Chapter 140 CP0 (End)
As the dust cleared, the two combatants remained in their attacking stances.
Eric, holding his long spear, had pierced Karloff's heart. From his [Heart Network] perception, it was clear that the heart had been struck after moving to a different location.
Karloff's fists were thrust forward, aiming for Eric's abdomen, but there was no contact between his fists and Eric's body.
"Pfft!"
Both men simultaneously spat out a mouthful of blood.
Karloff, who had intended to strike Eric's chest, was interrupted by falling weapons. A knife sliced through his right arm, leaving a bloody wound, and a hammer struck his left shoulder, causing his attack to shift downward.
The Six Kings Gun, wrapped in Haki, pierced Eric's un-elementalized abdomen, and the immense pain felt like his intestines had been torn apart, racing through his nerves and driving the pain straight to his brain, making Eric truly experience what agony felt like.
'It hurts so much!' Eric couldn't scream in pain with so many people around, so he clenched his teeth and shouted in his mind.
Eric suddenly pulled his spear back, and the blood from his heart surged out, spouting forward like a fountain, splashing Eric's face.
Eric couldn't help but close his eyes.
At that moment, Karloff, who should have been dead and motionless, used his Life Return to control his muscles and staunch the flow of blood. His right fist, now full of power, aimed at Eric, who had his eyes tightly shut.
[Shunpo]!
Eric's [Heart Network] immediately sensed the movement of Karloff's muscles and the renewed beating of his heart. Prepared for this, he flashed to a position some distance away, narrowly avoiding this crushing blow.
[Shave]!
But Karloff's attack followed instantly, closing the distance between them in a split second. His fists, wrapped in Haki, repeatedly struck as if his fatal wound didn't exist.
Eric didn't have time to wipe his eyes, and the discomfort in his vision and the intense pain in his abdomen left him at a disadvantage. In no time, he had been hit several times.
"Ugh!"
The fracture in his jaw became evident, and Eric could no longer speak.
Akame and Kurumi moved to help but were stopped by Esdeath and Scáthach.
Esdeath: "Eric won't lose. He's not the type of man to die here."
Scáthach: "To become an undefeated warrior, one must endure countless beatings. He's been too comfortable until now, and that's not good for him."
Kurumi, angry, said to Esdeath: "Esdeath! If anything happens to Eric, I'll make sure you pay for it!"
"Don't worry, with my 'Mokopotemo,' I can freeze time instantly and save Eric," Esdeath replied nonchalantly. "Besides, I don't believe the man I picked would lose to someone like this."
[Ding… You have a new mail]
[Temporary Mission: The Queen's Gaze. Content: Complete a one-on-one blood-pumping duel with CP0 Karloff under Esdeath's watch and win the battle. Reward: Esdeath's max bond/Named sword 'Esdeath' (same as the sword Esdeath uses, ranked among the 21 Great Swords)/1 Achievement Point]
'Damn, this is practically Esdeath's gift pack!' Eric grumbled while reading the temporary mission, taking a few more punches.
"Uuuu (100 million volts – Electric Shock)!"
Eric was surrounded by 100 million volts of electricity, with Karloff's right fist also being scorched by the electricity as it hit Eric.
"Ugh!"
Now, it was Karloff's turn to endure the pain.
"Ah!"
Karloff yelled, his left hand smashing his now-charred right hand into pieces, the black fragments falling through the air.
"Life Return!"
The wound on his right arm trembled, as if flesh was growing like granulation tissue, quickly sealing the bleeding wound.
During this time, Eric wiped the blood from his eyes with his left sleeve, raised his spear with his right hand, and threw it with great force.
"Uu (Look at the spear)!"
[Iron Block]
With no way to dodge, Karloff used his left hand to punch the flying magic spear away.
Eric flashed to the spear, catching the long spear that had been knocked away and charging directly at Karloff.
"Uu Puu Uu (Thousand Shadows Strike)!"
Countless red spear images attacked Karloff.
The pain in his broken jaw from the sounds Eric made made it hard for him to breathe, causing him to choke.
"Pfft!"
Even the companions, who had been nervously watching Eric's battle, couldn't help but laugh at his sounds.
"Uuuu (Dare to laugh at the Captain, I'll punish you when we get back)!"
Though the sound was the same, Eric's companions all understood his meaning.
[Iron Block – Heavy Punch Combo]!
Clang! Clang! Clang!
Eric's left fist, hardened with Haki, repeatedly clashed with Karloff's spear tip.
'I don't have much time left!'
[Shave] Not willing to waste time on counterattacks, Karloff vanished from Eric's view.
[Heart Network] clearly caught his movements as he returned from the house on the right and came at Eric from behind, continuously launching [Raging Leg].
"Raging Leg – Chaotic Blade!"
Karloff repeatedly kicked, sending dozens of vacuum-like sword energy towards Eric.
"Uuuu, 60 million volts – Thunder Dragon!"
A blue dragon-shaped electric charge formed at the tip of Eric's spear, enveloped in Haki, and charged directly at the sword energy. A large amount of sword energy collided with the dragon's body, scattering fragments of electric charges.
The thunder dragon, like a dragon howling to the sky, arced its long body and opened its dragon mouth. Unfortunately, it was a formless thing made of lightning, so it couldn't emit a loud dragon's roar.
"Beep Beep!"
Under the attack of the many Raging Legs, the blue dragon shattered, and the electric charge dissipated into the air.
[Ding... April 30th, 12:00 has passed, completing Monthly Task 8: The End of Scum]
[Destroyed 13 human trafficker teams and 10 pirate teams on Sabaody Archipelago, killing the Celestial Dragon Charmaq]
[Task Reward: "Oil Press" title, 56 Achievement Points, 56 Bond Points]
'Here it comes! My golden finger!'
Eric quickly opened his attribute panel, rapidly increasing his stats.
His spear was upgraded from five stars to six stars, his Haki from five stars to seven stars, his Devil Fruit from seven stars to eight stars, and his Conqueror's Haki from four stars to five stars, using up all his achievement points.
As his attributes increased, the techniques for using the spear and Haki flooded Eric's mind. The massive influx of information made him feel dizzy, and he had to raise his hand to his forehead to alleviate the dizziness.
"Hmm?"
Not only the others outside the battlefield noticed something was off, but even the CP0 on the other side sensed that this was the perfect time to attack.
[Shave]
Karloff quickly closed the distance to the weakened Eric.
Outside the battlefield, Esdeath raised her hands, ready to activate her "Mokopotemo" at any moment.
'A golden opportunity! One more use of Six Kings Gun, and I can finish Eric here!' Karloff raised his right wrist, which had lost its palm, and, with his left fist, he again assumed the Six Kings Gun stance.
"Vroom~"
Eric, using his willpower, activated his Conqueror's Haki, sending a massive shockwave through Karloff's heart.
Shaken internally, Karloff incredulously shouted, "What?!"
This time, the Conqueror's Haki was stronger than before!
Eric slowly lifted his head, revealing his calm eyes, "Uu (Piercing Death Thorn Gun)!"
He unleashed the spear faster, with stronger Haki than before, easily tearing through Karloff's defense and piercing his body.
But that wasn't all; the blue lightning surged from the spear's tip, creating a terrifying hole in Karloff's body, even showing the scenery behind him through the hole.
[Completed Temporary Task: The Queen's Gaze. Won the duel with CP0 Karloff, reward: Esdeath's max bond, named sword "Esdeath", 1 Achievement Point]
[Ding… Esdeath's affection has reached the maximum, bond level 4 (Close friends) upgraded to 5 (Life and death together), earned 4 bond points.]
[Achieved "Level 1 Shura Field (Both female affections maxed)" achievement, gained 2 achievement points.]
Karloff muttered in disbelief, "You… suddenly got so much stronger in the middle of the fight..."
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