Chapter 539: A Word from the Demon God
"Hey! It's really lively over there."
"Should I go in and join them?"
At this moment, Kizaru stopped treating Akainu and gazed at the turbulent black waves in the distance.
The black tide stretched for several kilometers, and within it, a fierce battle was unfolding.
Various shockwaves stirred the black tide, making it surge and ripple like ocean currents.
Only those at least at the one-star gem hunter level could enter.
Otherwise, merely standing in the deathly waves would be overwhelming.
Ordinary warriors, without a strong foundation in Armament Haki, could hardly withstand the black tide's vitality-eroding force.
Even if it didn't target the weak directly, its mere presence caused such effects.
Of course, Kizaru himself was unafraid.
As long as the terrifying beast didn't focus on him, he had no reason to fear.
Having transformed into the immortal, flaming phoenix, he felt confident.
However, he needed to decide whether to join the fray.
There were too many powerful figures inside.
Both demon apostles had entered, along with the War King, the leader of the nine demon kings.
Some leaders of the Yamata Sect, their combat power greatly enhanced, had also joined the chaos.
The Dark Curtain Tarot Totem, the Kingdom of Miracles, the Princesses of the Chaos Realm, the Sword Master of the Sister Sword Society, and those who had obtained God Killer Equipments or Mythical Beast fruits to boost their strength were all there.
He even saw the old Shiki the Golden Lion enter the scene.
To be honest, Kizaru felt the situation was still somewhat restrained.
Everyone was probing, and the battle hadn't fully erupted yet.
If it did, many inside would likely have to flee.
So, should he join or not? It was a tough call.
Kizaru thought that if he could seize the God Killer Equipment, he would escape the battlefield immediately.
With his speed, he might have a chance to secure it.
At worst, he could survive by relying on the phoenix's abilities.
Thinking this, Kizaru felt tempted.
Da da! Creak, creak, creak!
While Kizaru pondered, Akainu rose from the cliff at the canyon's edge, twisting his neck with a few crisp pops.
Then, with an expressionless face, he prepared to charge in.
For Akainu, there was no hesitation about joining the battle.
After recovering from his severe injuries, he could feel his control over the God Killer Equipment becoming more fluid.
Perhaps the next stage of his power was approaching.
This rapid growth in strength was addictive.
Kizaru couldn't relate to Akainu's feelings.
The Mythical Beast fruit Kizaru consumed didn't require life-or-death stimulation. Instead, it demanded calmness and tranquility to unlock its wonders.
Through this process, his attributes were growing.
Unlike Akainu, who relied on the God Killer Equipment, Kizaru's growth came from enhancing his attributes.
Thus, he couldn't achieve a rapid spike in strength in a short time.
Currently, Kizaru's strength was roughly on par with Gabaisho's.
His power hovered on the ambiguous line of demigods.
Unlike Kaido of the Beasts, Kizaru hadn't easily crossed into the demigod realm.
Kaido, with his S+ physique, was highly compatible with the Azure Dragon Mythical Beast fruit.
In a short time, Kaido unlocked many of the fruit's powers.
This made Kaido's combat strength equivalent to an ordinary intermediate Mythical King level.
Coupled with the Azure Dragon fruit's robust vitality, his power reached demigod status.
Whoosh!
Akainu, bathed in red light, flew into the black tide without a word.
Kizaru was left speechless.
"Has this guy not fully recovered mentally?"
"Fighting at every opportunity, he's turning into a lunatic!"
Life was so beautiful; why resort to fighting and killing?
Sighing inwardly, Kizaru transformed into a golden light and leaped into the black tide.
Rumble!
"Axe of War!"
Soon after entering, Kizaru saw a massive axe, emitting black gas and standing a hundred meters tall, striking directly at Akainu from below.
Bang! Bang!
Drops of red magma fell from the sky.
A devastating red magma iron fist, radiating a destructive aura, erupted from Akainu's hand and struck back.
Rumble!
The massive shockwave disrupted the surrounding black tide.
At the same time, a figure in the tide was revealed.
"Who's that?"
Emitting a dazzling golden light, Kizaru clearly saw a figure clad in steel armor, resembling a knight.
The armor bore strange black lines.
With such a distinctive appearance, Kizaru recognized him immediately.
It was the War King, leader of the nine demon kings of the demon clan.
Kizaru was very familiar with this demon.
The War King was always active on the front lines against humans.
Yet, he often directed other demon kings to fight while observing from the sidelines.
In his limited battles, he had defeated gem-level opponents, including Akainu.
Even so, his true strength remained somewhat mysterious.
Watching him clash with Akainu now, Kizaru quickly gauged his baseline strength: at least demigod level.
The War King was holding his own against Akainu's magma fist, even gaining a slight edge.
"Hahaha, that's quite a power, Akainu."
"It seems your strength has improved a lot!"
Though his face was hidden by a steel helmet, his voice carried a teasing tone.
"But with this reckless approach, do you really think you can seize the God Killer Equipment?" the War King asked.
"It seems…"
"You still don't know your place!"
Akainu's face darkened after hearing the War King words.
Whoosh!
Akainu descended to face the War King and said, "War King of the demon clan, this is the perfect chance to erase my past shame!"
"Hahaha!" the War King laughed.
His harsh laughter and subsequent words stung Akainu further.
"How dare you say that! You're just a stray dog." the War King said.
"A stray dog who survived by the mercy of our demon clan, how dare you speak like that!"
In the past, Akainu had recklessly attacked demonic strongholds.
The apostles had noticed his behavior early on.
Among them, Apostle Celestial Dragon paid particular attention to Akainu.
Celestial Dragon had studied early records about the Demon God and found that the Demon God seemed slightly more interested in Akainu than others.
Just to be safe, Celestial Dragon reported it to the Demon God.
The Demon God merely gazed into the distance and said a single phrase.
That phrase ensured Akainu survived against the demon apostles.
It was just one word: "Interesting."
(End of this chapter)