The Giant steadied himself, ensuring his heels didn't touch the seawater, but his expression darkened, fury rising.
Ye Yu taunted, "Trying to get closer to destroy the city? Yet you've taken even more steps back."
This enraged the Giant completely, and he roared, "Don't get cocky! You'll regret challenging me—I'll crush you into pulp!"
Ye Yu smirked, continuing his mockery. "Crush me into pulp? Don't tell me you'll end up venting your frustration on inanimate buildings again when you can't lay a finger on me."
The Giant's killing intent surged. "I'll kill you first, then raze everything—the city and those humans along with it."
Right now, the Giant wanted to finish Ye Yu as quickly as possible.
With a low growl, the Giant focused harder. Just as he prepared to charge, Ye Yu flashed forward, slashing out another Divine Departure.
"I won't let you push me back again! That'd be too shameful!"
The Giant threw both fists forward, and upon impact, an even louder explosion erupted. The force of Divine Departure was shattered. Ye Yu landed, but the Giant didn't retreat an inch.
Ye Yu's blood boiled—this Giant was formidable.
The Giant was stunned. Despite being so much lower in level, Ye Yu was this strong. If they were the same level—no, even if Ye Yu were just five levels lower at 35—he could still defeat him. At 40, Ye Yu would absolutely dominate him.
"A true monster. I can't let you live. If stronger kin of mine appear in future Mystic Realms, they might fall to you. I'll end you here."
The Giant attacked even more frenziedly, fists raining down. Ye Yu countered with One-Cut God Evasion, their clashes sending shockwaves through the air.
Another collision sent Ye Yu landing, his arms slightly numb. He shook them off to recover, while the Giant's fists ached, covered in thin, long cuts.
The Giant hadn't expected a stalemate. He sighed. "You're impressive. Surprising. Then I'll go all out—finish this quickly. Dragging it out would be humiliating, given you're only level 29."
In the next instant, the Giant's body compressed again, becoming leaner yet still a hundred meters tall. His strength, speed, and defense seemed even greater.
Ye Yu was intrigued—this was unexpected. But the tougher the challenge, the more excited he grew. Besides, if he succeeded, the rewards would be his alone, guaranteeing massive gains. High risk, high reward.
Jin Mo and the others were thrilled, now certain Ye Yu couldn't possibly win.
"So this is his full power. Incredible."
"No doubt—even if all four Pirate Crews joined forces, we'd still fail."
"Right. Thank goodness he didn't appear in our city."
...
The Giant's massive form vanished as if teleporting, reappearing behind Ye Yu. His fist, wreathed in even greater power and Armament Haki, tore through the air with a shrill howl.
Though his back was turned, Ye Yu sidestepped narrowly, the fist grazing past him. He retaliated with a swift One-Cut God Evasion aimed at the Giant's arm.
But the Giant's enhanced defense meant the slash only left a red mark—like a cat scratch on a human.
To clear this, Ye Yu had to kill the Giant. A minor wound like this meant nothing.
Ye Yu realized the odds were slim, but not hopeless.
The Giant's other fist shot forward, too fast to dodge. Ye Yu met it with another One-Cut God Evasion.
With a deafening boom, the powerful shockwave sent the surrounding air into turmoil. Had this occurred on the ground, the city district kilometers away would have been significantly destroyed.
Ye Yu landed as the ten-minute mark arrived. He pulled out a photograph, and a radiant light flashed beside him. From this glow emerged a phantom figure identical to Ye Yu in every way—illusory yet radiating the same formidable aura and Haki as the original.
"What is this? Another Ye Yu?"
The crowd erupted in shock and confusion, their faces alight with surprise and curiosity as they stared at the sudden apparition.
"I know!" someone shouted from the throng. "I heard the Dominant Feather Pirate Crew recently recruited a new Executive—a Phantom Fruit Ability User who can create phantoms!"
The people in the safe zone froze momentarily before hope ignited in their eyes.
"If Ye Yu alone is this strong, having two of him would surely clear this Mystic Realm!"
"This is perfect! We don't just want Ye Yu to survive—we want him to claim the rich rewards too!"
However, cold water was soon poured on their excitement. "Sigh, don't get your hopes up. This phantom can only attack once before vanishing."
The crowd's exhilaration receded like a tide, their smiles fading into disappointment.
They consoled themselves: "As long as Ye Yu can hold out for three hours, that's enough."
"Right. Even if the phantom disappears after one strike, it'll still help a little—after all, it's Ye Yu's phantom."
"Believe in Ye Yu! Just surviving three hours is victory!"
Meanwhile, Jin Mo and his group sneered, their eyes brimming with disdain.
"If that phantom could last three hours, maybe there'd be a chance. But vanishing after one attack? Useless."
Song Ling scoffed. "Exactly. It's pointless. He'll still die."
Wang Quanshi nodded in agreement. "A phantom that only attacks once is just wasted effort."
Nearly everyone shared this sentiment.
Lin Muxue remained utterly unshaken, a mocking smile playing on her lips.
"Stop struggling. It's futile."
The members of the Dominant Feather Pirate Crew, however, watched with bated breath, their gazes locked onto Ye Yu and the phantom as they silently prayed: "Let's see how much damage the Captain and the phantom can deal with one combined strike. It has to be significant—enough to make the rest of the fight easier for him!"
Lin Muxue observed their hopeful expressions and inwardly sneered. "Useless. The damage won't be enough. The phantom won't change the outcome."
At this moment, anticipation surged in Ye Yu's heart. He glanced at the phantom beside him and marveled inwardly: "It'll use the same techniques as me. Then let's unleash this Combination Skill!"
In the next instant, Ye Yu and the phantom moved in perfect unison, their synchronization so flawless they might as well have been one.
Both figures gripped Black Blade Night with both hands—Ye Yu swinging his to the right rear, the phantom mirroring the motion to the left. Side by side, they gathered power in their arms, Conqueror's Haki Coating swirling around them as their aura grew terrifyingly oppressive.
The Giants ahead shuddered instinctively.
Ye Yu taunted, "This strike will send you even farther from the city—straight into the sea."
The Giant laughed. "Hahaha! Ridiculous. Even if this is your Trump Card, it's impossible."
Ye Yu said no more. After gathering his terrifying power, he and Phantom swung their blades at the Giants! A low roar of Haki resounded simultaneously—a never-before-heard new technique echoed across the world for the first time!
"Dominion Country!!!"