Boom!
Daren's punch tore through the atmosphere, unleashing a powerful shockwave.
King's body shot backward like a cannonball, his pupils twitching as they shrank in fear.
Crack, crack...
His mask began to splinter, then shattered completely, revealing an astonishingly handsome face.
Tufts of ash-gray hair scattered midair, dancing wildly in the wind, only adding to King's fierce and untamed aura.
The black wings on his back, blazing with crimson flames, flapped rapidly, forcefully halting his flight.
His feet hit the ground, skidding for dozens of meters before he slammed his long sword into the ground, barely managing to stabilize himself as he gasped for breath.
"You're way too late, you sadistic bastard!"
Queen struggled to crawl up from the ground, glaring at King through gritted teeth.
"Shut it, you dead weight!"
King snapped, gripping his sword tightly, still panting, his expression tense like he was facing a deadly threat. His eyes never left the black-haired youth.
"This lunatic..."
Shock slowly filled King's gaze. His hands on the hilt trembled ever so slightly.
He's toying with me!
Otherwise, that punch wouldn't have targeted my sword!
Yet even though it only struck his blade, that blow had felt like a mountain collapsing upon him.
It was the same overwhelming pressure as facing Kaidou-san going all out.
That kind of destructive power... just the thought of fighting back made one's heart sink.
Could this guy have already reached a level of strength equal to Kaidou-san...?
But...
King suddenly gritted his teeth, his eyes flashing coldly.
He aimed for my sword...
At the same time, a surge of uncontrollable fury erupted from his gut and slammed into his chest.
This bastard dared to mock me!
Fwoosh!
Crimson flames burst up along his black wings. King slowly lifted off with the rhythmic beat of his wings, the fire on his body growing fiercer and hotter.
"I'll admit it—you've surpassed me in raw strength."
"But no matter what, I won't let you wreak havoc in the Beasts Pirates' headquarters!"
"I'll show you a power that surpasses humans on a biological level—the ultimate might of my kind!"
As his words fell, waves of massive flames erupted around him, forming rings of fire that spiraled around his body like the face of a giant clock, glowing brightly in the pitch-black sky.
"Whoa, whoa, way too flashy."
Daren bit down on his cigar and raised a hand to shield his eyes from the blinding flames, speaking with mild exasperation.
"The Lunarians's racial gifts... physical endurance, regeneration, even their control over these unique flames. It's true, humans can't match that."
"But..."
He suddenly turned his head, eyes narrowing in amusement as he glanced at Queen trying to sneak away nearby.
"Fat boy in suspenders, do I still look like a regular human to you?"
As Daren's eyes swept over him, Queen shuddered, the trauma from that devastating punch still lingering.
"N-No. Not at all..."
He swallowed nervously.
Then, a thunderous roar echoed from above.
"Die!"
King raised his long sword high and swung it down toward Daren from a distance!
Fwoosh!
The flames blanketing the sky erupted even more violently, swirling and twisting together until they formed a massive, soaring red fire dragon that bellowed as it charged toward Daren!
"Omori Karyudon!"
Blazing jets of magma-like fire burst outward from the dragon, exploding across the landscape like fireworks. Everything in its path—buildings, stone peaks, obstacles—was melted down and destroyed.
The fire dragon howled furiously, unstoppable!
A wave of scorching fire surged forward, swallowing everything within a kilometer radius.
Queen's face twisted in panic.
"You bastard! Are you trying to kill me too!?"
Before he could make a run for it, a figure calmly stepped forward.
And stood in the path of the roaring dragon.
The blazing light grew stronger, almost blinding, swallowing everything in sight...
"Fire Dragon?"
Daren's mouth curled into a reckless grin, his right hand already forming the shape of a three-finger claw.
Ryusoken.
Passed down from Dragon himself—a devastating claw technique made to shatter tyrants.
"You're insane! That's his strongest attack!"
Seeing Daren preparing to take the hit head-on, Queen sucked in a sharp breath, shouting in alarm.
"It's because it's his strongest move..."
Daren murmured with a smile, suddenly turning his head.
"...that I can't afford to miss it!"
In the next moment, under Queen's stunned and horrified gaze, the black-haired youth let out a wild laugh and stepped forward.
A claw strike ripped through the air.
A black claw wrapped in black and crimson lightning lunged forward—
—grabbing the roaring fire dragon's head directly!
ROAR!!
Under the immense impact, Daren was pushed back dozens of meters, the force splitting apart the ground around him in an instant. The scorched land cracked and dried beneath the pressure.
"Not bad at all!"
Daren licked his parched lips. Smoke rose from his body as he bathed in the searing flames, looking like a demon god descending into the world.
Pressing down on the fire dragon with one hand, he grinned viciously and unleashed his full power.
"Dragon's Breath!"
ROAR!!
A roar erupted—many times more powerful than before.
A violent shockwave burst forth from Daren's palm, like the breath of an invisible dragon.
The massive fire dragon let out a pained wail, its flames dimming by more than half in an instant.
Then...
The black-haired youth launched his charge!
BOOM!!
He crushed the fire dragon's skull with a single claw.
Braving the blazing inferno erupting across the sky, he kept striking the dragon's body, tearing it apart piece by piece.
From afar,
it looked like a black beam of light ripping through the fire dragon with overwhelming might—shooting straight toward King in the sky at blinding speed!
King's face turned to horror, his mind freezing for a moment in stunned disbelief.
He had expected Daren to grow stronger since their last encounter.
But not like this.
He had imagined Daren might endure his most powerful move.
But not by overwhelming it with brute force.
No swordsmanship, no techniques, no strategy, no bloodline...
In the face of this man's sheer physical dominance, all of that crumbled like paper.
'This guy... he might really... surpass Kaidou-san...'
King stared in a daze at the oncoming black, ferocious dragon claw as the thought crossed his mind.
ZZZZZZ!!
Suddenly, streaks of purple lightning ripped through the sky.
"Daren, you little brat! You've got a death wish!"
A thunderous roar erupted like a rumble of distant storms.
The next instant, a fearsome figure burst down through the cloud sea, cloaked in crackling violet lightning—plummeting from the heavens!
In his hand, a black kanabō crackled with black and red lightning, roaring with violent energy.
"Kosanze Ragnaraku!!"
Here he comes—
The strongest creature across land, sea, and air... Kaidou of the Beasts!
...
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