Boom! Boom! Boom!
Rhythmic tremors rippled across the ground, spreading farther and farther with each passing mont.
Across thousands of ters, only two afterimages could be seen weaving and flashing like phantoms. Yet every ti they collided, shockwaves erupted, blowing away the dust that had been kicked up.
In a single second, the two might have clashed hundreds—if not thousands—of tis.
The speed displayed in this battle had already surpassed what the naked eye could follow.
On a distant hilltop, far away from the battlefield, a dirt-covered Needy stared blankly at the scene ahead. Once just an ordinary seventeen-year-old student, she had never witnessed a battle of this level.
Even the fight between Matthew and the demon-possessed Jennifer in Devil's Kettle had been far less intense than this.
She was at least five or six kiloters away, yet she could still feel a suffocating pressure.
Needy didn't even dare imagine—if one of those two were her enemy, would she have the courage to fight at all?
"Jennifer… maybe we should run. I don't think it's safe here."
After silently gauging the distance and feeling that overwhelming pressure, Needy's body trembled slightly as she made her suggestion.
She felt like if she watched any longer, she might just explode.
"NO, Needy! Don't you think this is thrilling?"
"We're watching a grand performance—a human hero fighting the demon king of Hell to save a princess."
"It's so romantic, Needy. Can't you feel it?"
"This is our kind of romance."
Jennifer's excited voice rang out in Needy's mind.
"Not at all. This feels a hundred tis more dangerous than being chased by governnt agents," Needy shot back imdiately.
Ever since making that deal with phisto and bringing Jennifer's soul back, she felt like Jennifer had beco even more lively than before.
"Don't be like that, Needy. If we leave now, things might not end well for us."
Jennifer's tone shifted abruptly from excitent to seriousness.
Needy frowned. "What do you an?"
While the battle raged fiercely in the distance, the two sisters began discussing matters among themselves.
"Don't forget, Needy. You made a deal with phisto for my sake. If you die, our souls will belong to him completely."
"That's a fair deal, Jennifer."
"But I don't see it that way, Needy. Don't forget—he's the King of Demons. Even that cool guy said his words can't be trusted at all."
Despite how she used to act like a carefree social butterfly, Jennifer was actually quite perceptive.
Ever since phisto had pulled her soul out of Hell—from the hands of that man-eating female demon—and she learned it was all because of Needy's deal, she had already started forming her own plans.
She would not allow Needy's soul to remain in the grasp of a demon.
Jennifer might not care about herself—but she cared about Needy.
Before, she had been powerless. The one holding that contract was a demon king; even if she had ideas, she lacked the ability to act on them.
But now, things were different.
Matthew's appearance had not only shocked her—it had also given her hope.
A human who could fight a demon king and not fall behind, the sa person who once saved Devil's Kettle… no matter how you looked at it, he seed far more reliable than phisto.
"What do you want to do, Jennifer?"
Needy hesitated. If there were a choice, who would willingly hand their soul over to a demon?
"It's what we should do." Jennifer let out a sly laugh.
"Okay… so what should we do?"
"Wait, of course."
"…What?" Needy was completely confused.
"Don't overthink it, Needy. We can't interfere in a battle of this level, but we can wait—wait until it's over and see the outco. That's when we make our choice."
"…Alright."
At that point, Needy fully understood what Jennifer ant.
As the two sisters ca to an understanding, the fierce battle in the distance continued.
But the situation was still escalating—because Matthew was growing stronger in the midst of the fight.
On the ground, a figure wreathed in black lightning shot forward, skimming across the surface for hundreds of ters. His speed surpassed the sound barrier, and layers of sonic booms erupted continuously, carving long trenches into the already devastated earth.
His right arm was pitch black, streaked with black-red lightning as he hurled a punch at phisto ahead.
The sheer force shattered the air itself, carrying with it a terrifying, soul-shaking aura.
Even phisto's expression changed at that punch.
Yet he did not hesitate to throw a punch of his own.
Their fists collided.
Boom!
In an instant, a violent storm of shockwaves erupted from the point where Matthew and phisto t. The ground caved in as though devoured by so monstrous force.
Layers of rock and soil were torn up and flung outward, carrying countless fragnts in all directions.
Unable to withstand the force of the blow, phisto's body began to turn translucent before he was sent flying backward.
As for Matthew—though he had blown phisto away, he saw flas suddenly ignite across his right hand, rapidly spreading from his forearm toward the rest of his body.
In that brief exchange, phisto had slipped in a trick, mixing in hellfire—just as expected of a cunning demon.
But Matthew had already been prepared.
With a sharp motion, he shook his arm.
An invisible force wrapped around the hellfire and flung it away, sending it plunging into the bottom of a deep, seemingly bottomless crater.
Armant Haki was a manifestation of willpower. It not only enhanced offensive strength, but also ford an invisible layer of armor. For the hellfire to burn his body and soul, it would first have to burn through his Armant Haki.
But that required ti—and that ti was enough for him to strip the hellfire away.
After dealing with it, he looked forward.
In midair, phisto's figure had grown increasingly faint, as if it might disappear at any mont.
Seeing that his small trick had failed, phisto showed no disappointnt.
That brief battle had already given him a general understanding of Matthew.
Unfortunately, he was out of ti. phisto was going to retreat.
Matthew's Observation Haki imdiately picked up on that intent.
Boom!
A crimson glint flashed through his eyes as an overwhelming, tyrannical aura surged forward like a tidal wave toward phisto. In the next instant, he transford into a beam of light and shot straight at him.
The distance of several dozen ters was crossed in the blink of an eye—
But he passed straight through phisto's body—it was only an afterimage.
Matthew reverted to his human form, stabilizing himself as he looked at the fading projection.
At so point, phisto had already turned around to face him.
His figure grew dimr and dimr.
Leaving behind a final sentence:
"I have no desire to be found by those vermin—it would be troubleso. Child, we will et again. The next ti we et, I will have you kneel at my feet and kiss my shoes. You will beco my most loyal servant."
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