The blinding light surged outward, followed by waves of storm-like winds radiating in rings, each one like a purge strong enough to destroy everything in its path.

From above, the earth looked like it had been split open from a single point, then rolled outward like crashing waves, spreading in all directions.

Winds howled. Debris flew wildly.

"Terrifying... That kind of impact..."

Queen immediately transformed into a massive Brachiosaurus, curling his body protectively around the machine used to monitor Daren's biological data, shielding it from the blast.

Even from this distance, the shockwaves and aura from the two unleashing their full power were enough to make his heart pound in fear, a tingling sensation crawling across his scalp.

It was no exaggeration—if either of those monsters had aimed that attack directly at the island, they would've blown a hole clean through Onigashima in one strike.

"Hey, tight-pants fatty. You sure that machine can even measure power at this level?"

Dragon suddenly spoke, his tone flat.

He stood frozen, staring at the distant apocalyptic chaos, the corner of his mouth twitching uncontrollably.

Queen's eye twitched in response. He muttered dully,

"Let's hope so."

"It's about to be decided..."

King spoke up quietly.

At his words, Dragon and Queen fell silent, holding their breath as they turned their eyes once more toward the battlefield.

...

The endless light in the sky slowly began to contract, then receded toward the center.

When the dazzling glare finally faded, what remained was a scorched and shattered land—an enormous crater lay at the heart of the island, too vast to take in at once.

The impact site stretched for kilometers. Everything that had once existed there had been obliterated, ground into dust.

Black smoke poured into the sky. Flames curled and danced along the ground, stray arcs of electricity crackling amid the wreckage. It looked like hell itself had opened.

"Where are they?!"

Queen's eyes widened as he strained to see through the thick smoke, trying to spot the two figures.

"In the sky... they're falling!"

A glint flashed in Dragon's eyes as he pointed it out.

The others looked up. From high above, two battered figures were plummeting from the clouds—one ahead of the other.

Air streamed past their mangled bodies. Both were covered in blood, torn and broken beyond recognition. It was brutal.

Yet even as they fell, neither moved. Eyes shut. Completely unconscious.

Boom!

Boom!

Twin impacts slammed into the ground, kicking up clouds of dust. Daren and Kaidou crashed down almost simultaneously, carving two battered craters into the scorched earth.

"Kaidou-san!"

"Kaidou-sama!"

"Daren!"

King, Queen, and Dragon all froze—then, without a word, shot forward like bullets.

King was first to reach Kaidou, wings flaring as he flew. The dragon lay unconscious, face caked in blood—but his hand still clutched the kanabō tight.

Gritting his teeth, King turned toward Queen, who landed moments later.

"Queen! Check Kaidou-san's injuries immediately!"

Queen nodded, breathless, his face tense and pale. Panic was written all over him.

Since the day he'd joined the Beasts Pirates, Kaidou had always been invincible in his eyes.

Not once had he seen him this badly hurt.

He crouched down without hesitation, mechanical arm whirring as it deployed scanning instruments, beginning a field diagnosis on the spot.

"Eighteen ribs fractured... lungs severely damaged, fluid buildup detected... massive internal bleeding..."

As Queen's voice grew hoarser with each word, the expression beneath King's mask turned colder and colder. A quiet, deadly killing intent began to rise from his body.

"...But luckily, the final strike didn't hit any vital points. Kaidou-sama likely used his own body to absorb and deflect part of the impact. For now, there's no immediate threat to his life."

After finishing the examination, Queen let out a long sigh, collapsing to the ground in a cold sweat.

"Hey, fat guy—get over here and help check on Daren... Something's not right with him!"

Dragon, crouched beside Daren, spoke gravely.

"Alright..."

Queen instinctively nodded, but before he could move, King suddenly vanished from his spot.

Dragon's eyes narrowed. His expression darkened.

He turned sharply, thrusting out his three-clawed hand with piercing force.

Clang!!

A longsword wreathed in crimson flames was caught mid-swing by Dragon's claws, sending a spray of sparks in every direction.

Behind the blade stood King, shrouded in killing intent.

"What do you think you're doing?"

Dragon's gaze turned icy.

"This was a battle for the title of 'strongest creature.' You want to interfere with that?"

Flames began to rise around King, strange and intense. His black mask burned away, revealing long white hair and a sharp, striking face.

"I won't allow anyone to harm Kaidou-san."

"I won't... forgive it!"

Boom!

Blazing flames surged around King, shooting skyward.

"Is that so? Then I'm sorry—but I owe Daren too much. A debt I'll never repay, even in a lifetime. I can't let you put his life in danger."

Dragon's expression turned steely. A visible storm howled from his body.

Red fire and green wind surged into the sky, dividing the earth beneath into two forces locked in fierce opposition, each struggling for dominance.

"If you want to kill Daren... you'd better be ready to stake your life on it!"

With a roar, Dragon's aura exploded, and the storm instantly overpowered King's flames.

King let out a muffled grunt, blood trailing from the corner of his mouth.

But there was no hesitation in his eyes—only madness and unwavering resolve.

Just as King was about to throw everything into the fight—

"That's enough, Arber."

A low, raspy voice rang out behind him, freezing him in place.

"Kaidou-san?"

He turned to see Kaidou slowly regaining consciousness, holding his kanabō in one hand as he struggled to stand.

Kaidou shook his head at King, then looked past him toward the unconscious, black-clad youth lying behind Dragon.

"Don't even think about it."

Dragon stepped sideways, positioning himself defensively and blocking Kaidou's view.

Kaidou panted slightly, looked at him—and then, unexpectedly, said,

"I lost."

The moment the words left his mouth, Dragon, King, and Queen all stood frozen in place.

Especially King and Queen—their faces filled with disbelief, like they couldn't trust their own ears.

Kaidou-sama... actually admitted defeat?!

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