"Trying to catch me off guard, are you?"
Yun Ye pushed away the rubble covering him and emerged from the ruins, his expression incomparably grim. However, no one could see it behind his mask.
At that moment, the aura radiating from Yun Ye made everyone watching him realize that he was angered!
"You think I'm easy to bully, do you? Then... let me show you this!"
Yun Ye spoke coldly as he stepped forward. His aura rose steadily with every step, and a streak of white lightning suddenly appeared!
"Instant Burst!"
As Yun Ye's words fell, a crack of thunder sounded. An indescribable pressure surged from his body, and even the lightning particles in the air seemed to become active!
Everyone in the area turned to look, all of them startled!
White lightning spread from Yun Ye's shoulders and down his back. The violent bolts shredded the clothes on his back, exposing his lean yet well-proportioned muscular upper body!
Hiss... It hurts a little! Is this like lightning tempering my body? No, that's not it... But my physical strength has increased by at least several times!
Yun Ye clenched his fist. His control over his body allowed him to make a rough assessment of his current physique—it had increased by several times at least!
"Then, are you ready, Vinsmoke Judge? The true terror is only just beginning!"
Yun Ye sneered and used Flash Step, vanishing from where he stood. In his Instantaneous Burst state, his speed had increased by an unknown amount.
In the blink of an eye, Yun Ye appeared to Judge's left. Before Judge's slightly stunned gaze, he swung his sword. The blade tore through the air, and a flash of sword light directly blasted Judge away!
As he flew backward, Judge spat out a mouthful of blood. Cracking sounds also came from his Battle Suit as it began to shatter!
Boom!
Judge continued flying backward until he crashed into the ground, smashing a massive crater into it!
Yun Ye did not stop. With a wave of his hand, blazing white explosive flames surged forth and bombarded the crater!
With another boom, an explosion erupted. Flames shot into the sky as black smoke rose!
"Father!"
The four children cried out in alarm. Reiju moved and rushed toward Judge.
"Father, are you all right?" Reiju asked anxiously.
The other three remained wary of Yun Ye's approach.
Yun Ye did not attack again. Instead, he rolled his neck and moved his body, producing a series of crackling sounds from his bones.
He was adjusting to his current body.
Yun Ye thought to himself, I'm still somewhat unaccustomed to it... With this sudden increase in physical strength, I can't control it perfectly!
This meant that Yun Ye, at his current stage, still could not fully unleash the power of Instantaneous Burst, much like the Thunder Roar Cannon.
There might even be side effects on his body afterward...
I can't keep this up for long... But it's already enough!
Yun Ye instantly made his judgment. He knew he could not drag this out and had to end the battle quickly!
Thus, his eyes behind the mask turned toward Judge.
"Cough, cough... I'm fine..."
Judge was helped to his feet by Reiju. Though he claimed to be fine, he was coughing up blood in great mouthfuls. A deep wound had appeared across his chest, pouring out blood. He clearly did not look fine...
"You can take a beating."
Yun Ye advanced toward Judge step by step, every footfall filled with pressure.
Ichiji, Niji, and Yonji darted out at the same time, blocking Yun Ye's path as they assumed combat stances.
"S-Stop right there!"
Ichiji gritted his teeth and shouted.
"Move."
Yun Ye spoke indifferently without slowing down. The lightning behind him crackled, while a red gleam flashed through the exposed eyeholes of his mask, savage and terrifying!
As Ichiji, Niji, and Yonji looked at Yun Ye, it felt as though a bucket of cold water had been poured over them. A chill rose from within them, and they discovered that their limbs were becoming unresponsive, trembling slightly.
An inexplicable emotion uncontrollably surged from the depths of their hearts. It was something they had never experienced before.
They did not understand what this emotion was, nor could they comprehend it.
That expression was... fear!
Yet none of them retreated. They still stood in his way.
Seeing their movements and expressions, Yun Ye raised an eyebrow. Are they beginning to regain their emotions?
After all, emotions were something living beings were born with. Even if they had been erased through artificial modifications, they could not be completely eradicated. They were engraved deep within the soul!
As for the soul, let alone a scientist like Judge, even the two soul-related ability users who had eaten the Soul-Soul Fruit and the Revive-Revive Fruit could not explain it clearly.
"You won't move aside? Then pay the price!"
Speaking in a low voice, Yun Ye stepped forward. The white lightning behind him rumbled, pushing his speed to the absolute limit!
"One!"
Yun Ye arrived before Ichiji in the blink of an eye and swung his sword. Wrapped in lightning, the blade struck Ichiji from above!
"Two!"
Without stopping, Yun Ye vanished again and slashed down. This time, it was Niji!
"Three!"
The final sword strike fell. Yun Ye swept past the three of them and paid them no further attention!
He continued forward.
One step, two steps, three steps...
The next instant, a cracking sound rang out. The Battle Suits on the three men behind him shattered at the same time, leaving deep wounds across their chests. Their eyes rolled back in unison, and their bodies collapsed limply!
Seeing this, the clone army rushed forward, trying to hold Yun Ye back.
But before the current Yun Ye, one came and one died. They simply could not stop his advance.
"Give up. These clones alone can't stop me!"
Yun Ye easily broke through the clone soldiers' encirclement. He strolled forward, slaughtering people with casual ease.
Like a great demon king, no one could withstand even a single move from him!
Red streaks flickered across the eyeholes of his mask, making him look utterly evil. Calling him a villain would not have been an exaggeration!
At least, in Reiju's eyes, Yun Ye was a villain at that moment!
A villain with the blood of countless people on his hands!
"Cough, cough..."
Judge coughed up another mouthful of blood. Clutching the wound on his chest, he endured the pain, pushed Reiju aside, and said urgently, "Reiju, take everyone and leave this place. I'll hold him back!"
Although Judge was cold and merciless, and had never fulfilled his responsibilities as a father to his children, at this critical moment of life and death, he actually made such a choice!
After hearing her father's words, Reiju froze. She bit her lip without saying a word, her eyes reddening as tears threatened to fall.
"Hey, hey, don't put on some tragic farewell scene. Someone who didn't know better might think I'm some kind of villain."
Seeing this scene, Yun Ye could not help sneering. "Can you not put on this touching little performance right in front of me?"
Reiju moved and flashed in front of Judge, glaring furiously at Yun Ye. The cape behind her, shaped like butterfly wings, fluttered as dark purple poisonous mist began to seep out and envelop Yun Ye.
"Poison? It's useless against me!"
Yun Ye swung his sword, whipping up an endless storm that blew all the poisonous mist away from afar. It could not get anywhere near him!
He swung his sword again. The slash was vast and mighty, and Reiju cried out as she was sent flying!
At that point, no one remained in front of Judge.
"Is this all you've got, Vinsmoke Judge? Without your high-tech tools, have you become so weak that you can only hide behind your own children?"
Yun Ye spoke as he walked, his tone filled with mockery.