Cruel World

Saint Somaz's pupils shrank to pinpoints. He watched his thorns melt away like ice and snow before fire, watched that slash tear through every obstacle and come for him.

With a roar, he smashed down his spiked club, pushing his Armament Haki to its absolute limit and projecting it beyond his body to form an invisible suit of armor several meters thick.

Clang!

The thunderous crash of metal striking metal nearly burst their eardrums. Then came a crisp snapping sound.

The Armament Haki armor shattered like glass, and the spiked club broke in two. Kikoku's blade did not pause in the slightest as it passed through Saint Somaz's body.

From his left shoulder to his right abdomen, he was split in two.

Saint Somaz froze in midair. The fury in his eyes turned to disbelief, then terror.

Dawn landed behind Saint Somaz, his back to the "god" who had been cut in half. Purple-black currents surged from his palm again, ready to finish this enemy once and for all.

At that moment, a trace of resolve flashed through Saint Somaz's eyes as he screamed frantically in his mind.

"Lord Imu! Save me! Your subordinate has encountered the Dark Man!"

Almost simultaneously, a pentagram magic circle appeared beneath him. Black lightning surged from the formation, wrapping around his severed body and beginning to turn it illusory.

Dawn's expression sharpened. The purple-black flames on Kikoku suddenly erupted, changing from a gentle burn into a violent explosion. Gripping the sword with both hands, he slashed down at the center of the magic circle with all his strength.

"Don't even think about running!"

A tail suddenly shot out from the magic circle. Its tip was arrow-shaped and wrapped in dense Conqueror's Haki lightning. It met Kikoku head-on, blade tip and tail tip colliding through