Chapter 84: The Arrival of Two Prospective Demon Kings

Surprisingly, not a single high-level zombie appeared. Instead, the number of low-level zombies increased, encircling the safe zone from the outside. There wasn’t even a glimpse of a high-ranking zombie, nor any sign of a wild beast; clearly, they must be plotting something.

Luffy did not head to the front lines. Instead, he arranged for eight people to protect his parents and Qin Bailing’s parents. Afterward, he took out the sword manual left by the Wang family’s ancestors—“A Single Sword, Two Halves.” The art was divided into three forms. The first form—Severing Strike—he had already mastered. The second form—Cleave the Earth. The third form—Cleave the Heavens. Luffy had only reached the entry-level of the first form, but once perfected, it could split a mountain in two. It was a truly formidable and domineering technique.

After sheathing his sword, Luffy lay down on the bed. Suddenly, someone straddled him. He opened his eyes in alarm to see Xiaolongnu leaning in to kiss him, holding him tightly, passionately, even using her tongue, swirling and biting with wild abandon. She even started undressing, her cheeks flushed, clearly intent on taking him by force. Luffy, stirred by her advances, felt his own desire flaring. He suddenly flipped her beneath him, pressing her onto the bed. His eyes grew bloodshot, and Xiaolongnu’s gaze became dreamy. Admiring her beautiful curves, his hands caressed her gently, but for a long time, as she lay there, he only stroked her.

Suddenly, a knock sounded at the door.

In a flash, Xiaolongnu vanished.

Just as Luffy was about to use his Pure Yang Power, the knock at the door doused his ardor like a bucket of cold water. He came to his senses, got out of bed, and went to open the door.

“Son, it’s time to eat,” his mother said kindly.

Luffy smiled and replied, “Alright.” He followed her, washed his hands, and sat down to eat with his parents. After dinner, Luffy stepped outside. Was life always so mundane? Sometimes it was, but at other times, it could be magnificently eventful; it didn’t always flow like a monotonous ledger.

Night fell, shrouded in mist. There were still two days before the great battle. That night, Luffy felt an unusual calm. He tried to study the nameless sword technique, but it remained inscrutable to him, much to his frustration. Perhaps he needed a catalyst to truly grasp it. It was like the “Secret of Battle”—although he had mastered the second level of the Dragon Emperor’s Domineering Art, triggering it was exceedingly rare. Otherwise, it would mean a hundredfold increase in power—an utterly terrifying prospect. But the chance of activating it even once was one in a trillion.

No news came from the front lines. Everything was eerily quiet, as if awaiting the storm’s approach.

At three in the morning, Luffy suddenly opened his eyes, sensing a faint disturbance outside—something imperceptible to ordinary people. In an instant, he leapt out the window and landed at the door. There, in front of a tree, stood a woman in white, her long hair flowing in the wind, ghostly as a midnight apparition.

“You are the key to this battle. You will die here,” she said, her eyes a ghastly green, her voice raspy, low, and cold—utterly devoid of emotion.

“You know who I am? Were you the one who killed the cat demon that day?” Luffy was startled. He couldn’t gauge her strength, but her entire being radiated the aura of a king—perhaps a beast king.

“That was merely my subordinate. Your presence was revealed to us by someone from the Li family. We never expected you to be even stronger than their descriptions. We have no choice but to eliminate you. Meanwhile, the Zombie King and other Beast Kings will attack the safe zone. Our task is to remove this unpredictable factor—you. And we promised the Li family that if they hold out for an hour, not one of them will die,” the female Beast King said coolly.

“You really do keep your promises. The Li family certainly knows how to look out for themselves by selling out others. Once I’ve dealt with you, I’ll root out the traitor—Li Chaodan, I presume?” Luffy narrowed his eyes at the female Beast King. “You must be the Nine-Tailed Cat Demon King, aren’t you? Only she would have such a presence.”

“Sorry, I only have seven tails, but yes, I am the Cat Demon King,” she replied coldly.

“So the others won’t reveal themselves? And the other Beast King with you? I’m honored to have drawn out two Beast Kings,” Luffy said. His Samsara Eye had already spotted another powerful figure—surely another Beast King, though only at the peak of level seven, with strength thousands of times that of a human—utterly terrifying. “The other two great demons might as well come out. I can see you.”

“You are quite something, able to see us,” said another Beast King, a male Snake Demon, stepping out from behind the Cat Demon Queen.

To call them Beast Kings was not quite accurate; they were merely the most powerful demons Luffy had encountered so far—quasi-Beast Kings, not yet true kings, but with the potential to become one in the future.

The other two great demons appeared as well—both at the seventh level, though somewhat weaker than the two quasi-Beast Kings. One was a male cat demon, likely the one who had silenced the cat demon Luffy previously captured.

The other was a female snake demon dressed in black, flat-chested, and unremarkable in appearance—nothing like the beautiful and seductive Liu Yanmeng.

“Our mission is simple: to destroy you,” the female quasi-Cat Demon King said coldly.

“Indeed, this young man has keen instincts. If allowed to grow, he’ll become a deadly threat,” the male quasi-Snake Demon King added with icy detachment.

“Very well. If you want to kill me, let’s find a more open place—take your time and kill me properly, how about that?” Luffy said calmly, hands behind his back, though he was already calculating his next moves.

“Agreed. You are strong, so we’ll grant you a sliver of dignity—a fitting death,” the female quasi-Beast King replied coldly.

“A thousand meters from here, there’s a clearing surrounded by woods—a perfect arena,” Luffy said, turning and swiftly flying toward it.

The two quasi-Beast Kings followed, arriving at the grassy field. Luffy stood at the center, surrounded by the four demons.

“Four of us ganging up on a single youth—if word gets out, we’ll be laughed at!” the male quasi-Snake Demon King remarked. “After all, in ancient times, humans were nothing but our food—a lower species. Now it takes four of us working together?”

“Indeed, Snake Brother, you’re right. Cat Six, you’ve studied his strength—let’s finish this quickly. Then we can help flank the Li family,” the female quasi-Cat Demon King said coldly.

“Beasts will be beasts—faithless and treacherous to the end,” Luffy scoffed.

“And you, about to die, still speak for those who want you dead. How ironic,” the male quasi-Snake Demon King sneered.

(End of chapter)