While most people were still floating on the water's surface, a few figures shot upward almost instantly.
Little Tang and Old Tang hovered in the air, flames blasting from beneath their feet like jet engines.
"So this is it," the boy beside Old Tang said quietly as he stared at the island. "The legendary Avalon, or maybe Valhalla."
He pointed toward the stone chambers lining the structure. "Those caves are full of coffins. Inside them are puppets, not quite human, not quite Deadpool. Odin's Einherjar."
Old Tang nodded gravely. "And Leviathan's aura is gone. That means it was likely devoured. This place is Odin's Nibelungen."
Both brothers had consumed the Mera Mera no Mi.
As the former Kings of Bronze and Fire, Norton and Constantine wielded flames as naturally as their own limbs.
Not far from them, Xia Mi radiated golden light as she entered her Immortal Fox state.
The three exchanged brief glances, reunited after a thousand years. No words were needed.
As former Dragon Kings, they were theoretically the strongest contenders present.
Even the S-Rank elites among the others only possessed a few thousand points after bloodline conversion.
They each had a full ten thousand.
Fenrir had spent ten thousand points to transform into a Nine-Tails.
Xia Mi had spent ten thousand points to awaken an Asura physique.
With both stacked, and the Immortal Mode granted by Asura activated, Xia Mi was confident she could defeat ten versions of her former self.
With power far exceeding that of a traditional Dragon King, she saw no reason she would fail to secure the first kill.
"Norton," Xia Mi said, glancing at Old Tang, "you know Odin and I have unfinished business. Leave him to me."
Old Tang looked at her calmly. "You are still as unreasonable as ever, Yemengade. The world has changed. If you want Odin, then take him yourself."
"Hmph. Then I will," Xia Mi muttered, kicking her glowing golden calves.
While the former Dragon Kings spoke, Chu Zihang moved.
He stepped forward and vanished like a shadow, appearing instantly on the island. One by one, he flipped open the coffin lids inside the stone chambers.
His movements were precise and efficient, the force and angles flawless.
Each coffin opened with a dull thud, followed by the glow of golden pupils lighting up from within.
The Einherjar, who had slept for untold ages, sat upright, their draconic pressure flooding the air.
Chu Zihang ignored them and continued opening coffins.
Until he stopped.
"…Finally," he murmured. "I found you."
His fingers trembled.
Inside the coffin lay a man wearing an Odin mask. Though the face was hidden, the clothes were unmistakable.
The same outfit worn on that rainy night two years ago.
There was no doubt.
This was Chu Tianjiao, his father.
Chu Zihang swung his blade. The Odin mask shattered. Chu Tianjiao's golden pupils flickered violently, then dimmed as his eyes closed and he sank back into slumber.
"I'm here, Dad," Chu Zihang said softly. "I'll take you to get your revenge."
He closed the coffin, lifted it onto his shoulder, and walked out of the chamber.
Flames rose along his sword as his gaze swept coldly across the dozens of glowing eyes in the surrounding caves.
"Hado Number Ninety, Black Coffin."
The world seemed to collapse.
A massive black prison descended, space and gravity twisting as countless blades erupted within it.
Moments later, silence returned.
The Black Coffin dispersed.
Every Einherjar, every coffin, was reduced to fragments.
Only Chu Tianjiao remained intact.
Half of Odin's millennia-long accumulation vanished in an instant.
Chu Zihang walked off the island through drifting golden blood.
The others only reached the shore at that moment.
"…Isn't this a little excessive?" Xia Mi muttered, staring in disbelief.
Teacher Ye, who had moments ago believed only Xia Mi and Norton were worthy opponents, hesitated.
"This level of strength…"
From the crowd, someone shouted, "Hero! Do you still want those corpses?"
Lu Mingfei would have recognized the man instantly if he were already enrolled at Cassell College.
Fingel.
Chu Zihang shook his head.
That was all the signal needed.
The island erupted into chaos as people rushed forward, scrambling to collect and sell the remains of the Einherjar.
Each corpse was a top-grade mixed-blood, worth at least a hundred points.
Shouts rang out across the island.
"This area belongs to the Sheqi Hachi Family! Anyone who steps in is our enemy!"
"Nonsense! The Chen family refuses to back down!"
"The Secret Party is the largest dragon-slaying organization! These resources belong to us!"
"Let go! They're all mine! Xia Mi's!"
"Sorry, beautiful. These are all mine, Lu Mingfei's! Shinra Tensei, Bansho Tenin!"
Lu Mingfei cleared the area with a clean combo, grinning as he prepared to sell the corpses.
Then everything changed.
A multicolored wave of light descended from the sky and enveloped him.
In an instant, Lu Mingfei felt all worldly desire drain away.
"Huh?" he muttered. "Why am I even selling these? Points are meaningless. Even if I buy something, who would I give it to…"
He gazed at the sky, suddenly philosophical, contemplating the meaning of life.
Then his peripheral vision caught movement.
Two massive hands appeared out of nowhere and scooped up all the corpses.
"What the hell?!" Lu Mingfei shouted, snapping back to reality.
He spun around.
"…Are you kidding me? Cosmos Ultraman is here too?!"
Everyone stared in stunned silence at the fifty-meter-tall giant standing on the shore.
Cosmos held dozens of Einherjar and sold them all in one go.
Then he flashed a peace sign toward the Sheqi Hachi Family.
Lu Mingfei spat. "So the system even lets you summon Ultraman? And did he just use the Full Moon Wave to steal corpses?"
Cosmos paused, scratched his head awkwardly, pressed his palms together, and said, "Chaa!"
The contrast was overwhelming.
Lu Mingfei opened the system interface with a strange expression.
If Cosmos was possible, then Tiga had to be there too.
He wanted to become light as well.
Splash, splash.
The sound of water drew everyone's attention.
Cosmos turned and waded back into the sea. His massive body slowly submerged until only his head remained above the surface.
The water churned violently.
With a burst of blinding light, Cosmos lifted something enormous from the depths.
"Hey!"
A gigantic dragon emerged.
It resembled a black catfish, with rows of eyes lining both sides of its head. Its swollen belly suggested Leviathan's remains were still inside.
Xia Mi stiffened. "That aura… wait. Is that the Black King?"
The creature was docile under the influence of the Full Moon Wave, yet the golden pupils radiated overwhelming authority.
Far greater than Leviathan's.
This was undoubtedly the Black King mentioned in the mission.
However, it was still in a juvenile state. Its consciousness was feral, its Dragon King Heart missing, its form incomplete.
Old Tang frowned deeply. "It's the Black King, but unfinished."
Xia Mi and Old Tang exchanged a glance and launched forward at the same time.
So did everyone else.
Shuichi Gen and Yuan Zhinu from Neon.
Angers and Fingel from the Secret Party.
Members of countless factions surged toward the Black King.
Revenge, interference, missions, points.
All collided at once.
The battle began when Xia Mi fired a Tailed Beast Ball.
It slammed into Cosmos's chest, forcing him back and sending the Black King crashing into the sea.
Shuichi Gen roared in fury, drawing his Zanpakuto and activating its Shikai.
"Hyōrinmaru, Hyōten Hyakkasō!"
Snowflakes fell, instantly crystallizing into thousands of ice shards around Xia Mi.
She transformed without hesitation.
A colossal golden Nine-Tails rose from the ocean, towering even over Cosmos.
She held one Tailed Beast Ball, while each of her nine tails condensed another.
Ten spheres launched simultaneously.
"Do you have to drag everyone into this?!" Lu Mingfei shouted as he sprinted across the sea, battered by shockwaves.
He finally snapped.
A massive black Susanoo rose behind him.
With one palm, it swatted a Tailed Beast Ball aside as Lu Mingfei advanced toward the Black King.
Cosmos reacted, releasing the Full Moon Wave again.
Xia Mi and Lu Mingfei both entered Sage Mode simultaneously.
But the others did not stop.
Angers roared, dragging his Zanpakuto as he ran across the Black King's body, carving deep wounds.
He was here to slay a dragon.
Fingel followed closely, hauling an alchemical iron bucket to collect the dragon's blood and sell it to the system.
Elsewhere, the Sheqi Hachi Family clashed with the Chen family, the Gatto family, and the Secret Party.
Ice, fire, lightning, blades, Devil Fruits, Zanpakuto, and Ninjutsu filled the sea and sky.
Even the Black King's high-risk Geomancy, Nine Infants, barely stood out amid the chaos.
At the edge of the island, one figure remained still.
Pompeii, patriarch of the Gatto family.
The golden-haired playboy stared in disbelief.
"How is this possible?" he muttered. "Their original Geomancy was nowhere near this level. Is that system truly this monstrous?"
Pompeii, or rather Odin, the King of Sky and Wind, felt genuine confusion.
He had never activated the system.
From the beginning, he had sensed its danger and closed the interface.
He had followed the group only to devour the Kings of Bronze and Fire and of Earth and Mountain.
Even the destruction of Valhalla had been an acceptable loss.
But this…
"No," Odin whispered. "Something is wrong."
"That system belongs to the Black King."
"I nurtured its body, but its true will is elsewhere, orchestrating all of this."
"It wants to strip me of my authority."
His gaze fixed on Xia Mi and Old Tang locked in battle.
"I must devour them…"
He paused, realizing the truth.
He could not defeat Xia Mi in her current state.
"…Then I will devour the Black King's body first," Odin corrected himself, his voice cold. "Along with Leviathan."
"And then," he said softly, "I will devour them all."