Chapter 243: Zheng Zha? Fu Zha? No! It

«Boom————————!!!

As the fist made contact with the ground, violent tremors spread far across the shattered earth; deep cracks radiated outward from the point of impact, causing the surrounding space to shudder violently, faint cracks of strain echoing like snapping bones.

Finally, with a thunderous collapse, the island beneath their feet shattered into fragments in an instant, leaving only a ruin less than two kilometers across.

Whitebeard pulled his fist free from the broken ground, his gaze sweeping over the surrounding sea, then lifting to the sky where the six-winged red figure hovered, along with the massive metal lump beneath its feet spewing flame thrusters; his lips twitched slightly.

«Terrible environment, plus a terrible opponent—wait, did you guys plan this on purpose?

«You're Whitebeard, right?

Li Xiaoyi looked down at the island now shattered into countless pieces, exhaled softly, and suggested: "There's no reason for us to fight. As far as I know, you were only invited by the East Sea Team as auxiliary support—not a member of the Reincarnation Team. Even if we call this off now, you lose nothing. Why force a life-or-death battle with us?"

"Life-or-death battle? Heh, kid, you've got confidence!"

Hearing this, Whitebeard let out a hearty laugh, but his expression quickly turned serious: «Too bad—I already promised the Group Master I'd help Zhao's boy win this fight. A man's word is his bond.

«Besides, in this world, there's never been a Whitebeard who surrendered or yielded—only one who died defeated. Don't say anything like that again.

«Is that so? What a pity—I really liked your character. If possible, I truly didn't want to fight you.

Li Xiaoyi shook his head, raised the Judgment Sword—modified countless times by Chu Xuan—his entire body igniting in roaring flames.

At the same time, Mu Gang, who had been hovering silently beside him, raised his two massive hammers; runes surged across their surfaces, threads of lightning converging into them, radiating an aura so dangerous even Whitebeard felt uneasy.

Similar to the Thunder Fruit ability?

Watching this, Whitebeard's expression grew heavier, yet his voice remained strong and unwavering: «Truly a pity. But if we both survive this, how about joining my Whitebeard Pirates? Become my son?

«…Sorry, I already have a father.

«Not interested.

Both replied, their minds filled with silent disbelief.

«Hahahaha… What a shame!!

Whitebeard laughed loudly once more, then vanished from his spot, reappearing instantly at the same height as the two men in midair, swinging forward a punch powerful enough to trigger a local magnitude-eight earthquake.

…

«Oh? This tremor… is it Whitebeard? Looks like he's run into a tough opponent too.

A faint tremor vibrated beneath his feet; Aizen studied the two Cheng Xiao before him, along with Wang Xia, Qiao Tengyi, and Wang Chaozong, Du Gu Feng, and others—all wearing helmets that obscured their vision—and his lips curled slightly.

«Strong aura. All of you have reached or nearly reached Captain-level power. And you seem to know something about my Mirror Water Moon. That makes wiping you out all at once… unlikely.

Saying this, Aizen suddenly sat down on the black rocky ground, his expression one of resigned helplessness—as if to say, «I tried, but I just can't win»—clearly showing no intention to fight.

This stunned the group, who had been braced for battle; after a long silence, the real Cheng Xiao, wearing his helmet and receiving live feeds via Friday, cautiously asked: «What's your meaning? Are you just going to surrender?

«Surrender? No, no… I simply have no interest in a meaningless fight.

Aizen smiled faintly, explaining: "In battles between transcendent factions, victory is always decided by the top tier, not the bottom. Even if I slaughtered every one of you here, if your strongest Reincarnation member defeats—or kills—Poros—the final outcome will still be me dying alongside you. The reverse is equally true."

«If that's the case, why waste effort? Let's sit down, chat, and wait for the final result.

That makes perfect sense! —x6

Six members of the Zhongzhou Team and the Demon Team exchanged glances, conferred via Friday's communication channel, and decided to follow the other side's lead—wait and see.

After all, they had zero true fourth-stage cultivators among them; even with numerical superiority, victory was slim.

Chu Xuan's mission was merely to hold them off—not defeat or kill them—so there was no need to risk their lives.

Of course, they couldn't let their guard down: at the very least, they must keep their helmets on, to avoid falling victim to Mirror Water Moon's illusions.

«By the way, you all seem to know a lot about me. Could you tell me about my world? In exchange, I'll answer whatever I know about the East Sea Team and the chat group.

«Uh… aren't you afraid your comrades or the Group Master will come after you for this?

«I'm not their comrade. As for the Group Master… hah!

Here, Aizen chuckled softly, his voice gentle yet dripping with unmistakable mockery.

…

«Where are those two women?!

Seated atop the Vimana, Gilgamesh looked down at the two identical Zheng Zha and Fu Zha, demanding imperiously: «Hand them over. I shall execute them myself—for daring to offend my majesty.

«They must atone for their crime against my dignity.

Hearing this, Fu Zha couldn't help sneering: «This guy's so full of himself—I just wanna punch him into two little pancakes.

«Don't underestimate him. According to Zhan Lan, this Golden Flash has awakened the Light of the Heart—he's a genuine fourth-stage powerhouse.

«Really? He looks weak. Aside from being rich, what's impressive?

«True.

The two traded lines like comedic performers, utterly dismissing Gilgamesh—enough to make his pride explode; veins bulged on his temples.

«Die!!

The next instant, golden radiance erupted behind him in majestic splendor—rippling, overlapping golden halos linked end to end; the blades of countless treasures glowed with golden light, blindingly bright, illuminating the entire dim space.

«Treasury of the King!!

A terrifying, boundless torrent of magical power crashed down; countless dazzling golden beams shot outward, filling every direction with a million shimmering projections, weaving into a golden net that descended upon them.

BOOM!! BOOM!! BOOM!! BOOMING————!!!

A series of explosions erupted; each treasure striking the ground sent deafening shockwaves, turning a radius of several kilometers into a killing zone—within moments, fire and smoke choked the air, obscuring all sight.

Moments later, the bombardment ceased; Gilgamesh suddenly paled and commanded the Vimana to ascend into the sky.

At that moment, a hurricane swept in from nowhere, instantly clearing away the black smoke—and revealed a massive golden shield.

Then, the shield split open from both sides, and «Zheng Zha» reappeared—alone.

But his attire was now bizarre.

A pair of black shoulder armor with gold trim now sat on his shoulders, connected to a black vest covering half his chest, exposing his sculpted eight-pack abs; his pants had turned pure white, making his whole appearance strangely incongruous—as if his entire art style had abruptly shifted.

«Let me introduce myself.

A resonant, peculiar voice issued from «Zheng Zha»'s lips, his mouth curling into a wild grin.

«My name is Zheng Fuzha. I am the one who will kill you.

————

Requesting monthly votes!

(End of Chapter)