NOVEL NEXT Chapter 351: How Many Kaidous Have You Faced?
They've been discovered!?
Damn it! How is that possible!?
The moment the voice rang out, their expressions changed drastically. They spun around, locking eyes on the two figures outside the cave—and immediately sprang into action.
These two were indeed elite among the Celestial Dragons. As members of God's Knights, they were seasoned in battle and didn't hesitate for a second. The mechanical wings on their backs erupted with twin jets of flame.
Whoosh!
Fueled by the blast from their thrusters, their speed surged to its peak—like fiery red comets trailing long streams of flame as they crashed straight into Daren and Dragon.
One drew a sword. The other threw a punch!
A red gleam flashed deep in Daren and Dragon's eyes as their defined right hands emerged from beneath their hoods.
Their movements were almost perfectly synchronized.
Fingers bent slightly, index and middle fingers pressed together, ring and little fingers clenched, a violent Armament Haki erupted—forming an indestructible three-fingered dragon claw!
"Ryusoken!"
The dragon claws, forged to shatter all dominion, clashed head-on with the incoming attacks.
Clang! Clang!
Two sharp metallic crashes rang out. Sparks flew, and a powerful shockwave burst forth.
The two God's Knights unleashed their full power, their momentum combined with their propulsion wings forced Daren and Dragon to slide backwards under the impact.
"These guys are strong!"
Dragon grunted as his body turned into a swirling hurricane, resisting the impact. His feet tore two deep grooves over twenty meters long across the ground.
In the instant they clashed, he realized—these two were almost at Admiral-level strength!
"They went all out, and all they managed was to push me back twenty meters..."
Staring at the grim-faced, green-haired Celestial Dragon before him, a flicker of pride rose in Dragon's chest.
Since the battle on Philseque Island, he had personally experienced the terrifying power and strangeness of the Five Elders. Since then, he hadn't slacked off—instead balancing command of the Freedom Fighters with brutal, high-intensity training.
In just a month, Dragon's strength had made a visible leap.
He figured that, at his current level, he could probably suppress one of the Five Elders alone. And even if two showed up, he could still fight them evenly!
Thinking this, Dragon turned proudly toward Daren.
Then his smile froze.
One meter.
No—more precisely, one step.
Facing the full-powered assault from God's Knights, Daren had only taken a single step back—and effortlessly stabilized himself.
This monster...
The corner of Dragon's mouth twitched. A violent hurricane exploded from his body as he shouted,
"Daren, I've got a bad feeling about what's happening with Kuma. Are we really going to waste time on these two!?"
As he spoke, he swung his hand back and launched a roaring vortex.
The whirlwind expanded visibly, tearing through the air like a tempest as it surged toward the green-haired Celestial Dragon.
"I'll end this quickly."
Daren didn't even turn his head, replying calmly.
So arrogant!
Dragon cursed silently, but nodded and said,
"Then I'll buy you time!"
"No need."
Seeing the blond Celestial Dragon charging at him again, Daren smirked and gently clenched his fist.
Then Dragon saw something unbelievable.
Wild, twisted blue lightning suddenly burst from Daren's body, surging upward like eerie blue flames that engulfed him entirely.
Through his enhanced perception and sharp eyes, Dragon could faintly sense that with this move, Daren's muscles and cells were operating at a frequency and speed far beyond imagination.
An overwhelming pressure instantly filled the entire space.
The pupils of the two God's Knights shrank to pinpricks—their expressions twisted in shock.
The black-haired young man hadn't even moved yet, but they could already feel death closing in!
This sensation... it was as if they were facing their captain!
"Let's take him down!"
The two exchanged a glance and shouted in unison.
Silently, they pressed the emergency button on their Den Den Mushi.
They didn't need to defeat Daren—just stall him for two minutes until their captain arrived!
Boom!
Boom!
They launched forward at full speed, the thrusters on their mechanical wings erupting with flames.
But right then, Daren casually curled a finger.
As arcs of blue lightning crackled around him, an invisible magnetic field spread outward.
Zzzzt!!
It was like their circuits had shorted out—both sets of mechanical wings exploded with a burst of fire and thick black smoke.
In the instant their wings failed, their high-speed glide came to an abrupt halt.
"Hoo…"
With a light exhale, Daren leaned forward slightly, knees bent, body lowering.
Crackle…
The lightning danced more fiercely than ever.
His Lightning Armor surged to its absolute limit.
"Let me show you…"
He looked up with a savage grin.
"…what this special training got me!"
Zzzt!
A flash of blue light tore through the air—like the phantom roar of a furious dragon, it passed in less than a thousandth of a second.
Dragon stood frozen, eyes wide in disbelief.
"What was that…"
The pupils of the two God's Knights contracted sharply, their minds blanking out.
Gone...
Their eyes bulged with bloodshot veins and began to tremble violently.
Their bodies stiffened. Motionless.
A moment later—
The black-haired youth silently appeared behind them like a dream. The crackling lightning around him faded away.
His hands, shaped like dragon claws, dripped blood from his fingertips.
In each hand, he held a still-beating heart.
"Raimei: Dragon's Dive."
With a crisp snap, Daren's three-fingered claws clenched tight—crushing the hearts.
At the same time—
Splurt!
Splurt!
Two fountains of blood erupted from the gaping holes in their chests.
"So fast..."
"Couldn't see a thing..."
The light in their eyes faded fast. With twin thuds, they dropped to their knees, then collapsed.
Even in death, their faces remained twisted in disbelief and deep fear.
As if they simply couldn't understand—
With their combined strength, even if they couldn't win, how had they been defeated so quickly?
One strike… instant kill.
The entire world went silent.
Not a single sound remained.
Only after several seconds did Daren flick the blood from his hands, let out a long breath, and turn to the stunned Dragon with a small smile.
"Let's go. Aren't we supposed to be saving someone?"
Dragon shuddered, as if waking from a dream.
"That move just now…"
He swallowed hard.
"...Just how many Kaidous have you fought?"
...
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