Chapter 589: The Strongest Magic Pattern User
"Can this guy be more sensible…?" Sakamori muttered.
His arm blocked the shock wave that blasted out from the smoke, and he slid backward from the impact.
He was completely speechless at Posadong's unwarranted enthusiasm.
Buzz!
Dozens of tiny bees flew out from Sakamori's body, scattering into the surrounding tunnels.
He needed to confirm the status of the other demon mines nearby.
Was it really only four of the Nine Demon Kings who had appeared?
If there were more, he needed time to prepare.
Watching the bees disappear, Sakamori refocused on the battlefield.
He slipped off his suit jacket and tossed it to the ground, then loosened his tie.
"The War King among the Nine Demon Kings has always been extremely secretive. This time we need to figure out what he's hiding," he said.
A much fiercer battle was about to erupt.
---
Elsewhere in the large magic mines.
Another group also faced a powerful demon.
It was the Red Hair Pirates.
They stared with sharp vigilance at the demon blocking their path. Aside from that tension, nothing else looked unusual, but the demon's appearance certainly was.
He had a single eye, blue skin, white hair, and simple hunter-style leather clothing.
This face and outfit were all too familiar to Red Hair Pirates.
After all, they became magic pattern users because of him.
Lord Winter, now one of the Nine Demon Kings.
Meeting him again here, far away from the New World, left them all momentarily stunned.
---
"The Winter Lord… Shanks, is this the demon you've always talked about?" Rayleigh asked.
Rayleigh, standing among the Red Hair Pirates, coughed lightly. His voice was slightly weak.
"Yes. And this guy's magic power has become terrifying," Shanks replied, "I'm afraid someone with bad intentions arranged this blockade."
He glanced at Rayleigh with concern.
They had clashed briefly with the Seven Demon Envoys earlier.
The fight didn't last long, only until the enemy leader voluntarily pulled back.
But even that short clash was enough.
The leader of the Seven Demon Envoys, Arrogant, had carved a deep wound into Rayleigh.
That man's strength was monstrous.
Even André, the strongest magic pattern user, probably couldn't defeat him.
The arrival of the Nine Demon Kings was likely drawn by the Demon Hunting Ceremony.
---
"But he came to see you the moment he arrived. Seems you're important to him," Rayleigh joked lightly.
He lowered his head, his glasses flashing as he gave a hearty smile.
"Old man, we'd rather not have this kind of attention," Roux grumbled.
"Roux, don't call me 'old man.' Call me 'uncle.' Have some respect," Rayleigh replied.
"Tsk, you're over sixty. 'Uncle' doesn't fit anymore," Roux muttered.
"You brat, are you asking for a beating?" Rayleigh shot back.
The sudden shift in tone made Shanks laugh.
But the smile faded as he stepped forward.
---
"Long time no see, Lord Winter," Shanks said.
"I didn't think we'd meet again here."
Winter, who had remained silent until now, rolled his single eye across the group.
Another moment of silence passed before he finally spoke.
"You've grown stronger, red-haired Shanks," Winter said, his eye reflected the Red Hair Pirates as he continued, "But… this level of magic is still far from enough."
"Is this what you came here to say?" Shanks asked as he gripped the handle of the sword at his waist.
"Well, not just that," Winter said, "I want to test your strength again."
"Let me see your progress…"
Winter never forgot them.
Shanks and his crew were the first humans he had ever fought.
That battle awakened something in him.
And now he wanted to settle that unfinished business.
---
Clang!
Shanks drew his sword.
"In that case, let's do it," he said,,"Let's show you our progress over the past two years."
Deep down, Shanks knew, back in then Winter did not spare them out of mercy.
Shanks had always sensed it.
During that battle, at a certain moment, something in the demon's frozen, silent heart had been ignited.
Perhaps the seed of this rematch had been planted then.
The battle was inevitable, so they would continue what began that day.
They were no longer who they used to be.
Shanks' Conqueror's Haki surged outward.
Rumble!
A massive storm of ice and snow burst outward from Winter's side, sweeping toward the red-haired crew.
The continuation of their past battle had begun.
---
Meanwhile, on another side of the magic mines.
Another pirate crew faced a terrifying threat.
"Hee hee hee…"
A low, eerie laugh echoed through the empty tunnel.
"I heard you survived demonization while keeping your original personality. Impressive… truly impressive," the voice crooned.
Only one group stood in the passage.
It was the infamous Andre Pirates.
Though under the Beasts Pirates' banner, their fearsome reputation rivaled the Beasts Pirates themselves.
Their captain, Andre, the strongest magic pattern user.
Their vice captain, Hughes, who obtained the Golden Toad Seed, a magical beast fruit, granting him monstrous poison-based abilities.
And beyond that,
Andre, the "Tyrant King," had subdued a dark giant crocodile, a Mythical Beast from Mythical Beast Island.
The Andre Pirates were now widely renowned across the sea.
---
"Hmph. Come out, Dark Night," Andre growled.
"Don't act mysterious. Your voice brings back very unpleasant memories."
Andre wore a large gray hooded coat.
The hood covered the bridge of his nose.
His hands remained in his pockets as his eyes, hidden under the brim, glared coldly at the passage.
That voice was far too familiar.
He had heard it many times in his nightmares.
One of the Nine Demon Kings, Dark Night, the Ruler of the Hundred Demons.
This was the demon who had caused him endless trouble.
Even though the final outcome back then had benefited him, it didn't stop him from hating this ghostlike monster.
---
"Hee hee hee…" the laugh came again.
"It seems you've really grown!"
"Do you want to join the demon clan? You're already a monster, an outsider to humans, aren't you?"
As the eerie laughter intensified, a ghostly figure materialized before the group.
"Dark Night, the Ruler of Hundreds of Demons… so it really is him," someone whispered.
"This is one of the Nine Demon Kings? His magic power is terrifying, completely bottomless," another said.
Whispers spread through the Andre Pirates.
Over the past two years, the crew had changed drastically.
Because Andre was recognized as the strongest magic pattern user, countless pirates and magic pattern users had joined him.
Their overall strength had skyrocketed.
But most newcomers knew little about Andre's past conflict with the Demon King Dark Night.
Even the veteran crew didn't talked about it.
So when they saw the Demon King appear, speak familiarly with Andre, and even invite him.
The new crew members couldn't help but wonder just what kind of relationship the two really had.
(End of this chapter)