He smelled the blood coming from the so-called "Snake God." The stench was rank and heavy.
He turned to question Aishi, who stood frozen in shock.
"Where did this 'Snake God' come from?"
Hearing Barn's question, Aishi calmed down and told him,
"The Snake God is the sea deity that protects Amazon Lily. Its presence has kept outsiders away from Amazon Lily for a hundred years. The Snake God Festival is three days from now. Every year around this time, we select the most beautiful woman and the freshest food to offer to it. It always arrives on time, but today..."
"It's wounded..."
Barn spoke coldly after hearing Aishi's answer. What gods existed in this world? This was just the same tired story of tribes sacrificing innocent maidens to their gods. He had never expected Amazon Lily to have such a "tradition" too.
Naturally, Barn scoffed at this "tradition." As a progressive young man from the advanced society of the future, he had no regard whatsoever for such superstitions.
"Roar!"
The "Snake God," its head jutting through the collapsed wall, suddenly roared. Liquid that could have been saliva or venom sprayed from its mouth with the thunderous sound, spilling past its sharp fangs and forked purple tongue.
Many spectators who had yet to escape actually stopped running and knelt on the ground, praying nonstop.
Even Aishi, Amazon Lily's strongest warrior and captain of the Kuja Warriors, knelt down, repeatedly pleading, "Lord Snake God, please quell your anger."
Barn frowned at the sound of Aishi's voice.
"Aaaaah! Lord Snake God! Spare me!"
Disaster struck without warning! The "Snake God" snatched up a praying girl and tossed her straight into its mouth!
"Oriana!"
Aishi was terrified. She had never imagined that the god they revered would slaughter one of its own people so cruelly!
Seeing the girl named Oriana die in the snake's belly jolted the others awake. One after another, they abandoned their useless prayers and ran for the exits of the Martial Arts Arena. Chaos engulfed the scene.
Aishi, however, remained on her knees. Still reeling from what she had witnessed, she continued to murmur, "Lord... Snake God..."
From the screams, Barn had already pieced together roughly what was happening. His brow furrowed as he shouted at Aishi, who was still kneeling helplessly in place,
"Enough! What are you doing? Aren't you the captain of the Kuja Warriors? Your people are being slaughtered, and you're still here offering useless prayers! Get them out of here!"
"But Lord Snake God..."
Smack!
Aishi still could not accept reality, so Barn slapped her across the face!
"You!"
Smack!
Barn's slap snapped Aishi out of her daze, but she immediately slapped him back. What greeted her, however, was his smiling face.
"Awake now? Then go evacuate the crowd. Don't let anyone else get hurt! It's no longer your god!"
Barn wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth and spoke to Aishi with a smile.
"But you..."
"All right. Leave the rest to me!"
Looking at Barn, whose hand already rested on Nidai Kitetsu, Aishi nodded. She quickly rose and gathered the Guard to evacuate the crowd.
"Fitz, you go too!"
"Chirp, chirp! (You must be joking!)"
"Heh. Then let's fight side by side!"
"Chirp!"
Barn drew Nidai Kitetsu in an instant, while Fitz soared into the blue sky and began circling the Martial Arts Arena once more.
"Mind's Eye, activate!"
Barn activated Mind's Eye again. An enormous figure appeared in his mind, radiating a red glow that signified extreme danger!
Sensing the lingering bloody stench in the air and the presence of that colossal creature, Barn muttered to himself,
"That's no 'Snake God.' It's clearly a mutated Sea King!"
The "Snake God" opened its jaws and lunged to bite into the crowd. Many of the young women had already begun to sob when Barn arrived.
"Evil Light Wave Formation!"
A white ring of light appeared out of thin air, binding the "Snake God's" head tightly.
"Roar!"
The restrained "Snake God" let out a howl of pain.
"Run! I'll handle it!"
The crowd immediately scattered, leaving only Barn and the "Snake God" facing each other!
"I never thought I'd find myself in such a clichéd damsel-in-distress rescue. Heh."
"Well, ready to die, big guy?"
A red gleam flashed in Barn's eyes as he instantly activated Murderous Intent Wave.
Seeing the almost tangible killing intent surrounding Barn, the "Snake God" was forced to take him seriously. It had already marked him for death.
"Roar!"
The "Snake God" twisted its body and lunged at Barn. Mind's Eye's Danger Sense prompted him to react instantly. He darted left, dodging its attack, then swiftly unleashed the forbidden power in his left hand. He would strike back!
"Ice Blade Wave Sword!"
A blue gleam flashed across Nidai Kitetsu, gripped tightly in Barn's hand. The air seemed to grow several degrees colder as a long blade of ice appeared out of nowhere, instantly freezing the "Snake God's" body before it could pull back.
"Roar!"
"Ghost Seal Bead!" An enormous orb of light containing terrifying energy struck the "Snake God."
The "Snake God" cried out in pain again, then swept its tail across in a swift counterattack!
Having just released Ghost Seal Bead, Barn could not recover in time. The tail struck him and sent him flying sideways!
"Chirp, chirp!" Fitz cried out anxiously overhead.
"I'm fine. Cough, cough."
Barn struggled to his feet. Over the past few years, he had not focused on strengthening his body, instead devoting himself to exploring Asura's skills. The "Snake God's" blow had clearly injured him badly, but just then, his Life Fruit took effect. A soft green glow shone over the wound on his abdomen, and the horrific injury slowly began to heal!
In the blink of an eye, Barn stood up as though he had never been injured. He even felt a little stronger than before!
"Roar!"
The "Snake God" was still howling in agony. Ghost Seal Bead struck multiple times, after all. Now it seemed stuck to the "Snake God's" body, dealing damage relentlessly!
"Roar!"
The "Snake God" suddenly grew frenzied. If Barn could see, he would have noticed that its eyes had turned blood-red!
"It's gone berserk!"
"Chirp, chirp!" Fitz sounded a warning from the sky as well.
Through Mind's Eye, Barn clearly perceived the red glow surrounding that enormous figure grow darker!
The frenzied Snake God forced its way through Ghost Seal Bead, then turned and lunged at Barn!
Barn tilted his head slightly. In his mind, an enormous figure was rapidly growing larger!
"It's coming!"
Barn slid left and dodged the Snake God's attack, but its assault was not over!
In its frenzy, the Snake God's speed and strength had both increased noticeably!
Seeing that its first strike had missed, the Snake God quickly repositioned itself and charged at Barn again!
Barn was still in midair!
"Damn!"
The blow struck Barn and sent him flying straight into a wall...
"Cough, cough. It really is strong..."
The Life Fruit was repairing Barn's injured body. He wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth and stood up once more.
"But... that's still not enough!"
Having already died once, Barn had his own understanding of death. He absolutely would not die at the hands of a monster that had never even appeared in the anime!
So he raised his sword and charged again!
"Ice Blade Wave Sword!"
Another blade of ice shot from Nidai Kitetsu, striking the Snake God just as it began to turn around!
Barn knew his attack had landed, but he also knew the Snake God would soon break free. He immediately used Triple Slash to close in!
"Evil Light Wave Sword!"
Before the Snake God could break out of the ice, a barrier of evil light restrained it once more!
"Roar!"
It howled in agony, but Barn's assault was not over!
"Explosive Flame Wave Sword!"
Nidai Kitetsu's blade turned fiery red. A scorching wave of heat washed over Barn's face, even splitting his lip. A fireball wrapped in searing energy hurtled toward the Snake God!
The flames melted the blade of ice imprisoning the Snake God, but they could not melt the barrier of evil light that also held it captive!
"Roar!"
The Snake God writhed in the flames, howling incessantly!
Barn raised Nidai Kitetsu high, the energy in his left hand continuing to flow into the sword. His long white hair covered his eyes, hiding his expression. Only his merciless voice could be heard.
"Asura... Evil Light Slash!"
Barn swung, unleashing an enormous blade of light that tore through the ground of the Martial Arts Arena and slashed straight toward the Snake God!
Trapped by the flames and the barrier of evil light, the Snake God had no way to dodge!
The blade of light did not begin to dissipate until it reached the sea. The Martial Arts Arena had been cleaved in two, and the so-called Snake God had been severed, its struggles ceasing amid the flames...
Barn had slain a god!