Inside the crater blasted out by three Apollos, the air warped from the intense heat. The crater walls had been burned into glass by the solar flames, crackling and sending sparks flying whenever they were stepped on.
Blackbeard held his breath, his eyes fixed on Su Xiao. Although he knew they had to leave as soon as possible, Su Xiao was clearly not someone easy to deal with. His earlier invitation had merely been a stalling tactic.
Darkness surged from Blackbeard's body, covering the nearby ground. A pitch-black vortex appeared behind him, and two bloodied figures were spat out from within it. Flames flared up, indicating that the darkness had previously swallowed the air and was now releasing it.
"Wheeze, wheeze..."
Champion Burgess gasped heavily, blood sliding down his face.
"Burgess, take Whitebeard and get out of here. Shiryu and the others should be nearby."
Blackbeard walked past Burgess and Doc Q. The two had survived Apollo because Blackbeard had swallowed them with his Dark Hole. Although they had avoided Apollo's explosion, the Dark Hole was not a defensive technique. Burgess and Doc Q had nearly been crushed to death by the darkness.
"Captain, Shiryu and the others..."
Burgess was clearly indignant, despising Shiryu and the others for fleeing in their time of crisis.
"It doesn't matter. As long as I'm strong enough, they'll still follow me."
Blackbeard stood on the darkness, gasping heavily. The surrounding waves of heat caused sweat to seep across his face.
Burgess and Doc Q said nothing more. Instead, they hurried over to Whitebeard and tentatively punched him a few times before lifting him and running toward the edge of the crater. Yes, lifting him—Whitebeard was currently like a statue, every muscle in his body tensed as hard as rock.
"I can finally breathe again.