Chapter 78: The Bait!

"Magnus!? Is he insane!?" On the coast of Elbaf, seeing Magnus openly unleash his ki without a shred of concealment, Rona's expression hardened. She could hardly believe Magnus had the audacity to show up alone. "Could this be a trap?" Beside her, Grindewin frowned and took a step back behind Rona. "Rona-taishō, if White Wolf Magnus dared to come, he must have something up his sleeve. I'll stay here and guard Giant King Harald — you and chūjō Kong handle Magnus." "...Fine." Though she despised people like Grindewin, Rona was confident. With her and Kong present, Magnus couldn't possibly rescue anyone from Elbaf. Tch. The thought flashed through her mind and left her even more irritated. Why did it feel like they were the villains here, and Magnus was the one standing on the side of justice? Even as that thought crossed her mind, she saw a figure streak toward Magnus like a shooting star. "Magnus!!!" Kong roared, using geppō (Moon Step) to triple-jump through the air, covering kilometers in the blink of an eye to appear in front of Magnus. "Dankō Uchi! (Steel Strike!)" "Haha, going all out from the start? Kong, do you really believe what you're doing is justice?" "Shut up, Magnus!" In the sky, Magnus's blade met Kong's fist. The clash of haki raised a tempest that swept across Elbaf's coast. "This time, I won't hesitate again!" "That so?" Hearing Kong's words, the smile on Magnus's face turned cold. "In that case... die." The extreme cold of his fruit power spread from his blade up Kong's arm. Even though Kong coated both hands in busoshoku haki (Armament Haki), Magnus was channeling both haki and his fruit simultaneously. "Shimo Furi! (Frost Fall!)" The brief clash ended decisively — a massive slash infused with frost sent Kong hurtling down from the sky. Magnus's roar thundered across Elbaf's skies. "What's wrong? Just you, Kong? Rona — if you don't move, I'll claim Kong's life myself!" Saying so, Magnus shot down after Kong. "Damn it!" Seeing this, Rona could no longer remain still. "Magnus! If you want to die, I'll grant your wish!" She sprinted along the coast, gripping her long blade. "Hiiro Battō! (Crimson Draw!)" A peerless slash cut through all obstacles in its path, flying straight toward Magnus. "Heh... just you two?" Magnus halted his charge at Kong and reversed his blade, shattering Rona's attack with a single swing. But at that moment, Kong surged back up from below. "Kōsei! (Falling Star!)" A powerful strike landed squarely on Magnus. No — something was wrong! The strange feeling made Kong instantly wary. The figure he struck, made entirely of icy mist, shattered at his touch. "Rona-taishō! Careful!" "...?" Rona's face hardened when she swept the area with kenbunshoku haki. Magnus's real target wasn't her or Kong — it was— "No!" Both Kong and Rona cried out, just in time to see Magnus in his half-beast form moving at incredible speed toward Giant King Harald... and CP0's highest operative, Grindewin Hoin. "Stop him!" Though slightly weaker than Kong and Rona, Grindewin was still of near-taishō caliber — even someone of taishō-level couldn't take him down easily. Standing atop the fallen Harald, his busoshoku-coated finger was already pointed at Harald's forehead. "If you don't want the Giant King to die, then—" But Grindewin hadn't expected Magnus to charge in without even glancing at Harald. "Idiot!" A single slash, haōshoku haki (Conqueror's Haki) entwined, sent Grindewin flying hundreds of meters away. "You're threatening to kill Harald? What does that have to do with White Wolf Magnus!?" If a mere CP0 operative of near-taishō level could kill Harald with shigan (Finger Gun), then Magnus might as well write his name backward. Even weakened as he was, Harald still had the haki to block that kind of attack. "Damn it!" Coughing up blood from Magnus's slash, Grindewin finally realized how naïve he'd been. A bastard like White Wolf Magnus would never risk himself for someone else. Seeing Magnus continue charging at him, Grindewin couldn't help but shout, "Rona-taishō! Kong-chūjō! What are you doing!?" Tch. Though she despised Grindewin, Rona couldn't just let Magnus kill him. Magnus's brief pause during his attack allowed Rona and Kong to catch up. But even at taishō-level, Magnus's strength was above theirs — and speed was his specialty. Just as they closed in, Magnus widened the gap again. "Grindewin, block him!" "...Me!?" Grindewin's face turned green. Still, he knew if they didn't tie Magnus down now, he'd slip away. There was a reason he was sent here. Toritori no Mi, model: Saker Falcon! Grindewin spread his arms, feathers sprouting as Magnus charged at him. "Utsu! (Feather Barrage!)" Blades of feathers shot at Magnus to block him, but he didn't flinch and kept coming. "Gah!" Seeing Magnus bearing down on him, Grindewin screamed, flapped his wings, and fled skyward. "Grindewin!!" Kong and Rona cursed at the sight. You're supposed to block him! Fortunately, Grindewin didn't flee entirely. From high above, his talons slashed. "Rankyaku Renpa! (Tempest Kick: Ripple!)" Same technique, but unleashed by a true powerhouse — the crescent slashes rained down. Even Magnus had to raise his blade to deflect them. "At last — we've got you!" Seeing Magnus finally stop, Kong's eyes shone as he unleashed a shockwave of busoshoku to envelop Magnus. "Kōsei! (Falling Star!)" "Setsugetsu! (Moon Cutter!)" Rona joined in too, striking just a hair behind Kong. Two taishō-class fighters, plus a near-taishō — all three closed in. Magnus had nowhere to run. Yet... in the face of such peril, Magnus laughed. "Hahaha... just as it should be!" The three strongest were all focused on him. As for the rest... Ripley, it's up to you now. (End of Chapter)[Check Out My P@treon For +20 Extra Chapters On All My Fanfics!!][[email protected]/euridome][Thank You For Your Support!]