'Boom!!!'

  A deafening roar filled the air as fmes surged, painting the sky and sea a bzihe massive fire dragon and radiant holy light cshed fiercely, flooding the se with blinding brilliance, impossible to look at directly.

  The terrifying fire dragon and intense holy light dissipated together, leaving behind a shog sight. Emerging rapidly from the vanishing fmes, Fallen Angel El surged forward with unstoppable force. Like a war deity unleashed from the depths of the inferno, his entire being radiated an overwhelming aura, surrounded by thunder, bzing fmes, and fierce Haki.

  His violent, unstoppable fist—ed in lightning and fierce fme—came crashing toward the horrified Saint Howard.

  "Holy Shield!!!"

  In a fsh, a radiant shield appeared. Saint Hritted his teeth, putting all his strength into defense. But, as expected, the formidable shield shattered instantly uhe immense impact.

  'Bang!!!' The devastating fist struck with unyielding force, hurtling toward Saint Howard. He tried to block with his sword, but the sword bent uhe power, smming into his body with brutal force.

  "Ugh!"

  Saint Howard's face twisted in agony, his eyes bulging as his chest caved uhe blow. Blood spurted from his mouth as he was unched backward like a onball.

  "Stale!" In an instant, El's expression turned fierce, and he beat his four wings.

  'Whoooosh…' With a shrill slig noise, tless bdes of wind tore through the atmosphere, cutting through everything in their path.

  'Swish… swish…' The dense barrage of wind bdes surged forward, overwhelming Saint Howard, who was still midair, severely injured and uo stabilize himself.

  "Holy Shield!!!"

  'Boom boom…'

  At this moment—

  On Franca Isnd, two figures cshed fiercely.

  In his huma form, the massive King Kong stomped down and charged toward Charlotte Linlin. His punch tore through the air as he unleashed his attack: "King Kong Chariot!"

  "Maaamaaamaaa... Night Demon Assault!"

  Equally fier her transformed state, the monstrous-looking Linlin showed no iion of yielding. Her massive broadsword, ed in Haki and a sinister red aura, sshed forward.

  'Whoosh—'

  The blood-red ssh split the air, colliding directly with Kong's powerful shockwave.

  'Boom!!!'

  A thunderous explosion echoed as the ground cracked and crumbled beh them. The blood-red energy was quickly overwhelmed by Kong's bst, crashing directly into Linlin's body and sending her flying.

  'Boom… Boom…'

  Linlin's form shattered, breaking into a swarm of bats that scattered in every dire as Kong gred in frustration. His powerful shockwave tinued, smashing into the distant mountainside, sending boulders and clouds of dust tumbling down.

  'Fp, fp, fp…'

  A massive swarm of vampire bats reformed, clustering together.

  'Ssh!'

  Kong, quick as lightning, sprinted forward, relentlessly pursuing his oppo. Just as Linlin's form began to coalesce, he struck with another Haki-infused punch, shattering her once more.

  'Bang… Bang…'

  Newly reformed bats scattered, only to be struck down in rapid succession, leaving a blood-colored mist in the air.

  "This monster… is she truly immortal?"

  Though Linlin was nowhere near his level in raw strength, her resilience roving more than formidable. Kong's eyes narrowed. He couldn't afford to lower his guard, even if she was far younger and less experienced. Her raw power and bizarre resilience made her a deadly adversary—her Elbaf teiques alone could breach his supposedly invincible defenses.

  Linlin's ughter echoed around him: "Maaamaaamaaa… It does sting, but you 't kill me!"

  "Damn it, such a troublesome oppo!"

  Kong's instincts fred, and without hesitation, he swung a fist behind him. The strike narrowly blocked Linlin's sudden assault, her broadsword radiating Haki and blood-red light.

  'g!!!'

  Sparks flew, and though he mao block her, Linlin's immerength left her bde trembling in her grasp as she staggered back. Kong moved to pursue, but Linlin's form blurred, vanishing like a ghost into the blood mist.

  "Damn it… King Kong Gale!"

  Frustrated, Kong began to spin, geing a powerful whirlwind that scattered the bloody fog around him. But as he looked to the skies, his eyes widened in horror.

  There in midair, Saint Howard, ander of the Holy Knight Corps, was vomiting blood as the relentless Fallen Angel El pursued him mercilessly.

  "Holy Restoration!!"

  Saint Howard struggled to stabilize himself, fpping his angeligs as he radiated a brilliant light. Within moments, his injuries had mostly healed, an unbelievable sight.

  "Let's see how long that healing sts… Life Return!" El's cold gaze bore into Saint Howard as he ched his fists tightly.

  'Crack… Crack…'

  El's muscles rippled, and his wings beat furiously. His bones audibly cracked as his massive frame, initially t at over teers in his hybrid form, rapidly shrank.

  Ionished eyes of both Saint Howard and Koransformed into a five-meter-tall, terrifying figure, his presence even more menag.

  "What… How is this possible?"

  As ander of the Holy Knights, Saint Howard reized the art of Life Return. He had lear himself as a young man, though his angelic powers lesses y. But El's mastery was astounding—something he had never seen before.

  "Life Return… to su extreme?"

  From the coastline, Kong's gaze tightened. Even as a seasoned admiral, he had never seen Life Return used so powerfully, pag one's form with such precision. Such a feat had no pret in the annals of the Wover or Navy history.

  "Just because you 't achieve it doesn't mean I 't…"

  El's expression hardened as the fmes behind his head extinguished. His four-winged form now embodied his ultimate offeate, his power esg as he coldly addressed Saint Howard:

  "Records are made to be broken, not revered."

  "Care to guess how long you'll st against me?"

  Bleam