Chapter 29: Quasi-Emperor Strength and Vice-Emperor Strength!

Luo Men, you are playing with fire!

I see you have absolutely no respect for me!

But never mind, let’s follow the rules of the underworld and exchange a proper greeting!

As Kaido spewed his torrent of flames, pitch-black fur sprouted wildly across Luo Ya’s body, and a pair of massive black wings unfurled. A tiger, over fifteen meters in length, stood tall upon the earth.

"ROAR!!"

Unlike any sonic wave from the past, this sound was forcibly compressed into a single pulse, shooting toward the sky like a comet piercing the firmament.

The sonic wave and the pillar of fire collided in the next instant.

The heavens shattered; the terrifying explosion seemed to strip the world of all sound. The sheer force of the shockwave even overturned and tossed the carriages on the ground.

"What?" Kaido was quite surprised.

This sonic wave was infused with Conqueror’s Haki! Was this the same kind of technique as Linlin’s monstrous screech?

"Dylan," Luo Ya said, taking flight, "take everyone further away. Don’t get caught in the aftermath."

"Lord Luo Ya!" Barrett urged desperately, "Please allow me to fight by your side!"

"Interrupting a reunion between old friends would be far too unrefined, Barrett," Luo Ya laughed. "Next time, for sure."

With a powerful flap of his wide wings, he soared into the sky. "Come on, Big Brother Kaido, let’s not destroy this humble country—let’s take this up to the heavens."

"Hmph!" Kaido’s massive body coiled through the air, his four claws gripping the clouds as he gave chase. Even while pursuing, his attacks never ceased.

"Destructive Wind!" The Azure Dragon’s body twisted, and massive blades of wind swept toward Luo Ya.

Luo Ya glanced back slightly, patterns creeping across the large horns on his head.

"WHOOSH!!"

A violent gale erupted, and blades of wind of his own rose to meet the attack! But they were larger, more numerous, and far more ferocious. Gale clashed with gale, blade against blade. Amidst the roaring, the sharp winds all but tore the sky apart. After piercing through Kaido’s wind blades, even more surged toward the dragon.

"Oh, it seems that even with similar abilities, I’m the stronger one," Luo Ya remarked with genuine interest.

"Thunder!" The Azure Dragon remained silent, merely roaring. The roar transformed into bolts of lightning that shattered the wind blades in mid-air.

"That’s even more amateurish, Big Brother Kaido. Thunder!" Luo Ya commanded.

The sky obeyed. Dark clouds gathered in an instant, and thick bolts of lightning fell like a torrential downpour. Big Brother Kaido’s meager lightning was instantly drowned out by the rain of thunder, and his massive body, now unable to hide, was immediately engulfed by the strikes.

"ARGHHH!!"

Even with Big Brother Kaido’s thick hide and intense Haki, the barrage of lightning forced him to howl in agony.

"I’ve really been underestimated," Luo Ya said with a sigh. "Big Brother Kaido, stop trying to challenge me, a true natural disaster, with your weak abilities, won't you?"

"Bolo Breath!!"

The pitch-black Azure Dragon suddenly burst out of the lightning storm, fire surging within its wide-open maw.

"I told you, don’t do that." Luo Ya glared.

The flames in Kaido’s mouth instantly backfired, the ferocious fire spreading until it wrapped around the entire dragon. It looked as if Luo Ya had helped him activate a "Fire Dragon Mode."

"You little brat!!" Roaring in pain as he was scorched once more, Kaido gritted his teeth. Both of them could create elemental attacks, but while he released attacks that merely mimicked natural disasters, Luo Ya created the disaster itself!

Was this brat’s ability stronger than the Azure Dragon Fruit? What a joke!

The massive dragon’s body instantly shrank. In the next moment, the flames were pierced through, and a black iron club dragged black lightning across the sky.

"Thunder—"

Luo Ya shifted into his hybrid form. As his wings beat, he shot forward as well, swinging his prized blade, Tiger Soul, still in its sheath, which was now covered in a layer of pitch-black Haki.

"—Bagua!"

BOOM!

The iron club and the scabbard collided instantly. A violent wind swept across the sky and earth, and as their formidable Haki clashed, black lightning crackled continuously.

Luo Ya was sent flying backward like a cannonball. "What incredible Haki! I suppose I can’t win with the same technique!"

"Hmph!" Kaido stepped on his flame clouds, moving as fast as lightning even in the high sky.

"My Haki is still lacking too much." Luo Ya finally steadied himself, acknowledging reality. He had only recently mastered Armament Haki hardening; how could he go head-to-head with Big Brother Kaido, who had already mastered Conqueror’s Haki infusion? His arm felt like it was about to snap from that last collision. Fortunately, his strength held up and his body was resilient enough, or he wouldn't have escaped that strike unscathed.

Since that was the case, he drew his blade.

The crimson edge left its scabbard, and the very air seemed stained with red. The entire sword instantly grew damp, with red liquid dripping from the blade.

"Descending Three Worlds: Ragnarok!" The iron club fell like heaven’s thunder.

"Imperial Sword: Breaking Blade!" Luo Ya gripped his sword with both hands and swung upward. As he did, the ominous crimson glow on the blade surged violently. In that moment, it felt as though he wasn't swinging a sword, but a roaring flamethrower.

BOOM!

Pitch-black and bright red divided the sky. In the next instant, the two colors merged into a chaotic sphere, followed by an earth-shaking explosion.

Luo Ya fell toward the ground, but he didn't forget to swing his blade again. "Lion’s Vengeance: Thousand-Cut Valley!!"

Each swing sent a crimson slash a hundred meters long soaring into the sky. These slashes were vastly different from ordinary flying slashes; they were so viscous they looked like liquid blood taking form.

"Gundari: Dragon Swarm!" The iron club, fast as a storm, shattered Luo Ya’s slashes one after another in the sky.

"What is up with that sword?" Big Brother Kaido roared as he chased after Luo Ya on his flame clouds. "Is that the blade you took from God Valley?"

"Pretty good, right? It’s called Tiger Soul!" Luo Ya wiped his left hand across the scarlet blade, and Tiger Soul instantly erupted with crimson light. "Next is an original technique!"

Red energy flowed rapidly, and in the blink of an eye, a phantom crimson greatsword, dozens of meters long, was held in Luo Ya’s grasp.

It turned out that the claim that Tiger Soul could evolve infinitely was a bluff; it had its limits. Over the past six years, Luo Ya had long since maxed out Tiger Soul’s level. After evolving to its limit, it became sharper and could amplify his slashes and flying slashes to a much greater degree—especially after Luo Ya attained the state of 'Iron-Cutting' and became a true master swordsman.

But the biggest change was that Tiger Soul could release a special red energy, which Luo Ya called 'Blood Qi.' It was a real, tangible power, similar to Haki!

"Uro-ro-ro-ro! You brat, you’ve actually become this strong!!" Big Brother Kaido laughed instead of getting angry. "Roaring Thunder Bagua!!"

Luo Ya swung his forty-meter greatsword. "Tiger Devour!"

BOOM!!

Crimson and pitch-black clashed once more in the sky. Even from a distance, Dylan, watching from below, felt the gale-force winds and was nearly blown away.

"Lord Luo Ya!" Dylan’s eyes burned. He was truly the man he had chosen to follow; to be able to fight Kaido to this extent already!

Luo Ya continued to fall, slamming into the ground and creating a crater dozens of meters wide. High above, Big Brother Kaido was flying upward, his body marked by several deep wounds.

"So sharp?" Kaido felt the pain in his body, his expression turning more serious. Even his dispersed slashes were enough to leave scars on him! That sword!!

"Hiss! That hurts like hell!" Luo Ya flapped his wings and shot back into the sky. "Even the Captain never hit me this hard!!"

His right arm was twisted; it was definitely fractured. Even with Tiger Soul, he was still lacking. And Big Brother Kaido hadn't even used his full strength yet. Even at twenty-seven, Big Brother Kaido was terrifyingly strong. Though still far from the realm of Uncle Shiki and the others, he was far beyond what any normal person could imagine.

Well, he was at a mid-tier Emperor-level strength, probably not much different from Yamato at twenty-eight in the original story. As for himself, without Tiger Soul, he was likely high-tier Disaster-level; with his beloved sword, he was likely mid-tier First Commander level. Of course, that was referring to raw, head-on combat strength.

Luo Ya snapped his right arm back into place and took a deep breath. Black energy rolled over him, and his injuries began to heal at a rapid pace.

"Big Brother Kaido, prepare to witness a true natural disaster!"