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 powerful 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, clearly advanced in years. Yet his body was exceptionally broad and upright, his loose clothes stretched taut over his muscles. He lacked none of the stoop common to old men; instead, he exuded the steady, imposing presence of a mountain.

Every so often, a sharp gleam like that of a hawk flashed through his clouded eyes.

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

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

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

"More or less. It wouldn't be wrong to say so."

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

"Young ones, 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 harming 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 man, aren't you a little too confident? Are you certain you can keep us here?"

Boom did not get angry at Dawn's rejection or provocation. Instead, he began introducing himself.

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

He paused. Then a terrifying glint burst from his clouded eyes, and a powerful aura began to rise.

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

The moment he finished speaking, Boom's originally sparse white hair visibly grew thicker and longer! Immediately afterward, several strands gathered together as though alive, becoming thick and tough as whips.

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

"Life Return?"

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

To use Life Return to such an extent, this old fellow really was no ordinary man. And despite looking so old, he still possessed such vitality...

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

Bang! Bang! Bang!

Crisp cracking sounds rang out! Those strands of hair, tough as iron whips, were sent flying back by the seemingly tiny tail with even greater force.

The force contained in those rebounding strands was astonishing, even dragging Boom himself backward several meters before he managed to steady himself.

For the first time, obvious surprise appeared on Boom's face. His hair whips, capable of easily piercing stone, 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, raised her little head, and looked thoroughly pleased with herself.

"Grandpa, you sure sounded impressive, but in reality... you're not much, are you?"

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

Even while transformed, it could still display some of the formidable physical abilities of its animal form.

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

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

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

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

[Soru]!

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

[Rankyaku]!

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

[Soru]!

Her tiny body slid dangerously to the side and back. The close-range Rankyaku nearly grazed her fur, and the sharp airflow it generated sliced off several strands of snow-white fox fur. Behind her, a tree that would have taken two people to encircle was cut cleanly in half and crashed down.

Having dodged the attack, Stella looked sorrowfully at the fur that had been cut away, a trace of anger flashing through her eyes.

She no longer held back and opened her mouth to fire another fireball. Though the fireball was small, the compressed energy within it caused the surrounding air to warp faintly.

Boom—!

A violent explosion erupted, and fire and smoke instantly swallowed Boom! Scorching shockwaves spread in all directions, making Dawn's golden hair and Robin's clothes flutter wildly.

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

He merely brushed at nonexistent dust on his clothes as though the explosion powerful enough to destroy a house had been nothing more than a passing 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 fire attacks.

Seeing this, Dawn still did not make a move, choosing to continue observing. Aside from wanting Stella to use this opportunity to train herself, his more important purpose was to probe the enemy's true capabilities. No major figure who had stood firm in the underworld for decades was harmless.

To be continued