Chapter 457 456: The War of the S-Class Powerhouses!

Vivienne blinked in disbelief.

Shura had been cut cleanly in two—how could his body still move?

Was it a corpse twitch?

She peered more closely at the remains and quickly noticed something strange.

If Shura had truly been split in half, blood should have poured out in torrents. Instead, only a little seeped from the wound, far less than it should have been.

This isn't normal…!

Her eyes lit up.

Shura isn't dead!

Split in half, yet still alive. It was impossible, yet somehow real. Truly astonishing—exactly what one would expect from Shura!

Still, Vivienne was sharp enough to realize he had a plan. Whatever Fenric—Shura's true self—intended, she couldn't give it away.

Her voice rang out cold and defiant:

"Adam, stop dreaming. Even if I die, I will never join you!"

Her mask was flawless, and from a distance Adam noticed nothing unusual.

He sighed with false regret. "Aurora, that's a foolish choice."

What he didn't see was the sudden spark of life in the "corpse" below.

Eyes snapped open, sharp and blazing.

This was no corpse.

It was Fenric.

He hadn't died at all.

Back during the "X-Men: Days of Future Past" trial world, Fenric had obtained Wolverine's regenerative power. Unless his brain or heart was destroyed, not even being cleaved in half could kill him.

The wound had been the second most severe he had ever endured. Without his regeneration, he might have truly fallen to Adam's blade.

But Adam's "gift" would be repaid in full.

"Uvall, let's strike together and finish this woman," Adam said.

Uvall grinned wickedly, nodding. To him, Vivienne Song was a dangerous obstacle to his future ambitions. Eliminating her suited him perfectly.

"Her body will be mine. I'll refine her into the strongest demon puppet," Uvall sneered.

"No problem," Adam said smoothly.

Neither man believed she could escape alive. Against one, Vivienne might stand her ground—but against both, her death seemed certain.

"We'll flank her."

Adam lunged to strike—

"!!!"

And froze.

A blade, sharp and merciless, appeared behind him and thrust toward his heart.

His instincts screamed. With reflexes honed by countless battles, Adam twisted aside, barely avoiding instant death.

But not entirely.

"Pfft!"

The blade drove deep into his torso, blood spraying as its tip burst from his chest.

Adam's eyes went wide. Had he reacted a fraction slower, his heart would have been pierced.

Why didn't my Phoenix fruit heal me?!

Then he saw it.

The sword was cloaked in dense, obsidian Armament Haki—the natural nemesis of all Devil Fruits.

Slowly, Adam turned his head.

Behind him floated Fenric, his upper body still severed, yet impossibly alive. In his hand gleamed the Empyrean Divine Sword.

A half-bodied man, yet moving freely.

The sight made even Uvall recoil in shock.

Adam's voice trembled. "What… what are you?!"

Fenric's gaze was icy. "Super regeneration. Stronger than your Phoenix's petty recovery. Rest easy—your time is up."

His fist clenched. Armament Haki and seismic energy surged together, condensing into a devastating strike.

Fenric drove his fist into Adam's skull.

"Boom—!"

The impact shattered the air, collapsing the void itself. The shockwave rippled through Saka Guchi Prefecture like a natural disaster.

Adam had no chance to dodge, impaled by Fenric's sword and caught point-blank. The fist landed squarely.

The world erupted.

Adam's body shattered like glass, bursting apart into fragments that rained across the battlefield.

"!!!"

The watching Samsaras cried out in disbelief.

"What just happened?!"

"Is Shura… is Shura even human? He was cut in half and lived—and now he's destroying Adam?!"

"Unbelievable! Tonight's battle has flipped again and again! First Adam tricked everyone with Uvall, killing Shura. And now—Shura, cleaved in half, survives to slay Adam!?"

"The Great God Shura is terrifying!"

"Is Adam really dead? Or can monsters like them even die?"

"It's insane… S-class powerhouses are beyond imagination!"

Shockwaves of disbelief spread across the battlefield and through every live broadcast worldwide.

"..."

Fenric withdrew his fist, frowning at the broken pieces of Adam scattered across the ground.

Something was wrong.

The fragments dried and blackened unnaturally, crumbling into dust within seconds.

That wasn't his doing. His Tremor powers were destructive, but they didn't drain life like this.

He already knew what it meant.

Adam wasn't dead.

From the darkness ahead, Adam stepped forth once more, his body whole, his eyes sharp as talons locked onto Fenric.

The Samsaras gasped as if seeing a ghost.

"What—what is this?!"

"Didn't Shura just destroy him?!"

"F**k! What are these things? Are S-class Samsaras even human?!"

"Monsters… they're all monsters!"

And across the globe, high-ranking officials watching the broadcast could only mutter the same words as they stared at the impossible scene.

—---

Cindralock Dominion – Pentagon Conference Room

The President slammed the table, his voice filled with disbelief.

"It's incredible… are they truly immortal demons?"

An old congressman adjusted his glasses, speaking solemnly.

"Perhaps their very lives have evolved into something beyond our comprehension."

"Then what about our nuclear arsenal?" a military commander asked uneasily. "Can it even work against monsters like that?"

The room fell into heavy silence.

Until now, the balance between governments and Samsaras had been maintained largely because of nuclear deterrence. Without it, those who possessed extraordinary powers might have long since risen in rebellion.

But tonight—Shura and Adam had displayed traits of immortality.

The thought chilled every politician in the room. If Samsaras no longer feared nuclear weapons, how long could governments remain in power?

—---

Saka Guchi Battlefield

Fenric frowned as Adam reappeared before him.

"So… a secret technique? The one I destroyed must have been a puppet. Some kind of ninjutsu, perhaps?"

Even at a glance, his sharp eyes saw through Adam's act. Though resurrected, Adam's face was pale, sweat beading his forehead. Surviving Fenric's assault had come at no small cost.

Then Fenric moved.

His severed lower body flew up from the ground and reattached to his torso.

Split in half, only to reconnect and heal—something out of a myth. Yet with his regenerative ability, the impossible became reality.

The watching Samsaras gaped in shock. Flesh, veins, and skin writhed and fused seamlessly until Fenric once more stood whole.

The sight shattered their understanding of the world.

Fenric, unfazed by their stares, twisted his waist, flexed his legs, and nodded in satisfaction. His body was fully restored.

Uvall narrowed his eyes. "What kind of monster are you?"

His own form could collapse and reform, but he was a demon god of Hell. Such abilities were expected. Fenric, however, was unmistakably human. No trace of a dark creature's aura lingered on him.

Fenric shot Uvall a cold glance.

"I didn't expect you to cooperate with Adam so well. That was the closest I've ever been to death. To 'repay' you… I'll be sure to claim the points lodged in your head."

Uvall sneered. "Arrogant brat. Do you think I'm as useless as Adam, unable to kill you?"

Fenric ignored him. There was no point in debating with such a thing.

His gaze returned to Adam.

"Adam. Our feud ends today."

Adam shifted into a battle stance, his tone sharp.

"Shura, you've surprised me again. Uvall, together—we finish him first. His ability must have limits. Once we find the weakness, we'll kill him."

Uvall's voice rumbled like thunder. "Don't make the same mistake twice."

Suddenly, a piercing voice rang from above.

"Besiege Shura? Have you asked me first?"

"Whoosh!"

Vivienne descended like a meteor, landing beside Fenric. Together, they faced Uvall and Adam.

Man against man. S-rank against S-rank.

The four strongest beings in the world now stood opposed, and the air itself seemed to tremble under their presence.

A true battle of S-class powerhouses was about to erupt.