Boom

"I never expected... you to deal with my... useless subordinates so easily."

Having just finished off the second group of guards, the two humans and one fox were about to continue forward when an aged yet vigorous voice came from the end of the path ahead.

A figure slowly emerged from the shadows. The newcomer had a head full of white hair and a face covered in wrinkles. He looked quite old, yet his build was exceptionally broad and upright, his muscles stretching his loose clothes taut. He showed none of the stoop common to elderly men; instead, he exuded the steady, imposing air of a towering mountain.

Now and then, a sharp gleam like that of a hawk flashed through his cloudy eyes.

"You're the true owner of this place?"

Dawn looked at the old man who had suddenly appeared and asked an obvious question, while inwardly raising his guard to the highest level. He could sense that this old man was completely different from the fodder they had faced before.

The old man did not answer directly. Instead, he sized up Dawn and his group with a faintly appraising gaze.

"You could say that. It wouldn't be wrong."

Dawn's brow furrowed almost imperceptibly. This sort of ambiguous answer was not what he wanted. Most of his information about this island and its owner had come from hearsay, thanks only to the fact that the other party seemed never to have deliberately concealed this place.

"Young people, seeing that you have some skill, I'll give you a chance to live. Become my subordinates, and I can overlook your crimes of attacking this place and killing and injuring my men. Otherwise... leave your lives here."

Before Dawn could continue questioning him, the old man spoke again, his tone carrying the arrogance and unquestionable authority of someone long accustomed to power.

Without a moment's thought, Dawn refused. The corner of his mouth even curled into a mocking smile.

"I refuse. Old sir, aren't you a little too confident? Are you certain you can keep us here?"

Rather than becoming angry at Dawn's refusal and provocation, the old man began introducing himself.

"I am Boom. I've been in this line of work for over thirty years."

He paused, and a terrifying sharp light abruptly burst from his cloudy eyes as a powerful aura rose around him.

"To this day, no one has ever replaced me. That is my confidence!"

As soon as he finished speaking, Boom's originally sparse white hair visibly thickened and grew! Then, several strands of hair rapidly gathered together as if alive, becoming as thick and tough as whips.

Those thick strands shot toward them like venomous snakes choosing their prey, tearing through the air.

"Life Return?"

Dawn recognized the technique at a glance, and his heart tightened slightly.

To use Life Return to such an extent, this old man was indeed no simple opponent. And despite looking so old, he still possessed such vitality...

Before Dawn could act, Stella moved from his shoulder. She leaped down lightly, and while still in midair, her fluffy tail snapped out like a steel whip.

"Bang! Bang! Bang!"

Sharp cracking sounds rang out! Those hair whips, tough as iron, were violently sent flying back by that seemingly tiny tail with even greater force.

The force carried by the rebounding hair was astonishing. It even dragged Boom himself back several staggering steps before he managed to steady himself.

For the first time, clear surprise appeared on Boom's face. His hair whips, capable of easily piercing rock, had been casually smacked back by the tail of such a harmless-looking little creature?

And they had even contained enough force to knock him back?

Stella landed lightly on the ground, lifted her little head, and looked thoroughly pleased with herself.

"Grandpa, you talk quite impressively, but in reality... you're not much, are you?"

Because the Nine-Tailed Fox Fruit's core ability was transformation, its animal form was somewhat unusual.

Even while transformed, she could still display part of the formidable physical prowess of her animal form.

After development, Stella's fully beastified form had reached a height of ten meters from back to ground.

The terrifying strength granted by such a massive body, even if only partially projected into her smaller form, was far beyond ordinary.

"You little brat! Don't get too arrogant!"

Boom's expression instantly darkened. Being mocked so thoroughly by a little pet made him feel utterly humiliated. With a low shout, he stomped the ground more than a dozen times in rapid succession.

"Soru!"

Boom's figure vanished from where he stood. When he reappeared, he was already before the white fox. At the same time, he raised his leg like lightning and unleashed an incomparably sharp vacuum slash.

"Rankyaku!"

Stella reacted swiftly. Her four seemingly short legs also stamped the ground more than a dozen times at an extremely high frequency.

"Soru!"

Her small figure slid dangerously toward the side and rear. The close-range Rankyaku nearly grazed her fur, its sharp airflow slicing off several snowy-white hairs. Behind her, a huge tree that would have taken two people to encircle was cut cleanly in half and crashed down.

Having evaded the attack, Stella looked mournfully at the fur that had been shaved away, a flicker of anger flashing in her eyes.

She no longer held back and opened her mouth to spit out another fireball. Though this fireball was small, the compressed energy contained within it slightly distorted the surrounding air.

"Boom—!"

A violent explosion erupted, and flames and thick smoke instantly engulfed Boom! Scorching airwaves spread outward, making Dawn's golden hair and the hem of Robin's clothes flutter wildly.

However, when the flames and smoke dispersed and Boom's figure reappeared, Stella's pupils could not help shrinking slightly. Boom... was completely unharmed.

He merely patted away nonexistent dust from his clothes as if that explosion, powerful enough to destroy a house, had been nothing more than a light breeze.

"How could this be..."

A trace of surprise inevitably flashed through Stella's eyes. This was the first time she had encountered an opponent completely unaffected by her flame attack.

Seeing this, Dawn still did not intervene and chose to continue observing. He wanted Stella to use this opportunity to train, but more importantly, he wanted to probe the enemy's true capabilities. No major figure who had stood firm in the underworld for decades was an easy target.

TO BE CONTINUED