Chapter Fifty-Five: The Onset of Darkness

“Damn! I've been discovered!”
In the corner, Shu Mingyuan stared in astonishment at the suddenly appearing jailer. He followed the jailer’s gaze and saw his own shadow stretched long and cast upon the wall.
He grimaced; all his careful calculations were ultimately no match for fate’s design.
Just as he was about to snap his fingers and act, his expression changed abruptly—the jailer was already shouting.
“The Ghost Hunter is here!”
In an instant, all the wardens sprang into action, even Hannibal himself rushing swiftly toward the source of the cry.
“Damn it!”
Shu Mingyuan cursed, launching a finger-gun shot that killed the jailer on the spot, then quickly used Shave to escape. Yet, in Infinite Hell, every warden was now converging in his direction.
All the cells were constructed of pure Seastone; he no longer bothered to conceal himself, fleeing with even greater speed. But all of this was perfectly captured by the infrared surveillance Den Den Mushi.
Hannibal gripped his Den Den Mushi tightly, tracking Shu Mingyuan’s every move.
“Hurry! The Ghost Hunter is over there!”
Infinite Hell was ablaze with light. Shu Mingyuan darted everywhere in his attempt to escape, but the wardens were determined to fixate on his shadow, leaving him with no way out—wherever he fled, he was instantly spotted.
The firelight stripped him of his advantage in the darkness.
“If that’s the case, then I’ll extinguish your flames!”
He opened his system and found the Water Release Ninjutsu tab, but seeing the massive Justice Points required, he couldn’t help but curse.
“System, are you kidding me? You want 2300 Justice Points for a C-rank Water Release? That’s ten times the price of other types—are you robbing a bank?”
He thought his eyes were playing tricks on him, but when he saw the A-rank Great Exploding Water Wave, capable of creating an artificial sea within a ten-kilometer radius, costing 560,000 points, he was left speechless.
Clearly, the system was strictly limiting his access to Water Release—otherwise, in this water-dominated world, wouldn’t he be invincible?
Yet, given the current situation, he could only accept being fleeced by the system.
Gritting his teeth, he redeemed Water Release: Wild Water Wave for 2300 Justice Points; for now, he was wealthy enough to afford it.
“Water Release: Wild Water Wave!”
He formed a hand seal, then spewed forth a torrent of water that could sweep away a human. The oil channels flanking the walls were quickly submerged, and water spread swiftly along their lengths.
At these frigid temperatures, the oil in the channels rapidly froze, instantly plunging the entire area into darkness.
“Lord Hannibal! The fire... the fire’s out!”
In the pitch black, anything was possible. Most human fears stem from the darkness.
In this eerie environment, beneath the eyes of so many legendary pirates, the wardens’ terror was magnified without limit.
“Damn it, where did all this water come from?”
Seeing unease spreading through the crowd, Hannibal’s anger grew.
Shu Mingyuan smiled coldly, smashing the infrared surveillance Den Den Mushis on the walls, then slipped into the throng.
He moved like a ghost, more like a reaper—every movement spelled death for the wardens around him.
“A gh... ghost...”
Panic gripped the wardens’ hearts; in the utter darkness, they could not even see their own hands, let alone recognize those beside them.
“Ho ho ho, the scent of fresh blood is truly intoxicating.”
“Kid, toss a corpse over here, let me have a taste!”
“That brat’s got some skills! Kill them all, set me free, and I’ll take you with me in a prison break—hahaha!”
The fiendish voices were so wicked that they deepened everyone’s terror. To be killed here might mean a gruesome end at these monsters’ hands.
“Retreat—fall back to the light!”
The wardens jostled, turning to flee toward the areas still illuminated by fire.
“Heh, firelight? Then let me show you the true terror lurking in the dark!”
He withdrew his fingers from a warden’s chest and strolled toward the bright flames.
Wherever he walked, the fire was snuffed out by the rushing water, plunging everything into darkness.
Driven back by the encroaching blackness, the wardens quickly found themselves crowded before the great black gate of the sixth basement floor.
“Why the panic? Just hold the door—what, do you think this brat can fly out of here?”
“Deputy Warden, what if the Ghost Hunter releases all the monsters?”
“Hmph! These cells are made of pure Seastone. Without a key, I’d like to see him try!”
Shu Mingyuan advanced, wreathed in darkness—wherever he passed, utter blackness reigned. It was as if all of Hell had become a gigantic demon, gaping its maw to devour them.
“Ghost Hunter Monkey D. Shu Mingyuan, you have nowhere left to run—surrender now!” Hannibal shouted.
“Nowhere to run?”
Shu Mingyuan sneered, spreading his arms wide. “The darkness at my back is all the cover I need, and you say I have no escape?”
“Let’s extinguish what little fire remains.”
He spoke calmly, then formed another hand seal: “Water Release: Wild Water Wave!”
Chakra gathered in his throat, and he spewed a massive surge of water, flooding the oil channels on both sides.

“Not good!”
Hannibal’s expression shifted, but it was too late—a torrent of water snuffed out the remaining flames. Steam rose as boundless blackness descended once more.
Now, the entire Infinite Hell was swallowed by darkness—there was not a single glimmer of light.
“Hannibal, do you still think I have no way out?”
Shu Mingyuan’s mocking voice echoed in the dark. With a snap of his fingers, he casually killed a warden, whose final, bloodcurdling scream sent chills through everyone.
“Hahaha, what an amusing brat—kill them all!”
“Carnival: Scorching Hell Chariot!”
Hannibal roared, brandishing his naginata with fierce momentum. A ring of fire erupted from the blade, illuminating the surroundings.
It also revealed Shu Mingyuan, standing not far away.
“Brat, take this!”
Hannibal brought his blade down with crushing force, the flames raging, intent on cleaving Shu Mingyuan in two.
“This paltry flame—is this a circus act, Hannibal?”
“Water Release: Wild Water Wave!”
Once more, Shu Mingyuan unleashed a flood, drenching Hannibal and scattering the wardens in all directions.
“Pathetic!”
Shu Mingyuan fully exploited the darkness, wielding his abilities to their utmost.
“Partial Expansion Jutsu: Super Push!”
His arm swelled in the darkness, and, catching everyone off guard, he struck with a thunderous palm!
Hannibal took the brunt of the blow, followed by the rest of the wardens; crack after crack of breaking bones echoed in the gloom.

[Two more chapters to come tonight.
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