On the smoke-shrouded battlefield, Kaidou stood like a mountain at the edge. His towering eight-meter frame cast a massive shadow under the sunlight, his black leather boots sinking deep into the earth. His dark red cloak flapped violently in the hot wind, the Spiked Club hanging at his waist swaying slightly with his breathing. Kaidou's golden vertical pupils slowly scanned the chaotic battlefield, a cruel smirk curling at the corners of his mouth, revealing sharp fangs.
General Clayton stood three steps to his right, the middle-aged man in his crisp military uniform sweating profusely on his forehead, his right hand unconsciously rubbing the pistol at his waist. He stole a glance at the legendary monster beside him, his Adam's apple bobbing: "Mr. Kaidou, it's too dangerous here. We should retreat to the rear command post."
Kaidou paid no attention, his focus completely captured by the carnage on the battlefield. Suddenly, a stray bullet tore through the air with a whistle. General Clayton's face instantly turned pale, instinctively wanting to dive for cover. But Kaidou merely raised his right hand casually. With a sharp "clang," the deformed bullet bounced off his palm, falling to the ground still smoking.
"An attack of this level..." Kaidou's deep laughter rumbled like thunder, "isn't even worthy of scratching an itch."
Just then, a thirty-man rebel assault squad spotted them. The leading officer raised his binoculars, his eyes widening suddenly: "It's the government forces' reinforcements! That physique... it's 'The Beast' Kaidou! All units, focus fire!" With that hoarse shout, dozens of rifles simultaneously swiveled their direction, pouring down a dense rain of bullets.
General Clayton and the accompanying marine soldiers scrambled for cover, while Kaidou remained standing motionless in place. Bullets sparked against his cyan skin with pinging sounds like rain hitting plantain leaves, yet they failed to leave even a single white mark.
"King, Queen, Sebastian."Kaidou's deep voice exploded in the three's ears, "Go stretch your limbs.""
"Understood, boss!"
"Muhahaha, just what I wanted!"
"Yes, Captain!"
Three figures shot out like arrows from bows. King spread his black wings spanning over four meters, gleaming with a metallic sheen in the sunlight. He swooped down on the enemy formation like the grim reaper, the air currents from his wings directly tossing the front five soldiers into the air.
"Boring." King's stern face showed no emotion, his long sword tracing elegant arcs of death through the air. Each slash precisely severed an enemy's throat, blood blooming into eerie crimson flowers in the air.
Queen's obese body displayed incredible agility as he cackled wildly, pulling a bizarre-looking firearm from his white coat: "Let me show you my new toy!"
A massive purple shell shot from the barrel landed among a dozen soldiers, then began spewing purple gas, instantly enveloping a ten-meter radius. Soldiers caught in the Poison gas immediately developed bloodshot eyes, their skin rapidly ulcerating before collapsing in convulsions amid piercing screams.
Sebastian's fighting style was the most primitive and violent. The nearly four-meter-tall giant wielded two massive spiked iron hammers, each swing carrying devastating, overwhelming force.
"Hahaha!" He laughed maniacally as he smashed his hammer onto a rebel's head. With a dull crunch of shattering skull, the soldier's upper body was driven straight into the ground.
General Clayton hid behind a rock barrier, his face pale as he watched the one-sided slaughter. His trembling fingers could barely hold the binoculars—within just one minute, thirty elite rebels had become dismembered corpses scattered across the ground. More terrifyingly, the three figures were clearly holding back, treating it like a game of cat and mouse.
"K-Kaidou, sir..." Clayton's voice was so hoarse it hardly sounded like his own. "Your subordinates... they're practically inhuman..." He desperately tried to control his shaking legs, his military uniform already soaked through with cold sweat.
Kaidou didn't even lift an eyelid. "This level of combat doesn't even count as a warm-up." His gaze suddenly fixed on the other side of the battlefield. "Though, you do have an interesting brat over there."
Three hundred meters away on the battlefield, a lean young man stood out conspicuously. He wore military-grade noise-canceling headphones, his black military jacket hanging open casually to reveal a form-fitting tactical vest beneath. The youth moved with the agility of a leopard, each punch precisely striking enemies' temples or throats. Soldiers hit by him flew backward as if struck by a truck, never to rise again.
Kaidou recognized the young man at once—Douglas Bullet.
After arriving at Sabaody Archipelago, Kaidou had checked the map and discovered The Country of Unending War wasn't too far from Sabaody. He'd immediately ordered Queen to change course and head here, his goal naturally being this future top-tier combatant.
"You flatter us, Mr. Kaidou," Clayton wiped cold sweat from his forehead. "Although Bullet is the ace of our special operations unit, how could he possibly compare to your subordinates..." His eyes shifted uneasily, both worried about losing this valuable asset and afraid to show any dissatisfaction.
The battle situation had completely tilted.
Where King's black wings passed, rebel heavy machine gun positions were cleanly sliced in half; Queen's poison gas was spreading toward the second defense line; Sebastian had lost himself in bloodlust, now swinging two corpses as weapons. In the distance, Bullet seemed to sense something, suddenly stopping his movements. His sharp gaze pierced through the smoke, clashing with Kaidou's in mid-air.
Kaidou slowly strode forward, each step causing the ground to tremble slightly. Clayton jogged to keep up, always maintaining a safe distance. When Kaidou reached the center of the battlefield, the surrounding sounds of combat eerily quieted. Rebel soldiers stared in terror at this legendary monster, some even dropping their weapons to kneel and beg for mercy.
Amid the smoke-filled battlefield, Kaidou's massive frame stood towering over the ruins. He looked down at the blood-soaked youth before him, his voice booming like thunder. "Brat, what's your name?"
Bullet casually tore off his blood-drenched headphones, revealing a defiant grin. "Douglas Bullet—the future strongest in the world!" Though the youth's voice still carried the characteristic hoarseness of adolescence, his undeniable confidence made the very air around them grow still.
Seeing this, Clayton quickly stepped forward to explain, "He's only 13 this year, and his personality is a bit... unique..." Before he could finish speaking, Kaidou suddenly burst into deafening laughter, the shockwaves from his voice causing the surrounding rubble to tremble slightly.