"Hmph..."
Even if the others followed Kuro's lead and took off their clothes, they were already well behind him.
Kuro had been the first to wrap his clothes around the Steel wire. As long as the fabric held, it would protect his neck.
If Ye Chen had been there, the trap would have meant nothing to him. As long as he could move his fingers, he could use One Yang Finger at will and kill every other "competitor" in moments.
Lucci's Flying Finger Pistol could have done the same, but he could only use that move in Leopard Form.
Every piece of metal in the trap contained Seastone, so Lucci had no way to transform.
"Damn it."
Louis had taken off his clothes too, but his shirt was only a small undershirt. Even wrapped around the wire, it offered little protection.
Kuro, on the other hand, still wore a thick suit despite the heat. By now, it was a habit ingrained in him.
The Steel wire tightened. Before long, it squeezed through Louis's undershirt.
"No! Listen to me..."
With his undershirt squeezed through, Louis was terrified. He shouted at the top of his lungs, "Stop! Please!"
Kuro nodded and actually stopped. Melo and Gazo were exhausted too. Both panted heavily, badly shaken.
Still frightened, Louis said, "We can agree to your proposal. There's one fewer person now, and the Steel wire has more slack than before. We don't need to keep fighting to the death, do we?"
Kuro nodded. "Fair enough. I'll stay right here. One of you can go get the key."
Melo, Jia Dong, and Louis exchanged glances. They had not expected Kuro to be so generous. Even now, he was willing to stay put.
Louis's eyes darted about. "I'll go," he said before anyone else could speak.