Irene in His Grasp

Facing the Twin Shields Jacob Resio alone, even the usually confident Hughes felt immense pressure and his expression turned solemn.

From the sky, Irene looked down at Hughes, her red lips slightly parted. "Ishgar's mage, August said you are very strong, even he is not entirely confident in capturing you?"

As she spoke, Irene swung her antler-shaped wand, aiming it at Hughes, as if to test Hughes strength.

As the wand danced, perhaps due to gravity or the sheer weight of the mountain itself, the towering peak trembled.

Hughes looked up, his gaze involuntarily sweeping over the exposed area once, twice, three times...

"Pah, shameless! They use their wealth to do whatever they want!" Hughes thought to himself with disdain.

It wasn't that he had a strong will and could still have wild thoughts while being "Miao Renfeng," it was simply because the system's notification sound interrupted Hughes's descent into despair!

[Fujitora Issho has been detected. Defeat him!]

The quest "Challenge Fujitora: Issho" is now active!

[Mission Reward: Observation Haki) ]

Hughes's gaze returned to Irene, and he had no objection to the system recognizing Irene as Yixiao.

Setting aside gender and skill differences, the two share many similarities in their characteristics and abilities.

Fujitora is Devil Fruit User, and is skilled at pulling down meteorites from outer space to bombard enemies.

twenty one-

The same applies to Irene's ultimate Enchantment Magic, Deus Sema.

Fujitora blinded himself, and Irene's eyes were practically invisible. If she hadn't married the wrong person, perhaps the tragedy of four hundred years wouldn't have happened.

Perhaps sensing Hughes's uncouth gaze, Irene aimed her wand at Hughes and her magic blazed brightly.

Additional Impact!

A red and white beam of light, like a laser, shot out from Irene's wand. Hughes, who was on high alert, dodged it, and the laser struck the ground.

"Buzz~"

The ground suddenly trembled, and a terrifying shockwave raged from the point where the laser struck, shattering the earth and spreading deep trenches wherever it passed.

Gazing calmly at the shockwave hurtling towards him, Hughes stretched out his right arm.

Despite being made of flesh and blood, the hand was like a sharp blade. The shockwave was sliced in two the moment it touched Hughes's Hughes, falling to either side of him.

"There's no need to embarrass yourself by using such trivial tricks!" Hughes said, turning his head to the right.

To his right, space inexplicably distorted, and the figure of Jacob Resio suddenly appeared.

A powerful kick descended from the sky, surging like thunder, and struck Hughes' shoulder, who was caught off guard.

After more than two years of intensive training, the strength of this body has left even Hughes himself speechless!

To the slightly shocked and stunned gaze of Jacob Resio, Hughes, unharmed, simply raised his shoulder, unleashing tremendous force that Jacob Resio flying backward instantly.

Hughes swung his left hand diagonally, the cold light of his hand blade, coated in Advanced Armament Haki, flashing like lightning as it swiftly lunged towards Jacob Rescho's head.

Just as Hughes was about to finish off Jacob Recho with a single blow, the Wizard King August suddenly appeared, his wand slashing down and clashing violently with Hughes's upward thrusting hand chop!

"Clang!"

The sound was like the deafening clang of steel clashing!

"Jacob Resio, don't interfere. You can't handle this kind of enemy!"

"Just seal off the space to prevent him from escaping, and leave the battle to me and Irene!" Wizard King August shoved Jacob Resio aside and said in a low voice.

Jacob Resio wiped the cold sweat from his forehead. He hadn't believed August's claims about the mages of the Ishgar Continent.

They are very powerful.

It's not a matter of belief now; if August hadn't intervened, he might not even be alive.

That pitch-black, knife-like hand was just a hair's breadth away from his carotid artery!

[Host detected to have defeated "Blueno, the Devil Fruit User"; quest "Defeat Blueno" is complete!]

[Mission Reward: Significantly improved physical fitness has been awarded!]

Blueno, a member of CP9 in the One Piece world, is skilled in assassination and intelligence gathering. He possesses the Door-Door Fruit, which allows him to travel freely through space.

Jacob Recho possesses spatial Assassination Magic, enabling him to conceal himself or any other person or object, and to move freely between the real world and other dimensions.

The two cannot be described as similar; they are exactly the same.

The quest to defeat Jacob Resio is triggered simultaneously with Irene's quest.

Under the astonished gazes of Wizard King August and Irene, Hughes's physical abilities were improving at a visible rate!

The two exchanged a glance. August, Evil Thought Possession, turned completely red. Even Makarov felt a chilling surge of magic from this, which flowed into the wand aimed at Hughes.

Flash Shot!

Light appeared with the sound, August's wand shone with dazzling golden light, unleashing overwhelming magical power, fierce and scorching, roaring and bombarding.

Hughes's expression was grave. When August cast his spell, Irene had imbued him with multiple layers of gravity, making it impossible for him to escape the range of August's magic.

Against a powerhouse like the Twin Shields, the Elementalization from the Flame-Flame Fruit is definitely not an option. The momentary stiffness and immobility that occurs when the body recovers would be enough to kill me dozens of times over!

With a silent command in his mind, Hughes activated Advanced Armament Haki and Perfect-Level Tekkai, bending his fingers together into a dragon claw shape.

"Dragon Claw!"

A golden light shone down, Hughes took the initiative to attack, his dragon claw colliding violently with the light bullet!

"Bang!"

A blinding light exploded, and the world seemed to be plunged into a whiteout in an instant, followed by a deafening roar of a dragon.

Irene's bright eyes widened in disbelief... A dragon?

She really did hear a dragon's roar just now. Could it be that the mages from the Ishgar Continent who infiltrated the western continent are also dragons?

Irene, who desperately needed validation from others, was instantly thrown into disarray!

"Irene, watch out behind you!" August shouted a warning.

But Hughes had finally seized the opportunity, was not about to give it up easily. He punched Jacob Recho, who had traveled through space, and sent him flying.

Hughes's slightly excited face was reflected in Irene's somewhat flustered eyes.

"Woman, you're finished!"

"You dare to lose focus while fighting me? Have you completely forgotten the torment you suffered four hundred years ago?" Hughes grabbed Irene by the neck and snarled.

My luck has turned around! My luck has turned around!

I thought I'd be badly injured even if I didn't die this time, but I never expected that Irene, the biggest threat, would be so stupid as to deliver herself to my doorstep.

In the Alvarez Empire, besides Zeref, the person who caused Hughes the most trouble was Irene.

This woman is terrifying. Besides being able to Dragonization, she also possesses the most overpowered High Enchantment Magic.

Even in death, the remaining soul can still contend with the dragon—a truly terrifying thought!

"Release Irene, and you can name your terms!" August said in a deep voice as he caught Jacob Resio.

Hughes grinned at him, his expression excited.

Let Irene go? Absolutely not!

With Irene in his grasp, wouldn't he be able to roam freely across the dragon-infested northern continent of Guiltina?