Chapter 182: Thunder God Fights the Two Fiends
Enel appeared in the sky above the beach. The air immediately began to crackle as blue-and-white electricity flickered, and the grains of sand below started to melt.
Watching this, Moon Fiend's relaxed expression vanished.
The pressure Enel radiated was intense, almost making her feel as if she were facing a Marine Admiral.
Mercenary Tao had been right about one thing: Moon Fiend hadn't actually killed Hawkeye with her own strength. It was only after Hawkeye had been gravely injured from challenging a powerful enemy that Moon Fiend had taken advantage, using the Marines and a thermobaric bomb to shell the island. This had worsened Hawkeye's injuries and resulted in Perona's death.
Amidst the chaotic siege of Reincarnators, Moon Fiend had been the one to successfully snatch Hawkeye's drop card.
Her Swordsmanship Mastery, enhanced by the Black Blade Yoru, had reached a terrifying Lv10, allowing nearly every swing to produce a flying slash. Her Limit-Broken Agility and Strength also gave her the power to unleash attacks that could split mountains.
But she still felt a significant gap between herself and the Hawkeye she'd faced that day. This gap wasn't in mastery level, sword grade, or stats...
It was her instinct. As a swordmaster, her instinct couldn't compare to the world's strongest. Furthermore, her on-the-spot reactions, her decisiveness, and her Haki—the gaps in these subtle areas were what kept her shackled within the [Strong-tier].
Hooo...
Moon Fiend exhaled, a large amount of air rushing in. She felt the numbness on her skin and knew this area was now completely dominated by Enel's Rumble-Rumble Fruit. The next second, her figure erupted into a wild dance.
[Godspeed] from her Agility Limit Break and [Dragon Force] from her Strength Limit Break exploded at once.
In an instant, in Enel's eyes, this woman wielding the dangerous black blade seemed to sprout three heads and six arms, as if she were unleashing countless slashes from infinite postures.
[Sudden Shower]!
Swish-swish-swish-swish...
Countless jade-green sword slashes bloomed like a lotus, exploding directly in front of Enel.
Even Enel's scalp tingled, his heart clenching. The chilling sensation of impending death was stronger than he had ever felt.
KRRRACKLE!
An intense bolt of lightning flashed. As Moon Fiend's peerless sword dance continued, she suddenly felt a strong repulsive force. This force didn't stop her slashes, but it deflected all of them.
BOOM!
The sword slashes scattered. The "lotus" that should have been perfectly centered was now off-target. Enel used this tiny gap to instantly turn into lightning and flash a thousand meters away. At this distance, the far-reaching sword slashes could no longer threaten him in his lightning form.
Moon Fiend frowned. She knew her Haki wasn't strong enough, and she had been affected by his strange electromagnetic force. But an idea struck her. Instead of fighting the force, she went with it, redirecting all her scattered slashes toward the sea.
Swish! Swish!
The sea was instantly cut by several terrifying gashes, the slashes heading straight for the dragon-headed pirate ship in the inner bay.
Flame Fiend, seeing this, was even more furious. He roared, transformed into his dragon form, and opened his mouth to gather a [Blazing Flame] over a hundred meters in diameter, spewing it at the coast.
The sword slashes and dragonflame collided, setting off a horrific explosion. A powerful shockwave swept out in all directions, and the boiling sea-water created a thick white mist.
Flame Fiend landed on his ship, his wings still spread. He flapped them, scattering the mist, and was about to give chase. But a Reincarnator next to him, who was wearing a half-silver mask, paled.
"Flame Fiend, we have to go! This Enel is not easy to deal with!"
In the sky, Enel looked like a true god of thunder. His entire body was wreathed in white-hot lightning, making him look much larger. Even from high above, everyone below felt a terrible, crushing pressure.
Thump-thump, thump-thump...
Moon Fiend's heart pounded, a sharp pain pulsing with each beat. The moisture in the air was being completely electrolyzed. This terrifying power, the complete domination of a natural element, was enough to make any mortal creature tremble.
Enel raised his finger, and the sky instantly filled with roiling thunderclouds. This scene made Flame Fiend and his crew's faces change. In the original story, Enel needed the Ark Maxim to create thunderclouds. Now, he was doing it with his own power alone, changing the weather without any external tools.
Flame Fiend's expression flickered. Finally, he gave the order: "Retreat!"
At the same time, he reverted to his human form and began chanting in a high, ancient language. Though no one else could understand it, just hearing the words made them feel a new power stirring in the air.
[Dragon-Tongue Magic]!
Layers upon layers of protective shields began to appear.
On the beach, Moon Fiend also blurred into an afterimage, shooting into the sky. The sound of air-stepping echoed everywhere, and hundreds of afterimages filled the sky in an instant.
[Godspeed] was one of the most desired abilities for Reincarnators who had broken their Agility limit. It gave a massive percentage boost to their already exaggerated speed, and this boost had no stamina cost.
Moon Fiend created hundreds of copies, fleeing in all directions. She no longer cared about Mercenary Tao, whom she had just wounded again. She understood now. Mercenary Tao had intentionally dragged her here. From the very beginning, he had planned to use Enel to attack both her and Flame Fiend.
"60 Million Volts: Thunder Dragon!"
Enel pointed his finger down. From the gathered thunderclouds, countless lightning dragons, hundreds of meters long, roared and dove. Seen from the sea, the sight was terrifying beyond belief.
An entire stretch of the sea was covered by the thunderclouds, which endlessly spawned new dragons, striking all around at Enel's command.
"Yahahahaha!"
"This is the power of a god!"
"Even demons will wail within the thunder!"
Enel's crazed laughter was clearly audible even to the Marine HQ fleet in the outer sea. Chaton's face was grim. He had planned to follow the G-51 Marine's suggestion and attack today.
Judging by Enel's actions, it was clear that unidentified powerful individuals were indeed launching an operation near Skuld Island.
If the Marines had launched their operation, they probably could have successfully landed on the other side of the island by now.
But HQ had vetoed the plan.
As the legend of El Dorado spread, the World Government seemed to have made a decision. They were going to take direct control of Skuld Island. World Government forces were probably on their way right now.
The duty of the injured Vice Admirals had now changed: to clear the surrounding seas and prevent [El Dorado] from being moved.
...
Boom! Boom! Boom!
The explosions were continuous. The pirate ship, glowing with its red magic barrier, became Enel's primary target. As dragon after dragon slammed into it, the barrier quickly dimmed.
Finally, amid Enel's roaring laughter, the pirate ship was blown to bits.
In the sky, Moon Fiend's countless afterimages were cleared by the massive electrical discharge. But Enel's Mantra had locked onto her real body. After destroying the ship, the thunder dragons shrieked and flew high into the clouds after her.
Roar! Roar! Roar!
Moon Fiend, flying high into the clouds, suddenly felt her heart lurch. She instantly whipped her sword around, holding it in front of her.
KENG!
A purple beam of light struck the black blade and was split in two. Only after that did the sonic boom crackle, tearing the clouds into a 'V' shape.
Moon Fiend's expression turned dark. Damn it. Is that [Critical Point] bastard targeting me now?!
On the beach, Kaito Shirogane casually got up, patting the sand off his pink robe. His wounds were fully healed. Aside from some lost stamina and blood, he had paid no price in this battle.
In contrast, Moon Fiind and Flame Fiend were now in a perilous situation.
Kaito turned. His vital signs, like his heartbeat and breathing, vanished once more. He deliberately waited a long time until that strange, "watched" feeling finally disappeared.
He guessed that the Reincarnator who had sniped him possessed some special ability, allowing him to observe the situation from over the horizon. And that observation ability... it was a living thing, something he couldn't see!
When his chest was blown open, he hadn't felt any killing intent, which was why he couldn't dodge.
Kaito could only feel a sense of being "spied on."
But that feeling had weakened significantly after his heart was destroyed and he fell. He focused his senses, and only after confirming it was completely gone did he turn to leave.
Kaito's figure became a blur, flashing from the beach back into the town in an instant. He didn't stop, walking past everyone as if they weren't there, heading straight for the shrine.
"Heh. Moon Fiend, Flame Fiend... try to put up a fight. Teach Enel a little lesson for me."
(End of Chapter)