At that moment, the sound of strong, metallic footsteps echoed from the nearby staircase.
Hearing it, Domino swallowed hard. She braced herself, then decisively inserted the key into the cell door that held Shiryu of the Rain.
Click. The door officially unlocked.
Moments later, a man dressed in the Impel Down prison officer's uniform and a pilot's hat stepped out of the cell. Having regained his freedom, Shiryu couldn't help but curl his lips into a sinister smile.
"That man is powerful, please make sure—"
Before Domino could finish her sentence, Shiryu suddenly reached out with his right hand and clutched her throat in a blink.
"Y-You... Let go of me!"
Domino never expected Shiryu to attack her. Caught off guard, she couldn't even utter a full sentence as she struggled under his grip.
"Save your breath. Bring me my Rainstorm."
Shiryu snorted coldly and snatched the sword from Domino's trembling hand — the legendary blade that had accompanied him through countless battles: Rainstorm.
"Hey, hey! Why are we already fighting each other?"
Just then, Renji Kai entered their view.
Seeing Renji approach, Shiryu hurled Domino aside with a powerful fling.
"Kid, I heard you're pretty strong. Even managed to take down Magellan?"
"Not that big of a deal," Renji replied casually. "I'm just here to knock you all down and then leave this place."
"Hah! Magellan's only strong because of his poison. Neutralize that, and he's useless. But me? My blade's the real deal. Make one mistake, and you're dead before you know it!"
"Sure, that might be true," Renji said calmly, "but my fists are harder than your blade."
With that, Renji summoned the system in his mind and once again exchanged for the Might Guy character card.
Ding! Host has successfully used the Might Guy character card. Usage count -1.
With Might Guy now replacing Lady Chiyo's abilities, Renji's body was filled with raw energy.
Renji knew that ordinary puppets wouldn't stand a chance against someone like Shiryu. Even with ten elite puppets, their weapons would never hold up against a slaughterer like him. That's why Renji decided to rely on taijutsu instead.
"Come, show me what you've got!"
With Rainstorm in hand, Shiryu lunged at Renji like an arrow.
"Eight Gates Release... Gate of View!"
Renji shouted. Instantly, green energy burst from his body, filling every inch of his skin and making him unbelievably light.
At that moment, Shiryu arrived right in front of him.
"Die!"
With a chilling grunt, Shiryu swung Rainstorm down at Renji with terrifying speed. The blade sliced through the air with such force it felt like it was splitting the air itself.
But Renji moved!
With a sudden sidestep, he narrowly dodged the blade, the edge of Rainstorm grazing the sleeve of his shirt.
The slash illuminated the entire dungeon in a dazzling flash, as if daylight had filled Infinite Hell.
Less than a centimeter away — that was how close Rainstorm came to cleaving him.
The strike left a deep fissure in the ground, with tiles on both sides shattered and flung away by the blade's pressure.
Renji broke into a cold sweat as he glanced at the damage. Even after opening the sixth of the Eight Gates, his speed had only just allowed him to evade.
Shiryu, too, was momentarily stunned. If they'd been fighting at a distance, dodging would make sense. But at point-blank range? It was the first time someone had escaped his killing blow so cleanly.
But before he could process it, Renji attacked.
"Morning Peacock!"
Having opened the sixth gate, Renji unleashed one of the Eight Gates' signature techniques. The move drastically heightened his physical ability, allowing him to rain down a flurry of punches with incomprehensible speed.
So fast were his fists that they ignited the very air, producing flames.
The blazing strikes lit up the space like a sunrise, and with flames trailing behind, the punches resembled the radiant tail feathers of a peacock — hence the name.
Caught off guard, Shiryu was pummeled from all directions. The barrage was like a thunderstorm of blows.
BOOM!
Within seconds, Shiryu staggered back more than ten steps. His black Impel Down uniform was now riddled with burnt holes, his face covered in soot and ash — utterly disheveled.
"Hahaha! Shiryu of the Rain, look at you! Who would've thought that Impel Down's top two aces would both lose today to a single prisoner from Crimson Hell? If this gets out, people will die laughing!"
From another cell nearby, a man with a ridiculous hat, a bulbous sausage-shaped nose, and a perpetually drunk expression leaned lazily against the bars, mocking them.
"Basque Shot, you talk too damn much!"
Infuriated from the humiliating fight, Shiryu's face twisted in rage. Without hesitation, he raised Rainstorm and slashed furiously toward the jeering Basque Shot, who had been enjoying the show from behind bars.