Black Flames

The wolf's howl carried far and wide, startling the prisoners locked in the cages on the fifth level.

"What was that just now?"

"It sounded like a wolf howl. Was that an Army Wolf? How terrifying."

Within the snowy forest of Freezing Hell.

Ye Qiong stared blankly at the scene before him, utterly shocked.

The Army Wolf Leader burst out of the snow, its limbs wreathed in brilliant black flames as it stepped into the air. Its silver fur also ignited with raging black fire, vaporizing the snow and grime on its body.

Ye Qiong could clearly sense that the black flames were slowly healing the wounds on the wolf's body as well.

The Army Wolf Leader's gaze remained as cold as solid ice. It looked down from above, hovering in the air. Every step it took left behind several black-flame footprints, burning through the air and turning the falling snow around it into mist.

"This thing definitely isn't an Army Wolf..."

Ye Qiong stared at it strangely. Could it be some kind of divine beast? It even knew magic? Since when had the pirate world had creatures like this?

He remembered that even the various gigantic Sea Kings in the ocean did not possess abilities or supernatural powers.

The Army Wolf Leader had no intention of explaining anything to Ye Qiong. With black flames beneath its paws, it charged straight down.

Black flames coiled around the wolf's body, making it look like a massive black fireball descending from above, crashing down toward Ye Qiong with terrifying power and heat.

"Hey, hey, this doesn't look like something I can catch with my bare hands!"

Before the black flames even reached him, Ye Qiong felt the temperature around him rising continuously as the snow rapidly melted into vapor.

Sizzle! Sizzle! Sizzle!

Ye Qiong teleported away. The black flames struck the snow where he had been standing, vaporizing it and collapsing it into a huge crater as a thick cloud of mist billowed up.

"How terrifying!"

Ye Qiong, who had teleported into the air, stared at the horrifying sight below in astonishment. That heat was almost on par with Sakazuki's magma.

Whoosh!

The mist churned as the Army Wolf Leader burst from the clouds. With black flames beneath its paws, it ran through the air at more than twice the speed it had displayed on the snow.

"This is bad..."

Ye Qiong sighed helplessly. He had not expected to cause such a huge mess. He had to end this quickly, or it would be troublesome if he alerted the guards of the fifth level of hell.

"Space Cube."

His spatial ability activated, creating a solid yet invisible cube beneath his feet.

Ye Qiong then stepped onto the Space Cube. It looked as though he were truly standing in midair as he used it for leverage to evade the charging Army Wolf Leader.

The black flames brushed past his skin, leaving behind a burning pain. Ye Qiong bared his teeth and stood atop the Space Cube, extending his left hand toward the Army Wolf Leader.

"R!"

A spherical space created by his spatial ability rapidly enveloped the Army Wolf Leader. Repulsive force pressed in from all sides, pinning it firmly in midair.

"Awoo!"

The Army Wolf Leader struggled violently, its four limbs kicking in every direction as black flames blazed fiercely. Within the spherical space, it resembled a dazzling black sun.

Ye Qiong felt the temperature rising higher and higher. Not a single snowflake remained within several dozen meters, and his palm felt scorching hot. The spherical space seemed to be melting, warping and distorting unstably.

Boom!

The spherical space finally could not hold any longer. Black flames erupted outward, scorching the surrounding air.

"R."

Ye Qiong was startled. He thrust out his other hand and formed another spherical space before himself to shield his body. The black flames crashed against the barrier like ocean waves, their terrifying heat nearly penetrating the spherical space's protection.

"Roar!"

A pair of wolf claws wreathed in raging black flames stomped onto the Space: Barrier. Like a mirror, the Space: Barrier shattered, and horrifying black flames poured through.

"Move!"

The instant before the flames touched his body, Ye Qiong teleported to a spot not far behind the Army Wolf Leader.

He pressed his left hand against the air, and a ball of light appeared as a spatial wormhole rapidly opened. He shouted directly into it, "Crow King, toss me a sword."

Almost as soon as he spoke, a sword was thrown out from the wormhole, accompanied by Crow King's greeting. "Brother Ye, when are you coming back to eat?"

"I'm busy. Later."

Ye Qiong replied, catching the longsword. He closed the spatial wormhole and stood on the Space Cube in midair.

The Army Wolf Leader turned around, black flames raging across its body and leaving only a pair of icy eyes exposed.

"Let's use you to test the results of my training lately!"

Ye Qiong smiled as his aura steadily rose, becoming as sharp as the sword in his hand. A cutting edge unique to swordsmen spread through the surroundings.

He raised his sword, kicked off the air, and charged forward, turning defense into offense!

The Army Wolf Leader roared, black flames surging from its body and sweeping toward the approaching Ye Qiong.

"Dark Night Style Radiance!"

Facing the black flames that filled his vision, Ye Qiong raised his longsword and slashed horizontally with all his might.

It was Night Radiance, yet there was no light at all. Only a streak of black sword energy burst forth, tearing through the sky as it met the overwhelming black flames.

Rip!

The black flames were torn in two by the sword energy, opening up a path. Ye Qiong kicked off the Space Cube beneath his feet and shot through the flames on either side.

"Take this!"

Ye Qiong swung his longsword, its sword energy fierce as it slashed toward the Army Wolf Leader's head.

"Awoo!"

The Army Wolf Leader opened its fangs and bit down on the incoming longsword.

Hiss!

The black flames and sword energy canceled each other out.

Ye Qiong released the hilt. The refined steel longsword had melted into molten iron under the black flames' intense heat and snapped into two pieces.

It was not a famous blade, and it had not been coated in Armament Haki. It was only natural that it would break.

Seeing the coldness in the wolf's eyes, Ye Qiong watched as black flames surged forward at close range, intent on burning him alive to ashes.

Ye Qiong's gaze sharpened as he spread both hands outward.

"R Tensei!!"

Centered on him, his spatial ability suddenly moved, and terrifying outward repulsive force expanded in every direction.

The black flames that filled the sky abruptly halted. The Army Wolf Leader was blasted away, skidding through the air and leaving a trail of black fire before crashing into the snow.

Sizzle! Sizzle! Sizzle!

Before the black flames even touched the snow, the ground caved in at a visible speed, releasing white vapor that spread through more than half the forest.

"It's not over yet!"

Ye Qiong extended his right hand in the air. A ball of light appeared and transformed into a massive spherical space, which then gradually compressed.

"R Atomic Bomb!"

After compressing a spherical space as large as an entire basketball court into one the size of a basketball, Ye Qiong clenched his palm tightly, carefully controlling the violent power within.

After using Observation Haki to locate the Army Wolf Leader, Ye Qiong threw the ball of light in his hand downward.

Whoosh!

The spatial light sphere streaked through the sky and swiftly plunged beneath the snow.

The snow remained calm, without the slightest reaction.

But soon after, a violent force exploded. The forest's snow-covered ground was completely blasted apart, and countless masses of snow either shot into the sky or surged outward like waves. The sight was spectacular.

Such power!

Ye Qiong's mouth fell slightly open. It felt a little too exaggerated.

He truly had not tested some of the powerful new spatial abilities he had recently mastered.

After the snow that had been blasted high into the sky fell back down, Ye Qiong returned to the ground.

"That should have killed it, right?"

He scanned with his spatial ability and quickly found the Army Wolf Leader's location beneath the snow.

"Hmm, it still has a heartbeat. It really is tough."

Ye Qiong sighed. Surviving that attack showed truly astonishing vitality.

He controlled his spatial ability to part the snow, intending to dig the Army Wolf Leader out.

After clearing away part of the covering snow, Ye Qiong suddenly froze.

"This outline doesn't seem quite right..."

He muttered to himself, but his hands did not stop as he rapidly pushed aside the snow.

When he reached the Army Wolf Leader's location, Ye Qiong stood there as stiff as a wooden chicken.

What lay beneath the snow was not the Army Wolf Leader's massive wolf body, but a young girl!

"Uh... Ye Qiong felt like his brain was no longer working properly.