Chapter 90: Conqueror's Haki
"Tenfold Slow."
She raised her hand, releasing the Slow Beam once again.
Just then, Chen Yu's gaze sharpened. "Don't look down on me, hey!"
The Conqueror's Haki within his body surged out like a tidal wave. "Haaah!"
A low shout.
A red-black spiritual shockwave exploded with Chen Yu at the center, spreading out violently. Red-black lightning crackled in the air.
The bamboo leaves in the forest were instantly blasted away, and gravel from the ground was launched half a meter high, as if a gale had just swept through!
The incoming Slow Beam was scattered by the sheer pressure.
Chen Yu's body suddenly felt light; his originally stiff movements instantly returned to normal.
He didn't hesitate, shouting to Ling Yue and Bai Han, "Get inside the Air Door!"
Su Qingyu stood frozen in place, watching the retreating figures of Ling Yue and Bai Han. Her hand movements stopped completely.
She could clearly feel that the spiritual force just now carried an extremely intense oppression.
It wasn't the ferocity of a beast, but a domineering pressure that looked down upon the world. It had actually forcibly broken through her Slow-Slow Fruit ability.
"This kind of aura..." Su Qingyu looked at Chen Yu, but another figure appeared in her mind—one that stood tall and supported the heavens.
"No way, Old He. Why does he have the same pressure as the Marshal? He broke my Slow-Slow Fruit with just aura."
"He's only a Peak Trainee!"
As soon as Su Qingyu's voice fell, gasps from the Silver Fox Squad came through the communicator.
Lin Jun's voice was filled with disbelief. "What the hell?! He's like the Marshal?"
Su Mumu's voice also came through, sounding flabbergasted. "That's... impossible, right? Isn't the Marshal's pressure due to rank suppression?"
Chu He recalled Chen Yu's performance in Haibin City and spoke in a flat tone, "As far as I know, he really can."
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Monitoring Room.
Huo Jia jumped straight up. "Am I seeing things? A Peak Trainee suppressing the ability effects of a Master-rank Awakener?"
Cui Ye pursed his lips. This operation touched upon his blind spot in knowledge. In the end, he could only offer a forced explanation. "Perhaps Qingyu wasn't using her full strength."
Behind them, the research professors were ecstatic.
"Can this be replicated in other Awakeners?!"
"If we systematize this training, could it be another path for humanity?! The Martial Dao?"
"Martial Dao won't work. We have Taijutsu experts, but they are too scarce. It's not as effective as Fruit abilities..."
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Back Mountain Bamboo Forest.
Su Qingyu snapped back to reality. Seeing Chen Yu standing alone to block her path, the corner of her mouth hooked into a smile. "Yo, staying behind to cover the retreat? Trying to be cool?"
"Sigh." Chen Yu exhaled a white arrow of breath. He transformed into his Hybrid Dragon Form, his abilities soaring in all aspects. "I sensed Captain Chu He and Sister Yi Ning's auras."
"Which means this raid was actually planned by you guys."
"It works out. I don't have to worry about dying." Chen Yu assumed a fighting stance. "I also want to test where my limits are."
"Oh?" Su Qingyu grinned. "Want to 1v1 me?"
Chen Yu didn't speak; he simply wrapped his arms in Armament Haki.
"Hahahaha, good!" Su Qingyu's aura erupted. "Let me see your caliber!"
"By the way, I am the captain of the Silver Fox Squad!"
Before her voice had even faded, Su Qingyu shot out like an arrow leaving the string.
Her longsword unsheathed. A pale silver sword energy slashed toward Chen Yu's ankles, skimming the ground. The bamboo leaves in its path were instantly sliced into neat halves.
Chen Yu perceived it with Observation Haki. He tapped his toes and jumped backward, his fists tightly wrapped in Armament Haki as he slammed them against the sword energy.
Clang!!
The sound of metal clashing exploded. The airwave sent the surrounding gravel flying again, and both of them retreated three steps.
"As expected of the physique even the Bull couldn't take down. Tough enough." Su Qingyu raised an eyebrow, condensing a pale blue Slow Beam on her left fingertip.
But this time, she didn't shoot directly at Chen Yu. Instead, she drew a circle around him, forming a semi-transparent dome of light.
Chen Yu tried to close in, but his steps suddenly faltered. He clearly felt his movements slow by half a beat.
His heart tightened. His Conqueror's Haki surged again, attempting to scatter the light dome.
But this time, Su Qingyu was prepared. Her sword energy wove into a net, firmly restricting Chen Yu.
The battle between the two instantly heated up.
Su Qingyu's sword was fast, and her sword energy crisscrossed vertically and horizontally. She had already reached the level of a Great Swordmaster.
Although Chen Yu's swordsmanship was also impressive, he lacked the proficiency of a Great Swordmaster.
Relying on his tough physique and Conqueror's Haki, he barely managed to avoid the effects of the Slow ability, occasionally finding gaps to counterattack with his sword techniques.
"Not bad. Check this out!"
The longsword in Su Qingyu's hand reflected the Slow Beam, causing everything around her to slow down.
Meanwhile, Su Qingyu danced through it like a sprite.
Chen Yu's nerves were taut. He used all his Conqueror's Haki to resist the slowing effects.
Armament Haki with Ryuo for damage, Observation Haki for prediction—he was running all three types of Haki simultaneously.
He actually managed to fight Su Qingyu to a draw.
But this intensity didn't last long.
Chen Yu could clearly feel that Su Qingyu's aura remained as steady as Mount Tai, the rhythm of her swordsmanship not chaotic in the slightest.
In contrast, his Conqueror's Haki consumption was immense. Sweat was already beading on his forehead, and his stamina was gradually waning.
"Fist Bone... Meteor!"
"Hundred-fold Slow Release: Lightspeed Slash!"
Bang!!!
The flame-wrapped fist collided with the silver sword energy. The shockwave uprooted the surrounding bamboo forest and sent it flying.
Another hard clash. Su Qingyu's blade grazed Chen Yu's arm, leaving a bloody trail.
Chen Yu wasn't surprised that Su Qingyu could break his defense. Borrowing the recoil force, he jumped back.
After creating distance, he stomped the ground violently, launching himself like a cannonball. At the same time, Ace was unsheathed.
Chen Yu was surrounded by purple lightning. His eyes were blood-red, and he held Ace in a reverse grip, looking like an evil ghost. "Roaring Thunder..."
A sword wrapped in lightning instantly appeared in front of Su Qingyu. The violent thunder exploded right in her face.
Su Qingyu's pupils constricted. In the spark of a flint—
A pale purple halo exploded from within her body. The concentration of the Slow Beam instantly doubled. Even the air seemed to freeze!
Then, to her horror, the Slow Beam did not control Chen Yu.
Chen Yu, in his Dragon-Human form, grinned savagely. Red-black thunder intertwined with purple thunder, tearing through the air that felt like a mud pit.
He broke free from the restraints at a speed visible to the naked eye.
"Bagua!!"
Roaring, Chen Yu swung Ace with full force, smashing it solidly into Su Qingyu's stomach.
Bang bang bang bang!!!
Su Qingyu's body flew backward. The terrifying inertia pulverized everything in her path.
"Hahahaha, awesome!" Chen Yu laughed heartily.
This move, Roaring Thunder Bagua, used Ace to devour and coat the Conqueror's Haki since he couldn't perfectly project it himself yet.
Ryuo, lightning, physical force—he had stacked every buff he could.
This was his first time stacking Ryuo on top of everything else. From the looks of it, the power was decent.
The next moment.
Chen Yu's pupils shrank abruptly. His body was suddenly locked by an extremely powerful slowing force. He couldn't even move a finger.
"Tier 4..."
Su Qingyu's figure instantly appeared in front of him. The blade of her sword pressed against his chest, the sword energy slicing through his clothes, the cold touch transmitting against his skin.
"For a Peak Trainee to force me to use Tier 4 strength (Practitioner), you're pretty badass, kid."
Su Qingyu's voice lacked its previous playfulness and held a few degrees of seriousness.
Chen Yu's heart sank. He knew that forcing it any further would only lead to a loss.
He suddenly mobilized his remaining Haki, concentrating it on his chest.
The next moment, a golden light erupted.
Everything that had been stagnated in the surroundings returned to normal.
When the golden light faded, Chen Yu had already been carried into a spatial door by Ling Yue.
Su Qingyu watched their retreating figures and didn't give chase.
She sheathed her sword, rubbed her stomach, and wailed into the headset, "Boohoo, it hurts so much! That little brat hits too hard."
"I almost saw my great-grandma just now. Luckily, my reaction speed is fast..."
(To be Continued)