Chapter Thirty-One: The Prison Guard Beast, Minotaur [First Update]

[Wishing all esteemed readers a happy Mid-Autumn Festival!]

The colossal beast before him completely blocked the passage leading to the third basement level. Its heavy fur bristled, and the scar on its forehead made the oppressive aura it exuded several times more powerful than that of any other magical beast.

“If we want to go down, we’ll have to take it out first, won’t we?”

Shu Mingyuan gazed at the slumbering giant, then, with a low shout, his arms once again swelled to enormous size. With a terrifying gust of wind, he brought his fists down hard upon the body of the Sphinx.

One punch, then another…

In an instant, Shu Mingyuan unleashed a storm of eighteen punches. With his current physique, even under partial amplification, releasing eighteen consecutive blows in one breath was no small feat.

The Sphinx, pressed tightly against the wall, was hammered deeper with each blow, the connecting corridor nearly collapsing. The poor beast, still in the midst of sleep, was beaten so thoroughly it almost fell apart. It lay weakly amidst the rubble, reduced to pitiful whimpers.

Shu Mingyuan’s hands returned to their normal state. Instantly, a Chidori Spear, crackling with lightning, materialized in his grip, and he drove it fiercely into the Sphinx’s neck as the beast stared at him in horror.

Crimson blood trickled from the wound, but Shu Mingyuan’s control was impeccable—the Chidori Spear penetrated no more than half a meter, not severing the jugular. Yet the numbing force that came with the spear exploded within the beast, sending it into violent, uncontrollable convulsions.

“Submit, or die!”

His eyes were cold and merciless as he stared the beast down. This creature, after so many years, had developed a human-like intelligence. Seeing the indifference in Shu Mingyuan’s gaze, a chill of terror welled up from the Sphinx’s core. It had no doubt that should it so much as twitch its head, the spear would instantly pierce its artery.

Terror filled the Sphinx’s eyes; its head and entire massive body trembled as it prostrated itself in submission.

With a thought, Shu Mingyuan dispelled the Chidori Spear into nothingness, leapt atop the Sphinx’s head, and issued his command.

“I’ll give you a few minutes to recover. Then you’re taking me straight to the fifth basement level.”

The Sphinx let out a feeble moan and lay motionless on the ground. But as befitted the lord of Beast Hell, within minutes it had recovered from its paralysis; even the wound on its neck was nearly healed.

During this brief respite, Shu Mingyuan focused on restoring his chakra and stamina. Ever since his escape from the first floor at sea, he had been fighting non-stop, draining both his body and chakra reserves.

“Let’s go.” With eyes closed, Shu Mingyuan uttered the words calmly, his tone as tranquil as still water. Yet beneath him, the Sphinx shuddered—this man’s orders were impossible to refuse.

With a low growl, the Sphinx lumbered downward step by step. The collapsed rocks ahead blocked its path, but with a sweep of its claws, the obstacles were easily cleared away. Its massive body rivaled that of a small Sea King, nearly filling the entire corridor. Each step sent tremors through the floor.

Shu Mingyuan had not forgotten—in the original story, just a few swipes from the Sphinx were enough to collapse the second basement’s prison floor, sending Luffy and his companions plummeting into the Hunger Prison on the third level. Even when faced with a seastone net, the Sphinx could easily break free. Its strength was formidable.

The Sphinx carried Shu Mingyuan through the passageway. As his figure appeared atop the beast’s head, every single person—whether imprisoned pirate or monitoring guard—was stunned.

The lord of Beast Hell, the Sphinx, had become this man’s personal mount!

What kind of joke was this?

Yet it was the truth.

Calls from the monitoring room grew more frantic, even alerting the deputy warden of Impel Down—Hannibal!

“Hello! The escaped man is about to reach the third basement level. Is there anyone there who can stop him?”

“Reporting, Lord Hannibal—Minotaurus is currently on the third level.”

“Minotaurus, is it? Then have him bring me the head of the Demon Hunter.”

The corridor from the second to the third floor was long. Even with the Sphinx’s speed, it took several minutes to traverse, all under the watchful gaze of the surveillance Den Den Mushi.

At the entrance to the third-level passage, a shadowy figure appeared, swift as the wind, carrying a fierce, evil wind as it struck at the Sphinx with ferocious force.

“What is that?!”

Shu Mingyuan’s eyes narrowed. He sensed a genuine threat from the black shadow. Leaping down from the Sphinx’s head, he landed just as a massive iron club crashed down upon the beast.

The force of the blow passed violently through the Sphinx, radiating in visible ripples. Cracks split the surrounding walls.

A moment later, the Sphinx’s enormous body sounded with snapping bones, then, like a cannonball, was hurled into a side wall—smashed straight into the Hunger Prison.

With just a single strike, the lord of Beast Hell, the Sphinx, was killed!

“This creature… It’s the prison beast of the Blazing Hell, Minotaurus of the fourth basement!”

“They say he’s ruthless and pitiless, treating humans like trash!”

Looking at the massive figure before him—its whole body resembling a monstrous cow—the name finally echoed in his mind. This was the true monster patrolling the fourth floor, Blazing Hell, possessed of overwhelming strength. Compared to it, the beasts of Beast Hell were as docile as lambs.

The shadowy figure vanished once again, and the deathly iron club came crashing down with impossible speed.

With a stomp, Shu Mingyuan unleashed his full strength, spinning as he retreated backward.

“Lightning Style: Chidori Spear!”

His hand gripped the air, and a ten-meter-long spear of lightning cleaved down from above. The Chidori Spear struck the cow-like creature, carving a deep gash into its flesh.

The wound was severe, but not fatal.

“Heh, no blood, no tears?” Shu Mingyuan sneered. That so-called ruthlessness only applied to the weak. If one was stronger than this beast, then it was possible to make it bleed.

Minotaurus let out an anguished howl, swinging its iron club down again with even greater speed and ferocity.

“Shadow Leaf Dance!”

Shu Mingyuan’s voice was low as his form disappeared, reappearing at the prison beast’s abdomen. At the same time, his right arm swelled instantaneously, as if turning into a giant’s hand.

“Partial Expansion Jutsu—Super Push Palm!”