"A devil among the 'Calamities'..."
On the smoke-filled battlefield, the sea breeze swept past, carrying the acrid scent of burning.
Bullet knelt on one knee, his gaze fixed on the man before him.
Gern Reginald Sigma, the Marine who had once defeated him with a single punch and now driven him into a corner again.
Gern's Black Blade: Eight Desolations was already sheathed, its gray-white bandages fluttering in the wind, as though that earth-shattering battle had never happened.
His eyes were calm, yet held an unquestionable authority. His outstretched hand hovered in the air, waiting for Bullet's response.
"Join the Marines?" Bullet scoffed, his hoarse voice tinged with mockery.
"You think I'll bow to so-called 'justice' like those weaklings?"
"Heh, justice?" Gern did not withdraw his hand. He merely raised the corners of his mouth. "No, I'm not inviting you for the sake of justice."
Bullet frowned. "Then what for?"
"So you can witness for yourself what it truly means to be strong." Gern's voice was deep and forceful as he continued.
"Roger gave you a goal, then crushed it with his own hands.
"But now, I can give you a wider world.
"A world whose summit you can never reach, yet cannot help pursuing."
Bullet's pupils contracted slightly.
He had never encountered anyone like this-no, he had never even seen such a person.
Especially now, there was no pity in Gern's eyes, no insincere attempt to recruit him, only an almost arrogant confidence.
As though he had already seen through everything, including the emptiness and resentment within Bullet.
"Ridiculous..." Bullet growled, his clenched fists cracking. "You think a few words can make me submit?"
"Submit?" Gern chuckled. "No, I want you to accept the fact that you cannot defeat me."
Before his words had faded, a terrifying pressure erupted