Chapter 248: Red Underwear and the Onslaught from Above

“Why does this sense of danger feel so familiar?”

Karl stared nervously at the sky, mulling things over. Suddenly it clicked—he jabbed his finger at the air, eyes wide. “No way. Don’t tell me it’s Im—that bastard!”

“This threat… it’s the exact same feeling I had back in God Valley.”

“Damn, I haven’t even done anything yet!”

Not good, I can’t risk dragging them into this.

Without hesitation, Karl bolted upright. Eager to play it safe, he barked quick orders at the Fishmen. “Full speed ahead—make for Cake Island, now!”

“Get us to Cake Island as fast as possible!”

To make sure nobody else got caught in the crossfire, Karl leaped off the ship, hanging in the air as he watched the vessel pull away. Then, picking another direction, he shot toward Cake Island on his own.

Minutes ticked by. The sky stayed eerily still, like that earlier sense of doom had all been a bad dream.

“Damn it… Hope I wasn’t just imagining things.”

Just as Karl started to relax, a piercing howl echoed from above. He looked up—and almost blurted out a curse. “Holy shit!”

“Of course it’s you, you bastard!”

“Titan Form! Golden Light Spell! True Fivefold Thunder! Doomsday Cannon…!”

He stacked one spell after another. The first two turned his body into a fortress, the last two loaded him up for battle.

After layering it all, even Karl felt the pressure building. He wasn’t grounded, so his energy couldn’t keep up like usual. Still, with these defenses, he could tough it out against at least ten hits like this.

A jet-black energy beam blasted upward, slamming into the oncoming attack in a split second.

BOOM! The shockwave tore the Calm Belt apart, sending waves shooting a dozen meters high in every direction.

Even Olga and the others far away heard the thunderous crash, then spotted a gigantic wave thundering toward them on the horizon.

All the Fishmen leapt onto the ship, yanking in the sails before unleashing attacks at the onrushing swell, desperate to protect their vessel.

“Fish-Man Karate—Three Thousand Watt Straight Punch!”

“Fish-Man Karate—River Suplex!”

“…”

Olga crouched near a barrel on the deck, watching seawater rush in over the planks. She cocked her head. “Is Karl alright? With a noise that loud, he can’t be dead… right?”

“If he did die, I’d better wait for just the right moment to make my escape.”

Apollo, standing off to the side with a face full of dark lines, gritted his teeth. “I can hear every word you’re saying, you know!”

Olga flashed a sheepish but polite smile.

Achille: “…”

Once the noise faded, the Calm Belt beneath Karl was battered, the impact caving in the sea for miles around. As the shockwave dwindled, the sea roared back in, water crashing and surging louder than thunder.

Countless Sea Kings perished in the aftermath, the waves turning blood-red, severed flesh and giant remains churning in the surf.

Through the torn, unsettled surface, you could glimpse massive Sea Kings—thousands of meters long—desperately fleeing the carnage below.

A faint voice rose from the ocean depths: “It’s not time yet… How could this…”

Wiping away the blood at the corner of his mouth, Karl strained to listen, but another attack came crashing down before he could catch more. He scowled. “Damn it Im, are you ever going to quit?!”

That last strike had left Karl battered—no surprise, since it was one of the World Government’s trump cards. Its force rivaled the Captain Rocks’s fiercest full-power attack when he was still alive.

If Karl hadn’t used the Golden Light Spell to shield his vital organs, the hit would’ve wrecked him. Even so, his insides were cracked and hurting. Luckily, the Titan blood in him wasn’t just for show—his body was already stitching itself back together at a terrifying pace.

“This won’t do… How many shots can that damn Heavenly King take?”

“Standing here is just asking to get wrecked.”

Karl always guessed the Heavenly King’s attacks couldn’t last forever, but he still didn’t know the limit. This wasn’t the moment to risk everything yet.

He pumped his legs and sprinted through the sky, hoping to dodge the Heavenly King’s next barrage.

“Whoosh!”

He narrowly dodged a strike from above, grinning with triumph—until it suddenly whipped around and came rocketing back at him.

“Damn—ah!”

“Wait, it can track me?!”

“If this thing’s circling counterclockwise, I’m doomed. Looks like dodging is pointless.” He flashed a very unfriendly hand gesture.

Karl immediately unleashed the Doomsday Cannon, clashing against the oncoming assault. But the attacks just kept coming, faster and heavier. His wounds piled up, one after another, with no time for any to heal.

Even Im at the control panel looked stunned. “Karl, are you the cockroach that just won’t die?”

“Hundreds of attacks and you’re still standing?”

“As expected of a true wild card. Sorry, but I can’t leave you alive.”

Im ramped up the attack, sending even more energy blasts swarming toward Karl, barely giving him room to breathe.

Strike after strike rained down, leaving Karl battered, bloody and worn out. No matter where he hid—even thousands of meters underwater—the Heavenly King’s attacks always found him.

“Damn it! What, do you take me for a sickly kitten if I don’t bite back?!”

After fending off yet another attack, Karl pulled out a pair of bright red underwear. He hesitated for a second, a flush creeping over his cheeks as he remembered the conditions.

“It’s embarrassing, sure, but now’s not the time for pride. It’s time to teach him a real lesson!”

He threw the red underwear on over his clothes and instantly felt a surge of unstoppable power.

He clenched his fist, feeling a strength unlike anything before. Looking up at the sky with a ferocious grin, he fired off another international gesture. “Just wait! I’m coming for your sorry ass!”

Watching Karl from her screen, Im let out a low laugh. “So, you whip out some underwear at a time like this. What are you going to do, wave it as a white flag?”

“Too bad yours are red, not white. What are you trying—some kind of last stand?”

“Fine, show me what you’ve got up your sleeve.”

Im nudged the power bar forward again, this latest attack ten times stronger than before.

“Whoosh!”

Karl felt the strength coursing through him, looked at the monster attack roaring down, and let out a crooked smile. “Im, if I don’t knock your teeth out today, you can call me a chump!”

He didn’t bother dodging. Fist clenched, he rocketed straight at the danger, flying right into the path of the next barrage—activated the Three-Minute Superman Card.

He was done just defending. With this kind of power, why not flip the whole table over? He wasn’t playing defense anymore.

As one attack barely missed him, it tried to turn and follow—but Karl left it in the dust, sprinting so fast it couldn’t even keep up.