An invisible force acted upon Degal's body. He suddenly felt intense heat all over, a sensation of his blood surging and churning violently.
"What is this?"
His face was flushed red, his skin crimson, and wisps of steam emanated from him. Degal felt his blood boiling inside him, accompanied by a worsening feeling of total weakness and stinging pain.
"You are nothing more than an ordinary Zoan-type Ability User, while I am a Mythical Zoan-type Ability User! The ability to control blood, that is my power!" Mina lifted her head proudly, the corner of her mouth curling up slightly.
"The power to control blood!"
Degal didn't understand Mina's initial words, but the part about controlling blood was enough to leave him aghast.
Had his 'trading blows' tactic fallen right into her trap?!
"You wild men are too disgusting; I don't feel like drinking your blood!" Mina gave a seductive smile, then struck out with lightning speed.
Psshkkts…
A hand-sword plunged into Degal's abdomen, sinking in almost up to her wrist.
"Oh? What resilient flesh!" Mina murmured in surprise, then quickly understood. "Of course. It's normal for a Zoan Ability User, especially an Awakened one, to possess such tough physical endurance."
"Cough, cough…"
Hit by the hand-sword and the immense force it contained, Degal immediately coughed up a mouthful of blood.
"You... you bastard!"
Degal forcefully endured the discomfort wracking his body, extended his sharp claws, and swung them down fiercely.
RUMBLE!
Dust flew and rocks splattered. A large pit instantly appeared in the ground.
"Well, that's disappointing. Although I didn't expect one blow to finish you, the body of an Awakened Zoan-type is truly a hassle!" Mina hovered mid-air, her giant bat wings flapping, looking down at Degal.
Degal's enormous bloody wound on his abdomen and the previous injury on his arm were visibly healing rapidly. It looked like they would be fully restored in less than a minute.
Having broken free from Mina's grasp, the frantic, boiling blood inside Degal had also calmed down. Having suffered a massive blow, he looked at Mina with extreme wariness.
Mina raised her hand. The blood on her delicate fingers seemed to be pulled by an invisible force, stretching out and slowly floating upward, forming a perfectly spherical blood bead about the size of a common lead shot.
Sheeenk!
The blood bead shot out instantly, emitting an ear-piercing shriek, even more powerful than a bullet.
Blood Bullet!
"Watch out! Ahh!"
Degal was instantly alarmed and quickly dodged to the side, but he couldn't completely avoid it. Even though the power of his Awakening had multiplied his stamina, durability, and recovery, the pain remained. The blood bead, stronger than a bullet, instantly pierced a large hole through his arm, causing him to cry out in pain.
Whoosh!
With a successful attack, Mina fiercely flapped her bat wings, diving down like an arrow. Her blood-glowing claws aimed straight for Degal's large, cat-like head.
Sooo!
Suddenly, a sound of rushing air came, and the descending Mina abruptly halted. She saw a black, fist-sized iron chunk fly rapidly past her face.
Had Mina not reacted quickly, the black, metallic-sheened chunk would have hit her right in the middle.
"Wait! That's Haki!"
"Who is it?"
Sensing something was wrong, Mina realized that it wasn't a black iron chunk at all, but a rock hardened by Armament Haki. She quickly looked toward the direction the stone had come from.
Dozens of meters away, on the balcony of a two-story wooden house, stood an old man with white hair and a cap woven from various colored feathers. The elder was slightly hunched, wearing coarse linen clothes and straw sandals. He leaned on a wooden staff about one and a half meters long, decorated with a skull and some ferocious beast claws.
"Great Shaman!" Degal cried out in surprise.
"A Great Shaman?"
Mina, mid-air, frowned slightly, looking at the native elder, the one called the Great Shaman, with a hint of surprise. Could this native old man use Haki?
"Alas, Degal. I never expected that even the Grace of Homans the God could not hold back the enemy," the Great Shaman sighed, his tone conveying a sense of helplessness.
"I am truly sorry, Great Shaman. This is my fault!" Degal looked down, slightly panicked. The blood hole in his arm had already recovered.
"Are you the Shaman of this tribe? The one in charge?" Mina turned her body toward him, narrowing her eyes as she spoke.
"I dare not claim to be the leader, merely someone who can give orders to a few people. You may call me Apuli," the Great Shaman, who called himself Apuli, replied with great humility.
"Tell me everything you know about this Homans the God, or I will wipe out your tribe!" Mina's tone was firm, ready to slaughter everyone in the tribe at a moment's notice.
"I am well aware of the purpose of you outsiders—the treasure of Homans the God." Shaman Apuli's eyes narrowed, becoming somewhat sinister as he listened to Mina's words. He said in a deep voice, "However, Homans the God cannot be violated. As the guardians of the God, I cannot agree to your demand."
"Hmph. Old fool, you don't know what's good for you!" Mina's pretty face turned icy cold, and she let out a cold snort. She had thought this humble old man would be sensible, but he clearly was not.
"Sriya! Flatten this place for me!"
Bang!
Sriya kicked a native wild man who spat up blood and flew backward, then casually replied, "Leave it to us!"
"Leave no one alive!" Sriya waved his hand, giving the order.
"Yes!"
The Elite Strike Team Super Soldiers responded in unison, their attacks becoming even more brutal and swift.
Immediately, the native wild men present began to die even faster, with dozens more corpses falling to the ground in no time.
"It seems you are the leader of these outsiders. We did not wish to offend you, but you leave me no choice!" Shaman Apuli's eyes flashed with coldness, and his voice was stern.
As soon as his voice fell, he stomped his foot and leaped into the air. The wooden staff in his hand struck directly toward Mina's chest.
BANG!
Mina flapped her bat wings and shot out a kick, hitting the staff dead center. A powerful wave of air immediately spread outward, blowing the nearby thatched straw everywhere.
"It's Armament Haki after all!"
Mina was pushed back several meters by the powerful force, simultaneously feeling the Armament Haki coating the wooden staff.
It was truly astonishing that the Shaman of a native wild man tribe could use Armament Haki, considering that the Awakened Zoan native couldn't.
Meanwhile, Shaman Apuli, having no foothold in the air and unable to use Geppo, fell straight down, his feet sinking deep into the ground.
"This monster woman has incredible strength!"
Apuli wore an expression of total shock.
Although his position as the tribe's Shaman did not require him to go out hunting, learning the mysterious power left behind by Homans the God required a strong body.
Furthermore, with the enhancement of that mysterious power, his strength was even superior to Degal, the tribe's number one warrior. Yet, he was surprised to find that the woman's power was barely weaker than his own.