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"Now it's your turn!"
Daichi was enveloped in heat waves, and veins bulged across the surface of his muscles—he had fully entered battle mode.
Facing countless undead monsters, transforming into Groudon would only tie him down. His agile human form was more suitable for this fight.
To catch the bandits, first catch the king!
Daichi smiled and shouted up at her.
"Hey, I have a question for you!"
Imu didn't answer, but she also showed no intention of attacking immediately.
She apparently agreed to hear his question.
Daichi chuckled.
"Are you a man or a woman?"
Imu paused. Her eyes instantly elongated into sharp triangles.
She was enraged!
"Whoosh!"
Daichi's vision suddenly blurred as a black arrow shot directly toward his eyes with incredible speed.
It wasn't Gunko's arrow—it was Imu's demonic tail!
Daichi reflexively leaned back. The arrow whizzed past his eyes, and the accompanying shockwave stung his face.
But the attack wasn't over. After missing, the arrow quickly changed direction and stabbed toward Daichi's heart. This time, Daichi was prepared—a carapace appeared on his right arm, opening like a shield to block the strike!
"Groudon's Shield!"
"CLANG!"
The arrow struck the shield, and the terrifying force pushed Daichi backward. His feet plowed hundred-meter-long furrows in the ground.
"Whoosh!"
The arrow retracted.
Imu stared coldly down at Daichi.
"Watch your words, mortal!"
"I know you're in a hurry, but don't be."
Daichi stroked his chin, evaluating her very seriously. "I guess you're a woman—and a very petty one at that!"
Imu raised her double-barreled shotgun.
"BANG!"
A dense volley of bullets enveloped Daichi!
"Tat-tat-tat-tat!"
Daichi tensed his muscles. All the bullets bounced off his body without causing any damage, and he continued his verbal assault.
"No rebuttal? Looks like I guessed right."
Imu's eyes blazed with fury.
Without her command, all the nightmare monsters charged at Daichi. Each attack shook the earth violently.
Their exaggerated size was their best weapon.
Daichi moved swiftly, weaving through the monster horde while keeping a close eye on Imu in the air. He didn't relax for a single moment.
His opponent was currently in a possessed state, so she shouldn't be able to exert her full power. But her abilities were too bizarre—once hit, the consequences would be unimaginable.
Ivankov and Morley had their minds twisted after turning into demons!
"Too many monsters."
A gigantic skeleton warrior swung down with a massive blade, while on the other side, a giant dragon opened its mouth and spat flames.
Many monsters possessed special abilities.
"Hakai!"
Daichi swung his greatsword. The columnar shockwave crushed the skeleton warrior's head, then he leaped up, charging through the flames toward the giant dragon!
"CLANG!"
Daichi burst out of the flames, his greatsword striking heavily against the giant dragon's forehead!
"ROAR!!!"
The giant dragon wailed and collapsed!
But soon, both the skeleton soldier and the giant dragon stood back up, their wounds rapidly regenerating. Already capable of infinite rebirth, they now possessed undead bodies, making them even more troublesome.
"Endless."
Daichi jumped onto the giant dragon's back, ran along its spine, then leaped onto another nightmare monster, closing the distance with Imu.
Dealing with nightmare beasts was pointless.
To stop the enemy, Imu had to be dealt with first.
Daichi leaped again, raising his greatsword with both hands to strike at Imu.
"CLANG!"
The greatsword was blocked by her trident, erupting in black Conqueror's Haki lightning that destroyed everything around them.
Even nightmare monsters found it difficult to approach!
Daichi gripped his greatsword tightly, staring at Imu.
Imu met his gaze coldly.
"You cannot kill Imu."
"Imu... That thorny old man shouted 'Imu' before he died. Is your name Imu?"
"Looks like I am right."
Daichi curled his lips into a grin.
The next moment, the arrow-tail stabbed toward his neck from the side!
"The same trick won't work twice!"
Daichi sharply turned his head, biting down on the arrow-tail. His teeth turned black under the Haki coating, and he bit down hard.
"Ugh!"
Imu's face paled. With her right hand, she used the trident to parry the greatsword, while her left hand quickly opened toward Daichi.
A summoning magic circle appeared!
Immediately after, black cannon barrels extended from the magic circle. Daichi's expression changed slightly. Using the greatsword to propel himself, he leaped upward, and cannonballs flew past beneath him, landing on the nightmare monsters.
"BOOM!!!"
The firelight was blinding!
Daichi's body flipped forward with the momentum, landing behind Imu. Just as he prepared to strike back, Imu had already flashed over ten meters away.
Her speed was astonishing!
"Wings?"
Daichi lost his support and plummeted toward the ground below.
Imu immediately flapped her demonic wings, diving rapidly toward Daichi. The trident in her hand blazed with demonic fire, stabbing toward Daichi's chest!
Her eyes showed absolute certainty of victory!
Daichi sensed the danger!
With Imu's Conqueror's Haki stronger than even Kaido's, even if he transformed into his Groudon form for defense, he might still be pierced through.
Her Haki was too powerful!
But danger was also an opportunity!
"Precipice Blades!"
Gigantic rock pillars protruded from the ground, rising rapidly!
Daichi adjusted his body position, landing precisely on the rapidly ascending stone pillar, meeting Imu head-on!
"He's using stone pillars as footholds!"
Imu was slightly surprised by Daichi's maneuver, but she didn't stop—instead, she accelerated.
Future Sight, activate!
In her vision of the future, her trident pierced through his body first!
She won!
Daichi stood on the rock pillar. When the distance between them closed to ten meters, surging Observation Haki enveloped his entire body.
"Block!"
He hadn't mastered Future Sight—not that he couldn't, but he wasn't interested. However, this didn't mean he was unprepared.
By using Observation Haki to sever his connection with the surrounding world, he could block the enemy's Observation Haki, thereby rewriting the future!
Simply put, it was a barrier created by mental power, intercepting the enemy's attempt to probe his aura.
"Sizzle~~!"
The trident scraped past his waist, leaving a deep indentation on the surface of his red armor. Just a little deeper and it would have pierced Daichi's body.
This was the first time someone had broken through his defense head-on.
But a near miss was enough.
Daichi pressed forward, moving behind the woman and stepping on her back with one foot while simultaneously grabbing Imu's demonic wings with both hands.
"What?!"
Imu was utterly shocked.
Her Future Sight had failed!
The next moment, searing pain shot through her back!
"RIP!"
The demonic wings were forcefully torn off, and blood gushed out profusely!
Imu landed on top of the stone pillar, rolling several times before stopping. The next moment, sharp stone spikes pierced through her palms and feet, restricting her movement completely.
Imu's gaze remained calm.
Gunko's body was too weak to bear her full power, and this possession had not been fully prepared. Failure was understandable.
The man's tall figure blocked out the sunlight.
Imu looked up at Daichi, her eyes still unmoved.
"You cannot kill Imu."
"I know."
Daichi's smile was unsettling.
His opponent was only in a possessed state—not to mention possessing an immortal body. Trying to kill her true body, which was far away in the Holy Land, was undoubtedly a fool's dream.
But not being able to kill her didn't matter.
"If you want to escape, now's your best chance."
"Are you underestimating Imu?"
Imu stared coldly at Daichi, clearly having no intention of escaping. Once the nightmare monsters came to her rescue, she would be free, and her body would regenerate.
She had only lost one exchange—it didn't mean she had lost this war.
And she couldn't possibly lose!
"Jieheheheh, you brought this upon yourself."
Daichi grinned menacingly, rubbing his hands together. In Imu's shocked gaze, he picked her up and positioned her across his thigh.
Imu realized something was wrong.
"What do you intend to do?"
"Something that everyone loves to see!"
Since he couldn't kill her physical body, he would choose a spiritual victory!
Daichi raised his palm, which crackled with black lightning. In Imu's disbelieving gaze, he brought it down hard.
"SMACK!!!"
The impact resounded across the battlefield!
"AH!!!"
The woman's scream echoed through the sky!