As Neraxis walked away, Ishihara collapsed onto the shattered ground, blood spilling from his mouth.
He murmured weakly,
"I… I have to use Reverse Vital Technique… if I want to live…"
Neraxis yawned casually as he moved forward, his burning eyes sharp and alert.
Then—
he saw Noctyre Valen standing right in front of him.
A wide grin stretched across Neraxis's face.
In an instant, he rushed forward.
Noctyre's eyes widened.
His feet froze.
His hands trembled uncontrollably.
His heart thundered violently in his chest.
Before he could react—
Neraxis grabbed him by the throat.
He leaned closer and murmured, his voice low and absolute:
> "Your body is mine, Valen Noctyre."
Dark vital force erupted.
Neraxis shifted—
forcing his existence into Noctyre's body, twisting flesh, soul, and identity.
Noctyre became his vessel.
Neraxis laughed, his voice echoing unnaturally.
> "Now all I have to do… is find my remaining three Hex Fruits."
A wide, satisfied grin formed on his face.
---
A Few Meters Ahead — Lie City
Lily ran desperately, gripping the box that sealed Kael Draven.
Inside it—
Kael laughed.
> "I'm getting out sooner anyway,"
"Stop these futile acts already."
He channeled his Endless Vital Force, forcing it outward.
> "I'm not going anywhere."
---
Back to Lily
The box suddenly slipped from her hands and slammed into the ground, cracks spreading across its surface.
Her eyes widened.
> "This… hasn't happened in two thousand years."
She tried to move it.
It didn't budge.
Not even an inch.
No matter how hard she tried.
She exhaled sharply and stepped back, giving up—
then raised her hands, creating a massive zone that swallowed the entire city of Lie.
---
Radios Across Sheurin
Static burst through every channel.
> "Attention, Hunters! Kael Draven's sealing box is immovable just a few meters ahead in Lie City! I repeat— the box is not moving!"
June's eyes widened in disbelief.
> "How… could this be?"
Kozuki Toya answered calmly,
> "Only Draven Kael could do something like this."
Nearby, Ishihara—on the brink of death—murmured weakly:
> "Guess… only he's capable of something like this… even while sealed."
A faint smile formed.
> "He really is… the strongest."