CHAPTER 4: THE AWAKENING OF DARKNESS
The decisive moment had arrived. Vice Admiral Doberman unleashed his ultimate technique. "Mastery of the Sword!" he roared, closing in on Morde with lightning speed, delivering a devastating double slash from above.
Seeing no escape, Morde reacted instinctively: Black energy pooled in his hand and he swung his fist.
Their attacks clashed, but the Vice Admiral's experience prevailed. Although Morde underestimated the damage, his bones screamed in protest; he stood, dazed and shaken. As Doberman prepared to deliver the final blow, he suddenly froze.
Morde's eyes turned pitch black.
"Hey, rookie! What's this? What the hell are you up to?!" Doberman shouted.
Concentrating every ounce of muscle strength, breath, and internal energy into his right fist, Doberman made a final display of naval superiority. "Judgment Fist! Let this be the end!" DESTROY!" he shouted.
Morde calmly opened his eyes. Dark energy seemed to emanate from his eyes like physical matter. He brought his fist down in a devastating arc. The blow enveloped the entire area in a massive dust cloud. When the dust cleared, a powerful shockwave engulfed everyone.
"I didn't expect a mere rookie to survive that punch," Doberman admitted, his voice filled with surprise. "Frankly, you impressed me."
"You haven't seen anything yet, so-called Marine!" Morde roared with arrogant anger.
Doberman roared angrily. "All soldiers, get him!"
Morde charged into battle against the entire Marine unit. At first, he fought purely on survival instinct. But then... something shifted within him. Every blow he landed, every cry of pain, brought a poisonous joy that filled the void within him. It was no longer about escape; it was about pleasure, about catharsis. Incredible speed and Driven by rage, he neutralized 200 marines.
He was reaching his limit, but he had an advantage: Doberman's strength was almost exhausted. Knowing this, Morde attacked Doberman with blinding speed. The exhausted Vice Admiral couldn't react in time, and Morde seized the opportunity.
"BLACK FIST!"
The powerful fist struck Doberman's jaw, knocking him out cold. The remaining marines tried to flee, but Morde's rage remained unabated. Driven by the dark passion that consumed him, he ruthlessly hunted each one down. Then he vanished.
The semi-conscious Doberman contacted Naval Headquarters with the devastating news: "He... is no rookie... a monster..."
Morde was now officially wanted by the World Government. His fate had been overtaken by shadows.
At that moment, as Kai was walking away from town, a mysterious, blonde-haired woman appeared before him.
So who was this woman?