Inside the space of the Door Fruit—
Standing before one of the narrow portals was a Warrior Soldier. The sword light that appeared outside had been launched by this summoned entity.
The Nen needle passed precisely through the narrow opening and struck the Warrior Soldier. Instantly, the invading Nen disrupted the soldier's structure. Its body froze mid-motion, then dissipated into particles of Nen.
"Hmm?"
Not far away, Mia narrowed her eyes from inside the Door Fruit's space as she watched Tyler (formerly No. 7), whose body suddenly surged with a massive wave of Nen.
"That's self-control via Nen needles…" Mia muttered, eyes flashing thoughtfully.
This wasn't her first time encountering an Emitter-type Nen user.
In past bounty hunts and assassinations, she had clashed with dozens of Emitters. Some had even mastered self-control techniques.
So she understood immediately what had happened to Tyler.
Self-control Nen typically involved preset commands embedded into needles. Once the needle was inserted, the user followed those commands relentlessly—unable to stop until the task was completed.
In return, the user's physical and mental performance would temporarily spike: more strength, more speed, greater manifestation power.
"He's probably given himself the command to eliminate me…" Mia surmised calmly. "But I'm hidden inside the Door Fruit space. He has no way to reach me."
"Even if I did nothing, his Nen will burn out quickly. He'll collapse under his own output. Still…"
Despite her cold, aloof nature, Mia was not one to let enemies go unchecked.
She wasn't weak—only reserved. When she did take action, it was decisive.
And now, watching Tyler burn through his own reserves, she decided she wouldn't just wait for him to collapse.
She would strike first.
Warrior Soldiers surged forward from the portal dimension under her command, rushing toward Tyler.
Her eyes sharpened with determination. If she wanted to keep up with Feng Yu, she couldn't let herself fall behind. Not now. Not ever.
CLANG! CLANG! CLANG!
Narrow portals opened and closed in bursts, each paired with flashes of steel and slashes of sword light.
Tyler's expression was blank—his eyes dull like a puppet's—but his reflexes were sharp. As the first strike appeared, he dodged with surprising speed.
But before he could retaliate, the sword retracted instantly.
A new portal opened elsewhere—another angle, another slash aimed at his neck.
Tyler bent backward, narrowly avoiding it again.
Portals continued to materialize all around him. Sword lights burst out from every direction, turning the battlefield into a whirlwind of death.
Tyler moved like a snake, twisting and dodging as each attack came close. But that was all he could do: react. His chances to fight back were nonexistent.
It was as if invisible enemies surrounded him, striking without end.
Mia's Warrior Soldiers and her portal precision locked him in from all angles.
While Tyler's Nen surge gave him incredible strength, it also came with heavy cost. His energy burned rapidly. Within minutes, his movements began to slow.
SLASH!
A single sword light cut across his side. Though his body was still cloaked in Nen, the drop in energy had weakened his defense.
Blood sprayed into the air.
Then came the second slash.
Then the third.
Within moments, Tyler's body was shredded with open wounds—bloodied, battered, and on the brink of collapse.
His defensive aura was faltering, and the slashes only came harder, faster.
Finally—
SLASH!
A final sword strike cut across his neck.
FWUMP.
His head flew clean off, tumbling through the air before landing in the dirt. His body collapsed moments later.
He was dead.
SWOOSH!
A silver streak cut across the sky, drawing attention.
It was Feng Yu, flying back from the previous battlefield. He descended like a meteor, eyes scanning the scene below.
Upon seeing Mia's fight conclude, surprise flickered across his face—followed by a satisfied smile.
He slowed his flight and landed nearby, arms folded as he observed.
He had originally rushed back out of concern—worried that the situation might have turned against his allies.
But what he saw was the opposite.
Shiba and Mia weren't just holding their ground. They had already defeated Natalie (No. 3) and Tyler (No. 7), whose corpses now lay strewn nearby.
At this moment, Shiba, Mia, and Dilumon were working together to overwhelm the last two enemies—Tess (No. 4) and Kayla (No. 10).
Feng Yu's gaze lingered on the battleground.
He had clearly underestimated them.
"They've come a long way," he murmured. "Shiba, Mia… even Dilumon. Their development of their Devil Fruits and battle instincts have improved immensely."
Feng Yu remained on the outskirts of the battle.
If they had been in danger, he would have stepped in immediately.
But now that victory was within reach, he chose to watch.
He didn't want to take away the win that they had earned.
🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉 advance chapter in PATREON
patreon.com/Achilles_Stein