Maple leaves fell like rain.
Tiny electric sounds filled the air, bringing Gusion information from the currents.
But he sensed nothing alive—either Mandrake was perfectly still and suppressed her life signs, or had a high-level concealment skill.
Either way, Gusion didn't believe Mandrake had truly vanished—she had to be somewhere nearby.
Because hiding alone would never win; she had to strike to win.
Gusion crouched slightly, the color of the lightning around him changing from gentle blue to violent dark red.
This was both increased lightning output and the effect of his Conqueror's Haki.
As he breathed deeply, dark purple markings appeared on his skin, and his muscles swelled—his stats soared.
Strangely, as his stat realm advanced, his Thunder Breathing boosts became minimal, but his demon god skills still worked, pushing his strength and agility to the limit.
If he wanted, he could go further, but that would strain his body.
"If you won't come to me, I'll come to you," Gusion muttered, his body changing further.
His clothes fluttered, lightning surged, turning dark purple.
The currents stood his hair on end, dyeing it the same dark purple as the lightning, with a lightning-shaped symbol in his pupils.
Falling maple leaves above him were pierced by high voltage, igniting crimson flames that danced around him.
Raijin Mode!
In this state: all stats +1, base constitution back to the pre-title-loss 66.
"Shatter the chains, Mazoku."
With a low chant, purple mist sank and spread, Gusion standing at the center of lightning and mist, like a demon god.
After releasing his blade, all stats climbed to 70!
Now, stat-wise, he rivaled any top third-tier explorer. The dual-bloodline of Chaos Spirit Seed gave him a new level of numbers.
Gusion crouched, lightning surging, and slashed his blade in a circular arc.
Lightning and blade light crisscrossed the forest, high-voltage currents igniting trees. A massive ring of thunderfire spread from Gusion's center.
And he didn't stop. He kept slashing, lightning spreading everywhere. In the roar, a hundred meters of maple forest vanished.
Amid smoke and fire, lightning arced up, Gusion's face excited, and he lunged to slash at a spot in the air.
Clang—
Steel clashed as a black dagger met Gusion's blade.
Mandrake appeared, eyes showing a hint of absurdity. When struck by lightning, she instinctively triggered her lifesaving skill.
Gusion's slash kept going, tracing purple arcs through the air.
Mandrake used a blink skill to escape, but Gusion wouldn't let her go.
Lightning's OP trait: if you clash with him, you get shocked.
Even as a top expert, Mandrake was stunned by the shock at the first clash.
She'd used a skill to flee, but she couldn't go silent again.
With his Observation Haki and web of currents, Gusion immediately tracked her, slashing down with a second blow.
Boom—
The ground split deeply—Gusion was surprised to miss.
Mandrake could double-blink!
Clang—
A crisp sound behind Gusion—a black dagger struck his barrier, Mandrake's assassination breaking through, aimed at his neck.
Clang—
Another crisp sound in quick succession.
Mandrake struck him, but was shocked to find she couldn't penetrate his defense!
Behind him, she sensed his expression change—the look of a hunter catching his prey.
She realized she'd blundered—after breaking the barrier, she shouldn't have pressed on. Gusion's Armament Haki was much stronger than she'd thought, and her remaining force couldn't kill!
Plus, Gusion was like a living battery—current ran up her dagger, paralyzing her instantly.
Gusion amped up the current, thunder raging, covering the area to prevent any escape.
He jumped back, elbowed Mandrake in the stomach, and as she was stunned and off-balance, spun and slashed her neck.
With Armament and Conqueror's Haki, he broke through her black fog shield, decapitating her.
["You have reached the summit of third-tier arena. Gained 'Unmatched' title."]
The prompt sounded, ending the battle.
Leaving the rest area, Gusion saw Mandrake emerge too.
"We're just a bad match," she sighed.
Gusion understood—Mandrake was an assassin, relying on stealth and one-hit kills.
But with Gusion's Raijin powers and awareness, plus his electrified body, silent assassination was impossible. And any attack shocked her.
For an agile assassin, that was fatal—against others, she could escape after a failed strike, or chain attacks for the kill.
But against Gusion, she had only one chance—and even that was slim.
With his sharp senses, Gusion could defend against any attack, as with his earlier barrier. If her attack was weakened, his Armament Haki could block the rest.
"How about another match? I won't use lightning," Gusion offered, feeling that using thunder was unfair, and curious about Mandrake's skills.
"You sure?" Mandrake eyed him oddly. "You seem cocky."
"Let's try."
Gusion wasn't just a lightning spammer—he was a martial artist first; the Raijin Fruit was just a phase power-up for missions.
But in pure combat, he feared no one—even Mandrake's assassination arts.
"Alright, one more match."
Mandrake, also unconvinced, agreed.
Ten minutes later…
Mandrake left the arena without a word, muttering outside, "No wonder the vice-captain wants to recruit him… What a monster."
In that match, Gusion didn't use lightning, but she still lost decisively.
No more excuses about bad matchups"Gusion's combat mastery and danger sense were absurd.
She felt his specializations were nearly master-level—maybe even already there.
Without the first-strike advantage, she, the assassin, was basically stomped by this berserker.
Against her stealth, Gusion simply slashed everywhere, forcing her out.
Once her blink was on cooldown, he'd force a direct fight.
But she was an assassin—how could she out-brawl him?
Most frustrating: Gusion didn't even use his spirit seed abilities.
…
After the arena, Gusion returned to his room and took a refreshing shower.
His next plan was simple: spend the rest of his End Coins in the training ground.
His combat specializations were all at the peak of master level—just a bit short of grandmaster.
But sparring with Shen Wulong, a normal person, was reaching its limit. His skills, even with high attributes, couldn't keep up with Gusion's Haki and advanced techniques.
So Gusion could only use pure martial arts to test precision—once he reached grandmaster, Shen Wulong wouldn't be useful anymore.
He'd heard that in the advanced arena, he could summon mirrors of people he'd seen—he planned to spar with Kaido next.
Thus, Gusion kept practicing and grinding, waiting for his custom order to be ready.
After confirming with the sailor girl that it was done, Gusion rushed to the shopping street.
"Why're you staring at me?" the sailor girl asked listlessly, inviting Gusion in.
"You just look so… ethereal," Gusion joked. He didn't know how hard she'd worked, but she looked like she hadn't slept at all.
"It's your fault. That night, we kept discussing details, which made it such a pain to make."
She complained, lifting a black cloth to reveal the new gear.
Gusion stepped forward eagerly.
On the left was his new coat, in the classic style of his old one, but with clearly improved materials.
The black had a matte look, yet felt silky smooth.
[Nightwalker]
Origin: End Space
Quality: Epic
Type: Coat
Durability: 400/400
Requirements: 60 Constitution, 60 Spirit
Details: Crafted by Supporter █████ using Black Grindstone, Night Dream Flower, and Ink Silkworm Silk. Strong physical and magic defense, and adds +3 Charisma.
Skill 1: Night Bloom (Passive)
Due to the materials' properties, this gear is extremely flexible and can change shape freely after absorbing night energy, and can quickly self-repair using stored energy.
Current Night Energy: 100%
Skill 2: Embrace of the Night (Passive)
While wearing Nightwalker, the pioneer gains 30% to max Life Source. At night, this effect doubles (only active if Constitution is below 100).
Score: 690
Evaluation: Walk through the night, embrace the darkness.