Deep Sea King

Only then did Starlight realize The Deep had set her up.

No wonder he had volunteered to be her partner. He had an ulterior motive all along. She had refused to give him what he wanted and had even struck him, so he had decided to get revenge.

Although The Deep was a member of The Seven, his Psychic Powers were more useful than formidable in a fight. He could not defeat Starlight on his own.

So he had brought in a monster called Deep Sea King to fight her for him.

Starlight looked at the fish-headed, human-bodied monster before her. She could sense the explosive power hidden in his thick muscles.

She took a fighting stance. An opponent like this demanded her full attention.

Deep Sea King looked down at Starlight. He stood a full four meters tall, while she was a petite woman. The sheer difference in size seemed impossible to overcome.

Yet there she stood, seriously poised for battle, waiting for him to attack.

It was almost laughable.

One punch from him would probably smash her to pieces.

A scornful smile crossed Deep Sea King's face as he threw a punch.

But what he expected did not happen.

Starlight was blindingly fast. She dodged the blow in time.

Deep Sea King's fist slammed into the deck, punching a huge hole through it.

The instant she evaded him, dazzling light burst from Starlight's body.

The flash was dozens of times brighter than the one she had used against the smugglers on deck earlier.

That earlier flash had been enough to blur a person's vision. This one was far beyond what it took to blind an ordinary person instantly.

Deep Sea King was no ordinary person. His eyes could withstand far more light than a human's.

Even so, facing the light head-on left him briefly blind.

His sight would take three to five seconds to recover from a flash that intense.

Three to five seconds was enough for Starlight to do plenty.

All Deep Sea King could see was white, but his formidable combat instincts told him something was closing in fast.

He dodged on instinct, but without his sight, he could not track her movements clearly.

Starlight sprang from the deck and punched him in the jaw.

She knew he was strong, so she held nothing back.

A full-force punch from her could send a car flying.

But it could not break Deep Sea King's jaw. Starlight could feel that his bones were harder than steel.

Even so, the force of the blow lifted his massive body off the deck and sent him toppling backward.

Starlight pressed her advantage, raining punches down on him.

The rapid blows carried less force than her first strike, but they were still devastating. Each punch left a visible dent in his body.

Meanwhile, Deep Sea King's vision was clearing.

Starlight did not know that. She knew his body was extraordinary, but surely even he would need several seconds to recover after taking a flash that powerful without warning.

Deep Sea King had underestimated Starlight and been forced to take her blows. Now Starlight's own overconfidence gave him a chance to turn the fight around.

Deep Sea King suddenly reached for her.

Starlight had no idea his vision had returned. The grab caught her completely off guard, leaving her no time to dodge.

He seized her arm, swung her high into the air, and slammed her down onto the deck.

The deck shattered beneath her, and Starlight crashed into the ship's hold.

It felt as though her organs had been knocked out of place. Everything inside her churned.

A trickle of blood escaped the corner of her mouth.

It had been a very long time since anyone had done real harm to Starlight.

Today, Deep Sea King had.

Starlight broke through a steel plate dozens of millimeters thick and stood before him again.

Deep Sea King could not help marveling at her. This seemingly frail Girl had an astonishingly tough body.

Together with her extraordinary Psychic Powers, it made her a formidable opponent.

No wonder The Deep had insisted he get involved. Among people with Psychic Powers, someone this strong stood near the top.

Starlight looked at Deep Sea King and was stunned to see the deep dents she had left in his body healing before her eyes.

Soon, his muscles had filled out again.

His terrifying ability to recover made him a difficult opponent.

If she could not finish him in one burst, the longer the fight went on, the worse her chances would become.

If a drawn-out fight was out of the question, she would have to end it quickly.

Starlight would not try to blind Deep Sea King with the same flash again. Against an opponent of his caliber, the same move was unlikely to work twice.

If she could keep up a light that bright, it would severely hamper him. Unfortunately, with her current control over her powers, she could release it only for an instant.

For now, her best option was to meet force with force and let her fists do the talking.

Starlight's eyes turned completely golden, and her power surged.

Even the deck began to tremble.

Deep Sea King stared in surprise as the Girl's body began to change. Her power had risen to an astonishing level.

Cracks of light appeared at the corners of Starlight's eyes. They spread rapidly until they covered her entire body.

Laced with glowing cracks, Starlight looked like she might burst apart at any moment. A terrifying energy poured from the fissures.

For the first time, Starlight revealed her full battle form before an enemy.

Deep Sea King frowned. He felt a powerful sense of danger.

Starlight vanished from where she stood and appeared before him in a flash.

Her terrifying speed made Deep Sea King's expression change.

Starlight threw a punch.

Her fist, veined with cracks of light, blazed with dazzling brilliance.

Deep Sea King flew backward, green blood spraying through the air.

With a splash, his enormous body plunged into the sea.

Starlight stood at the ship's edge, watching the churning water.

A long time passed. Just as she decided he must have fled and turned to leave—

Deep Sea King leaped from the water and landed back on the deck.

Starlight stared in disbelief.

His body had more than doubled in size. Now nearly ten meters tall, he loomed before her like a mountain of flesh.

His muscles had swollen further, thick veins twisting across them. Streaks of light flowed over his dark green skin.

The power radiating from Deep Sea King was several times greater than before!