Chapter 22 : Momonosuke's Bad Luck??

"It doesn't work, how can it not work?" Shinobu felt a pang of confusion and frustration.

Her invincible ninjutsu… failing?

Ian remained unfazed.

Resistance from Devil Fruit Ability.

Ian then grabbed Ninja's hand, lifting her slightly. "I would also prefer it if I was more mature."

"Yes, yes?" Shinobu responded awkwardly, "Then maybe we can—"

Before she could finish, Ian unleashed a Blaze Cannon! 

The intense flames engulfed Shinobu, blasting her away mercilessly.

Ian had no patience for someone so intent on becoming a nuisance. It was best to teach her a lesson in maturity.

Not far ahead, chaos continued.

"Run, Momonosuke!"

Shimotsuki Yasuie stood protectively in front of Yamato, who was unarmed and only had his fists clenched.

Behind him, Momonosuke was still reeling from the shock.

"Don't stop! Keep running!" 

It was the right choice to protect him, even if it didn't seem useful at the moment. Do what you can.

"Run!"

With a thunderous roar, Shimotsuki Yasuie charged toward Yamato.

Momonosuke, still sobbing, turned and fled.

"I'm going to completely crush you this time!" Yamato declared, transforming into her Human-Beast Form and swinging her weapon.

At that moment, a golden blur streaked past the combatants.

Shimotsuki Yasuie watched as Ian flew by, wanting to intervene but unable to break free from Yamato's relentless assault. They could only watch as Ian swiftly caught up with Momonosuke.

"One step closer, and I'll scorch you," Ian warned as he advanced calmly.

Momonosuke's body stiffened in terror.

He turned, trembling and chattering his teeth.

Momonosuke—

Shimotsuki Yasuie, still fighting Yamato, could only mourn silently.

"Why stop? Why!"

"Momonosuke-sama! That's all I can do."

Ian looked down at Momonosuke's feet, where Shinobi, who had just been knocked away by his breath, had landed. The woman was covered in burn marks, her once-glamorous appearance now a distant memory. She struggled to stand, her hand trembling as she reached out and touched Momonosuke's ankle. "I'm sorry, but right now, this is the only way."

"Wow!"

In an instant, Momonosuke screamed as his body began to visibly grow. In the blink of an eye, he transformed from a boy into a teenager, and then immediately into an adult, his hair and beard sprouting wildly.

When the change finally stopped, Momonosuke looked at least twenty years older, now resembling a mature man. He was bewildered, not realizing that he had lost twenty years in an instant.

"Run! Momonosuke-sama!" 

Shinobu struggled to speak, "You, who have inherited Lord Oden's bloodline, must not die here!"

Ian remained silent, watching Momonosuke quietly.

Kozuki Oden was a natural prodigy, and Momonosuke, inheriting his bloodline, was a genius talent as well. In the original story, he had been forcibly aged by a ninja, giving him an extraordinary physique.

But now—

Momonosuke looked down at Shinobi and then at the glittering Ian, and finally—

He clutched his head, crouching on the ground, and wailed, "Wow! I—I'm not running anymore! Please, don't burn me!"

Shinobu was stunned into silence.

Ian couldn't help but chuckle.

This was Momonosuke Kozuki.

It was all over for him.

"Momonosuke-sama!"

The roar echoed from afar.

Ian looked up.

One of the Akazaya Nine, Kikunojo, was charging fiercely toward them.

What are you doing, Uncle King, Uncle Queen? Didn't you say no one would be able to get close?

Ian glanced into the distance, seeing Uncle King and Uncle Queen under siege.

Ashura Doji, Nekomamushi, and Inuarashi surrounded King. The three didn't make any attempt at defense, allowing King to attack them while merely holding him back.

Queen faced a similar situation, surrounded by Kanjuro, Kawamatsu, and Denjiro.

Kanjuro, the spy, was quite serious—worthy of an Oscar in his own right.

Ian understood the situation. The other six desperately stalled to give Kikunojo time to rescue Momonosuke. 

Kikunojo, rushing over, lifted Momonosuke from the ground, shouting, "Momonosuke-sama! Come on! Move!"

"I-I-I—"

Momonosuke was paralyzed with fear, staring at Ian with terror in his eyes.

Ian's gaze was fixed on Kikunojo's hand gripping Momonosuke's wrist.

Kikunojo's face was dark with veins, her breathing labored, and she coughed violently, blood trickling from her nostrils. The back of her white hand was also covered in veins, looking grotesque and terrifying.

How could she touch Momonosuke directly? Didn't Uncle Queen boast about how the Plague Bomb's virus spreads through physical contact?

"Is it you? Ahem, ahem, ahem—"

Kikunojo, seeing Momonosuke's fear, pointed her sword menacingly at Ian, coughing as if she might cough up her lungs. "Did you do this to Momonosuke-sama?"

"Is that so?" Ian retorted, feeling unjustly accused. "That's just how he is."

"Shut up!"

Kikunojo lunged at Ian.

Once this guy is defeated, Momonosuke-sama's fear will dissipate.

Ian's expression changed instantly.

Oh no, don't!

"You don't come near me!"

"I don't want to catch a virus!" Without hesitation, Ian sped away.

"Immortal Phoenix, Arise!"

The golden and red Flame-Winged Man materialized instantly, and the ground beneath his feet melted away in an instant.

Kikunojo remained unfazed, and the pitch-black long sword drove into Ian's body the next moment.

Kikunojo fell into confusion.

What's happening?

Can't I hit him?

"Ahem, ahem—"

The virus raging through her body caused her to cough painfully, spitting out large clots of blood, her back bending involuntarily.

"Don't blame me for taking advantage of the situation."

Ian raised his hand, aiming directly at Kikunojo's head.

"Sun God's Wrath."

Red and golden flames surged and bombarded Kikunojo's frail body.

"Uhhhh—"

With a scream, Kikunojo was blasted away, enveloped in flames like a weak leaf caught in a storm.

Momonosuke sat silently on the ground, staring blankly at the distance where Kikunojo had been sent flying.

Ian quickly reverted to his Human-Beast Form and inspected his hands.

Under Immortal Phoenix Form, it shouldn't be considered direct contact, right? Moreover, Uncle Queen's virus—does it act as an attack or an effect? Can it be resisted?

Ian looked at Momonosuke, noticing black veins beginning to appear on his face.

I hope I'm not to blame for this.

In the distance, Kikunojo lay heavily on the ground, already scorched black. The destructive power of Sun God's Wrath had utterly ravaged her body, which was already weakened and full of holes due to the virus.

"Momo, Lord Momonosuke—"

She lay on the ground, with the blood in her mouth evaporating from the heat, causing a blockage in her throat. She tried to stand but was unable to rise.

"Kikunojo!!"

Yasuie cried out in anguish.

But it was futile—the incoming attack struck him directly, sending him flying.

"Kikunojo!"

From a distance, the samurai who had been desperately trying to halt King were also devastated. They looked at the fallen Kikunojo with profound grief and anger, exclaiming, "How is this possible! Such a little child!"

When Ian was engaging just moments ago, they had seen his appearance clearly.

He was just a child, the same age as Momonosuke!

"Don't underestimate my virus too much!" 

Queen chuckled with a smirk, "But even without the virus, Ian might not necessarily lose! That kid is a real monster!"

The samurai, sheathed in their armor, were spitting blood, their bodies weakening by the moment.

Meanwhile, King had already ascended into the sky. "Imperial Flame!"

The flames had become uncontrollable.

A massive dragon descended, its fiery blaze illuminating the twisted and agonized faces of the warriors.

Rumble!

Nearby, the battlefield was chaotic.

"Kinemon! Denjiro! Raizo! Kanjuro! Kawamatsu! Ashura Doji! Kikunojo! Nekomamushi Inuarashi!"

Kozuki Oden suddenly burst into tears.

In his perception, the aura of Akazaya Nine was rapidly fading.

And Momonosuke—

"Why are you just standing there, looking around!!"

A thunderous roar reverberated.

Kozuki Oden snapped out of his daze, looking up just as the Hassaikai was descending directly toward him.

For a truly evenly matched opponent, a momentary lapse in focus could decide the outcome of the battle.

Rumble!

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