The battle raged on, and the Giant grew increasingly furious. His Observation Haki was disrupted, making the fight extremely difficult. He struggled to land hits on Ye Yu while constantly being struck himself, his injuries worsening with each passing moment.
He had envisioned coming ashore to unleash his wrath, yet here he was, humiliated—as if blinded in combat.
With only fifteen minutes left before the Mystic Realm closed, the Giant was now covered in wounds, panting heavily, his face pale. The power behind his punches had diminished, his defenses weakened, and exhaustion weighed heavily upon him.
Ye Yu, too, was drained, but his condition remained far better than the Giant's.
Jin Mo and the others watched with grim expressions. If this continued, Ye Yu might actually succeed.
The thought made them gnash their teeth in frustration.
"He can't be allowed to pass."
"Not only would he gain massive rewards from the Mystic Realm, but there's also the additional experience from defeating the Giant."
"Exactly. The Giant is incredibly strong—killing him would grant an enormous boost. We thought Ye Yu would start struggling after reaching level thirty, not just because we'd inherit the Ability Users' strength, but also because his own leveling would slow down. But now, he's about to get a significant power-up."
...
Meanwhile, Lin Muxue silently cheered, "Hang in there, Giant. Just don't die."
Li Cang nodded. "Right. As long as the Giant survives until time runs out, Ye Yu won't clear the challenge."
Even so, everyone was stunned. What began as a foregone conclusion—Ye Yu's inevitable death, with even lasting three hours seeming impossible—had now turned into a desperate struggle for the Giant to survive those same three hours.
The crew of the Dominant Feather Pirate Crew rejoiced; Ye Yu was practically out of danger.
Those in the safe zone were equally relieved—salvation seemed within reach.
The Giant, too, realized that continuing like this was futile. As much as he longed to tear Ye Yu apart, he simply lacked the strength now.
Ye Yu was also panting, his power and defenses diminished, but nowhere near as badly as the Giant. Inheriting seven meant his endurance, stamina, and vitality were all compounded, allowing him to sustain such an intense battle for so long.
Wang Quanshi couldn't help but feel bitter. He had to admit—for now, Ye Yu was the strongest being on land, sea, and air. But in the end, he believed that title would belong to him.
Seizing a moment when Ye Yu's Observation Kill wasn't fully effective, the Giant mustered all his remaining strength for a counterattack. His fist collided with Ye Yu's, but the impact only worsened his own injuries—his arm split open, blood spilling as cracks spread across his body from the sheer force.
A deafening crash echoed as both combatants were thrown back.
Ye Yu's hand trembled slightly, his arms and body bearing wounds of their own. Yet, they were already healing rapidly—another benefit of inheriting seven, their regenerative abilities stacked as well.
This battle had pushed him to his limits, making Ye Yu all the more grateful for his choice. Forgoing a Contract with a Devil Fruit had been the right decision. He now understood just how powerful inheriting seven truly was—it wasn't a simple one-plus-one-equals-two kind of boost.
The Giant no longer dared to engage head-on. Though Ye Yu's Observation Kill wasn't yet perfected—sometimes working, sometimes failing, sometimes only partially effective—it still made combat unbearable.
Now, the Giant knew killing Ye Yu was nearly impossible. He made his decision: he would fight while retreating.
With that, he abruptly turned and sprinted away, putting distance between himself and Ye Yu.
Ye Yu sneered. "Running away now?"
The Giant burned with shame, but as he fled, he tried to justify it to himself.
"This is my strategy. As long as I'm not dead, you won't pass and won't receive the massive experience reward."
Ye Yu sneered, "Weren't you going to tear me apart once you got ashore?"
The Giant ignored the taunt and smirked, "As long as you don't pass, it's another way to frustrate you—all your efforts wasted."
The Giant sprinted quickly, relieved that the city wasn't too small.
Ye Yu gave chase, and as the Giant ran, a few buildings were knocked down in the collision. Though he avoided direct contact—not because he didn't want to destroy them, but because it would slow him down—some structures were still grazed.
At this point, he couldn't destroy much of the city, nor could he kill anyone. The only thing he could do was hold out until the fifteen minutes were up.
Ye Yu moved swiftly across the ground while the Giant spread his Observation Haki, keeping track of Ye Yu's movements. But soon, there was a moment when he lost track—Ye Yu had activated Observation Kill. The Giant stopped abruptly, scanning his surroundings defensively.
Yet, Ye Yu didn't charge out. Realizing he'd been tricked, the Giant resumed running, but Ye Yu was already closing in. He used Observation Kill again, unsheathed Black Blade Night, and launched a long-range attack.
A verdant Slash shot toward the Giant. His Observation Haki impaired, he dodged but not completely—his injured arm was grazed, a chunk of flesh sliced off and falling to the ground as blood gushed from the wound.
The Giant howled in pain, fury burning inside him.
He kept running at full speed while Ye Yu relentlessly pursued, using Observation Kill to inflict more wounds.
The Giant desperately wished he could shrink to human—or even ant—size to evade targeting. But at his current size, dodging was nearly impossible.
On the ground, Ye Yu moved with such speed that a gust of wind howled in his wake, crossing several streets in the blink of an eye.
The Giant's Observation Haki was disrupted, and he realized staying in the city was a disadvantage—without it, the buildings would only help Ye Yu hide and ambush from unseen angles.
As he fled, the Giant glanced toward the distant mountains and forests, but those were no better with their dense tree cover. He searched for open plains, but the area had none—just coastline.
With no choice, the Giant fled toward the shore. The coastline was long, and though the beach wasn't wide, he could keep running along it.
He also couldn't get too close to the water—Ye Yu might dive in.
The Giant bolted for the coast, but Ye Yu seized the chance to land a few more attacks, worsening the Giant's injuries.
The world watched in shock as the Giant grew increasingly battered, forced into a desperate retreat.
Once at the shore, the Giant swung his arms as he ran, demolishing nearby buildings and hurling debris to clear the area, making it harder for Ye Yu to hide.
The Giant felt slightly better—now he could see Ye Yu's rapid movements.
Relieved, he thought, This way, I can hold out.
Ye Yu scoffed, "Think you're safe now?"
Whoosh!
Ye Yu leaped into the air. The Giant braced himself, but the attack wasn't aimed at him—instead, Ye Yu soared over the sea and plummeted like a meteor, slamming his fist into the depths with God Fear.
The ocean erupted, waves surging into a small tsunami that crashed toward the shore.
Soon, the coastline was submerged, seawater rising to the Giant's knees.
Ye Yu, meanwhile, plunged into the water and darted forward.
The Giant's expression darkened, clearly annoyed as Ye Yu had created a favorable terrain.
Ye Yu swiftly closed the distance, unleashing Observation Kill. Gripping Black Blade Night with both hands, he swung a devastating Divine Departure at the Giant's ankle.
With a sickening thud, a large chunk of flesh was cleaved away, leaving a deep, gaping wound. The Giant staggered and collapsed, howling in pain. Unease crept into its mind—now its own legs were being targeted.
Furious, the Giant struggled to stand, swaying as it tried to keep running, but the attacks only grew more relentless.
Eight minutes remained. The Giant's injuries worsened, blood pouring from its wounds.
Enraged, the Giant roared, "You're pushing me too far! If you corner me, I'll take you down with me!"