Chapter 116: Akainu vs Hunter Squad

The Hunter Squad finally reached the outskirts of the Imperial Palace; not a single pedestrian could be seen on the empty streets. Obviously, word had spread.

"Xiao Ke, No. 9," Sailu called softly.

Before her voice faded, a sudden change occurred. The seemingly harmless toy dog beside her suddenly swelled, instantly transforming into a ferocious giant beast.

It lunged at Sailu, its sharp teeth biting directly into her arm; metal clashing against metal produced a piercing screech.

"Crack!"

Sailu withdrew her left arm without changing expression; a small device flashing with red light appeared on her mechanical arm.

"Justice City Detector," Sailu said calmly.

A bright point of light lit up on the detector, flashing continuously. Sailu stared intently at the light for several seconds, a glint of excitement flashing in her eyes.

"Found you, evildoer." She said softly, a cold smile curling at the corner of her mouth.

Lan nodded slowly, his expression turning grave. He took a deep breath, closed his eyes: "Ten Thousand Li Flight."

The next moment, a pair of huge snow-white wings unfolded behind him, feathers shimmering with a soft glow in the sunlight.

"Be careful," Sailu reminded softly.

Lan smiled slightly, his wings beating hard as he shot into the sky in an instant. Air currents howled around him, and in the blink of an eye he vanished into the clouds.

High in the sky, Lan overlooked the entire Imperial Palace area. His keen eyes soon caught sight of a tall figure. The man wore a uniform and was walking slowly along a wide avenue.

"That's him," Lan thought to himself. He folded his wings and slowly descended not far above Akainu.

Sensing the movement above, Akainu raised his head, staring at Lan with a gaze like torches. Their eyes met, and a tense atmosphere filled the air.

"You're the one who defeated Sheila just now," Lan said, his voice calm: "My name is Lan, and I am a member of the Empire's Special Police Force 'Hunter Squad'."

"I heard about you killing Shangpu, and I am grateful to you……"

Sakazuki frowned slightly, seeming somewhat surprised.

Lan continued: "I was once a village teacher, teaching dozens of students; they were like my children to me. But one day, when I returned from going out, all my students had been brutally slaughtered."

Sakazuki remained silent, just listening quietly.

Lan's voice trembled slightly; then he took a deep breath and continued: "It was precisely because of this that I joined the Hunter Squad. Later I learned that it was that beast who did it, so I am grateful to you."

A breeze blew, lifting the corners of Lan's clothes. He continued: "But now I am a member of the Empire. Regardless of personal feelings, I must remain loyal to my duty."

"Too much talk," Sakazuki suddenly spoke, his voice low and cold: "Since you've chosen a side, you should know the consequences."

A glint of determination flashed in Lan's eyes as he suddenly spread the wings behind him.

"Go!" Lan shouted in a low voice.

Lan's wings behind him suddenly spread; in an instant, countless snow-white feathers scattered like a violent rainstorm.

In an instant, the feathers burst into dazzling white light, like countless lightning bolts intertwining in the air.

The intense white light swallowed the entire battlefield in an instant, and Sakazuki subconsciously closed his eyes.

At this moment, Sailu said from afar: "Xiao Ke, Ten Kings Judgment, No. 2, No. 8, No. 9!"

"Awoo!"

Xiao Ke let out a low growl, instantly swelling into a colossus. It opened its bloody mouth and bit down hard on Sailu's upper body.

"Crack!" Metal clashing against metal produced a piercing screech; the next second, Xiao Ke opened its mouth and Sailu's figure reappeared.

Her arm transformed into a huge anti-aircraft gun; at the same time, her shoulders split open with a mechanical whirring, revealing missile launchers inside flashing with cold light. Sailu slowly raised her head; by now her expression had twisted beyond human shape.

The originally delicate face was now hideous and terrifying, the corners of her mouth split to her ears, revealing a bone-chilling smile.

"Justice, fire all!"

As Sailu's voice fell, the missile launcher on her shoulder and the anti-aircraft gun on her arm launched simultaneously.

"Boom!"

With a tremendous roar, countless missiles trailing long smoke streaks shot into the sky; at the same time, the anti-aircraft gun began roaring wildly, shells pouring down like raindrops.

The terrifying recoil made Sailu's body keep retreating; the ground beneath her feet shattered bit by bit under this immense force. Cracks spread like spiderwebs, shattered stones flying, covering an area of several meters in the blink of an eye.

"Boom! Boom! Boom!"

Explosions one louder than the other rang out in succession, deafening.

Smoke and dust filled the air, flames shot into the sky; within several hundred meters, the ground was actually shaved off a layer, leaving a huge crater.

Finally, the artillery fire stopped. Sailu panted heavily, white smoke slowly rising from the anti-aircraft gun on her arm. She narrowed her eyes, trying to see the results through the thick smoke.

Suddenly, a low voice came from the smoke: "This kind of power dares to call itself justice?"

The smoke slowly cleared, revealing Sakazuki's figure. His entire body was now covered in magma, emitting suffocating high heat, like a demon god walking out of hell.

"Impossible!" Will widened his eyes, staring at the scene before him in disbelief.

Lan and Heitong's faces changed instantly; to withstand this level of output and remain completely unharmed.

Sakazuki gave them no time to react. He suddenly raised his hand and roared: "Great Eruption!"

A huge pillar of magma surged from his hand, heading straight for Lan.

Lan's face changed drastically; his body instinctively reacted: "God's Feather!"

In an instant, countless feathers condensed before him, forming a defensive barrier.

At the same time, Lan spread his wings, trying to dodge this fatal blow.

With a tremendous boom, the defensive barrier was instantly pierced; although Lan dodged with all his might, he was still grazed on the body.

"Bang! Bang! Bang!"

Lan's body like a shell from a cannon, smashing through buildings on several streets in succession. Bricks and rubble flew everywhere, smoke and dust filling the air.

When he finally crashed heavily to the ground, his right arm had completely vanished, leaving only a charred, smoking wound.

Blood kept surging from Lan's mouth, soon staining the collar of his chest red. He coughed violently; every breath brought tearing pain.

"Cough cough... this kind of power..." Lan raised his head with difficulty, his eyes full of shock and disbelief. His voice was weak and hoarse.

A glint of cold ruthlessness flashed in Sakazuki's eyes; suddenly, he stomped hard on the ground, and in an instant had stomped dozens of times in succession.

"Boom!"

With a deafening roar, the ground beneath Sakazuki's feet instantly shattered, debris scattering like raindrops.

Borrowing that powerful recoil, Sakazuki's body suddenly shot forth. His entire form became a streak of crimson light, scorching magma tracing a blinding trajectory through the air.

(Chapter End)