In one corner of the battlefield, Kakarot stood quietly, watching the man facing him with a cold gaze.
Opposite him stood a masked CP0 member, his eyes filled with contempt. He glanced at the situation around them and said disdainfully:
"The Mink Tribe must have run out of fighters, sending brats like you to stop us CP0 elites. But you can't stop me. Die, brat!"
Before the Cipher Pol member had finished speaking, he suddenly moved, unleashing Soru,
appearing before Kakarot in an instant like a phantom, his fist already coated in a glossy black layer of Armament Haki,
and hurled it at Kakarot like a cannonball, carrying tremendous force.
"Go down!"
Kakarot's expression was grave, but he showed no fear. At that critical instant, he swiftly threw a punch in retaliation.
Not only was his fist wreathed in a dense mass of Armament Haki, but it also faintly radiated a fierce Mountain-Crushing Fist Intent.
"Mountain-Crushing · Tremor Fist!"
The two fists met. In an instant, the air seemed to be torn apart by an invisible force, letting out a piercing boom.
Both Kakarot and the Cipher Pol member felt an overwhelming force surge toward them, and both were instantly blasted dozens of meters away.
Kakarot steadied himself. Feeling his opponent's strength, he curled his lips into an excited smile.
The two clashed again. Kakarot gradually figured out his opponent's capabilities. The man was fast, closing in instantly every time he used Soru.
His use of Armament Haki was also extremely proficient. Whether attacking or defending, he brought its power into play with perfect timing.
But neither of his two forms of color Haki had reached the top level, and he relied solely on his proficiency with the Six Powers to attack.
"Don't think you can figure out my strength. You're dead today!"
The Cipher Pol member seemed to realize that Kakarot was constantly analyzing his fighting style during their battle, and his attacks grew even fiercer.
Moving like lightning, he used Soru repeatedly, leaving afterimages all around Kakarot.
A storm of attacks followed, every finger strike carrying the fierce power of Armament Haki. "Die!"
Kakarot did not dodge at all unless a vital spot was targeted. Even his body, more than half of which had already been tempered with Armament Haki, could not withstand the Finger Pistol attacks.
His wounds grew increasingly severe, yet his fighting spirit only grew stronger. His Saiyan blood made him fight ever more fiercely.
"Come on! Hit harder!"
Every time he was struck, he could feel the power hidden within his body churning, as though responding to the enemy's attacks and yearning for an even fiercer battle.
"Why won't this guy fall?!" Seeing how tenacious Kakarot was, the Cipher Pol member could not help feeling irritated.
Seizing an opening, he used Soru to close in once more.
"Rokuogan!"
He concentrated all his strength into his hands, mustering the power of his entire body before unleashing it in an instant as a shock wave.
But instead of taking it head-on as before, Kakarot suddenly released Armament Haki through his pores and used the Flight Technique, swiftly flying up to evade the blow.
"Hitting me isn't actually that easy!"
In fact, if Kakarot wanted to dodge, the man could not touch him at all.
Kakarot took a deep breath. Every muscle in his body instantly tensed, and all his strength gathered in his right fist.
On his fist, Armament Haki and Mountain-Crushing Fist Intent intertwined, blazing with light. "Mountain-Crushing · Hitting the Ox Across the Mountain!"
The Cipher Pol member looked up, only to see a dark blur bearing down on him with tremendous force. Inwardly, he realized things had gone wrong.
He hurriedly unleashed his Armament Haki at full strength, covering his chest. "I won't lose to you!"
With a thunderous boom, the force of the punch collided with the Armament Haki. But Kakarot used the advanced application of Armament Haki he had kept hidden all along-Internal Destruction-and instantly destroyed the man's heart.
"You... you..." The Cipher Pol member's eyes widened, disbelief filling his face, before he slowly collapsed.
"Did you think I didn't know any advanced applications of Armament Haki? I was misleading you. That's why I never used Internal Destruction."
Kakarot looked at his fallen opponent and wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth. He turned to watch the others' battles.
"What's going on with these Cipher Pol people?" Kakarot saw that the defeated Mink Tribe fighters had only been knocked unconscious or had their limbs broken. They had not been killed.
He suspected that Cipher Pol wanted to capture them and take them back, so they had held back from killing them.
Kakarot surveyed the battlefield. Of the nearly one thousand Mink Tribe fighters, more than three hundred had fallen, while over a hundred of the five hundred-odd Cipher Pol members had died. There were no problems with the fighting among the lower ranks.
"Yingyue's finished her fight too. Battles between swordsmen really are quick," Kakarot remarked.
He had finished his own battle early because his enemy had been careless and taken a fatal blow. Otherwise, with the physique of a powerful martial artist, the battle would not have ended so quickly.
Rather than helping Vian, Yingyue went to help Simba and Ailik kill the powerful martial artists fighting them.
"Vian's swordsmanship has improved too. She should be able to finish soon!" Kakarot observed as he recovered from his wounds and restored his stamina.
Suddenly, as Kakarot was catching his breath, a terrifying intent that seemed capable of tearing the heavens apart surged up, filling him with delight.
He immediately turned instinctively toward Lilith's battlefield.
Lilith was drenched in blood, wounds crisscrossing her body and blood soaking her clothes. Yet her eyes were filled with excitement as she threw her head back and laughed.
"Hahaha! You mangy tiger, my Heaven-Splitting Claw Intent finally broke through during this fierce battle with you! Today is the day you die. Just watch me tear you to pieces!"
Before she finished speaking, Lilith unleashed her full power. She used Life Return to strengthen her limbs.
In an instant, her strength erupted like a volcano, increasing by fifty percent, while her speed soared like lightning.
Now, with her newly advanced Heaven-Splitting Claw Intent, every attack seemed capable of tearing open space, carrying the momentum to destroy heaven and earth.
Seeing the situation turn against him, her enemy had already transformed fully into a striped tiger, hoping to defend himself with his immensely powerful physique.
Even so, Lilith's attacks rained down on him like a raging storm, and bloody gashes deep enough to expose bone instantly covered his body.
The tiger let out roar after agonized roar, but he could not stop Lilith's fierce onslaught.
"You bastard, did you think turning into your beast form would let you withstand me?" Lilith shouted angrily as she attacked.
"Impossible! How did you suddenly get so much stronger?!" the tiger roared, attempting one final struggle, but his movements were gradually slowing.
Seizing her chance, Lilith flashed forward like lightning, appearing before the tiger. Her sharp claws, carrying terrifying force, swept across her enemy's throat like a streak of light.
Blood instantly gushed out. The tiger's eyes widened, and he slowly collapsed.
After delivering the fatal blow, Lilith felt an intense wave of exhaustion wash over her.
She knew that Life Return and her Sulong form consumed enormous amounts of stamina. She hurriedly stopped using Life Return and slowly left her Sulong form.
Her legs gave way, and she slumped straight to the ground, her stamina completely exhausted. Yet her face shone with a victorious smile.
Kakarot hurried to Lilith's side, helped her up, and carried her swiftly to a relatively safe corner.
"Lilith, stay here and recover your stamina. I'm going to help Aunt Lina!" he said urgently.
Pale-faced, Lilith nodded weakly. "You... be careful..."
With that, Kakarot raced toward the thunderous battlefield like a bolt of golden lightning.
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