Chapter 120: The True Beast King
Far above me and Yamato floated the long, serpent-like form of Kaido. He wasn’t actually a serpent, looking closer to a dragon, as blue scales covered his entire body. His injuries were still sustained despite his transformation, as there was blood flowing out from the stab injury on his long brown-scaled underside, and one of his now much-smaller four legs was still bleeding from the back.
And, as I glanced over his head, the transformation wasn’t just for show.
[Beast Form] [Captain of the Beast Pirates] [Yonko] [Kaido] - Level 3,500
Reputation: Disliked
The Yonko’s new level was seriously impressive. It surpassed both base-form Sirzechs and Ajuka, even if Kaido likely wasn’t as strong as either of them overall, but instead just stronger on a physical-stat level.
"You’re really pissin’ me off now..." Kaido growled above us, his eyes narrowing as his large dragon-maw opened, "I don’t care if I destroy the whole castle anymore!"
Kaido’s mouth was flooded with fire, but instead of launching out and trying to devour us, it seemed to condense into a ball within his jaw. It floated between his tongue and teeth, the ball becoming brighter and more potent as it was filled with more and more power.
"V-Valon! He’s..." Yamato stuttered, holding up her club defensively as she knew what was about to come, but I did too.
"Stand behind me," I said simply, stepping forward as I raised my sword, blocking Yamato behind my frame.
"W-What are you..." I stood still, ignoring Yamato’s concerned doubts behind me, and readied myself.
"BLAST BREATH!" Kaido roared, his voice echoing across the rooftop as a massive, condensed beam of fire shot straight down at us.
The instant Kaido’s roar tore through the air, the world lit up in a blinding wave of gold and crimson fire. The Blast Breath wasn’t just fire, as instead of streaming outwards in a blast of flames, it was compressed into a beam so dense the air screamed as it split apart around it.
It was less of a breath of fire and more of a beam of raw power. I silently thought that Kaido would fit in well in the Dragon Ball universe with an attack like this, but I didn’t have any more time to think. The beam crossed the air in only a second, reaching me and Yamato in the blink of an eye.
I stepped forward into its path, both hands gripping my sword tightly, with my stance rooted as my feet dug into the ground below. Yamato’s breath caught behind me, clearly unsure if we were both about to become nothing but a scorch mark on the rooftop, but I didn’t move an inch.
As I swung downward, a flurry of skills activated at the same time. First, the usual combination of [Sharpen] and [Crushing Blow] took effect, ensuring I would have no trouble holding up against the beam of power pressing down on me.
Then, I used a technique I had only practiced and had never put into action in a real fight. The [Power of Destruction] flared up, but instead of pushing back against the Blast Breath in a battle for dominance, it coated my blade.
The dark, reddish-black aura consumed my blade, dancing on the edge as it was just one mistake away from destroying the entire sword in my hands. But I wouldn’t make such a mistake.
My sword slashed forward, making contact with the Blast Breath. The moment the beam hit my blade, the clash was deafening - the air around us becoming thick, and the cloudy sky above shaking, as if it was being cracked in two.
My sword cleaved into the torrent, not backing down as my arms were tense. The weight of the Blast Breath felt heavy, even to my enhanced strength, but I didn’t back down for even a second. The edge of my blade carved a wedge through the molten fury, heat rolling off it in waves.
I heard Yamato hiss lightly from the heat blasting around us as the wave of fire split around my body, feeling so intense that the stone beneath our feet blistered and cracked. The beam tried to swallow me whole, shoving forward with enough force to collapse an entire mountain, but my swing kept cutting, splitting the inferno in two.
The divided Blast Breath howled past me on either side, spiraling into the castle below us as Kaido didn’t have any regard for his subordinates below. The rocky roof collapsed, being burned through as the ground shook and vibrated.
Aside from entire sections of the roof, the floors and structure below were obliterated in an instant - vanishing into the fiery beam of pure power that tore through wood, stone, and steel like they were paper. The shockwave flattened everything it made contact with, hurling debris outward in an explosion of rubble and debris.
After only a few seconds, which felt much longer within the firestorm, Kaido’s power gave out, and his mouth slowly closed. As the last of the beam died away, the carnage of his attack was revealed.
Around us, in a perfect V-shape, there was nothing - just a massive hole in the floor, which gave me a view of the castle below being engulfed in flames as grunts ran around frantically. Ash fell like snow around us, piling on the ground, as dust and smoke filled the air.
I finally lowered my sword, steam literally curling upward from the edge, and grinned as I locked eyes with Kaido.
"Not bad," I said simply, only causing Kaido’s gaze to become filled with more anger, though there was a trace of disbelief in his eyes, "But, you probably caught a fair bit of your own men in that blast, y’know? We can’t have that."
As badass as cutting through the Blast Breath was, the damage the beam had caused was still annoying. I was sure more than a few grunts had been burned to a crisp within the castle below, and as a result, I was finished with Kaido.
The fight was enjoyable, and defeating a fellow Conqueror was certainly satisfying some of the hunger in my gut, but I still needed to keep my focus on what I truly came here for.
Wano, its inhabitants, and the Beast Pirates. If Kaido was going to fight recklessly and kill some of my new-future subordinates in the process, then I wouldn’t humor this fight any longer.
"I can do what I want with my men," Kaido huffed back at my words, two small flames shooting out of his nostrils as he spoke, "If I have to destroy all of Onigashima to kill you, then I will!"
Kaido opened his mouth again, a Blast Breath forming within it, and I just shook my head lightly. I knew the Yonko was a pretty big piece of shit, but being a reckless piece of shit was even worse.
So, I simply squeezed my palm around the hilt of my sword and muttered one word.
"Boost."
In a split second, I was in the air, and Kaido’s eyes went wide as my sword hovered over his head. This was the true reason the Boosted Gear was so overpowered - the exponential gains.
I wasn’t multiplying my base stats by 3 - no, I had doubled my stats, and then doubled that, essentially making it quadrupled. And, with just one word-
"Boost."
That power became multiplied by 8, and any chance Kaido had at putting up a fight was snuffed out. I vanished before his eyes, and a split-second later, the massive dragon let out a roar of pain.
I appeared behind him, at the very end of his serpent-like body, and various spurts of blood came flying outward from his underside as a flurry of notifications appeared to my side.
[Devouring Stab] has claimed stats from [Kaido]!
+17,000 HP!
+1,700 MAXHP!
+7,150 STR
+3,725 AGI
+14,920 END
That was just one of the nearly twenty notifications that appeared, all denoting the amount of stats I took Kaido as nearly twenty slashes of my sword made contact in less than a second. The Boosted Gear really was overpowered, huh?
For someone like Issei, whose base was pathetically low, it took a lot, and I mean a lot, of boosts for him to become a serious threat, but for myself? For a being with a strong enough base to defeat even Sirzechs in his True Form?
Just one boost made me able to handle Kaido without taking any damage throughout the fight, and a second meant that Kaido would be fighting for his life. Add in a third?
Now, even if Kaido took on his Hybrid Form at this very moment, it wouldn’t matter. I could’ve defeated him without using any boosts, though it would’ve been a pretty long and drawn-out battle, but with my power being multiplied by 8?
"You can bow down now, or you can keep struggling fruitlessly. Either one is fine with me," I said simply, smirking as I glanced over my shoulder at the bleeding, writhing, and rage-filled Kaido.
"YOU... YOU BRAT!" Kaido roared, spinning around and glaring at me harshly as I floated in the air, "I’LL KILL YOU!"
And, Kaido’s words were just for show, as he finally put everything he had into the fight.
Kaido’s long dragon body twisted violently, his form shrinking in a burst of steam and raw energy that coated the sky. The sound was like bones grinding against stone as his body compressed, scales shifting into armor-like patches across rippling muscles. His body shrank, going from a long, serpent-like dragon back to the original Kaido - except instead of skin covering his body, it was blue scales.
In just one moment, the Yonko stood in his Hybrid Form - towering over the rooftop as his shadow cast over Yamato. His horns spiked upward as his teeth bared like fangs, and a long, thick dragon’s tail shot out behind him.
His eyes narrowed at me, his fingers twitching as his claws were sharp enough to tear steel apart. He casually lashed his tail across the rooftop, the appendage moving in a blur as it sent dust flying in the air, splitting the stone roof like it was made of straw, and forcing Yamato to leap in the air as she barely dodged the swipe.
Above his head, the text box told me that Kaido had finally reached his final form.
[Hybrid Form] [Captain of the Beast Pirates] [Yonko] [Kaido] - Level 4,275
Reputation: Hated
"You want me to bow?! I’ll rip you apart and burn whatever’s left!" Kaido snarled, his eyes filled with anger even as streams of blood flowed down his scaled body. However, I wasn’t the slightest bit concerned.
He lunged forward abruptly, launching into the air and moving far faster than his bulk should have allowed, with his half-kanabo swinging down in an overhead arc that could have wiped out an entire mountain.
In response, I stepped aside so casually you’d think I was stepping around a puddle rather than an attack from a Yonko. The half-weapon smashed through the air next to me, tearing through the air as the force slammed outward in every direction - causing the rooftop below us to crumble partially from the aftershock.
Stone and debris were sent flying, raining down into the fiery burning interior of the castle below. Before Kaido could even fall back to the rooftop, I appeared at his flank, my sword pressing lightly against his side - not cutting or drawing blood, but simply pressing lightly into his scales.
"Too slow."
Kaido’s eyes flashed with fury as he spun, swinging his tail like a wrecking ball as gravity took over. I ducked easily, letting it pass overhead, as Kaido plummeted down and landed on the rooftop with a crash again.
As he did, I was already casually floating next to him, and my blade tapped on his shoulder this time.
"I could’ve killed you a hundred times by now."
Kaido didn’t appreciate that, as he let out a wordless roar in annoyance, with the force of his vocals sending loose tiles tumbling, but every attack after that was underwhelming.
Kaido spun around, swinging in a large, wide arc filled with power. It was so fast that a normal person wouldn’t have been able to even keep track of it, and this was what made Kaido so deadly. His ability to put so much strength into what should’ve been wild attacks, but which were so fast that there was no way to exploit the predictable pattern or inefficient attacks.
Wide swings. Heavy blows. Overwhelming power. Attacks intent on squishing his opponent like an ant. His Haki streaked through the air, sending the sky alight with dark red streaks of pure power. But, to me, they were practically moving in slow motion.
With each swing of his half-broken club, I was already somewhere else, my movements so fast that to him they must have seemed like afterimages.
"STAY STILL!" He threw a punch that was practically the size of my body, but my blade caught it mid-attack, [Sharpen] activating as I let his fist slide across the edge. The sword bit into his knuckles just enough to draw blood, only angering Kaido more as his face twisted.
"You’ve got strength, Yonko. No one in this world can deny that," I said simply as he staggered back, staring down at his bloody knuckles, "But I’m not from this world. Where I come from, you wouldn’t even make the top 50."
My words were mocking as I toyed with the Yonko, slowly breaking his will, but also true. The DxD world simply had far too many heavy hitters, and even if Kaido’s physical stats allowed him to have a level comparable to someone in the Top 10, his Haki couldn’t compete with the magical prowess of the demonic world.
"Shut your mouth!" Kaido bellowed, clearly not enjoying my words as he swung his club again.
This time, I didn’t dodge. With three boosts coursing through my body, it was time to show Kaido how big the gap in our power was. I raised my sword and, without using any skills, swung forward.
Metal met metal as our attacks clashed in the middle, but whereas it had been a near-even clash of power towards the start of the fight, this time it wasn’t even a challenge. My sword met the bottom, remaining half, of his club, and simply pushed forward.
There was no epic clash of power, nor any air-shaking impact. As if I were an expert swordsman parrying a child, my blade met the kanabo and sent it reeling.
A shockwave ripped through the rooftop like an earthquake, and Kaido’s kanabo went flying out of his hand, ripped away by the sheer strength in my swing. It went spinning away into the distance - vanishing into the burning castle below after bouncing across the rooftop a few times.
Kaido froze, his eyes wide with disbelief as he glanced over, realizing his weapon was gone. In that split-second of distraction, I intended to end the fight.
[Minor Time Control] activated, and for just a singular second, the world slowed around me. Then, I moved.
My blade moved like a streak of death, cutting deep lines across his body as I appeared in front of Kaido. Each blow stole more of his strength, as a flurry of notifications appeared in my vision, but I didn’t pay them any mind right now.
I just continued to swing. In a singular second, in the expanse of slowed time where Kaido didn’t even know what happened, dozens upon dozens of thick wounds appeared across his body. Blood started to spurt outward, flying into the air, but not reaching the ground yet as time was slowed.
My blade curved across his chest, then his shoulder, then all four limbs, then his back, then behind both legs. In a burst of movement, which Kaido had no chance to process, much less stop, he lost the fight.
As I finished my last strike, I stood in front of Kaido’s towering form, and time sped up again. The blood spurts reached the ground, pooling as Kaido’s eyes went wide with pain, and his legs crumbled beneath him.
"W-What..." That was all Kaido could stutter out as he fell down, his hands slamming into the ground as his body exploded into a fountain of blood.
The Yonko’s breath became heavier, and his hybrid muscles trembled, not from fear, but from the sheer weight of the damage I’d inflicted in seconds.
"You..." Kaido growled as he was on all fours, his glare still sharp and filled with anger, "This isn’t... over."
I watched as Kaido tried, and failed, to push himself to his feet - stumbling rather pathetically as he fell back onto all fours again. No matter how powerful you were, having the tendons in your legs cut wasn’t something you could overcome.
I stopped in front of him, casually planting the tip of my sword against the stone between us. "It’s over, Kaido. You can’t beat me."
"Shut up!" he growled, even as blood ran freely from his wounds, "I’ll kill you!"
Despite his words, Kaido could barely move. The fact that he was still able to speak with so many flesh wounds and so much blood pooling around him was a testament to the Yonko’s pure willpower.
"You lost." I responded easily, just staring down at his struggling form, "But, you don’t have to die. Submit to my rule, and I’ll give you a far bigger purpose than finding the One Piece."
"I’ll never... submit to you... bastard..." Kaido huffed, his breathing heavy as he glared at me again, trying to shove himself upward again, but his arms gave out under the strain of the wounds.
I just smirked a bit at his words, "Then you’ll kneel until you do."
After that, the rooftop was dead silent except for the crackle of flames underneath us. Kaido continued to try and push himself to his feet - the no avail - and I simply stood over him, staring down at his struggling form.
Behind me, Yamato had lowered her club, staring at her father with wide eyes. Her expression was a mixture of disbelief and awe as she saw the state Kaido was in.
Kaido, the unbreakable Yonko, the so-called strongest creature in the world, was down on all fours before me, chest heaving. The unkillable beast, who couldn’t find a way to die, was lying in a pool of his own blood.
"Something... greater than... the... One Piece?" After a few minutes of struggling, Kaido finally gritted out a few words.
"Yes. My Kingdom stretches far beyond just this world, and soon, it will encompass more than the entire ocean," I replied, stepping closer as my shadow fell over him. "The power my Kingdom holds, and will hold in this world, will make the fabled ’Pirate King’ look like an ant in front of a giant. And I don’t plan on killing you, Kaido. You’re worth more alive, serving in my Kingdom. What we’ll do together will make even the World Government shake in fear."
Kaido didn’t answer for a minute, just huffing and grunting as he was slowly bleeding out. Then, finally, he spoke again.
"You’re... a crazy... bastard..." Kaido just huffed, glaring up at me from his kneeling position, but then, he gave a begrudging nod, knowing his other option was death, "But... aren’t we... all?"
In that moment, a new era in Wano began as the ’World’s Strongest Creature,’ for the first time since Rocks D. Xebec, chose to become a follower.
And, soon, a new era in this entire world would begin. An era of unprecedented dominance.
The era of the true Beast King.
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AN: Thank you for reading! The next Chapter will be out in a few days!
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