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"How could I possibly be messing with you?"Riku didn't even care about what he got from the chest. He'd already muted the system and was staring directly at Hatsuse Fia as he replied calmly.
Hatsuse Fia was easily the strongest opponent he'd faced recently—aside from Jibril. He couldn't afford to drop his guard. One wrong move, and he might get taken out instantly. Total disaster.
"But… looks like I'm not getting out of here that easily today."Riku glanced around and spoke lightly.
"Princess! Are you alright?!"As soon as Riku finished speaking, a loud noise echoed. A group of beastmen suddenly rushed in through the doors around them.
All of them had powerful auras. Clearly, they were elite warriors of the beastman race. Outside, there were hundreds—maybe thousands—more beastmen waiting, ready to jump in and either help out or block Riku's escape.
"A human?!"When the beastman elites saw Riku, their expressions darkened in confusion and suspicion.
"You're right—you're not getting out of here so easily," Hatsuse Fia said coldly. "I can sense your strength. You're strong. But escaping from here? That's still impossible. Why not stop resisting and surrender?"
"Sorry, that's not happening. Leaving isn't as hard as you think."Riku suddenly smiled and answered with confidence.
As he finished speaking, he activated the Heavenly Step. A terrifying burst of power exploded from his slim body, shattering the floor beneath his feet as he shot upwards into the sky.
His speed? So fast most of the beastmen couldn't even see his takeoff.
"What the hell?!"Everyone watching froze in shock. A human just unleashed that kind of raw physical power? He was stronger than most beastmen—completely unbelievable.
"Hmph."As Riku made his move, Hatsuse Fia's eyes flashed. She snorted coldly, and her petite body tore through the air, shooting after him—faster than even Riku!
BOOM————!
In the next instant, she caught up to Riku. Her tiny fist flew forward, punching hard. The air around them exploded with shockwaves, becoming wildly unstable.
BOOM————!
Riku's eyes narrowed. He met her punch head-on, channeling spirit energy into his fist as he swung to counter hers.
KABOOM————!
The sound rang out like a thunderclap, shocking and deafening. Just a basic punch exchange somehow created a full-on explosion!
In that brief clash, their terrifying power collided. The air around them crumpled under the force, white mist spiraling from the pressure as the atmosphere itself got blasted apart.
Riku groaned and flew back nearly a hundred meters before regaining control of his body.
Clearly, in that punch-for-punch clash—Hatsuse Fia, the tiny beastman princess, had won.
"Your strength is impressive. Stronger than even most of us beastmen using 'Blood Fury.' You've shattered physical limits. But I'm not like the rest of my people," she said calmly, stepping on thin air like it was solid ground.
"You don't need to tell me that. I can see it just fine," Riku replied, glancing at his slightly swollen fist like it was no big deal.
He'd only eaten one of those power fruits and already reached this level. But Hatsuse Fia? She was a beastman who was already close to the physical limit before eating seven fruits.
Maybe the effects got weaker with each one, but even so—it was insane.
Right now, even without tapping into her 'Blood Fury' mode, her basic state was already four or five times stronger than a normal beastman using it.
That punch just now—if Riku hadn't wrapped his fist in spirit energy for defense, his arm might've been shattered, or worse, blown clean off.
"You're pretty strong, yeah… but I'm no pushover either."Riku grinned.
"Gate Four—Pain Gate—OPEN!"In the next moment, his eyes sharpened, and he shouted fiercely.
Suddenly, blue energy flames burst out from his body. His aura surged wildly, shaking the skies around him.
"What the hell is this?! This power… it's terrifying!"Below, the beastmen watching turned pale. It was like an invisible mountain had dropped onto their chests.
A human breaking the laws of physics was already crazy enough. But now he was unleashing even more power?
Against this kind of strength, maybe only their princess could stand a chance. Everyone else? Useless.And this guy wasn't dumb either. He broke physical limits—he could fly. If he wanted to escape, no one could even keep up.
"It's fine. Our princess is the strongest! She'll beat him for sure!"Some of the beastmen tried to reassure themselves, eyes filled with worry. But deep down, they were far from calm.
Beastmen had sharp instincts—and something about Riku felt off.
Even the blood-fury capable beastmen stood still, grim-faced, watching the sky. A battle of this level? They'd only slow her down if they jumped in.
"....."