The sand in front of them suddenly trembled violently, and a chilling aura continuously spread out from underground.
It was as if a ferocious beast, slumbering beneath the earth, was awakening.
"Whoa..."
Hua and the other two gasped, staring at the sand dune that suddenly rose in the distance.
*Bang—!*
Just then, a colossal golden hand broke through the sand, standing in the desert like a giant Wuxing Mountain.
The massive palm continued upwards, revealing the arm beneath.
After reaching a certain height, the arm stopped, then slammed towards Kong Tai in front of it. The gigantic palm blotted out the sun. Before it even reached him, it stirred up a Category 12 typhoon around Kong Tai, causing the ground beneath his feet to instantly dip.
Kong Tai's figure, in front of the colossal hand, was as insignificant as an ant.
But...
Kong Tai raised his head, his silver hair whipping behind him in the wind pressure generated by the hand, rustling loudly. He stared at the enormous golden palm, stardust swirling in his eyes, a smile slowly spreading across his lips.
"Yo! Buddha's Palm?"
"Hahahaha!!!"
Laughing heartily, he extended his right hand, palm facing upwards, to meet the incoming colossal hand. He raised it above his head, looking like an ant facing the stamping leg of an elephant, not retreating but attempting to defeat it, so utterly overestimating himself, so arrogant.
However, Kong Tai was no ant, and the colossal hand was no elephant.
Though Kong Tai’s body appeared excessively small compared to the giant hand, their auras were the complete opposite.
"Well! Crocodile, is this truly your trump card!"
Kong Tai's gaze followed the colossal hand's arm downwards, looking beneath the sand. His posture showed no concern for the gigantic hand above.
*Bang—!*
The colossal hand met Kong Tai’s tiny hand, erupting in a deafening collision.
The shockwave dispersed.
What people would normally expect, Kong Tai being smashed into the sand, did not happen.
Kong Tai stood firmly in place. He didn't look up, as if he were holding a large piece of cotton, not a sun-blocking giant hand. He exuded an aura of ease.
"Don't underestimate me, brat."
*Rumble!!!*
The arm continued to rise. In the sand pit before Kong Tai, as the arm ascended, another colossal hand emerged. This time, the gigantic hand didn't slam down towards Kong Tai but rested on the left side of the sand pit, pushing down forcefully.
With a "rumble," a massive head emerged from the sand pit.
The instant the head surfaced, an astonishing aura surged upwards. This wasn't Conqueror's Haki, but the sheer pressure of power emanating from the giant itself. The head turned to face Kong Tai and opened its eyes.
*Whoosh whoosh whoosh!!*
Two whirlwinds materialized before it, rolling up the surrounding sand and sweeping towards Kong Tai.
"Well! Interesting."
Kong Tai tilted his head, staring into the giant's pupils through the dust. These were not human eyes. The colossal head’s pupils were filled with indifference, ruthlessness, and arrogance. Yes, arrogance.
"Has this guy truly started to think of himself as a god in this form!"
Kong Tai's right hand, supporting the colossal hand, was instantly enveloped in a flowing, pinkish Haki. He applied upward force with his palm.
*Bang—!*
He directly repelled the colossal hand. Observing the rapidly approaching sandstorms, he stepped forward, retracted his right hand, and then swatted at the sandstorms in front of him, as if he were swatting mosquitoes.
*Pfft—!*
Kong Tai’s hand was small compared to the sandstorms, but... In front of his palm, the sandstorms truly were like mosquitoes, extinguished with a single swat.
Kong Tai stood his ground, raising his head to meet the giant’s eyes, and said with a laugh, "Crocodile, I heard that when you were young, you fought evenly with a fierce fighter named Barrett in the New World. Is this how you fought him??"
"Barrett?"
A flicker of thought appeared in the giant’s eyes. Then, recalling something, he boomed with laughter, "Gah, hahahahaha!! That guy was indeed strong, but I wasn't weak either!"
As he spoke, his left hand, which Kong Tai had previously repelled, propped up the left side of his head. Then, both hands exerted force.
With a "rumble," a colossal figure emerged from the giant sand pit.
The golden giant was clad in golden armor, wearing a golden helmet, and stood over a hundred meters tall. Its mere presence exuded an immense pressure.
The giant lowered its head and gestured upwards with its right hand. Beneath the giant's right hand, a sand pillar gradually rose, coalescing into a massive spear. The giant's right hand grasped the spear, turned its head to face Kong Tai, and said coldly, "Silver-haired one, since you don't want me to leave, then you and this kingdom shall be buried together in this boundless desert!"
He had decided. Once he drove away Kong Tai, he would obliterate this kingdom and then slowly search for what he desired. With that, he raised the spear, leaning his body back slightly, the spear tip aimed at Kong Tai. Then, with a powerful downward thrust of his right hand, the spear violently pierced towards Kong Tai.
"Die!"
"Oh..."
Kong Tai looked up, his lips curling into a mocking smile as he gazed at the spear tip, which flashed with fire, descending towards him like a meteor. He extended his right hand, forming a fist, then straightened his index finger. His entire arm was enveloped in Armament Haki, and he thrust it directly at the colossal spear tip.
*Bang—!!!*
A shockwave emanated from the point where Kong Tai's fingertip met the giant spear tip, spiraling outwards. It whipped up sand and dust, scattering rapidly in all directions like a Category 12 gale. Despite the intense wind and sand, the combatants at the center were completely unaffected.
Kong Tai tilted his head, staring into the giant's eyes, and taunted, "Yo! Is that all the strength you have?" With a surge of power in his hand, he pushed the spear tip relentlessly upwards. "If this is all the strength you possess, I think you should just die now! I don't have time to play with you anymore."
After speaking, Kong Tai quickly retracted his index finger, then pulled his right hand back and delivered a rapid punch to the spear tip.
*Bang—!*
A second shockwave formed, whipping up an even greater storm that swept outwards. The spear in the giant's hand, like shattered stone, broke apart with a series of "crackling" sounds.
"Don't get too arrogant, brat."
The giant stared at Kong Tai and said loudly, "I admit, I am indeed not your match, but if you think you can defeat me easily, you are truly too naive."
As he spoke, the giant's right hand made a fierce grab in the air. The previously shattered spear, reinforced by swirling sand, immediately reformed.