Chapter 67: A Masterful Performance
"It hurts! I'm already injured!" Ian groaned, his voice feigning weakness. "Chief Jailer Shiryu is truly powerful. I almost died by his hand... Thank... thank you for arriving just in time, Warden Magellan..."
Ian acted utterly drained and powerless. Even after standing up, he swayed unsteadily a few times. His performance was so convincing it didn't seem like an act at all. Ever since Hannyabal and Magellan had emerged from the Warden's office, Ian had been observing everything. He waited for Magellan to approach before launching into his act...
Ahem...
"Jock Ian..." Magellan began, his voice a low rumble.
"You bastard... I'm going to kill you... I'll kill you!" From within the smoke and dust, a bloodied Shiryu of the Rain emerged slowly, bent over, supporting himself with his sword. It wasn't that he didn't want to stand up straight; it was that the blows Ian had landed on his back and legs made it impossible. He had heard every word Ian said to Magellan clearly.
This damn brat...!
It was obvious that from the beginning of the fight until now, Shiryu hadn't so much as touched a thread on Ian's clothes!
"Shiryu!" Magellan's voice boomed, laced with authority and rising anger. "Aren't you going to stop this? Major General Ian is our guest! What are you trying to do to him? When I first discovered you were lynching prisoners, I never should have tolerated it! It's my leniency that has led to the situation today!"
Magellan's body was surrounded by bubbling purple venom, and he looked ready to erupt at any moment. Ian subtly took a few steps back, putting distance between himself and the Warden. His physique, honed by the Enhancement System, made him resistant to ordinary toxins, but it was hard to say what would happen if he were drenched in the venom of the Doku Doku no Mi user. Magellan's venom was like a corrosive plague—it was always better to be cautious.
"Magellan, this is Impel Down's internal affair!" Shiryu snarled, his voice strained with pain and fury. "Since when do we need... a Navy brat to intervene?! Can't you see he's doing this on purpose?!"
How could Shiryu bear this? After being thoroughly beaten, who wouldn't want to retaliate?
Hiss...
"Warden Magellan, look at the blood on him," Ian said, his voice trembling slightly as he pointed at Shiryu. "Who knows how many people just died by his hand. The prisoners may be guilty of heinous crimes, but it's not the Chief Jailer's place to slaughter them at will, is it? I just happened to witness it by accident, and Warden Shiryu immediately tried to kill me to silence me... I... I'm sorry, I really can't hold on any longer! Warden Magellan... I'll leave this to you now..."
This time, Ian clutched his shoulder, putting on another masterful performance. He looked the very picture of a victim who had been brutally assaulted. Shiryu was so enraged his teeth itched. Now he understood: those who roared about war and killing were only superficially evil. Those skilled in deception were the true villains!
"You stinking brat! I'll cut out your lying tongue!" Consumed by fury and completely fooled by Ian's act, Shiryu lunged.
How could Magellan, standing right there, simply stand by and watch his Chief Jailer attack a guest from a sister organization right in front of him? During the entire fight between Ian and Shiryu, Ian had deliberately adhered to the principle of maiming, not killing. His goal was to use Magellan as the grand finale!
"Venom Dragon!"
Three ferocious, highly toxic purple dragons surged from Magellan's body, lunging toward Shiryu. The hissing sound of corrosion was terrifying. Anyone struck by these spectacular venom dragons would be instantly paralyzed and weakened by the toxins. Without an antidote, the torment would continue, the venom ceaselessly destroying the victim's organs until their life force was utterly spent.
"Damn it... Magellan!" Shiryu's pupils contracted. He tried to dodge sideways with difficulty. Under normal circumstances, it would have been impossible for the three venom dragons to hit him so easily. But now, with one of his legs severely injured, after evading the first dragon, the other two closed in one after another, giving him no room to escape.
THUD!
THUD!
The two venom dragons slammed into Shiryu, hurling him high into the air before smashing him against the prison wall. The purple venom spread across his body, wracking him with excruciating pain.
Cough... A stream of blood trickled from Shiryu's mouth after the series of brutal blows. He lay in a disheveled heap on the ground, feeling his strength draining away.
Antidote...
The antidote is in my pocket!
As Magellan's colleague, and while carrying out unauthorized executions, Shiryu secretly carried an antidote on his person to neutralize Magellan's poison—a precaution for any potential confrontation with the Warden himself.
As Shiryu struggled to retrieve the antidote, a figure appeared before him... Ian!
Snatch!
"Is this the antidote? Thanks!" Ian broke Shiryu's wrist with a crisp snap and pocketed the vial. If he felt any discomfort later, he could take it anytime.
"Jock... Ian..." Though wracked with pain, Shiryu still glared at Ian with ferocious hatred. He thought he was cruel and evil enough, but compared to the young man before him, he was practically a saint!
SMACK!
"What are you staring at?" Ian taunted, raising his hand and delivering a resounding slap across Shiryu's face with all his might. The force of the blow, infused with Haki, made Shiryu's head spin.
BOOM!
BOOM! BOOM!
Seizing the opportunity, Ian landed three consecutive punches, finally knocking Shiryu unconscious.
It feels so relaxing to have someone helping you in a fight!
[Ding!]
[Congratulations to the host for successfully defeating the "Chief Jailer of Impel Down," Shiryu of the Rain!]
[Enhancement Points Obtained: 2200 points!]
[Current Accumulated Enhancement Points: 7065 points!]
[Notice: You can enhance once for every 1000 points...]
With Shiryu's unconsciousness, the accumulated Enhancement Points in the system surpassed 7,000! The next wave of enhancements was sure to raise his strength to a new level!