Overwhelming Power

"You are…"

Yelu was about to speak, but the ground continued to roll and shake. The woman who had just used the Op-Op Fruit Ability to swap positions once again spread open her right hand.

Her figure vanished again, leaving behind only a chunk of broken stone.

She had clearly seen the truth: Yelu was useless. Despite possessing invisibility, his heartbeat and footsteps were completely exposed in his fear.

This man was beyond saving. He was bound to die.

Ling Xin continuously activated her ability. She knew very well that if they wanted to defeat Mercenary Tao, she was probably the key.

Only if her Observation Haki could sense enough of her teammates’ positions, and she used the Op-Op Fruit’s formidable power to coordinate them, would they have a chance of defeating Mercenary Tao.

Before that, however, she had to guard against Mercenary Tao’s assassination attempts.

Only now did she have time to check the notification on her panel, but… there was nothing at all!

She was somewhat stunned. She had known the fuel-air bomb could not kill Mercenary Tao, but it had not even managed to hit him?

Mercenary Tao was that fast, or rather… he possessed some special ability to hide himself!

Buzz!

A gust of wind blew toward her from ahead, bringing with it a powerful premonition. Ling Xin’s pupils trembled as a pitch-black hand emerged from the wind, followed closely by that pink robe.

Her right hand, hanging at her side, immediately curled upward, and invisible waves of power swept through the surroundings.

Buzz~

As space quivered violently, her body twisted in an instant.

"Ha!"

Bai Cangshu, who had turned into wind with the Wind Demon and passed directly through the explosion in pursuit, opened his mouth and let out a thunderous roar.

An explosion no weaker than the fuel-air bomb erupted without pause.

A chunk of rubble that had been swapped over was instantly reduced to dust amid the explosion, which shook like thunder.

"Ah!"

Caught off guard and only able to teleport seven hundred meters away, Ling Xin clutched her head and wailed in agony.

The woman who had been so high-spirited moments ago now had ruptured eardrums, two bloody holes where her eyes had been, and blood streaming continuously from her nose.

She simply could not withstand being struck at close range by the World-Shaking Thunder Roar.

The pain of torn flesh was secondary. The destruction of her eardrums had affected her nerves, leaving her unable even to maintain her balance, much less calm herself.

Tap, tap, tap…

Hurried footsteps approached. Terror appeared on Ling Xin’s face. With a flash of light, a katana appeared in her hand, and she slashed directly before her.

Buzz!

A blue fan-shaped slash shot forth instantly. Combined with her Devil Fruit Ability and powerful swordsmanship, it cleaved through an entire city block.

Yet the approaching footsteps merely paused for a moment before continuing closer.

"Are you trying to die, idiot?!"

The newcomer berated Ling Xin, but that actually calmed her slightly. At least it was not Mercenary Tao. As long as she could find the others, she would have a chance to use the Op-Op Fruit to replace her eyes and ears.

The Op-Op Fruit possessed miraculous power. If she had not known that Mercenary Tao also wielded powerful Armament Haki, she could have simply dug out his heart and kneaded it at will.

A hand grabbed Ling Xin by the back of her neck, followed by intense energy fluctuations. The next moment, Ling Xin felt her position change.

This person possessed some kind of teleportation magic!

Those who could accept this Deathmatch Task were surely all Strong-tier or above. Moreover, Ling Xin had already realized that everyone who had entered this task, herself included…

Were Reincarnators who, in one sense or another, bore the identity of "villains."

She guessed this was likely related to Mercenary Tao’s special title. This was a task only Reincarnators judged by the space to be villains and evildoers could receive.

Yet it was laughable that this group of villains and evildoers now had to show friendship and help one another to survive.

Pssh…

A cold spray was directly sprayed onto Ling Xin’s face. The pain from her shattered eyes quickly eased, and she began using Observation Haki to sense her surroundings again.

Although her Observation Haki was not yet powerful enough to replace sight, at least she was no longer completely blind.

She sensed that the Reincarnator before her had an extremely faint presence. No, it was more accurate to say that the other party was actively concealing their presence, hiding all their energy.

If they had not been standing so close, she probably would not have been able to detect their location at all.

"Go find… Yelu. That woman has been scared out of her wits by Mercenary Tao. She’s useless. I need her eyes and ears!"

Ling Xin spoke without the slightest pity. The figure said nothing and teleported away in an instant.

On the main battlefield, Xing Liu once again slammed both palms wildly into the ground.

Racial Magic: Earthquake!

Terrifying energy that shook the earth and mountains turned into wave after wave of Shockwaves, beginning to bring down buildings throughout the city. Without even looking at the result, Xing Liu realized that among his "companions" was that infamous bitch—Ling Xin—when he recalled the ability that had teleported him away from the center of the explosion.

She was a vile creature who toyed with other Reincarnators in countless mission worlds and slaughtered them cruelly. She had risen rapidly by relying on the Op-Op Fruit’s power, obtained from who knew where. Its terrifying ability to freely manipulate space meant ordinary Reincarnators could not even touch the hem of her clothes before being killed.

She even deliberately pieced together the corpses of other Reincarnators.

But the more notorious someone had been in the past, the more dependable a companion they were today!

Xing Liu took it upon himself to lead the offensive and let Ling Xin provide support. His attack on the entire city was also meant to flush out those idiots still trying to hide.

Tap, tap, tap.

Steady footsteps utterly out of place amid the earth-shaking turmoil.

Xing Liu watched Mercenary Tao walk toward him through the violently shaking city, hands clasped behind his back as though strolling on level ground. His pupils constricted sharply.

Is this for real? A monster like this is only Strong-tier?!

He had seen a similar display before. It was a special manifestation that only appeared after Martial Arts Mastery broke through Level 7. Even a force like an earthquake could not affect such a person at all.

Bai Cangshu walked toward the Reincarnator who possessed several interesting transformations, his face still bearing a faint smile.

A skyscraper collapsed toward him from the side. He raised his left hand and gave it a violent shake.

Bang!

It was an air strike. He struck his palm through empty air, and because he moved too quickly, the thick air was struck like liquid.

Blazing White Shockwaves spread outward in rings. The liquefied air sank violently inward, a sign that the force Bai Cangshu had unleashed remained completely condensed rather than dispersing. Not even air could make that force erupt immediately.

Buzz!

The liquid-like air continued to cave in, then exploded with a roar in the next moment. Accompanied by Blazing White Shockwaves, it blasted the falling skyscraper away, sending it flying several hundred meters in the other direction.

Rumble!

Buildings collided with buildings, and dust filled the sky, obscuring all vision.

Fear rose in Xing Liu’s heart. He kicked off with both feet, and his form changed again. The Earth Bear transformation vanished instantly, while enormous brown wings emerged from his back. He turned into a gigantic eagle with a wingspan exceeding four or five meters and spread his wings toward the sky.

Whoosh!

With one beat of its wings, the dust scattered. An eagle’s vision was excellent, yet he still could not spot Mercenary Tao.

This feeling…

Xing Liu was experienced in battle. Almost instantly, he canceled the transformation and attempted to become the highly defensive Earth Bear again, but a man had already emerged from the wind before him.

Bai Cangshu pressed his fingers together like a blade. His right hand was black as ink. With more than fifty points of raw strength and the force control of a Martial Arts Grandmaster, every ounce of power flowed exactly as he wished.

His hand blade slashed down, and a black trail flashed like a blade of light.

Pssh!

You have killed Reincarnator KL54007833. Deathmatch Task progress updated. Remaining enemies: 5

The violently beating heart had yet to stop, and rushing blood sprayed from the headless corpse.

Bai Cangshu casually stepped to the side, already several meters away. Not a drop of blood landed on him.

He turned his head and saw a figure flash past, yet the Mantra still contained no trace of the other party.

The remaining Reincarnators had already silently gathered together. Clearly, the fellow hiding in the shadows was assembling people.

Bai Cangshu revealed a satisfied smile.

"Interesting…"