Chapter 12: Impel Down's Crimson Hell
The dense, packed needle grass, merely brushed lightly, sent a stinging pain from his soles.
Every step Pirate Ren Arakawa took was like treading on a sharp bed of needles. The needle grass easily pierced the soles of his feet, deeply embedding itself in his soles, and the excruciating pain instantly covered his forehead in cold sweat.
Even with his clothes wrapped around them, the discomfort was unavoidable.
The towering sword trees around him were covered in dense, sharp thorns, like a natural nest of blades.
The intertwined branches and leaves of the sword trees cast eerie shadows under the dim light, appearing like menacing demons baring their fangs and brandishing their claws.
Ren Arakawa's Sharingan eyes spun rapidly as he vigilantly scanned his surroundings.
Here, any moment of carelessness could cost him his life.
Every step had to be taken with extreme caution, constantly preparing for danger.
Suddenly, a "shasha" sound came from all directions – the sound of venomous spiders crawling!
Pirate Ren Arakawa's heart tightened abruptly. He clenched his fists, slightly crouched, and readied himself for battle!
Venomous spiders surged forth from the shadows of the sword trees and the crevices of the needle grass. Their colossal bodies, as large as calves, moved with terrifying speed,
and in the blink of an eye, completely surrounded Pirate Ren Arakawa!
One venomous spider suddenly leaped out and pounced on Ren Arakawa!
Ren Arakawa's body flashed, and he narrowly dodged the attack, but the venomous spider's sharp fangs still ripped his trouser leg!
He could clearly feel the venom on the fangs, carrying a pungent smell; a mere graze caused a burning pain on his skin!
Ren Arakawa dared not be careless; he quickly formed hand seals!
"Fire Release: Great Fireball Technique!"
A giant ball of flames burst from his mouth, sweeping towards the encircling venomous spiders!
The flames and venomous spiders collided, emitting crackling sounds!
The venomous spiders shrieked as they were burned by the flames. Some struggled for a few moments in the inferno before turning to ash.
However, more venomous spiders seemed unafraid of the flames. They bypassed the fire and continued to pounce on Ren Arakawa.
Ren Arakawa dodged the venomous spiders' attacks while struggling to move forward in the direction of Beast Hell.
His feet left one bloody footprint after another on the needle grass. Every step he took, he had to endure the double agony brought by the needle grass and his wounds.
Meanwhile, the venomous spiders pursued relentlessly, leaping and crawling rapidly among the sword trees, like messengers of death, giving Ren Arakawa not a single chance to catch his breath.
While dodging a group of venomous spiders, Ren Arakawa accidentally bumped into a sword tree.
The sword tree's thorns instantly pierced his back, and a wave of intense pain nearly made him pass out.
He gritted his teeth, endured the pain, and pulled his body free from the sword tree.
By now, his back was already covered in blood. Fresh blood streamed down his back, dripping onto the needle grass.
The venomous spiders seemed to smell the fresh blood and became even more frenzied. They accelerated their attacks, and under their relentless assault, Ren Arakawa gradually began to feel overwhelmed.
But the conviction to escape in his heart sustained him, allowing him to continue struggling in this desperate situation.
He spotted an opening and charged towards a weak point in the venomous spiders' encirclement.
The venomous spiders reacted incredibly fast, surging towards him one after another.
He gritted his teeth fiercely and broke off a branch from a sword tree. Wielding the sword-like branch, he engaged the venomous spiders in close-quarters combat.
The tree-sword in his hand flashed with cold light. Every slash struck a venomous spider, but the spiders' hard exoskeletons severely diminished the tree-sword's effectiveness.
In the fierce battle, Ren Arakawa sustained several more wounds.
The venom seeped into his body through the wounds. He felt his strength gradually draining away, and his vision began to blur.
Yet he still didn't give up; an unyielding flame burned in his eyes.
Just as he was about to be overwhelmed by the venomous spiders, a tremendous surge of energy suddenly erupted from the depths of his heart!
Tier 1 Genetic Lock,
Activate!
"This feeling..."
Pirate Ren Arakawa felt the changes in his body, and a light suddenly appeared in his eyes!
He could feel the Chakra within his body had also almost doubled in quantity,
though it might involve overdrawing his Chakra and body, there was no other way.
He unleashed the Great Fireball Technique once more!
This time, the Great Fireball Technique was incredibly powerful, blowing open a gap directly in the swarm of venomous spiders!
Ren Arakawa seized the opportunity and charged out through the gap. He ran desperately forward, with the relentlessly pursuing venomous spiders behind him.
His footsteps grew heavier and heavier; every step felt like it consumed all his remaining strength.
But his eyes remained fixed straight ahead—that was the direction to Beast Hell.
In this Crimson Hell, he was like a small skiff struggling to survive in a stormy, raging sea. And that Beast Hell was his only ray of hope at this moment.
After an unknown amount of time, Ren Arakawa finally saw the distant passage leading to Beast Hell.
It was a gigantic stone gate, carved with various ferocious beast patterns around it, as if warning everyone who dared to approach.
A trace of determination flashed in Ren Arakawa's eyes. He ran towards the stone gate, with the swarm of venomous spiders still relentlessly pursuing him.
Only by passing through this gate would he have a chance of survival.
Just at this moment...
"Oh my, oh my, this is something! There's actually someone trying to go from Crimson Hell to Beast Hell."
"If I capture a prisoner like this, will it let me get promoted to Warden?"
"Damn it! How did I blurt out the truth!"
Pirate Ren Arakawa's heart sank as he looked at the demon jailer before him, over three meters tall and holding a demon's pitchfork!
"Damn it! Why is this guy guarding this passage?!"
This person was none other than Impel Down's Chief Guard, and also, after the demotion of Poison Man Magellan, Impel Down's highest leader – Hannyabal!
This guy's strength far surpassed that of an ordinary Special Jonin.
He was simply not an opponent Pirate Ren Arakawa could handle at his current stage.
He didn't have time to think; he turned his head and was about to flee!
"Trying to run?! No way! You're my stepping stone to becoming Warden!"
"WHOOSH!"
A gleaming large saber blocked Pirate Ren Arakawa's path!
"So fast!" Pirate Ren Arakawa's gaze sharpened. "Since there's no retreat..."
He glanced back at the gate, then pressed his hands together.
"Don't move! Or my saber will come down!" Jailer Hannyabal issued his final warning.
"If you're capable, then chop!" Pirate Ren Arakawa, still with his hands pressed together, continued running towards Beast Hell.
"I said don't move!"
"WHOOSH!" The large saber, carrying a powerful gust of wind, swept past Pirate Ren Arakawa's neck. Hannyabal indeed hadn't been bluffing; he truly showed no mercy when he moved, aiming for a direct, lethal strike!
"Courting death," Hannyabal clearly felt the impact transmitted from his saber blade. He eased his grip, ready to seize his incapacitated foe.
"BANG!"
A cloud of white smoke enveloped Hannyabal.
"Wh-What's going on?!"
He hurriedly fanned away the white smoke in front of him, then looked again at the object pinned by his saber blade.
Surprisingly, it was...
"Half a log?"
(end of chapter)