The Eastern Beast King trembled, his expression darkening. How had this happened so suddenly? Even if one defeated the illusions of all four Beast Kings, the illusions should have continued to manifest—such was the nature of his ability, Triple Illusion.
Yet, only the first layer had been shattered.
Abruptly, a chilling realization struck him—unless the opponent had discerned the illusions early, pinpointed his true location, and charged straight through the illusions without hesitation.
Once ignored, the attacks of the illusions would become intangible, passing harmlessly through the target. Clearly, the opponent had seen through it.
"It seems he possesses formidable Observation Haki," the Eastern Beast King murmured with a sigh. "Indeed, his strength is not to be underestimated. No wonder he dared to enter. Still, this is nothing but a death wish."
At this moment, the entire Dominant Feather Pirate Crew tensed up. The real battle was about to begin. If the illusions alone had been so formidable, how much stronger would the true Beast King be? Not to mention, there were still three other Beast Kings present.
The crew prayed silently, hoping Ye Yu would once again defy the odds and create a miracle.
Yang Luo, however, harbored the opposite wish.
"Ye Yu, just die in this Mystic Realm," he thought bitterly. "Right now, there's no way to unite and suppress you, to strangle you before you grow. But if you continue to develop, you'll only grow more dominant. If your pirate crew becomes even stronger, you could annihilate us in the future. So, you must die here."
Lin Muxue sighed. "As reckless and bold as ever. But whether he can pull off another miracle this time is uncertain. If he dies here, then the Arena Duel half a year from now won't happen—I won't get the chance to kill him myself."
Yang Luo nearly scoffed aloud, barely resisting the urge to mockingly ask,
"So, do you want him dead now or not?"
The question made Lin Muxue frown, momentarily speechless. Deep down, she did wish for it—because she, too, feared him. Feared that before the duel could even take place, she might be crushed by Ye Yu's overwhelming strength.
When it came to the potential of the Rumble Rumble Fruit, she remained confident she could surpass him.
Song Ling frowned. "Can he really pull off another miracle this time? I'd hate for him to succeed—he'd just walk away with another hefty reward."
Wang Quanshi sighed softly. "This time is different. Even if Ye Yu is strong, clearing this will be nearly impossible."
Meanwhile, the other three Beast Kings remained seated in their respective positions. The barrier spanned the size of a football field, with each Beast King meditating at one of the four cardinal directions—east, south, west, and north.
When Ye Yu appeared, the Beast Kings, who had been sitting with their eyes closed in quiet repose—waiting for the appointed time to destroy the city before returning—finally took notice.
They had assumed the challenger would perish within the illusions. Yet, not only had he survived, he had now emerged.
Still, they showed little interest. Their barely opened eyes flickered briefly toward Ye Yu before closing again, dismissing him entirely. None of them made a move.
In their eyes, a mere level 43 was beneath their notice.
All of them were level 50, and among Exotic Beasts, they belonged to the elite races, capable of fighting beyond their tier—able to overpower opponents four or five levels higher. Thus, they saw no reason to act.
The Eastern Beast King's brow furrowed slightly. "Aren't any of you going to intervene?"
The Western Beast King, eyes still shut, replied indifferently, "He broke your illusions and embarrassed you. You handle it. We can't be bothered."
The Southern Beast King added, "Exactly. The humiliation is yours alone. If it were my ability he'd broken, I'd deal with him to salvage some dignity. He may have some skill, but he's not worth all of us moving at once."
The Northern Beast King sneered, "What? You think you can't take him on alone? If that's the case, I'll reluctantly help you out. After all, you are the weakest among us Beast Kings."
Hearing this, the Eastern Beast King grew furious. "The weakest? Hah! What a joke! If you don't believe me, let's settle it right now! We're evenly matched, and you know it."
...
Outside, everyone froze.
Song Ling frowned. "They're arguing instead of teaming up. Are they overconfident or just underestimating him?"
Yang Luo fumed. "They should join forces! This is Ye Yu we're talking about. Bunch of idiots—they need to take him down together!"
...
Those opposing Ye Yu were seething with anger.
The Dominant Feather Pirate Crew, however, breathed a sigh of relief.
...
The Northern Beast King taunted, "Deal with that brat first, then we'll settle our score. Drag him into our Beast King Barrier. If he doesn't die quickly, it'll be an insult to us. Hurry up and finish him off, then go destroy the city and leave. As long as he's here, we can't get out."
At this, Ye Yu glanced at the four Beast Kings and sighed. "You're all putting on quite the act, aren't you? Not even planning to team up, just sitting there all calm and composed."
The Beast Kings frowned at his words but still refused to open their eyes to look at him, visibly annoyed.
"Hmph. How dare you speak to us like that."
"Acting? We simply disdain the idea of ganging up on you."
"Dealing with you doesn't require all four of us. Even if you can fight above your level, you're only Level 43. At best, you might match Level 48. Even if we stretch it and say you could challenge Level 49, you're still weak. The gap between Level 49 and 50 is enormous—let alone against the four of us. Eastern Beast King, hurry up and finish him. I don't want to hear his disrespect any longer."
...
The Eastern Beast King's expression darkened. Though his Phantom had been broken, which surprised him, being the only one to take action against this human would make him seem like the weakest among the four.
But the other three showed no intention of moving, making him clench his fists in frustration.
Meanwhile, Ye Yu grew impatient.
"Hurry up. Don't waste my time."
The other three Beast Kings chuckled, amused by his audacity, yet still didn't budge.
The Eastern Beast King laughed in anger. "Hah! You're the one wasting our time. Fine, I'll stoop to your level and deal with you myself—quickly at that—"
But his words were abruptly cut off.
In an instant, Ye Yu vanished from his sight—moving too fast to track.
The Eastern Beast King's heart raced. "So fast!"
He unleashed his Observation Haki, only to feel a sinking dread—he couldn't sense Ye Yu at all.
"Threefold God Evasion!"
The Eastern Beast King jerked his head up, his face twisting in shock. He hadn't been worried before—even if Ye Yu landed a surprise attack, it wouldn't be enough to kill him. But what he saw now sent a surge of mortal terror through him.
Above him weren't one, but three Ye Yus!
"He has illusion abilities too?!"
Stunned and confused, he barely had time to react.
Ye Yu had already summoned two Phantom images from photographs, both unleashing Observation Haki as they slashed down with Divine Departure.
Three Black Blade Nights, coated in Conqueror's Haki, came crashing down. The Eastern Beast King had no time to counter—he could only brace for impact.
Thud!
The Armament Haki shattered as raised arms attempted to shield his head, only to be cleanly severed. The three blades continued their downward slash—thud!—accompanied by a piercing shriek before the body was cleaved into four segments, instantly lifeless.
Suddenly, the three remaining Otherworld Beast Kings from different directions sprang up in place, eyes wide with shock, panic, and disbelief.
The Eastern Beast King had been instantly annihilated.
This illusion possessed the same strength as the true body!
Whoosh…
The Northern and Southern Beast Kings swiftly repositioned themselves, flanking the Western Beast King on either side. The three stood shoulder to shoulder, glaring at Ye Yu ahead—yet they instinctively retreated two steps.
Ye Yu smirked at them. "What's wrong? Done pretending?"
(End of Chapter)