Chapter 341: Saiyan Blood Factor, Activate!!!
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Shane looked up at the sky full of black arrows, momentarily stunned. What the…? Where am I? Is this still One Piece?
"Hey, hey, hey…" But then, he couldn't help but grin. "This scene is a bit exaggerated. Looks like you're really pissed off, Imu!"
So she's bringing out the real tricks? He might as well enjoy it and see just how capable this immortal, who had ruled the world for 800 years, really was!
"Let's go!"
The muscles in his legs tensed to the extreme, and in the next moment, BOOM!, the ground shattered.
Black-and-red lightning tore through the sky as Shane charged towards Imu at an astonishing speed. The air itself screamed in protest, torn apart by his passage.
"Fool," Imu said coldly, waving her hand.
WHOOSH WHOOSH WHOOSH!
The endless swarm of black arrows rained down on Shane like a storm!
"Here it comes!" Shane didn't dodge. His fists, wreathed in black-and-red lightning, punched a path through the arrow storm. But there were too many arrows, too dense! Even with his speed, he couldn't avoid being grazed repeatedly. Purple-black flames instantly ignited on his wounds, causing excruciating pain.
"Hmph!" Shane snorted. A massive amount of Conqueror's Haki surged, forcibly erasing the purple-black flames as he continued to close in on Imu.
"It's useless, mortal," Imu looked down on him, her voice cold. "These arrows are imbued with my essence. They will constantly erode your life force. Each wound requires a massive amount of Haki to heal."
"You've already used up most of your reserves with that last move. Do you have enough left?"
Her rain of arrows was endless! Imu waved her hand again, and the black arrows Shane had dodged turned in mid-air, attacking him from all sides!
"Tsk, troublesome!" Shane frowned, dodging rapidly in the air. But the arrows were too dense, and in the blink of an eye, he had several more wounds. At this rate, my Haki regeneration won't keep up! What a pain. Essence power? Demon essence? What exactly is this guy's ability? Judging by her appearance and her ability to turn people into demons… could it be she ate the real 'Devil Fruit'?
"I'll deal with that later. I need to end this quickly!" Shane's eyes sharpened. He took a deep breath, and the black-and-red lightning around him suddenly swelled, forming a spherical barrier! At a time like this, being stingy was the worst mistake. So, he would use all his Conqueror's Haki to form his strongest defense—
Conqueror's Barrier, Full Power!
POP POP POP!
All the incoming black arrows slammed into the barrier and exploded, unable to penetrate even slightly.
Now!
Seizing the opportunity, Shane kicked off the air, accelerating again, shooting towards Imu like a cannonball!
"Futile struggle," Imu watched emotionlessly as Shane broke through the arrow rain, a hint of mockery in her spiraling red pupils. She slowly extended a finger and tapped the air.
The sky full of black arrows suddenly stopped, then rushed towards the center like a hundred rivers returning to the sea!
VWOOM!
The purple-black energy compressed, and in an instant, it formed a giant trident, a hundred meters long. The tip was wreathed in boiling dark flames, scorching the very space around it, twisting it with cracks.
"Extinguish," Imu said softly.
The trident turned and thrust towards Shane, who was almost upon her!
BOOM!
The Conqueror's Barrier and the trident tip collided with a loud bang. Shane's barrier held for a full ten seconds, but in the end, it reached its limit, cracking and shattering!
"PUAH!"
Shane was hit in the chest by the aftershock, spitting out a mouthful of blood. He fell from the sky like a meteor, smashing another huge crater into the already shattered ground. The giant trident followed, landing in the crater and pinning Shane down.
BOOM!!!
The crater expanded again, seawater rushing in, creating a cloud of mist.
"Cough cough… cough…" At the bottom of the crater, under the black trident, Shane lay sprawled on the cracked rock, coughing up blood. Imu's attack had not only crushed his Conqueror's Barrier but also cracked his consciousness like glass hit by a hammer. His vision began to blur… Imu's figure descending slowly from the sky appeared as several overlapping images on his retina.
"But this level… isn't the end…" He struggled to move his fingers, trying to push himself up, while barely managing to put something into his mouth with his right hand.
Hmm? Imu noticed this and frowned slightly. She flicked a finger.
SWISH!
The giant trident suddenly erupted with purple-black light again, and countless slender arrows shot out from its shaft, pinning his limbs firmly to the ground, rendering him immobile. The excruciating pain shooting through his body made his muscles spasm uncontrollably, but Shane continued to struggle with all his might.
"This is the end." Imu hovered above the crater, looking down at the pinned Shane.
RUSTLE.
Her damaged demonic wing slowly unfurled, black mist swirling, and the wing Shane had broken earlier grew back at a visible rate.
"To push me this far, you… are indeed worthy of pride. No one has achieved this in hundreds of years," Imu's voice remained cold and indifferent. "But a mortal is ultimately just a mortal. Now… everything should end."
She raised her right hand, purple-black energy gathering in her palm, forming a miniature trident. Though it was much smaller than the one pinning Shane, the destructive aura it contained was terrifying!
"Farewell, rebel."
WHOOSH!
The trident shot from her hand, aiming straight for Shane's throat!
"Heh…"
In this moment of life and death, Shane suddenly laughed.
"Heh, hehe… HAHAHAHAHA!"
His bloodstained mouth stretched into an exaggerated grin, and his unfocused pupils suddenly contracted, turning into beast-like slits!
"Finally… finally! I've been waiting for this moment!"
Live towards death! If he didn't push himself to the limit, if he didn't explode in true desperation, how could he activate that bloodline?!
The last Senzu Bean he had left had been in his mouth for a while. Now, he chewed and swallowed it!
BOOM!!!
An unprecedentedly violent aura erupted from Shane's body! A raging energy storm shot into the sky, and the giant trident pinning him down shattered under the explosive force, turning into countless black-purple fragments and dissipating!
"What?!"
For the first time, a look of shock appeared on Imu's face. Her spiraling pupils shrank, and she instinctively took a half-step back, staring at the figure breaking free and slowly standing up below.
"Cough… ha…" Shane grinned, spitting out a mouthful of bloody saliva. He moved his limbs slightly, his body slowly floating up. His severe injuries began to heal at a terrifying speed, his muscles becoming more defined and hard. And his aura not only returned to its peak but clearly rose to a new level! In a daze, it seemed as if a layer of golden flame surrounded him, like a blazing sun, vigorous! Dazzling! Unstoppable!
With the help of the Senzu Bean… One-time Saiyan Blood Factor, Activate!
—These two trump cards, the reason he had held back from using them until now, was because no one else could push him this far. They were all prepared for you, Imu!
"You seemed to be enjoying yourself just now," Shane cracked his neck and grinned savagely at Imu. "Talking big, thinking the game was over, acting like a god again. Now, it's about time…"
"It's my turn!"
SWISH!
His figure vanished! Imu's eyes flashed red as she pushed her Observation Haki to the limit, but it was too late! This time, she didn't even have time to react—
BANG!
Because Shane's fist had already smashed into her head!
BOOM!!!
The power of this punch far exceeded any previous attack. Imu's head instantly deformed, her forehead caving in. She grunted and was sent flying backwards! She crashed through every mountain on the island, flying from the south coast all the way to the northern edge, finally stopping when the coast reappeared.
"Cough… cough cough!" Imu stumbled out of the rubble, black blood spilling from the corner of her mouth, the disbelief in her eyes still present.
Impossible. Impossible?!!! How could such a level of power be born in the lower world…
"Don't space out, I'm not done yet!"
A sonic boom exploded behind Imu, and Shane appeared from within it, sneering as he delivered a vicious whip kick to her waist!
CRACK!
With the sound of breaking bones, Imu's body was sent flying again, tracing a parabola in the air.
"Damn… you… mortal!!!"
To be kicked around like a ball, what a humiliation! Imu roared in anger, the demonic wings on her back flapping furiously. Countless black feathers separated from them, turning into pitch-black arrows shooting at Shane.
However. "Slow! Too slow!" Shane laughed wildly. He didn't bother reinforcing his defense with Conqueror's Haki like before, letting his body weave through the arrows freely! But from start to finish, not a single arrow touched his clothes!
In the blink of an eye, he crossed the sky and approached Imu again, appearing right in front of her, baring his teeth. Both arms moved at once, and in an instant, he threw dozens, hundreds of punches!
"ORA ORA ORA ORA—!!!"
Shane laughed savagely as he vented his rage, his fists blurring into afterimages, bombarding Imu like a storm without pause!
BAM BAM BAM BAM BAM!
Imu's body deformed under the continuous heavy blows. She tried to resist. But Shane's punches were too fast, too strong! The demonic claw she raised was smashed, the regenerating bone spikes were hammered back into her flesh before they could form! The purple-black energy barrier she summoned was instantly shattered! Even her terrifying regenerative ability couldn't keep up with the speed of Shane's punches. More and more wounds and dents appeared on her body, becoming denser and denser! Her exquisite, slender body was beaten out of shape in this endless pummeling!
"Speak! Why aren't you speaking? You had plenty to say just now!" Shane grabbed Imu by the throat, lifting her high. His right fist charged to the limit, black-and-red lightning gathering madly around it! "What god, what ruling the world for 800 years… in the face of pure power—"
"You're just a punching bag!!!"
It was about time. Let her feel it! Evolved and upgraded in every way, completely different from before… the strongest technique!
—Cross Fang, Dragon Slayer Fist!
BOOM!!!
This full-power punch, under Imu's shocked and angry gaze, pierced straight through her chest!
"How dare you! Mortal!" The angry shout had just begun, hadn't even spread, when it was extinguished. But the mighty shockwave, after engulfing Imu's body, continued unabated, exploding outwards from the two of them.
RUMBLE!
The already battered island finally couldn't take it anymore, completely disintegrating and sinking into the sea! For a moment, waves rose to the sky, and dust blocked out the sun. When everything settled, the island named "Sphinx" was no more. Looking out, there was only the vast sea.
Hoo~ The evening breeze blew gently. Shane's black hair fluttered. He hovered in the low sky, looking a little bored, holding the broken body of Imu's vessel in his hand.
"Tsk, she ran away," he glanced at it, shook his head, and let go, letting the body fall. At the same moment, the body began to turn into black mist, rapidly decomposing and dispersing, completely vanishing into the air before it even hit the water.
It was just a vessel, after all. She had plenty more bodies like this to use for descending to the lower world. Losing a good one might sting a little, but it was ultimately harmless. Imu's main body remained safe and sound, high above the clouds, in the Holy Land, Mary Geoise.
Main body? Shane stood with his hands behind his back, narrowing his eyes slightly, looking towards the horizon, in the direction of Mary Geoise.
"Her avatar is no match for me. At least, a vessel of this level isn't enough. But for her main body to descend directly? There seem to be some restrictions. Forget leaving the Holy Land, in 800 years, she hasn't even stepped out of the Chamber of Flowers."
There were still too many doubts in his mind, and the secrets surrounding Imu were indeed mysterious. Pangea Castle in Mary Geoise was still a place he was somewhat wary of stepping into. He wasn't reckless enough to charge straight into the enemy's lair in a fit of hot-bloodedness to test the strength of Imu's main body.
To put it bluntly… I'm still not strong enough! If he were strong enough to beat up Imu's main body by himself, strong enough to disregard the entire world combined, these concerns wouldn't exist!
Shane waited patiently for a while longer. Still no movement. It was as if the island that had just been erased, the vessel that had been shattered, were just a dream. Did that guy really choose to swallow this insult? Since her main body wasn't willing to come down…
"Then I'll just have to wait until the day I go up there and pay you a visit myself, Imu!!!"