Shadow-Shadow and Dog-Dog, the Hunt Succeeds

Underground corridor.

Footsteps pounded urgently.

"Almost there." Roy walked at the front, his nose constantly twitching.

"Two more turns and we'll reach the exit. Outside should be the rear section of the arena."

Moria followed half a step behind him.

"What about those three people Lin Nuo is looking for?" he asked in a low voice.

Roy did not slow down. "Here's the plan. Once we're aboveground, cover Glen and the children as they retreat to the docks."

"I'll find Lin Nuo and explain the situation to him."

Before he could finish—

A tremendous crash came from overhead!

A huge section of the ceiling collapsed straight down!

"Stop!" Roy grabbed Moria.

Dust billowed through the air...

Revealing a motionless body embedded in the rubble.

Roy narrowed his eyes, stepped forward, and nudged aside the debris with his toe.

It was Karim, the second-in-command.

Roy crouched and reached out to check him. "He's fine."

"This guy's already dead."

But when Roy looked up—

He found several pairs of eyes glaring down at them through the hole in the ceiling.

Leading them was a tall, thin man whose arms had completely transformed into writhing ropes.

Two fully armed captains stood behind him.

"I was wondering why I smelled rats." Wade's gaze was icy.

"So it was you vermin, sneaking into our base while things were lively upstairs?"

Roy slowly straightened, the muscles in his arms beginning to swell.

"Glen." Without looking back, Roy said, "Take the children and leave by another route."

Glen gritted his teeth and nodded. "Understood!"

"Quick! We're going back! Hurry!"

"Trying to run?!" Wade lashed a rope toward the crowd.

But Roy's arms fully transformed into beast limbs in an instant. Claws sprang out as he seized Wade's rope-like arm!

Ropes scraped against beast claws, scattering sparks!

"I said—you two are fighting me!"

His eyes reddened, and the muscles in his neck began to writhe.

"Take the long way around!"

Hearing this, the Resistance Group members hurriedly pushed the nearest children back the way they had come.

Wade's face turned livid.

"Brat, you think eating a Fruit means you can act cocky in front of me?!"

Roy's muscles contracted as his beastly legs kicked off the ground.

Just as he was about to attack—

"Wait."

Moria's voice rang out.

At some point, he had moved to Roy's side, a small knife still in his right hand.

Roy froze. "You should've gone with Glen. Don't worry about me!"

"Don't misunderstand." Moria cut him off. "I just want to test my Fruit ability."

He glanced at the torches on the wall.

"Besides, this environment is very favorable for me."

Moria tilted his head, pressed his lips close to Roy's ear, and rapidly whispered a few words.

Roy's eyes widened slightly.

A few seconds later, he nodded, his lips curling into a savage grin.

"Fine!"

Seeing the two whispering, Wade's fury surged.

"How dare you look down on us!!"

The ropes forming his arms erupted in full force, spreading like a fishing net as they tried to wrap around both men!

At the same time, the two captains aimed their guns at Moria and pulled the triggers!

Roy crossed his claws and tore through Wade's rope net, ripping open a gap.

And before the gun barrels could even settle on Moria, the shadow beneath his feet had already risen!

The shadow became a black barrier, blocking the shots in front of him.

The battle truly erupted at that moment.

Roy completely abandoned defense, trading wounds for wounds as he focused on the two captains.

His fighting style was wild, bringing the Hellhound's ferocity to its fullest.

Before long—

The two gun-wielding captains were both slashed by Roy's claws and collapsed to the ground.

Only Wade remained in the corridor, panting heavily.

"You... you..."

Wade's eyes were bloodshot. With a low growl, he transformed all four limbs and his entire body into ropes!

Then, from every direction—above, below, left, and right—he shot toward the two of them without a single blind spot!

Roy crossed his arms in front of himself.

Amid a continuous barrage of impacts, he was driven back again and again.

One step, two steps, ten steps...

Roy appeared to be defending passively, but the direction of his retreat always led toward the end of the corridor.

Toward the hole Karim had smashed open, where the sky was visible.

Lost in the thrill, Wade's attacks grew increasingly dense.

"What's wrong?! Where's that arrogance from before?!"

"Dead dog! Get down!!"

Roaring as he pursued, Wade forced Roy all the way beneath the hole.

Sunlight streamed through it, casting a bright patch across the floor.

Wade stopped attacking and looked at Roy, a victor's cruel grin spreading across his face.

"Don't worry, I'll hang you together with that white-haired lunatic—"

His words abruptly stopped.

Because Wade suddenly felt something... grab his ankle.

He slowly lowered his head.

He discovered that his shadow had been stretched incredibly long, extending all the way into the torchlit section of the corridor.

And in that dimness, Moria was crouching on the ground, his left hand pressing down on the ankle of Wade's shadow.

His right hand held the small knife, its blade pressed against the point where the shadow connected to the ground.

"You..." Wade's pupils shrank to pinpoints.

"My shadow... how..."

Moria looked up.

A smile of madness and accomplishment appeared on his pale face.

"Roy! Now!!"

Boom!!!

A solid blow!

Wade's body bent backward as Roy rammed him off the ground, sending him flying!

And the direction he flew was precisely toward that sunlit hole.

Wade tumbled through the air.

He saw his shadow—stretching farther and farther, like a black umbilical cord.

One end was attached to his foot, while the other was gripped in that pale boy's hand.

Then he saw Moria's knife slash downward!

His shadow, from the ankle down—

Was cleanly... cut off.

"Goodbye."

The next second, Wade's body was completely exposed to the noon sun.

"No... no...!!"

Sunlight fell over him.

Wade's skin began to smoke, char, and peel away. His muscles melted, and his bones crumbled.

After only a few breaths—

He turned into a wisp of smoke in midair...

Below the hole, Moria released his grip.

The severed portion of Wade's shadow struggled and twisted on the ground for a few moments before fading away.