Chapter 603: Tyrannosaurus Rex
"Ah ha ha ha ha…"
Watching the young man laughing maniacally, Geno felt something was off.
"So this is why you joined the Seven Demons?"
"Envy? Jealous… are you actually jealous of me?"
He stared at Asara as the laughter finally died down.
"No."
Asara's response came before Geno could react.
He continued coldly: "Don't misunderstand, I no longer consider you someone worth being jealous of."
"My targets now are those who grab the world's attention… those whose brilliance outshines everyone."
"So, are you still going to stand in my way?"
Geno opened his mouth, let out a long sigh, and attempted to persuade him.
"Even so, you don't have to go this far! Becoming a Demon Envoy is… "
"No need to say it. What you call 'too far' is only extreme from your perspective, not mine."
"Now… I intend to fulfill my promise."
"And the promise was that you would die, Geno."
Asara cut him off.
The radiance in his hands intensified, this light was the power born from his Envy.
"Aren't you now a Sun Cultist, devoted to the Blazing Sun Sect?"
"Then come, try to punish me if you can!"
The light grew even brighter, the only illumination in the passage, like a miniature sun.
Whoosh!
Beams of light shot toward Geno.
Geno's pupils shrank, he dodged instinctively.
Boom!!
Fire burst out, stone fragments scattered everywhere.
Deep craters several meters wide appeared behind Geno.
Clearly, the "light of envy" was not merely illumination,
Its offensive capability resembled Admiral Kizaru's Light-Light Fruit: blinding, explosive light.
"Are you serious, Asara?"
Geno looked at the massive hole in the cavern wall, his face turned slightly pale.
If he hadn't dodged, or coated himself with Armament Haki, the hit might have seriously injured him.
No matter how tough his body was, it was only marginally stronger than these magic-soaked stone walls.
"Even now, you're still naïve."
"You came here chasing the Seven Demon Envoys with childish dreams. Did you really think we were easy to deal with?"
"We are called Demons for a reason, Geno."
Asara's emotionless tone made Geno close his eyes and take a deep breath.
When he opened them again, his gaze was resolute.
"Fine. I understand."
"In that case, let's fight."
"I won't let you fall into darkness again."
"Weaklings shouldn't act righteous!"
Asara mocked him brutally.
Light swirled in his hand, growing stronger before forming three bright spheres floating midair.
"Let's see if you can survive."
Countless light beams erupted from the spheres.
Facing the barrage, Geno's pupils turned beastlike, black centers surrounded by yellow.
"Grrrr!"
A low roar echoed, and was swallowed by the storm of radiance.
BOOM!!
The explosion shook the tunnel. As the dust settled,
Asara wasn't looking at Geno's previous location, but had shifted to another direction.
There stood a monstrous silhouette.
Massive jaws filled with teeth.
Blue-gray skin.
A cold, overwhelming aura.
White steam rose in wisps from his body.
It was Geno's human-beast form.
He had eaten the Ancient Zoan Fruit: Tyrannosaurus Rex.
One of the strongest ancient Zoan fruits in existence.
Seeing this familiar form, Asara felt momentarily dazed.
In a sense, as children, he had been brave to approach Geno so casually despite Geno's terrifying aura.
But that was the past. He no longer walked backward.
Now he sought only to move forward, to show a brilliance so dazzling the world could not ignore him.
"Fwoo…"
Geno exhaled, steam billowing outward.
Power surged in his body, an advanced physical technique that temporarily boosted explosive strength.
Geno had participated in the Marine World Recruitment in the previous cycle.
Showing extraordinary talent and potential, he was accepted into the Marines.
He later joined the renowned discipline division, Prison Admiral King, where he displayed remarkable aptitude.
He mastered the Six Powers (Rokushiki) quickly, and benefited greatly from physical training passed down by Hisoka through Martial Arts.
Under the guidance of a master, his foundations were solid, and his strength grew rapidly.
Unfortunately, the rise of magic-pattern users, powered by life-consuming patterns, overshadowed ordinary fighters like him.
Compared to the monster-like magic-pattern users who had risen rapidly in two short years, Geno appeared ordinary.
This duel was the clash between a genius without magic patterns and a genius with them.
"Physical techniques?"
Seeing the steam rising from Geno, Asara smirked.
"No matter how refined your body is, it'll pale in the face of my light."
Rip!
Geno tore off his shredded shirt, revealing scars beneath.
Even with Armament Haki, he couldn't emerge unscathed.
This battle was pushing him to his limit.
But even so, he did not retreat.
Staring at Asara, he said: "Asara! Just like before, the loser…"
"Ha ha ha! Do you still think we're kids?"
"It doesn't matter. Just die, Geno!"
Asara unleashed his attack.
"Asara!!"
---
Time passed.
The once-bright passage grew dim.
Tap… tap…
Footsteps echoed as a figure approached another lying on the ground.
One stood.
One lay unconscious.
Geno lay collapsed, unconscious.
Asara stood over him.
Tick… tick…
Red drops fell from Asara's shoulder, trailing down his arm and dripping onto the stone floor.
The wound was from Geno's Tyrannosaurus Rex teeth.
"In the end, you're just a fool who talks big."
Fwoom!
Asara lifted his right hand, index finger pointed at Geno's head.
A thin stream of white light gathered at his fingertip.
"Farewell, Geno."
BOOM!
A sudden burst of smoke erupted from nowhere.
Asara's eyes narrowed.
In the next instant, Geno's presence vanished.
Rumble!
An explosion sounded below.
When the smoke cleared, Asara extended his hand, and stared silently at the hole in the ground where Geno had escaped.
After a while, a playful voice echoed: "Oh? What a shame!"
Greed Nipero appeared out of nowhere with a teasing smile on his face.
"Just a little more… and you would've killed that Red Flame boy."
"I heard the Green Flame from the Seven Flames has a special ability."
"That Paramecia Door-Door Fruit really lives up to its reputation."
"Escape assistance, quite useful."
Nipero stroked his chin as he looked at Asara's expressionless face.
Then he changed the subject.
"Well, whatever."
"As long as you leave it to me, no problem. Next time you run into that fire boy, I'll handle him."
"Just one tap, and he'll pass peacefully."
As Nipero spoke, Asara's cold eyes locked onto him.
"Nipero… don't do anything unnecessary."
Tap… tap… tap…
He walked past Nipero toward the narrow exit, leaving one final sentence: "Unless you want to die."
"Hehehe… What a domineering guy."
Nipero wasn't offended at all.
He smirked as he watched Asara's back.
That guy's acting is terrible.
The amount of restraint he showed in that fight could flood Lake Yaqi in the Sabaody Archipelago.
Farewell? How hilarious!
He followed behind with a widening smile.
Nipero felt he had found something new to entertain himself with.
He could hardly wait to see how this drama would unfold.
(End of this chapter)