"Damn it, it really was you. I knew you hadn't been defeated by that mysterious man along with the other priests, Priest Luo Chen."
Wyper glared at him, his expression grim, and raised his Burn Bazooka, aiming its muzzle at Luo Chen.
"Heh heh heh, that's right. I wasn't defeated by Hogg like those idiots. You must be terribly disappointed!
"I don't mind telling you. Just as you stepped in here, Enel's battle ended. The challenger, Navy Rear Admiral Hogg, was defeated, and not even his bones remained!"
Luo Chen looked at them expressionlessly and told them everything that had happened. Hogg's death seemed not to have caused the slightest ripple in his heart.
"Ah!!!"
"What? That mysterious man has already been defeated?"
The news Luo Chen had told them had a tremendous impact. Everyone was shocked, and a trace of fear slowly began to grow in their hearts.
Even Wyper was stunned. He thought silently to himself,
Damn it, has that mysterious man already been defeated? Didn't Aisa say his strength was close to Enel's? How could Enel have defeated him so quickly?
"What, are you surprised by the news?
"Of course. Apart from that little girl in your tribe, none of you can use Mantra, so naturally you wouldn't know the outcome!
"That little girl should already know the result of the battle by now, and she's probably sensed that Enel has left the shrine too."
Luo Chen had long known they would react this way, yet he still acted as though they already knew and recounted the entire affair under their astonished gazes.
"I came here on Enel's orders to drive you out. Originally, given the mood I was in, I had no intention of killing anyone.
"But unfortunately, I'm in a terrible mood today. On second thought, I'd like to trouble you all to die here."
Luo Chen looked at them with a chilling gaze and spoke in a terrifying tone.
"Crack!"
"Gulp!"
His gaze made their scalps tingle. They stepped back in fear, snapping several twigs underfoot, and swallowed.
"Don't make me laugh! We didn't come here to die. We still have to defeat that guy. You're the one who should die, Priest Luo Chen! Burn Bazooka!"
Boom!!!
Whoosh!!!
A blast of pink cannon fire shot from Wyper's muzzle, threatening to blow Luo Chen to pieces.
But Luo Chen didn't let him have his way. He stepped lightly and vanished from the spot in a flash. The blast pierced the great tree he had been standing on, leaving a huge hole before it crashed to the ground.
Whoosh!!!
Luo Chen appeared behind Wyper in a flash. His right leg swept toward Wyper's back like a whip as he spoke unhurriedly.
"Let me see whether you've made any progress over the past few years."
"Tch! Just as I thought."
Wyper spoke, then turned and held the body of his bazooka in front of him.
Boom!!!
Luo Chen's powerful whip kick slammed into the bazooka with a violent metallic crash.
"Your reactions aren't bad, but you still don't have enough strength! Mm... Hah!"
Luo Chen praised him, then put more force into his leg. Unable to withstand it, Wyper was sent flying and only stopped when he struck a rock.
"Oh no! Wyper, are you all right?"
Seeing Wyper kicked away, Braham immediately snapped to his senses and called out to him.
After being sent into the rock by Luo Chen's kick, Wyper fell to the ground. Dust engulfed him, making it impossible to tell how he was doing.
"Cough, cough! I'm fine. Be careful, all of you. That guy has gotten even stronger!"
Wyper rose from the dust, covered his mouth with his hand, and coughed several times before warning the others.
Whoosh!
In a flash, Luo Chen appeared before Wyper again. He spoke once more while throwing a punch at Wyper's face.
"You don't need to tell them how strong I am. You can all be buried here, Wyper!"
"How could we possibly fall here, Luo Chen..."
Wyper roared at him and struck back with his own fist.
Bang!!!
Their fists collided, generating a wave of air that swept out in every direction. The air shuddered in layer upon layer of ripples.
"You're still a long way from being able to fight me. Hah!"
With that, Luo Chen gave a shout and sent Wyper flying.
Boom!!!
The boulder behind Wyper shattered on impact. He continued flying without slowing down, snapping several thick trees in succession before finally coming to a stop.
"Wyper!!! Damn it, he's gotten so strong!"
Braham called out to Wyper, then spoke through gritted teeth. He quickly drew both guns, aimed them at Luo Chen, and kept pulling the triggers, firing flash rounds at him one after another.
Bang!!!
Bang!!!
Bang!!!
As the bullets flew past, Luo Chen closed his eyes and moved constantly among them. They narrowly passed by him, yet failed to harm a single hair on his body.
"Damn it, it's Mantra! Just hit him already!!!"
Watching Luo Chen continually evade his attacks, Braham roared and fired his rounds with even less pause. Unfortunately, it was no use at all. He could only watch helplessly as Luo Chen drew closer and closer.
Swoosh!!!
In the blink of an eye, Luo Chen was beside him. Startled, Braham took a step back, then gritted his teeth and roared.
"Die! Priest Luo Chen!!!"
He raised both guns again and fired at Luo Chen's head from close range, no longer caring about his own safety.
Bang!
Bang!
Bang!
The flash rounds arrived in an instant. Luo Chen tilted his head and dodged them, and they exploded behind him with a roar and a dazzling yellow flash that kept everyone from opening their eyes. At such close range, even with his sunglasses on, Braham couldn't see clearly. He vaguely glimpsed a dark shadow flash past, and then a sharp pain gripped his abdomen as his body flew backward.
Boom!!!
After dodging the bullets, Luo Chen closed in and drove a straight punch into Braham's stomach, sending him flying into a tree trunk. He snapped it in two and then fell to the ground.
"Braham, are you all right?
"Damn you! How dare you hurt my companion? Die, Luo Chen!!!"
Kamakiri hurriedly asked in concern. Without waiting for an answer, he picked up the Burn Blade and charged at Luo Chen.
"I'm fine, Kamakiri. Don't!!!"
Braham stood up, clutching his stomach, and answered in some pain. Then he saw Kamakiri charging at Luo Chen and hurriedly called out to stop him.
But he was a step too late. Kamakiri had already reached Luo Chen. Gripping the wooden handle with both hands, he swung his sword at Luo Chen's waist.
"Do you want to avenge your companion, Kamakiri?
"But have you ever considered whether I'm someone you can handle?"
Luo Chen slipped past him, close to the sword's edge, and asked in a perfectly steady voice. But without waiting for an answer, he continued speaking.
"Damn it, stop dodging!!!"
Seeing that he had missed, Kamakiri swung the blade back at him. The great tree in front of him was cut through head-on and crashed to the ground.
"Do you know? In my eyes, your strength is no greater than that of a babbling infant. Even if a child drew a sword, would an adult be afraid?
"So stop struggling in your death throes. Rankyaku: Great Wind Blade!"
As he spoke, Luo Chen leaped gracefully into the air, dodging the returning slash. He raised his right leg and whipped up a wind blade that sent Kamakiri flying.
Squelch!!!
The wind blade sliced across Kamakiri's chest, spraying blood and sending him flying. He finally fell to the ground, his fate unknown.
"Oh no, even Kamakiri..."
The companions beside him cried out in alarm. Looking at Luo Chen's terrifying figure, they backed away again and again.