"Several of you..."
Sauro clearly sensed something was wrong. He wanted to stop Ah Hua and the others, but couldn't find a reason.
Just as Ah Hua and the others' fighting spirit intensified.
A voice that resonated through everyone's souls instantly calmed them down.
"No need to come up. You go about your business, I'll be done here soon. This is just an unexpected spar."
"It's Mr. Kong Tai."
"It's Kong Tai."
Hearing Kong Tai's voice, the figures of Kong Tai simultaneously appeared in their minds.
"Yohoho!! So it's a spar! You scared me to death."
Brook extended his hand, wiped nonexistent sweat from his brow, and then burst into laughter, telling another bad joke, "Although I'm already dead, dead to the bone, yo! Hohoho!! Yohohohoho!!"
"Unexpected?"
Isshin's expression relaxed, his lips curling into a knowing smile.
He had joined Kong Tai's ship temporarily, and after spending some time with these young people, he had actually become very good friends with Kong Tai's crew.
Although he mostly acted as an observer, he would also chat and play cards with the youngsters in his spare time, recounting his travels and experiences around the world. The young people were also willing to listen to his stories, his tales of right and wrong.
And though Mr. Kong Tai had no connection to pirates or the "no killing" he spoke of, Isshin could still see that this group was truly different from ordinary pirate crews.
How different were they?
Well...
One might say they were similar to the adventure guilds they often mentioned!
Rather than pirates, they were more like a team of "adventurers" gathered to travel the world and experience all kinds of storms.
...
"Slow, too slow."
Kong Tai stared at Kratos. His right hand, seemingly slow, pierced through space. Each time Kratos thrust his spear, it felt as if the tip was piercing right in front of Kong Tai's finger, rather than Kong Tai intercepting it with his finger.
He extended his left hand, yawned, and simultaneously signaled to Ah Hua and the others not to act rashly.
This was indeed an unexpected battle.
If the man in front of him only sought the throne of Fabuti, he wouldn't interfere. After all, it was an internal affair of their kingdom.
But this guy, unfortunately, arrogantly declared his intention to conquer the world and use Kong Tai's head as a stepping stone.
"I ask you, are you out of your mind? Conquer the world if you want! Why must you use my head? Do you really think I, the strongest in this world, am just bragging?"
Kong Tai muttered in his heart, then extended his right hand and suddenly lunged forward, grabbing Kratos's thrusting spear.
His fingers were slender. Compared to the massive spearhead, they looked like small branches on a large tree. Yet, those pale fingers were like five sharp swords, easily piercing through the spear's defense and grasping it, bringing the spear to an abrupt halt.
"I ask you, are you done yet! Is this the power you rely on to conquer the world?"
Kong Tai leaned forward, staring at Kratos's grimacing, flushed, determined face, and mocked, "How pathetic! So weak that you can't even pierce my defense."
As he said this, Kong Tai suddenly yanked upwards with his right hand, instantly lifting Kratos, spear and all. Then, he forcefully flicked downwards.
Boom—!
It was like a giant hammer striking stone.
The ground seemed to sink downwards, then instantly sprang back up. The level ground, at this moment, resembled waves on the sea, rippling outwards from the point of impact.
For a moment, the entire royal city trembled violently with Kong Tai's flick.
"Uh... that was a bit much, a bit much."
Releasing the spear, Kong Tai turned and apologized to Fabuti.
"Forgive me, Your Majesty Fabuti, I might have gone a little too far, hahaha!!"
Just then, Kratos, who was embedded in the ground like a radish behind him, could no longer endure Kong Tai's contempt and the humiliation he had brought.
"Sil... ver... hair... Kong... Tai..."
He let go of the spear, stared at Kong Tai's back, his face contorted with ferocity, and uttered Kong Tai's name word by word.
Then, he placed his hands on his sides and slowly pulled himself out of the ground.
His ferocious appearance was like a beast about to be released from its cage, or a demon from hell.
As he rose, a dark, ink-like power, originating from an unknown source, gradually covered his body.
With the enhancement of this black power, Kratos at this moment resembled a true demon. On his ferocious face, mysterious blood-red veins appeared, and two demonic horns, also adorned with blood-red veins, emerged on his head.
"What is this?"
Kong Tai stopped laughing and turned, a hint of surprise on his face as he stared at the greatly transformed Kratos.
"Demon..."
Although it was different from the trace of true demonic power that Quinn had obtained, and the true demonic power extracted from Pitaya's body, there was no doubt that the power emanating from Kratos's body at this moment could indeed be called demonic power.
"Demon?"
"What demon?"
Fabuti looked at Kratos in astonishment. Even he had never seen Kratos in this state. With the enhancement of this dark power, Kratos's strength had risen to a level he could no longer fathom.
He turned his head and asked Guina, "Miss Guina, do you know what state Kratos is in?"
Guina did not look at Fabuti. She organized her thoughts before speaking.
"Since you know of Elbaf's existence, you should know that this world is not as simple as it appears. Just as there are 'gods' like Elbaf, there are also corresponding 'demons' that represent darkness."
"Are you saying Kratos abandoned his faith in Elbaf and turned to this so-called demon?"
Fabuti could only think of this.
After all, the strength they gained came from Elbaf.
If Elbaf could make them stronger, then demons could clearly do the same.
"Mm..."
Hesitating, Guina found it difficult to explain, and could only nod. "You can understand it that way."
"He truly abandoned his faith in the great Elbaf? How dare he?"
Clearly, Fabuti was furious at Kratos's change of faith.
The great Elbaf was the progenitor of the entire Giant race, the god of the entire Giant race, and the true supreme object of faith.
Kratos, born and raised among the Giants, having received Elbaf's inheritance, how could he dare abandon his faith to worship some demon?