Chapter Fifty-Seven: Departure! [Third Update]

"And you are simply weaker by comparison." Shu Mingyuan spoke coolly, his tone indifferent, showing not the slightest respect for the infamous female prisoner in history, Katharina Dapen.

“Grumble, grumble…”
“Brat, did you just call me weak? Do you believe I’ll crush you with one hand when I get out?” The pirate, fierce as a witch, snarled at him.

“Oh, shut it. Getting uppity just because I said a few words? If you’re so tough, come out and kill me, then.” Shu Mingyuan eyed her with open scorn. His left hand curled in the air, and a spear of lightning slowly took shape. Under Katharina Dapen’s watchful gaze, he smiled and thrust it forcefully forward.

“Armament Haki: Hardening!”
As the spear struck, Katharina Dapen uttered a cold, low cry. Her chest instantly turned pitch black, and no matter how hard the spear pressed, it couldn’t pierce her at all.

Shu Mingyuan’s expression didn’t change; he’d expected this. The Lone Crimson could shatter the Sea Prism Stone shackle with hidden strength—he didn’t believe the other monstrous criminals lacked life-saving skills. Otherwise, in a place like this, they would never have survived so long, let alone thrived.

“Let’s see how long you can keep this up,” Shu Mingyuan sneered, maintaining the pressure. He could more or less guess the source of this strength—it wasn’t easily accumulated. Once spent, who knew how long it would take to recover.

Katharina Dapen’s lips curled with mockery. “Brat, if you think you can pierce my Armament Haki, try again in your next life! If I were covering my whole body, maybe I couldn’t last long, but just focusing on one spot, I could stall you here for a whole day! The intensity of my Haki is beyond your comprehension.”

Shu Mingyuan frowned. If she spoke the truth, killing her would indeed be difficult. He couldn’t help but admit—these notorious criminals deserved their reputation. Even in such dire circumstances, there was nothing he could do about her.

But then, his gaze narrowed, and a sly smile crept across his face. “Really? Then see if you can block this.”

As he spoke, his left hand slashed downward. Katharina Dapen hadn’t expected him to switch targets so suddenly. With no time to harden her Haki, the spear’s tip sliced a crimson gash in her flesh.

It wasn’t fatal, nor was it a serious wound, but the fact he could hurt her at all was a promising sign.

“Brat, playing dirty with me? You’re asking for death! But with just this much, you’re still far from taking my life.” Katharina Dapen flashed a cruel smile. This pain was nothing to her.

“That’s right, I’m playing dirty. If I can’t kill you, I’ll wear you down,” Shu Mingyuan replied with a roguish grin. The lightning spear shifted ceaselessly in his hand, soon leaving Katharina Dapen covered in bloody gashes. Yet as he’d predicted, even after all this, her Armament Haki showed no sign of weakening.

He quickly lost interest. He’d hoped for a quick kill and some justice points, but killing her was impossible. Dragging this out was nothing but a waste of time.

Cursing under his breath, Shu Mingyuan turned and headed for the stairs.

“Brat, pray you never fall into my hands, or you’ll beg for death!” Katharina Dapen’s voice echoed after him, infuriated.

“Old hag, just make sure I don’t run into you again, or you’ll beg for life instead!” Shu Mingyuan called back, stepping over a fallen warden as he hurried to the fifth basement level. By his reckoning, Magellan should be arriving soon.

“Reporting to the Chief: The Ghost Hunter is still in Infinite Hell, attempting to kill the prisoner Katharina Dapen!”

“Reporting to the Chief: The Ghost Hunter has now left Infinite Hell for the Freezing Hell. Due to the harsh environment, there are no surveillance transponders as previously arranged. All updates must come by phone relay from Chief Warden Satie, stationed in Freezing Hell.”

“Satie, do your best to stall him in Freezing Hell. I’m already on the lift and will arrive at once!” Magellan’s voice came through the transponder. Satie stared at it, recalling how three months ago, even with three beast wardens at her side, she’d been unable to block a single blow from him. She’d lain in bed for a month before recovering. Bitterly, she wondered: had that man grown even stronger?

“Chief Magellan, please hurry. I… I may not hold out for long.” Satie replied.

“Don’t worry. For the capital crime the Ghost Hunter has committed, I’ll make sure he never leaves this prison alive!”

…

“Ninja Art: Super Beast Imitation—Lion!”

With a roar, a massive blood-red lion appeared out of thin air atop the snow. Shu Mingyuan leaped onto its back and, squeezing with his knees, charged straight for the corridor to the fourth basement—Blazing Hell.

This time, the blood wasn’t his own. He’d dragged up a random corpse, slit its artery, and used another’s blood for his art.

More and more wardens, guards, and blue gorillas appeared on the snowy ground—forces sent to quell the riot in Freezing Hell and to deal with the corpses of dead pirates. They were also fighting the wolf army of the ice forest.

The beasts, roused by the scent of blood, went mad with bloodlust—especially after the carnage that had just unfolded. Although the wolf riot was suppressed, the wardens had still suffered losses.

Shu Mingyuan’s eyes were sharp as ever. From a distance, he spotted Chief Warden Satie, surprised she’d survived his supercharged strike from three months before.

It seemed her strength was nothing to scoff at.

But if he hadn’t feared her three months ago, why would he now? His strength had transformed since then. Nothing ahead could stop his escape.

With a slap to the lion’s flank, its speed surged. Facing the massed wardens and guards ahead, he charged alone, never slowing—intent on taking on thousands single-handedly.

“Insects! Rabble!”

“Super Multiplication Technique: Super Thrust!”

“Armament Haki: Hardening!”

Forming seals with his hands, he transformed his arms to monstrous size before everyone’s eyes, barreling forward with unstoppable force.

Satie stared in shock at his hands, now black as iron and radiating overwhelming power.

“This… this is Haki?” In just three months, he’d reached a height many couldn’t attain in a lifetime.

But how could she possibly block this strike? Turning to glance at the countless wardens behind her, she could only give a bitter smile—it was impossible to hold him back. This man had become a true threat; only Chief Magellan or the Chief Jailer, Rain Shiliu, could hope to capture him.

Gritting her teeth, she lashed her whip forward. “No matter what, I must hold out until Chief Magellan arrives! Such a villain cannot be allowed to escape into the outside world.”

The two giant hands and her force collided amid the wardens’ horrified gazes!

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