CHAPTER 46
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CHAPTER 46
The giant claw was coming right at him. Kreegan's body was strong but not strong enough to take two hits from the beast. There was only one thing he could do; it was to cut this giant claw in half using the attack he had prepared.
Kreegan released his technique and slashed the claw in half. The corrosive touch had already damaged the claw, weakening its carapace. So, he didn't have any problem while cutting it, but his entire arcane pool was spent, and his body was a mess. The beast was charging at him, and he didn't even have the power to run.
At this moment, Lex was fuming with anger. This fucking beast had ignored him like he was inconsequential. He was clenching his teeth so hard that it was as if sparks would burst as they grind against each other. With each passing second, the fire of anger was growing. He threw his steel staff to the ground. His body was growing, turning into a giant white tiger.
The white clouds and the blue flame-like aura around him were growing. The clouds around his shoulders had turned dark gray, and small flashes of lightning were crawling inside them like little snakes. The fire whisps-like auras around him had turned into a raging aura that danced like flames, and then it started to cover his front and hind legs.
His white claws started to turn blue. The aura might look like fire, but it was not because no smoke was rising even when he stepped on top of a plank. Lex's entire body was taut like a bow, and suddenly he shot out like an arrow and cried out with a roars of rage.
"You overgrown lobster; how dare you ignore me!"
Even in Lex's eyes, blue bolts of lightning were crackling. The blue aura burning like fire on his paws started to become even more intense and gathered on his claws.
He swiped his claws with untold rage and struck the beast at its back. The second his claws touched the Lobster; it was like a clap of thunder. Tendrils of lightning were going everywhere. The carapace of the beast cracked.
The Lobster stopped charging at Kreegan and turned its attention to Lex, but the rage inside Lex was not subsiding. With every swipe of his claws, the crack was growing. The Lobster was trying to throw Lex from its back, but he was stuck there like glue.
Every time Lex struck, the beast tensed up and got stunned for a second because of all that lightning. Smoke was starting to rise from the Lobster's cracked carapace, and it was moving more sluggishly. Lex was unlocking a better use of his devil fruit powers.
Byakko was a mythical beast with the elements of metal and lightning. His claws could exhaust his opponents, and now it was more powerful. His claw becomes sharper and more durable. Rather than discharging his weak lightning as he did before, he was focused and collected it in his claws. This provided him with more explosive power.
The power of his lightning hadn't increased; the only thing that had changed was how he used them. Before, he was releasing his lightning the second his claw touched his target, and he didn't try to focus them on his claws, but now he was focusing it on his claw, and he only released it when he could not hold it back anymore.
That is why there was a clap of thunder every time he struck. This made his attack speed really slow, but every one of his attacks was heavy. The Lobster was moving at a crawling speed now. It was exhausted to the brink of passing out. As a Hail Mary attempt, it flipped on its back. The second Lex realized what it was trying; he jumped off its back.
The Lobster had thrown him off its back, but there was a worse problem. It was too exhausted to flip back up. It got stuck, and Lex didn't give it a time of respite. He transformed into his half-tiger form, and he grabbed his right wrist with the other hand and started to concentrate all his energy here.
"Ou Resshō(King/Big Laceration)"
He swung his claw with all his might, and a blue crescent aura shot out towards the big wound on Lobster's side. Sharp energy attack cut through the wound like butter, and Lobster released a final shrill agonizing scream, then stopped moving.
Lex exhaustedly falls to the ground as if his strings had been cut. Slowly his transformation was canceled, and his body was in a pathetic state. His body looked as if he had been starving for months. He was like a stick; releasing lightning had always exhausted him, but in this fight, he had used up so much, and it had devoured his body.
But Lex had a satisfied smile on his face; he didn't regret what he did, but now the thunders were clapping inside his stomach. He was so hungry that he didn't even have any energy to move or chew. Kreegan approached closer to him with a metal bar sticking out of his waist. He wasn't in any better shape than Lex.
When the villagers heard the sounds of battle cease, they had come this way, accompanied by the Meroie, to discover what had happened. As they crossed the hill, they found Lobster dead upside down, with one of his giant claws severed. As they got closer, they found Kreegan and Lex unconscious.
...
Almost a week had passed since the war with Lobster. Lex and Kreegan were only just recovering. Without the village doctor, Kreegan would have bled to death, and Lex would have died from starvation. They had both been unconscious for three days and if Meroie hadn't fed Lex, maybe he would have died. After waking up, Lex devoured all the food the village people could spare but was still starving.
So, he even ate the giant Lobster. He had eaten nonstop for four days, and with each passing day, his body was returning to its former muscular state. Kreegan was no better than him. They were like two bottomless abysses. In 5 days, they finished that giant Lobster without leaving even an iota of meat.