernatural powers were growing more common, and the world was becoming stronger. But in reality, the breakdown of Yin-Yang balance had weakened the world's protective barriers, leaving them fragile and prone to collapse.
Boom!
"Roarrr!"
Smash!
Jackie, clad in his tight-fitting azure armor, his fists glowing blue, let out thunderous shockwaves with each punch as he shattered yet another Honkai beast in his path. One by one, the lower-level Honkai beasts disintegrated into purple-red energy particles, and even the larger Chariot-Class and Templar-Class Honkai beasts were knocked aside, crashing through building after building.
Despite Jackie's mounting strength, his expression remained grim. His once compassionate face now cold and resolute, a reflection of the toll the battles had taken on him.
"Damn it! I was so close to capturing Leiva, and now these giant monsters show up out of nowhere. How is Uncle holding up?" Jackie muttered, hovering in the air and panting heavily.
"Ha ha ha ha... I must admit, Jackie, you've proven yourself a true warrior. But it's over now!" Leiva laughed maniacally. "Look around you—Selene's Honkai Legion has descended. There's no hope for this world anymore!"
Coughing up blood, Leiva, despite his injuries, seemed to respect Jackie's determination. "Surrender now, and I'll recommend you to the General. You and your family will be spared and even given positions of power!"
Jackie, oblivious to the fact that Selene had already destroyed his family, rejected the offer without hesitation. "Never!"
"Leiva, I can sense the good in you. Why—why would you serve these demons?" Jackie tried once more, taking advantage of the momentary lull in the battle as the Honkai beasts temporarily withdrew.
Leiva wiped the blood from his mouth, shaking his head with a hint of regret. "Wrong answer... Then you leave me no choice but to kill you. Water Dragon Blast!"
The ground beneath Jackie trembled as massive dragons of water surged up, aimed directly at him.
"Damn it! Are these monsters endless?" Jackie muttered, his frustration building. He dodged as many of the incoming blasts as possible, but the attacks kept coming.
Realizing he couldn't win through sheer attrition, Jackie steeled his resolve. "I have to take down Leiva!"
But just as Jackie was about to launch a direct attack, a massive hand, illuminated with glowing blue markings, suddenly descended from the sky with a crushing force, heading straight for him.
The hand belonged to Ashvattha, a colossal Emperor-Class Honkai beast, and Jackie had no time to dodge.
With a roar, Jackie crossed his arms in front of him, bracing himself for impact. "Get off me!"
Yet, even with the God Armor bolstering his strength, Ashvattha's power was overwhelming.
Boom!
Jackie's body, covered in azure armor, was blasted downward like a missile, piercing through the air and crashing into the depths of San Francisco Bay, sending massive waves hundreds of meters high.
Ashvattha raised its hand, confused, having expected to crush its target. "Roar?" It tilted its enormous head, puzzled that Jackie had somehow survived.
Splash!
Suddenly, a streak of golden light burst forth from the bay, and Jackie re-emerged, his expression slightly dazed. "What just happened to me?"
Ashvattha's roar snapped Jackie back to reality. His eyes widened as he stared at the enormous creature, half blue and half red, surrounded by countless Honkai beasts.
"I can't hesitate any longer!" Jackie realized that he had to act fast. Without questioning the strange power coursing through him, Jackie focused on the task at hand: defeating the giant beast and capturing Leiva.
Golden energy flaring around him, Jackie shot through the sky, closing the distance between himself and Ashvattha in an instant. His fist, glowing with divine power, slammed into the colossal Honkai beast.
"Move aside!" Jackie roared.
Boom!
The explosion was deafening, and Ashvattha's enormous body was hurled through the air.
Ashvattha, the Emperor-class Honkai beast—defeated in its first real fight!
"What's happening? Why is my strength growing so rapidly?" Jackie wondered as he looked down at his glowing fists.
Meanwhile, Leiva, who had been observing from a distance, was fuming. This fight had taken an unexpected turn. "This is insane! I had the upper hand, but now Jackie's power keeps growing!"
Jackie's focus sharpened as he locked onto Leiva. "Leiva, it's over!"
At that moment, the God Armor on Jackie's body shone even brighter, its divine energy surging to new heights.
Jackie's strength and speed multiplied as he charged toward Leiva, tearing through the ranks of the Honkai beasts like a blazing comet.
But just as Jackie was about to strike, his instincts screamed of danger from above.
A powerful force was heading straight for him!
The God Armor's warning lights flared as Jackie attempted to dodge. However, before he could react, a silver-white figure appeared in front of him in a blink.
Crack!
Even with the God Armor's protection, Jackie's ribs cracked audibly under the force of a devastating punch.
"Ugh—!" Blood and bits of flesh sprayed from Jackie's mouth as he flew backward, his body twisting unnaturally from the impact.
If not for the divine power protecting him, that punch would have surely obliterated him entirely.
"You think the Righteous Qi is making a comeback? Hoping the immortal gods will return by using Jackie's body as a vessel? Not on my watch!" Selene's voice was cold as ice.
Gripping Jackie's head with one hand, Selene sneered, as though addressing an unseen force, "You think you can revive through him? Think again!"
Her hand tightened its grip on Jackie's skull as a thin, purple crystal plate materialized beneath her feet.
Crack!
With a surge of power, the crystal plate shattered, and Selene rocketed forward, using Jackie as a battering ram. In a flash, she traveled thousands of miles, cutting through the landscape like a blazing meteor.
The sheer velocity of her movement caused everything in their path—buildings, mountains, even the air itself—to vaporize into molten slag.
Boom!
The entire city was evaporated in half by the molten river of destruction left in her path.