067 Complete Beast Form. Second Stage. Apotheosis

His expression changed drastically. Before Waldo could react, he found himself engulfed in a world of fire in the blink of an eye.

The terrifying heat felt as if it would dry him out completely; every moment, the moisture in his body was being sapped away. If not for his formidable mastery of Armament Haki, he doubted he could even remain standing.

Everywhere he looked, endless golden-white flames raged like malevolent ghosts, relentlessly draining his spirit.

“We can’t drag this out. The fight must end quickly, or I’ll be worn down sooner or later.” Waldo tensed his whole body, gritting his teeth. He had underestimated his opponent.

A shriek echoed—wreathed in fire, a majestic, otherworldly giant bird unfurled its wings and hovered above. Glistening golden feathers, a vivid crown, strange tail plumes, and razor-sharp talons—all proclaimed the terror this creature inspired.

“What kind of Zoan-type Devil Fruit is this?” Waldo stood knee-deep in magma, his entire body clad in Armament Haki, resisting the relentless onslaught of heat.

“Scorching Tempest!”

The divine bird swooped, its form vanishing as two pitch-black wings spun at blinding speed.

“Good, you’re coming!” A trace of delight flashed across Waldo’s face.

“Momo: Five Hundredfold Punch!”

A wing and a fist collided with a sound like a volcano erupting—a cataclysmic clash of power that seemed to shake the heavens. Magma exploded, exposing a layer of dark red rock five meters below.

“Momo: Hundredfold Speed!”

With a flicker of his eyes, Xuanye unleashed his Observation Haki in all directions. In a split second, a whip-like leg whistled through the air, striking to his right with explosive force.

Fists and feet met with a thunderous crash, shattering the ground. Waldo’s form materialized, his kick meeting Xuanye’s head-on.

“Momo: Air Fist!”

Flipping back, Waldo grinned savagely. His right arm bulged with muscle as he drove a fist forward, shattering the air itself.

Xuanye’s pupils contracted. Crossing his burning wings to shield his vital points, he braced himself.

A visible shockwave, roaring like a dragon, tore through the flames and struck Xuanye full on.

Blood spewed from his mouth as Xuanye tumbled back, flames still raging over his body, dropping to one knee.

“Scorching Vacuum!”

A sudden pulse swept through the space, instantly clearing it.

“You… you actually drained the air…” Waldo’s skin puckered, his expression transforming in that instant.

A wicked smile curled Xuanye’s lips. Ignoring his battered, swollen wings, he circled in the air, a god of fire—vast and formidable.

“Infinite Arrows!”

“Flame Ray!”

“Piercing Beam!”

A barrage without end; the entire domain of fire transformed into a storm of blades, overwhelming Waldo and forcing him to dodge and fall.

“Momo: Five Hundredfold—Full Power!”

Waldo spat blood—his ability had already exceeded its limits.

Invisible figures whirled in the air. Gasping for breath, Xuanye hovered above.

“Kid, you’re only the third person to force me to harm myself.”

Xuanye’s skin prickled with cold dread as that chilling voice sounded behind him.

Without hesitation, he lashed out with a kick, but before he could even move, a tremendous force crashed down from above.

Blood gushed from his mouth as Xuanye’s body bent with a groan of pain—Waldo, bleeding from every orifice, had ruthlessly stomped on his back.

A streak of light flashed—Xuanye’s face contorted in agony as he plummeted to the ground like a meteor.

Magma sprayed everywhere, the earth cratering. Xuanye lay at the center of a vast pit, soaked in blood.

He struggled to his feet, blood still pouring from his lips, pain overwhelming every nerve.

A howling sound split the air—a figure descended, right foot dark as pitch and gleaming coldly, falling like a mountain.

“Armament: Divine Sunfire Domain!”

The fire domain vanished, rapidly condensing into a blazing sphere in an instant.

“Explode!”

Lying on the ground, Xuanye’s face twisted with ferocity as he detonated the entire fire domain.

“Courting death.” Sensing the upheaval, Waldo—bleeding from every pore—struck like a vengeful specter.

Volcanoes erupted, the earth shook, tempests tore the land, and sandstorm became hurricane. The sea heaved, the ground collapsed, and a black mushroom cloud joined sky and earth. The entire island split apart, reduced to fragments.

From the heart of the storm, a battered figure tumbled out, dragging a long bloody path across the ground before crashing into a small hill.

Stones tumbled down as Xuanye lay sprawled, hair wild, face bloodied, gasping for air.

Coughing and struggling to his feet, every movement sent a tearing pain through him, distorting his features with murderous intent.

Footsteps echoed—Waldo, his body covered in wounds, chest laid bare to the bone, face a mangled mess, walked forward.

With every step, blood dripped to the ground, his face twisted with murderous fury.

“Boy, today you die.” Waldo coughed out blood, his face savage.

A cold laugh escaped Xuanye’s trembling lips. “We’ll see who dies here.”

“Clinging to life—what chance do you have against me in my five-hundredfold state?” Waldo left a bloody footprint behind, sneering. “I ate the Momo Fruit. I can amplify anything I touch, even my own speed and strength. Now, at five hundred times my normal power, you have no chance. The only outcome is death.”

Xuanye’s head hung low, hair shadowing his eyes as his body shook—then, suddenly, he erupted in wild laughter.

“I am Sky Bird Xuanye Tang.”

“Full Beast Form, Second Stage—Divine Transformation!”

With a furious roar, flames and lightning exploded, splitting the heavens themselves.

The divine, otherworldly bird stood tall, flames swirling fiercely around it, contracting before the naked eye.

A powerful heartbeat thundered in the sky. From the fire, a figure emerged.

With a chiseled face, two golden-white streaks ran down his cheeks, a golden sunbird sigil spread across his forehead. Golden flames spiraled over his torso—on closer look, each one a tiny sunbird. His exposed arms and legs were covered in layers of golden feathers, like tattoos carved in flesh.

Savage, powerful, undeniable—he was a giant bird in human form.

Utterly sinister in his magnificence.

He exhaled a stream of fire, his twisted smile making Waldo instinctively tense.

The ground shattered—Xuanye appeared before Waldo in an instant, right fist bloody, tearing through the air.

Their fists collided with a deafening roar—Waldo’s face turned pale as he was blasted backward.

Xuanye followed, both hands clenched like twin hammers, smashing down.

Waldo coughed blood as he crashed to the earth, boulders flying, the island shaking violently.

The ground split again as Xuanye’s right foot, blackened, drove deep into the earth. Not far off, Waldo staggered to his feet, battered and wild.

“Unforgivable.” Waldo roared, blurring into a shadow as he charged.

Xuanye’s lips curled into a wicked smile. Standing firm, veins bulged in his right fist as he struck out with overwhelming force.

Gritting his teeth, Waldo flipped and kicked.

“Stay down!” Xuanye’s left hand ignited, a blazing river of fire surging forward.

Fist and foot clashed in a violent exchange—Xuanye was sent flying, blood spraying from his mouth, while Waldo smashed heavily into the ground, groaning in pain.

“Infinite Arrows!”

A barrage filled the sky—Xuanye’s shriek sealing Waldo’s every escape.

“One Hundred Million Degrees—Super Fire God Spear!”

The heavens changed, thunder and lightning splitting the sky as a colossal spear—tens of thousands of meters long—descended with apocalyptic might, the wrath of heaven itself.

“Momo: Five Hundredfold Barrage!”

Against the immense fire spear, Waldo was as insignificant as an ant, gnawing desperately at the titanic weapon. But it was too vast, too hot—after a moment’s struggle, in the face of Waldo’s unwilling rage, the spear crashed down.

“No—!”

The spear drove deep into the earth, and with a final thunderous impact, a storm swept across the shattered island, seawater flooding in. Soon, this island would be nothing but a memory.

After unleashing this final blow, Xuanye, battered and broken, collapsed to the ground and fell unconscious.

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