A Warrior's Funeral

Could Loa really not attack from a distance?

Of course not.

Loa had named this form, full of things to complain about, "First Release." Over the past month, he had gradually mastered the method of activating Dragon Force. The dragon markings he had used in his battle with Kuzan had been the initial version of this form.

He had named it himself because this state was not a skill provided by the Dragon Slayer system, but something Loa had developed on his own.

By using Ice-Make Magic within his body, he made his body absorb a massive amount of ice-element magic power, thereby activating Dragon Force, causing dragon scales to erupt, and enhancing both his offense and defense.

Based on that alone, Loa's talent far surpassed those Dragon Slayers from the original story. In just over two months, he had mastered a way to actively activate Dragon Force.

Though the method was crude and dangerous, carrying the flair of goblins from a bomb-making race, its side effects were considerable, and the bloodthirsty impulse could affect his reason.

But it was undeniably useful, wasn't it?

Once Dragon Force within him was activated, using Dragon Slayer Magic was naturally unaffected. Only Ice-Make Magic would temporarily shut down for maintenance due to Dragon Force running rampant.

Everyone understood that you couldn't put all your eggs in one basket. Loa was not foolish enough to reveal all his trump cards.

Aside from those issues, this move had one flaw that was not exactly a flaw: the passive skill Dragon Force would increase very quickly.

Loa had only used this mode twice. Just twice, and Dragon Force had permanently increased by 1%! Unless his life was on the line, Loa definitely would not use this move.

But the effect was obvious. Dragon Body had now surged to 9%!

What did that mean?

If the old Loa had needed to dodge and counterattack when facing the Silverback Great Ape's attacks, now he could confront it head-on, clash with it directly, and fearlessly trade blows with the Silverback Great Ape!

His defense and attack were even more terrifying than the Silverback Great Ape's. He was a genuine humanoid beast!

Ice Dragon's Iron Fist!

Ice Dragon's Shattered Fang!

Ice Dragon's Hook Claw!

Ice Dragon's Grip!

Punching, kicking, tearing—Loa launched attack after attack without fatigue. He looked even crazier than the rampaging Silverback Great Ape. His cold, snake-like vertical pupils swept over the ape's body as icy killing intent mixed with dragon might spread outward. Not even the insects in the entire forest dared make a sound.

Even if it was only a trace, it was still the dignity of a dragon. Dragons stood above all worldly creatures.

The Silverback Great Ape had long sensed that majesty emanating from Loa. That inexplicable feeling hammered against its heart like a heavy mallet, making it unbearably uncomfortable. Yet that only made it more excited! As the saying went, through the ages, only death had been difficult. If a living being did not even fear death, then what else could make it afraid?

Man and beast continued their bloody, violent exchange of blows, the sounds they made rumbling like muffled thunder.

As time passed, the Silverback Great Ape's movements gradually grew slower, and the force behind every counterattack weakened.

No matter how strong its will, it could not defy established laws. It had no more blood left to spill. The death knell had already rung.

Loa sensed its feelings, flipped backward, and landed a short distance away.

As they stared at each other, Loa suddenly calmed down. He let out a long sigh and solemnly nodded at the Silverback Great Ape's gaze, perhaps the only plea it had ever made in its life—and certainly its last. "You were a worthy warrior. Rest in peace!"

It had fought for two hours while dragging its heavily wounded body, refusing to retreat even in death. That was moving no matter where one saw it.

The Silverback Great Ape tugged at the skin of its face, which no longer had lips, and barely formed a smile beneath all the blood. Then, in silence, it raised its fist and staggered toward Loa one trembling step at a time.

Even greater magic power than before gathered in Loa's hand. Strands of icy air converged, and brilliant blue light shone around him, making him seem like a sovereign of frost, imposing and majestic.

Ice Dragon's Iron Fist!

Boom!

That massive body fell, crashing into the ground and kicking up a ring of dust. The Silverback Great Ape finally died contentedly.

Looking at the ice sculpture frozen in its punching stance, Loa did not know why, but he suddenly felt listless, as if he had entered a sage-like state of exhaustion.

He released First Release, slumped to the ground, picked up chunks of ice covered in mud, and stuffed them into his mouth.

"Forget it. Once I recover some strength, I'll find new prey."

Christopher Loa killed one Silverback Giant Ape. Points: 1000.

The Marine responsible for recording the results had trembling hands as he crookedly wrote down Loa's score in his notebook.

For some reason, Zephyr suddenly fell silent. He stared blankly at the figure on the screen, then gave a bitter smile. "Kuzan, after Loa joins the Elite Camp, what exactly am I supposed to teach him?"

"Teacher Zephyr..."

Kuzan could understand what Zephyr was thinking. He had personally experienced Loa's rate of growth.

He softly tried to comfort him. "At least Loa's close-combat ability is terrible, and he still can't use Haki."

Zephyr had taught countless disciples in his life, including the current three Admirals of the Marines.

When he had been young, before that incident, he would have been overjoyed to encounter a disciple as gifted as Loa. But Zephyr was old now, and so was his heart. He had watched Loa grow step by step. Faced with such a monstrous talent, he felt increasingly powerless.

Kuzan was not the type suited for comforting others. Not only did his words fail to comfort Zephyr, they made him even more pessimistic.

"Sigh... Look at how he's performed under you this past month. I'm afraid my entire stock of knowledge will be drained dry before long! Oh, right, how old is Loa this year again?"

"Five. He doesn't look like it, but that is indeed the truth."

Hearing that, Zephyr let out a huge sigh of relief. "Good, good. If I remember correctly, you also became a vice admiral at five, right?"

"To be precise, I was six. The following year, I took part in the Buster Call that destroyed Ohara. There are records of that, Teacher Zephyr."

Zephyr: ... This was impossible to talk about.

After eating a pile of ice, Loa finally felt his strength gradually return. He brushed the dirt from his backside and dragged his sore limbs over to the Silverback Great Ape's corpse.

The forest where they had fought had been completely flattened. The surroundings were silent, as every living creature had been frightened away by the battle. The few animals that had not escaped in time had been frozen in place. Across the icy plain, lifelike ice sculptures shimmered with colorful glimmers beneath the sunlight.

Loa looked at the Silverback Great Ape's body and remained silent for a long, long time. This was his first time facing such a situation. Even knowing it would die, the Silverback Great Ape had never lost its fighting spirit until it drew its final breath. What unyielding character that was. At that moment, Loa felt that his opponent had not been a mere animal, but a warrior.

That was also why he had said those words.

The warm sea breeze brushed through his hair. Loa spread his arms, which transformed into two ice wings dozens of meters long. After a slight pause, they lunged toward the corpse.

Ice Dragon's Wing Attack!

This was not desecrating the corpse. He was using this method to bury the Silverback Great Ape.

Rumble!

The thick layer of ice was swept aside, exposing the soft soil below. The ice wings did not slow down, slicing into the earth like two sharp swords and flinging away tons of dirt. The Silverback Great Ape's corpse lost its support, tilted slightly, and fell into the pit. Then Loa used his ice wings to scoop up the soil and bury it again.

Ice-Make: Ice Coffin!

Loa hammered his hands together, and a vast sheet of ice instantly condensed, freezing the surrounding ground. This would reduce the chance of scavengers discovering the body.

After finishing, Loa lowered his hands and stood silently for a while. Covering his wound, he turned and left, his steps firmer than ever before.

He had buried not only a worthy opponent, but also the weak self he had once been.

It was foreseeable that he would encounter many more things like this in the future. The Silverback Great Ape's fate had served as a warning: in this world, death had drawn closer to his life than ever before.