"Damn it! Damn it! Damn it!"
Zhao Xuan looked exactly like someone driven into a corner, on the verge of going berserk.
Amid his hoarse, hysterical roars, he suddenly gritted his teeth, clutched the Seventh-Rank crystal energy bomb in his hand, and charged straight toward one of the four—a Western woman.
"Looking for death!!!"
"What a brainless idiot!"
"He must think Kristina looks smaller, so he can break through her!"
"Hah! Kristina is the strongest among us—second only to the boss!"
"…"
The other three immediately burst into mocking laughter.
Kristina herself wore an expression filled with disdain.
Watching Zhao Xuan stagger toward her, she casually raised her hand.
Whoosh!
The next instant—
An ice arrow sliced through the air and shot straight toward Zhao Xuan.
But—
It wasn't aimed at Zhao Xuan himself.
It was aimed directly at the Seventh-Rank crystal energy bomb in his hand.
Clang!
The ice arrow struck the bomb squarely.
BOOOOM!!!!!!!!
The crystal energy bomb detonated instantly.
A deafening explosion shook the heavens.
Blazing fire shot skyward.
Seeing this—
Kristina's lips curled into a cruel, satisfied grin.
However—
The very next moment—
A black figure burst out from the raging inferno and charged straight at her.
"Hm?"
Kristina raised an eyebrow, surprise flashing across her face.
"Interesting. You little brat really aren't simple. Even under backlash from a forbidden technique, you actually managed to tank a Seventh-Rank crystal bomb."
Watching the battered, staggering Zhao Xuan rush toward her, her expression turned playful again.
Five meters.
Four meters.
Three meters.
The moment Zhao Xuan staggered to within three meters of her—
BOOM!!!
Kristina moved.
She clenched her hand in the air.
Countless shards of frost condensed instantly in her palm.
In the next breath—
An ice halberd formed silently in her grasp.
Just as she was about to thrust it toward Zhao Xuan—
Suddenly—
BOOM BOOM BOOM BOOM BOOM BOOM!
A terrifying pressure crashed down upon her.
It flooded violently into her mind—
And her thoughts went completely blank.
She froze.
Right there.
At that exact moment—
The vast life energy that Zhao Xuan had suppressed within his bones for half a minute was finally released.
In an instant—
In the blink of an eye—
Zhao Xuan's chaotic aura stabilized.
His withered body recovered.
In the next moment—
He returned to his peak state.
BOOOOM!!!!!
A punch blasted out.
Fast as lightning.
Tearing through the air.
In a flash—
It crossed three meters and arrived in front of Kristina's chest.
Only then did Kristina snap out of the Conqueror's Will suppression.
"Damn it!!"
Her expression changed drastically.
The moment she sensed the terrifying power within Zhao Xuan's punch, unease and panic surged through her heart.
In desperation—
She raised the ice halberd and braced it horizontally before her chest.
The next instant—
Zhao Xuan's fist smashed into the halberd.
Under the overwhelming force—
The ice halberd shattered instantly.
The fragments turned into countless razor-sharp shards that pierced back toward Kristina.
Before Zhao Xuan's fist even struck her body—
Her skin was already torn open in dozens of places by the ice fragments.
"AAAHHHHHHH!!!"
Amid her piercing scream—
Zhao Xuan's fist slammed violently into her surging chest.
In an instant—
The mountains were flattened.
PUFF!!!!
Kristina spat out a mouthful of blood as her body was sent flying.
Tap!
Before she even hit the ground—
Zhao Xuan was already in front of her again.
He punched her crushed chest a second time.
BOOM!!!
This punch landed squarely on her ribs with a dull, explosive sound.
PUFF!!!!
Kristina vomited blood again.
At the same time—
Zhao Xuan's third punch fell.
Crack crack crack!
Indeed—
As a Logia-type Devil Fruit user, Kristina was powerful.
But—
Her defense was clearly lacking.
Under three punches—
Crack crack crack!
Her ribs shattered completely.
With the ribcage gone—
Zhao Xuan's terrifying power surged directly into her body.
Squish.
Her heart was crushed outright.
From the moment Zhao Xuan burst out of the crystal bomb's inferno—
To Kristina's death—
The entire process—
Took less than three seconds.
…
Boom!
Kristina's corpse slammed heavily onto the ground.
Only now did the remaining three finally react.
Their faces were still frozen in the mocking expressions from moments earlier.
Tap!
How could Zhao Xuan miss such an opportunity?
In a blink—
He used Shave and appeared in front of the second person.
BOOM! BOOM!
Two punches—
And the man's head exploded violently.
Blood and pale matter splattered everywhere.
Only then did the remaining two finally snap back to reality.
They stared at Kristina's mutilated corpse.
At their companion's headless body.
Their minds replayed Zhao Xuan's earlier appearance.
Crude.
Far too crude!!
Only now did they realize—
Zhao Xuan's panic and fear before—
Had been nothing but an act.
What did that mean?
Wait—wait—wait—wait—wait!
No!
No no no no no!
If his panic had been fake—
If he could instantly kill Vice-Captain Kristina—
Then…
Then wouldn't that mean…
The boss…
The boss—!!!
A bold, absurd thought suddenly surfaced in their minds.
Thump! Thump! Thump! Thump! Thump!
Their hearts began pounding wildly.
The next moment—
They turned and fled in panic, sprinting desperately into the distance.
"Hmph. Run? You think you can get away?"
Zhao Xuan snorted coldly.
Then—
Tap!
He vanished.
Using Shave, he shot toward one of them.
With the Azure Dragon fruit's enhancement—
With the True Man state active—
In an instant, Zhao Xuan caught up.
BOOM!!!
A punch smashed out.
The man hurriedly turned and tried to block.
But—
His resistance was laughably weak before Zhao Xuan.
Crack crack crack!
His arm shattered instantly under Zhao Xuan's monstrous strength.
The punch continued unabated—
Slamming into his back.
Thud!
PUFF!
The man was blasted forward.
Before he even landed—
Zhao Xuan was already there.
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
Three punches.
His spine snapped.
"Ugh—!"
A scream of agony rang out—
And his life was extinguished.
Zhao Xuan then turned toward the final survivor.
Moments later—
He stood before the last Western woman.
"No! No! No! Please don't kill me! Don't kill me!"
"Zhao Xuan—my father is an Eighth-Rank peak powerhouse!"
"My father is an Eighth-Rank powerhouse! If you kill me, he'll never let you go—AAAH!!!"
Before she could finish—
Zhao Xuan's fist smashed into her skull.
Thud! Thud! Thud! Thud! Thud!
Five punches later—
Her head burst apart like a watermelon.
At this point—
Hawkins' entire group was completely wiped out.
Not a single survivor remained.
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Read Chapters ahead: [email protected] / KaiOynx