Chapter 82: The Awakening of the Fruit, the Struggle for the Tsar [First Update]

P.S.: Honey, I know you are still reading. Let us make up.

The torrent of the overwhelming sand river poured down for a full several dozen seconds before it finally ceased. Every grain of that sand was infused with Shukaku's chakra, and before such power, Crocodile's body could only bear the assault by force.

The desert upheaval slowly settled once more. Crocodile lay buried deep beneath the sands, but Shu Mingyuan knew full well that this might not be the end. The Sand Emperor among the Seven Warlords of the Sea could not be brought down so easily.

The reason those grains could wound Crocodile was that they carried Shukaku's unique tailed-beast chakra. Once the technique ended and the chakra vanished, the sand would become ordinary again, and at that point Crocodile would once more be able to elementalize and merge with it.

Sure enough, countless grains of sand began to gather above the desert, slowly taking human form. The outline was unmistakably Crocodile's.

"I have to admit, brat, your control over sand is far beyond mine. But so what? When it comes to affinity with sand, a hundred of you still would not equal me."

Crocodile laughed, bloodied all over. Even the black cloak behind him had become tattered and ruined, as disheveled as he was.

Shu Mingyuan regarded him calmly. The man was right. His own mastery of sand came from Shukaku's vast chakra controlling the element, whereas Crocodile was a sand man through and through, from the inside out. Even if the sand could injure him, the damage would likely be greatly diminished by his very nature.

But so what?

"Brat, if you want to play with sand, you're still miles too young!" Crocodile yanked off the cloak behind him. Though he was covered in blood, the aura around him had not weakened in the slightest.

"Speaking of which, I should thank you. Thanks to you, I saw all kinds of different ways to control sand, and just now, deep beneath the desert, those flashes of inspiration struck me like lightning. I have faintly grasped another realm. I call it... Awakening."

Crocodile's laughter was unrestrained. The moment he stepped into this realm, he felt something wholly different. It was an unprecedented power. Within the range of his ability, every grain of sand now answered to him, unlike before, when he could only sand-ize his own body to launch corresponding attacks.

An unusual ripple spread outward from his body, as though his very presence were assimilating all the surrounding sand. Now he, too, could manipulate it to form all manner of attacks, just as Shu Mingyuan did.

Around Crocodile, countless sand figures identical to him slowly condensed. This power, utterly unlike anything he had wielded before, made him feel invincible.

At that moment, it was as if he alone had become a god. As long as sand existed, he was truly without equal.

Shu Mingyuan's pupils narrowed. He had vaguely guessed that Crocodile might have reached the level of Awakening, but hearing it with his own ears still sent a jolt through him. A beast-type Awakening merely grants durability and recovery, but once a natural-element Awakening is achieved, it seems one can control the same substance outside one's own body.

His own erosion technique had turned all matter into grains of sand. That was already one foot into the door of Awakening, but back then he could only turn himself into sand; he could not directly command the sand of the desert to attack.

But now, everything was different.

As Crocodile showed, he had gained the ability to fully command the surrounding sand. That was no small improvement in the desert. As long as his stamina held out, he could unleash attacks without end.

"Heh, sand clones? I have those too."

Shu Mingyuan formed seals with both hands. Countless grains of sand gathered and took shape, becoming figures that fought against Crocodile's sand clones.

"Brat, taste my spear!"

Crocodile clenched the air, and a long spear condensed in his grasp. He hurled it heavily at Shu Mingyuan. The spear split the air as it flew, but ten meters out, it was driven aside by a vast surge of quicksand.

He had only just entered this realm, and his control over sand was still far from mature, so things formed from it were not especially strong. As expected, every sand clone he summoned was defeated in short order.

"It seems your luck is not very good. Awakening only to die in my hands before you can even master it properly is truly pathetic." A mocking smile touched Shu Mingyuan's lips. He sprang upward, his arm once again transforming into a monstrous sand limb as he charged at Crocodile with explosive speed.

Crocodile's face darkened as he watched the boy rush toward him. Raising one arm, he sent the boundless sand behind him surging forth like a tide, wave after wave slamming forward. The rolling sandstorm rushed toward Shu Mingyuan, determined to devour him whole.

"Brat, how does this compare to yours? Come and taste the power of a sand wave. Ha! I wonder if, once you are buried alive, you will still be able to come out as easily as I can."

"Such petty tricks. How can fireflies compete with the sun and moon?"

"Great Sandstorm Whirlpool!"

Shu Mingyuan formed seals with ten fingers and slammed his hands fiercely into the ground. The quicksand ahead of him erupted into a狂乱 spiral, spinning madly. Ten meters, a hundred meters, three hundred meters. That enormous sandstorm vortex turned with terrifying force, swallowing everything around it. Fortunately, Shukaku's immense chakra was helping him; otherwise, he could never have unleashed a sandstorm of this scale.

The sand wave came crashing down, only to be wildly devoured by the vortex, which in turn grew faster and larger because of it. By the time every last surge had been swallowed, the sandstorm whirlpool had expanded to a diameter of five hundred meters.

Crocodile's Desert Sunflower technique looked utterly insignificant by comparison.

His expression darkened as he stared at the young man. This degree of control over sand could only be described as divine. His own body was being slowly drawn into the desert vortex.

He did not even dare to elementalize now. If he transformed into wind and sand, he might lose even the slightest resistance to this enormous pull and be swallowed up by the sandstorm vortex in an instant.

This terrifying grinding slaughter was shocking beyond belief, capable of obliterating anything it consumed into nothingness.

He had already experienced this twice, and he did not intend to be buried again a third time. Worse, he had a premonition that if he were buried in the sand once more, he might die in a truly miserable way.

"Sand Wall!"

A massive wall made entirely of sand rose from the quicksand. With this barrier blocking the way, the devouring force from the sandstorm whirlpool immediately weakened. Seizing the moment, he escaped the vortex's sphere of influence.

"Not a bad reaction. But today, this is where it ends, Crocodile! As for the power of Awakening, you can feel it properly after you go to hell!"

Without warning, more than a dozen enormous sand spears appeared around Crocodile, then shot in from every direction. Shu Mingyuan intended to nail Crocodile to death right here and now.