Shin didn't know how Kingpin had gathered so many villains to ambush him, but with a single punch, the difference in strength became immediately apparent.
Of the five fingers of the Hand, aside from Madame Gao, the others didn't seem well-versed in Chi. However, their physical fitness exceeded that of ordinary people, and they were trained in advanced combat techniques.
Though they did their best to dissipate the force, only the eldest, Madame Gao, merely coughed up a few mouthfuls of blood. The others suffered broken bones and tendons, ruptured internal organs, and were completely incapacitated.
The projectiles Bullseye had thrown were scattered by Shin's Haki burst. Luckily, because he had attacked from a distance, he wasn't caught directly in the blast. Even so, when the shockwave reached him, he coughed up blood and fractured a few ribs.
Jessica Jones and Luke Cage were also sent flying by Shin's Haki. Under mind control, they lacked the instinct to defend themselves, taking the full brunt of the attack.
Despite that, both had remarkably durable bodies. Although they vomited blood, neither suffered serious injuries, no broken bones, not even fractures.
As for the Purple Man at the back, the bodies of his two controlled pawns had shielded him somewhat. While he was still affected by the blast, he emerged with only minor injuries.
The ones in the best shape were Elektra under Black Sky's control, Venom, and Sandman.
Sandman, with his elemental body, was immune to standard physical damage. Elektra and Venom possessed extraordinary regenerative abilities. Even if they were hurt, they could heal almost instantly. They were simply knocked back, but their combat effectiveness remained intact.
Shin glanced at Sandman in mild surprise his Haki hadn't harmed him at all.
Then again, the elementalization of Sandman was fundamentally different from that of Logia-type Devil Fruit users. Sandman's entire being was sand he didn't have a true body to injure.
It wasn't unthinkable that Haki, which could counter Devil Fruit powers, wouldn't affect a being like Sandman.
That thought passed in a moment. Shin then turned his gaze to Kingpin, who was now coughing up blood. He finally understood why Kotoamatsukami had failed.
Back when Doflamingo had been unconscious and on the verge of death, Shin had been unable to control him due to the interference of his Conqueror's Haki. Although Kingpin wasn't as strong as Doflamingo in raw power, his Conqueror's Haki was even more dominant and he was still conscious. Naturally, any intrusion by Kotoamatsukami would be erased over time.
To instinctively awaken and begin using Conqueror's Haki entanglement in the heat of battle, without guidance or training, showed how formidable Kingpin's will truly was.
Although both Kingpin and Doflamingo ruled the underworld, it was clear Kingpin's sheer force of will surpassed Doflamingo's. He was worthy of being the one who dared to provoke so many powerful superheroes.
Even though Shin's strength now far exceeded his former self, he still had no reliable method for using Kotoamatsukami on someone with strong Conqueror's Haki. If he tried, the technique would likely be erased.
When someone's Haki reached a certain threshold, mind control became outright impossible. Overwhelming their will with Conqueror's Haki would simply kill them.
For those whose minds were entirely dominated by Conqueror's Haki, death wouldn't even free them.
Seeing that Kingpin still showed no hesitation despite his injuries, Shin knew he was beyond the reach of mental manipulation.
With just a single punch, Shin had silenced the entire office hall. Everyone stared at him in horror.
In truth, he hadn't even used his full strength. That earlier attack had merely been a burst of Haki from a distance. His greatest weapon was still his physical body.
Just then, the all-purple Purple Man suddenly screamed, "Impossible! You're not even part of the plot! Where the hell did you come from?!"
"Are you a new addition from the editorial department? It's always the same they introduce some fresh character who beats up the rest of us unpopular veterans! They even brought in the two hottest mutants right now!"
"I don't know which editor wrote this garbage script!"
Shin blinked and stared at him, speechless.
'What is this guy talking about? It almost sounds like Deadpool's fourth wall nonsense…'
Did the Purple Man really have such a bizarre ability? Or was he just acting crazy?
Regardless of whether he was truly delusional or not, Shin had no intention of letting this pervert live. He raised his hand and casually flicked an air bullet infused with chakra at the Purple Man's heart.
The Purple Man coughed twice before collapsing, unconscious. But the chakra embedded in the air bullet had already lodged deep in his heart. Within two to three days or half a month at most, he would certainly die.
If not for Scarlet Witch and Quicksilver being present, Shin would've killed him outright. Even during the battle, he considered their emotional state. Had he unleashed a bit more of his Armament Haki, there would've been corpses everywhere.
As the Purple Man hit the floor, Luke Cage clutched his head and groaned. Jessica Jones seemed to want to help him up, but as she raised her hand, her eyes trembled violently. Cold sweat poured down her face as she bit her lip hard enough to draw blood.
The Purple Man's pheromone-based mind control and psychic power weren't identical. Even unconscious, the control didn't vanish completely it just weakened for a time.
Shin ignored the two struggling with themselves and turned to the rest.
By now, Sandman had turned into a swirling storm of sand and charged him. Unscathed in the earlier confrontation, his confidence was high.
But the black mist around Shin surged forth like a massive serpent, instantly engulfing Sandman. In the blink of an eye, he was swallowed into the dark dimension.
Seeing this, Elektra and Venom halted abruptly and tried to flee but it was far too late. The black mist stretched forward and swept them in as well.
Witnessing this, the expressions of the supervillains on Kingpin's side turned grim. Members of the Hand were already thinking of retreat. Only Bullseye, Kingpin's closest ally, remained defiant.
His eyes narrowed, and as if realizing something, he suddenly hurled a dozen throwing knives at Quicksilver and Scarlet Witch.
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