"That woman is someone This Emperor has taken a liking to."
Blazing flames surged and swirled. From within came Chaos's playful, teasing, low, domineering voice. Even behind the barrier, Kurozumi Orochi and the others felt no sense of safety.
They couldn't make out the face hidden in the sinister flames, but they knew a lofty gaze was looking down on them.
It was the gaze of a god looking upon ants.
"Let's make a deal."
Kurozumi Semimaru's heart was in her throat, but she remained calm.
After racking her brain, she decided to risk everything.
From her initial observations, this sinister figure wasn't one of Kikunojo's group, and he seemed to be after Kozuki Toki, too.
As the saying went, an enemy's enemy was a friend.
Perhaps she could make use of him.
Kurozumi Semimaru was remarkably clever and bold. No wonder she had been able to lead Kozuki Oden around by the nose and easily help Kurozumi Orochi seize the shogunate of Wano Country.
"An ant dares to think of making a deal with This Emperor? You don't know your place!"
His voice rang out with utter arrogance. Chaos reached toward the barrier again, stopping at least a decimeter short. The sinister flames surged, and countless black-and-red bolts of lightning spread around him, a horrifying sight.
Armament Haki and Conqueror's Haki coating could strike without contact and destroy from within.
Kurozumi Hanagasa felt a bone-chilling sense of impending death.
BOOM!!!
A terrifying explosion soared into the sky. A shock wave swept out with the force of an avalanche, and one-fifth of the town vanished in an instant.
In the blink of an eye, everything before them was wiped away.
The upheaved earth formed small hills, and dense smoke obscured everything.
With that single strike, the death toll rose again.