Puppet Army

Despite the damage from the explosion, his regenerative abilities in his half- Tailed Beast form are extremely powerful. If he had a health bar above his head, you could clearly see the upward and downward trend.

The Body Flicker Technique brought him to Kruse's front, who was immediately shocked but helpless, as that attack had almost drained most of his remaining magic power.

Moreover, he never expected that Chiba would be so ruthless as to come over despite the damage from the explosion. And at such close range, he had no time to cast any spells.

Kruse gritted his teeth, just about to turn into a stream of water and escape, when he was stunned by a large expanse of crimson color that caught his eye.

"Lava Release, Big Ball Rasengan!"

A massive, crimson Rasengan spun in Chiba's hand like a miniature sun. Not only that, his other hand was covered in lava. The lava stretched out, transforming into a giant hand that gripped Kruse's body. Then, to his utter horror, the crimson Rasengan appeared before him.

"Stop! Stop!" Kruse cried out in terror.

Chiba's face was terrifying in the Kakkō. He grinned maliciously, "Scream all you want, scream your lungs out but no one will come to save you. Go get your lunchbox!"

"Boom!!"

The "Little Sun" exploded instantly, Chakra storm carrying molten lava that engulfed and tore at Kruse, burning him alive. Kruse let out a bloodcurdling scream; with his elemental advantage countered and the Big Ball Rasengan's torment inflicting pain, it was a pain that penetrated to the very depths of his soul.

A moment later, the Big Ball Rasengan ceased its rampage. Kruse's blood-soaked body lay quietly on the ground, his fate unknown.

Chiba showed no disgust, lifting the blood-soaked body high into the air and shouting, "The Throne of Water has been taken! Surrender now!"

After saying this, Chiba couldn't help but recall how battles were depicted in many period dramas. In a battle between two armies, when generals dueled, the victor would cut off the enemy's head, raise it high, and roar, "Your general has been captured by me! If you want to live, lay down your weapons and I will spare your lives!"

As a result, the soldiers fled in disarray.

The men in black robes were all drawn away by Chiba's words, their faces cold and expressionless.

An eerie silence fell over the battlefield for a few seconds.

Then, the men in black robes rushed towards Chiba. Some mages who used ranged magic even attacked Chiba with their own.

"Damn, why is it different from what we see on TV?"

A barrage of attacks surged forth, terrifying Chiba into turning tail and running.

"That kid..." Laxus narrowed his eyes.

He wasn't annoyed by Chiba's "kill-stealing" behavior. At that moment, if Chiba hadn't charged forward carrying the explosives, Kruse might have been turned into water and escaped.

However, this kid's strength truly impressed him.

Hmph! But that's what makes it interesting...

"Thunder God Tribe, prepare to retreat!" Laxus shouted.

With a single sword strike, Freed shouted at Bickslow and Evergreen, "Retreat! Prepare to clear the way!"

The two exchanged a glance, then unleashed a powerful spell, clearing a path through the crowd, and the group sped away.

Chiba stared wide-eyed.

Having subordinates is great; they can come and go as they please. They've paved the way for you to run errands, and all that's missing is a sedan chair to carry you back.

Envy, jealousy, and hatred.

This made him want to form a Flame Emperor Tribe himself.

He rushed to Tianna's side, the girl's robes stained with blood—the blood of her enemies. Her pretty face showed exhaustion, yet also an adoring smile, "As expected of my idol! You defeated even the mighty Throne of Water! I'm a fan!"

"Not defeat him, kill him." Chiba grabbed her arm and laughed, "Ready to take off!"

"Ah! What are you going to do now?!" After being thrown by Chiba last time, Tianna was on high alert, so much so that when Chiba suddenly grabbed her, a bad feeling welled up inside her.

Just as Chiba was about to use Gale Palm to blow the two of them up into the valley, he suddenly noticed that, almost in that instant, all the black-clad men who hadn't been killed on the battlefield stopped moving.

Hmm (•ิ_•ิ)?

The two remained motionless.

Immediately afterwards, everyone moved with incredible slowness, eventually forming a battle formation and standing still.

Are we about to do the eighth set of broadcast gymnastics?

These people did not move as Chiba had guessed; instead, they remained standing still, their faces perpetually expressionless.

Chiba felt that if his senior sister wore all black and blended in, she would look perfectly at ease.

Chiba and Tianna exchanged a glance, both seeing confusion in each other's eyes.

They were just playing so enthusiastically, why did they suddenly stop?

The two walked up cautiously. Tianna stretched out her small hand and poked a man in black on the face with her slender fingers, then poked Chiba on the face.

Chiba:"(ー_ー)ノｰ́"

"The texture feels about the same... so why isn't it moving?" The girl's face showed confusion.

Chiba slapped her hand away, saying irritably, "So you really want them to move?"

"Mmm!" The girl blinked and grinned, agreeing with him, "That way we can watch you show off your amazing Kamui again..."

Chiba rolled his eyes, then paced back and forth, carefully observing one of the men in black, and frowned, saying, "Are these people all puppets?"

"Most likely, right? Otherwise, why would she look like a dead person?" Tianna sat down on the snow, her tense body relaxing as she stretched, revealing her stunning curves.

Chiba averted his gaze, inexplicably recalling the scene of them kissing just moments ago. This carefree girl seemed to have already forgotten what had just happened.

"But you just kissed me! I haven't settled the score with you yet!" Tianna's expression instantly changed, her little face puffed up angrily, which looked rather cute.

-_-||

Although it wasn't intentional on his part, and he was on the bottom, the girl still suffered more in these situations. He could only say, "Okay, it's my fault, my dear fan. I really shouldn't have stolen your first kiss when you weren't looking. I sincerely apologize."

"It's alright... why don't you take me in... I wouldn't mind being a concubine." Tianna said shyly.

Chiba nearly coughed up blood. "What the hell is a concubine? I don't even have a girlfriend."

"Huh? No?" Tianna looked puzzled.

"No." Chiba said seriously.

Tianna's surprise deepened. "Huh? But I heard that you, along with 'Titania' Erza and 'Demon' Mirajane... were just virgins?"

-_-||

Chiba's lips twitched.

This girl is a bit precocious...