BOOM!!
A punch slammed straight into a massive tree trunk.
A whole cluster of giant branches exploded — leaves scattering everywhere, smoke rolling through the forest.
Instantly, from the shadows of the fallen branches, countless dark spears shot forward, piercing through tree after tree, collapsing entire rows of trunks one after another.
-"Good! MORE!! MORE!!!"
Shark roared, and the next punch he threw sent Kazru flying backwards — smashing through a huge tree, blowing it apart into splinters.
Through the smoke — Kazru stood back up.
Every wound on his body… healed instantly. He had adapted to the level of damage Shark was dealing.
Kazru narrowed his eyes, stepping aside — weaving between volleys of shadow spears.
-''You're not using everything. You're hiding strength. I can SEE it!" Kazru growled through clenched teeth.
-"Huh? What're you talking about? I'm going all out." Shark smirked — casual, mocking.
A vein bulged on Kazru's forehead.
He really was angry now.
He reached out — snap! — caught a shadow arm flying toward him and tore it apart without even looking.
-"I hate two kinds of people," Kazru spoke coldly. "One — the coward who fears death. Two — the kind who toys with lives."
Kazru took a single step.
His Gil surged.
-"And you… are BOTH, SHARK!"
His Gil burst outward — and every single shadow spear, every dark construct Shark had created… evaporated instantly.
-''Hm? Come on, relax. You're too easy to provoke." Shark chuckled — victorious.
Crack — Riiip — shhhh…!!
Shark's shadow warped. His body began to change.
Dragon wings burst out from his back. His arms turned into claws — scales crawling across his skin. His eyes — became fully draconic.
The forest winds trembled.
-"Whoa… I honestly have no damn idea what the hell this thing even is."
Eobard's voice echoed inside the Gustavo sewage tunnel as he scratched his head with a small smirk, eyes fixed on the sight in front of him through the magic communication ring.
-"Hmm… this one is probably one of the Twelve Natural Calamity Monsters we investigated earlier. This shape—this sigil… this is Mamyo Busrto — the Monster of Survival and War against Extinction."Eobard muttered, eyes narrowing.
That creature had blasted open a hole as big as an entire stadium with brute force alone.
Its eyes glowed in the darkness of the sewer; its iron fangs stretched all the way to its ears, red fluid dripping down its mouth.
In its hands, it held two torn arms of Jurgard — the man had nearly lost all limbs, blood pooling everywhere. Rats and roaches rushed in to drink Jurgard's blood while Mamyo devoured the rest of him.
-"And… Jurgard is dead. Report ends."
Eobard cut the line and sighed.
-"How many more people are you planning to slaughter, monster?"
He stared around — a field of corpses and bones piled high, rotten bodies with flies circling.
Dried blood and filthy water stained the sewer walls.
-"I told them — because of you I downgraded from a Level 6 investigation mission into a Level 2 extermination mission."
Eobard smirked.
Mamyo stood in front of him, mouth wide enough to swallow him whole three times over; its speed almost surpassed the sight of a seasoned hunter.
Then — it exploded.
One, two, three — the rats, the roaches, and Mamyo itself all burst apart, blood spraying everywhere.
-"Do I have to repeat myself?"
Eobard walked forward calmly, taking off his medical gloves.
-"I may not be one of the Five Great Captains — but I was the one Araki personally chose as Vice Deputy Captain."
Mamyo's remains began to reconstruct — re-knitting itself from the corpses of the roaches nearby.
-"As far as I remember — if I kill the one who created you, you won't ever be able to regenerate again."
Eobard said, lifting Jurgard's corpse with one arm while inspecting the tunnel with the other.
He reconnected water pipes, making sure they could still function.
-"So then — let's go find your master, Mamyo."
He grinned, eyes sharp.
This time, Mamyo resurrected bigger — the Gil on its body thicker and stronger — every resurrection made it even more overwhelming.
Suddenly — swish! — Eobard moved, vanishing almost instantly from where he stood.
Mamyo roared and immediately chased after him.
-"Have you understood the power of Ultimax Life Form yet?"
Holland crossed his arms, leaning against a metal beam, smiling lightly.
From afar, Willin was panting.
Sparks of electricity flickered across his eyes before fading away.
-"How does it feel, kid? Amazing, right?" Holland asked, tilting his head slightly.
-"No… It's really hard to control.
It's like trying to draw lightning from a storm into my body.
I can feel the electricity coursing chaotically through me."
Willin said, struggling to stand, gasping for breath.
-"That's perfectly normal."
Holland chuckled.
"Not every power is easy to control. If it were, everyone would be strong."
Willin picked up a stone and threw it into the lake.
-"Do you know the strength of one of the Five Grand Squad Leaders? I heard they're extremely powerful."
-"So far, besides Araki, I don't know much.
The other four remain a mystery."
Holland said, then opened his hands — a pouch of grain appeared from nowhere.
He scattered it into the water for the fish to eat.
-"So… only Araki is truly strong?"
-"Not exactly."
Holland replied.
"There's actually someone extremely powerful — but the Headmaster rejected him.
He could have become one of the Five Grand Squad Leaders.
But he's too lazy to go to the battlefield… he only likes to support and assist."
-"Who is that? And how strong is he that he almost made it into the top five?"
Holland laughed.
-"Eobard Olvas."
"He was rejected twice — once for Grand Squad Leader and once for Deputy Leader."
"His power tier: Rank 1 — SSS class."
"His true strength lies in his healing ability, beyond logic or even illogical comprehension."
…
"My ability…"
Eobard's voice rang out — he was carrying the corpses of Jurgard and Kazru.
"It's Blood Manipulation — and the Concept of Blood."
Before him:
Shark was nearly fully transformed into a half-dragon.
Mamyo had respawned — massive, as large as an ancient banyan tree branch.
-"You think facing us two-on-one gives you a chance to win?"
Shark laughed confidently.
"No."
Eobard smirked, placing the two corpses at the base of a tree and stepping toward them.
-"I will win. Alone — against both of you."
With that, from thin air, Eobard drew a long spear forged from blood.
From afar, the sound of hooves grew closer, echoing through the village. Stepping down from the carriage was Jogris Losga — clad in a royal cloak, flanked by two of his bodyguards — striding toward the village gate.
The villagers gathered around, murmuring anxiously, but Jogris ignored them all and advanced toward Reina's house — only to be blocked by Shun.
-"Huh? After all that's happened, you still want Reina?" Jogris looked at Shun with blatant disdain.
-"I said it already — I won't let you take Reina anywhere!" Shun replied firmly, his voice resolute.
-"Good. Then I'll kill you." Jogris Losga said with certainty, drawing his sword.
From a distance, Reina threw her massive sword toward Shun. He easily caught it, pointing it toward Jogris.
-"I'll fight you again. If you lose — Reina stays here!" Shun declared, his tone unwavering.