On the battlefield, Gunko swiftly leaped backward to create distance, her gaze falling on her severed wrist as her heart sank abruptly.
"Regeneration is impossible!"
She could sense Gurd's lingering Haki at the fracture point, bringing intense pain. Only by purging this Haki could her wrist regenerate.
"Saint Sommers, Saint Killingham, that guy can harm us—be careful!"
"What?!"
The two were shocked by the warning, but they had already charged right before Gurd. Retreating now was too late.
Attack was their only option!
Saint Sommers leaped high, swinging his massive Thorned Mace with full force toward Gurd's head.
"Thorn Hunt!"
"Such an attack... I'm so sleepy."
Gurd's eyes flickered as he raised his hand to catch the mace, but drowsiness suddenly overwhelmed him. Rings of light enveloped his head.
"Dream Entanglement!"
It was the Kirin's ability!
Gurd's head tilted back as he succumbed to slumber, a snot bubble forming just before the mace smashed into his skull.
"Drip!"
The mace pulled away from Gurd's head, its spikes dripping blood.
"Kehaha! Not so tough after all!"
Saint Sommers laughed triumphantly, summoning thorns to bind Gurd.
He'd nearly been frightened earlier, yet now victory came so easily. With this, his opponent wouldn't be moving freely anymore.
Gurd remained motionless, head still tilted upward.
Saint Sommers frowned in confusion.
"Did I hit him too hard? Knocked him out cold?"
"zzZ~~"
Accompanied by snot bubbles, a string of symbols floated above Gurd's head—clearly still dreaming, undisturbed by the violent strike.
Saint Sommers' face stiffened.
He'd taken a full-powered hit... and didn't even wake up?
What kind of joke was this?!
"Saint Killingham, your hypnosis was overdone this time!"
"I didn't deepen it—he's refusing to wake up himself!"
Saint Killingham hurriedly explained.
Though hard to believe, Gurd was currently indulging in pleasant dreams by his own will, unwilling to rouse.
"Eh?!"
Saint Sommers froze.
What did that mean?
If it wasn't Saint Killingham's power at work, then his full-powered strike hadn't even registered as a threat?
But there was blood!
"Let me try!"
Saint Killingham raised his palm, and the dream rings immediately shifted color—from dreamy white to nightmare crimson.
"Fear Awakening!"
Every person harbored deep-seated fears, and this man would be no exception. By manifesting those fears into reality, he could plunge his target into paralyzing terror, destroying their will to fight.
But what was this man afraid of?
As the dream transformed, dilapidated buildings materialized across the battlefield, gradually forming a massive ruined city.
"CRACK!"
At the city's center, a skyscraper's signboard—bearing the Hoenn insignia—shattered in two as flames engulfed the structure.
A destroyed urban wasteland!
"This is... what?"
Saint Killingham gaped in shock.
He'd never witnessed such a bizarre dreamscape before. Could this apocalyptic vision truly be Gurd's greatest fear?
"Hey... worm."
An icy voice spoke behind him.
Saint Killingham's body locked up as if frozen, forcing him to turn his head with painful slowness. Within his vision appeared a pair of eyes.
Crimson eyes!
"You ruined my wonderful dream."
Gurd's eyes glowed red.
He had just dreamed of standing in the penthouse suite of Groudon Industrial Tower, overlooking the industrial marvel he had created.
A modern international metropolis!
In his ears, the incessant beeping of notifications rang out—each "beep" representing another rent payment or tax collected.
Everything in this modern city belonged to him alone. Everyone was his employee or tenant.
And he—was like a god!
Even knowing it was a dream, he was so immersed that he didn't want to wake up.
Such a rare indulgence!
But this wonderful experience was soon ruthlessly shattered. The dream's atmosphere suddenly shifted—the entire city turned an eerie red before bursting into flames.
The moment his Groudon Tower was swallowed by the inferno—
"No!!!"
Pain. So much pain!
Gurd's heart was filled with agony, the flames of vengeance raging violently.
The dream—ended.
"You made me lose everything!"
Gurd's eyes were bloodshot, locked onto the Kirin-man as he leaned forward, arcs of electricity crackling around his legs.
Losing property was the one thing he could never tolerate. Yet this bastard not only destroyed his assets in the dream but also materialized the ruins of the ruined city, reopening his wounds.
Unforgivable!
"Are you prepared for this?!"
"..."
Saint Killingham broke out in cold sweat, feeling the threat of death from a mere mortal for the first time. His legs instinctively stepped back.
"Hm?"
Just as Gurd was about to move, transparent thorns manifested around his body, their sharp spikes piercing into his flesh.
"Pathetic tricks!"
Black Conqueror's Haki lightning descended from the sky!
"CRACK!"
Every single thorn shattered!
"Impossible!"
Saint Sommers' eyes bulged in shock.
His thorns had been forcibly destroyed—just how strong was that man's Haki?!
Gurd exhaled a wave of scorching heat, leaning forward like a demon as his thigh muscles swelled to twice their size!
"Surprise Attack · Giant Body Shatter!"
"BOOM!"
The ground behind him exploded in layers!
Gurd charged forward like a bolt of lightning, crossing the battlefield in an instant!
"So fast!"
Saint Killingham's vision darkened—Gurd was already in front of him. The sheer explosive speed left him no time to react.
"THUD!!!"
His head flew into the sky!!!
"What's happening? Why is the sky spinning?!"
Saint Killingham's vision spun wildly. It took him a moment to realize—his head had been separated from his body.
On the ground below, only his arm clutching the trident remained. The rest of his body had been smashed to pieces!
"SMACK!"
A large hand grabbed his head!
"BOOM!"
Gurd landed in front of Saint Sommers, holding the Kirin-man's severed head.
The man wasn't dead yet.
But under the erosion of Haki, with only his head remaining, he could neither regenerate his body nor resist.
Agony forced a wretched scream from him.
"Saint Sommers... save me!"
"Damn it!"
Saint Sommers' face twisted in fury as he raised both hands toward Gurd. Countless thorns sprouted from his back, lashing out like blades, while the ground beneath them erupted with razor-sharp spikes!
"Thorn Hunt · Crimson Lotus Hell!"
Gurd arched his body, adopting a bowling stance. Just before the thorns could entrap him, he hurled the Kirin-man's head—coated in Conqueror's Haki!
"Kirin · Sure-Kill Bowling Ball!!!"
"THWACK!"
The air exploded with a circular shockwave as the Qilin's head broke the sound barrier in an instant, slipping through the gaps of the thorns and slamming into Saint Sommers' chest with tremendous force!
"BOOM!!!"
Another deafening blast, and a bloody hole erupted in Saint Sommers' chest!
"ARGHHHH!!!"
His agonized scream echoed across the battlefield!
Gurd stepped forward, planting his foot on Saint Sommers' head and driving it into the dirt!
"No matter how your immortality works, it ultimately falls within the realm of Devil Fruit abilities—which means I can suppress it with my Conqueror's Haki."
"In this world, only Haki stands above all else!"
(End of Chapter)