World-Ending Sunfire

"Dum-dum~ Dum-dum~"

A joyous heartbeat rang out across the sea like a drum, its rhythm deep and heavy.

Even the enormous shadow crawling out of the black magic circle froze at the familiar sound.

"Impossible!"

"It can't be Joy Boy!"

Imu's pupils trembled. As though confronted by a terrifying natural enemy, their body shuddered involuntarily, and even the black magic circle shook violently.

Like Joy Boy's Conqueror's Haki, the sound of those Drums of Liberation remained vivid in Imu's memory, having left a permanent psychological scar.

Bajrang Gun!

Ignoring the robot Emeth, who had been riddled with shadow arrows and dark tentacles, Houka leaped high and slammed an enormous fist coated in Advanced Conqueror's Haki into the half-emerged monster frozen in the black magic circle.

Houka knew his fake drumbeat could only give the already jittery Imu a scare.

The robot Emeth showed no reaction at all, clearly not awakened by Houka's imitation.

Boom!!

The enormous fist smashed the half-emerged shadow flat against the ground, twisting it out of shape and nearly driving it straight back through.

"You're not Joy Boy!!"

Instead, being struck by that huge fist made Imu roar with certainty. This was not the familiar sensation of being beaten.

But Houka's primary target was the abyssal magic circle.

"Get the hell back in there!"

The force of Houka's Advanced Conqueror's Haki poured out relentlessly, grinding away at the teleportation circle.

"Kozuki Houka!! You've actually obtained Sun God Nika's power!!"

The shadow demon Imu braced against Houka's enormous fist and began forcing it upward, inch by inch.

Had Kozuki Houka already obtained the power they feared most?!

"What are you staring at?! Hit them!!"

Houka applied a hundredfold gravity to his enormous fist and unleashed his Conqueror's Haki at full strength, pinning down the half-emerged King of the