Chapter 9: Chapter 9: The Villains of Eternal Hell
"Magellan, you think too highly of yourself. Without your poison, you're nothing but a weakling!"
"Too bad for you—my poison still works. That means you're as good as dead! Venom Road!"
In the next instant, a stream of poison surged forward from Magellan's body, racing across the floor like a fast-moving channel toward Rikuya.
At the same time, Rikuya activated the Chiyo-ba Character Card.
Ding! Host has successfully activated the [Chiyo-ba] Character Card. Usage count -1.
As the system prompt faded, Rikuya instantly leapt backward over ten meters, narrowly dodging the incoming poison attack.
But even though the venom missed its target, it quickly vaporized into the air—forming a toxic wall.
"Let's see how long you can keep running! Poison Pufferfish!"
Magellan opened his mouth wide and spat out a barrage of toxic orbs.
The orbs zoomed through the purple fog toward Rikuya.
Rikuya knew he couldn't afford to drag this out—if those poison orbs got close and exploded, he would definitely be overwhelmed by the toxins.
"White Secret Technique: Ten Puppets of Chikamatsu!"
With a soft grunt, ten thin chakra threads shot out from Rikuya's fingers!
At the ends of those threads stood ten puppets dressed in white robes, each holding different types of weapons.
These were the legendary puppets known as the Ten Puppets of Chikamatsu, crafted by Monzaemon—the ancestor of puppet masters.
With a flick of his fingers, the ten puppets charged forward, intercepting the incoming toxic orbs.
In mere moments, the poisonous spheres were sliced apart mid-air by the puppets.
Toxins filled the air immediately, but the attack was neutralized.
Seeing his technique fail again, Magellan's expression grew grim.
"Hmph, so you do have some tricks… but let's see how you handle this next move! Hydra!"
At his shout, three massive dragons made entirely of venom burst out of Magellan's body.
The dragon-shaped toxins roared toward Rikuya with terrifying momentum.
Faced with such a ferocious onslaught, Rikuya knew it was time to go all out!
"Let's see if your venomous dragons are stronger than my puppets! Puppet Technique: Three Treasures Crushing!"
Three of Rikuya's puppets quickly aligned. One of them leapt onto the shoulders of the other two.
Just as the venom dragons reached them, the three puppets extended their arms, forming a swirling vortex—a violent tornado formed at their core.
This whirlwind sucked in everything in front of it. The absorbed material would then be compressed and fired forward.
The raging vortex pulled in all three venomous dragons and compressed them into a mass of toxic gas, which was redirected straight back toward Magellan!
Magellan, of course, wasn't afraid of his own poison—it was his own creation, after all.
But watching his own attack being returned like a boomerang shocked him.
From a distance, Rikuya realized he couldn't afford to stall—he'd soon be surrounded by layers of toxic gas. Gritting his teeth, he sent all ten puppets wielding weapons charging toward Magellan!
**Meanwhile, in Impel Down's Level 6—**the infamous Eternal Hell, where the most terrifying prisoners were kept...
Domino stood before a dim, ominous cell door.
Her heart was pounding fast, and the key in her hand was soaked with sweat.
The atmosphere in this level was drastically different from all the floors above. Along the hallway, the prison cells were silent—eerily so.
This floor was home to the worst of the worst. Every inmate here was either on death row or sentenced to life. Once you were locked in this place, the only outcome was death.
Because the crimes committed by these prisoners were too horrific, the World Government had deliberately hidden their existence. Their atrocities had never made it into the news, and even high-ranking officers like Domino felt tremendous pressure standing here.
"Domino, something major must've happened upstairs, huh?"
A familiar voice echoed from the depths of the cell.
"Shiryu of the Rain, we need you now," Domino replied after a moment of hesitation, her tone heavy.
"Sounds serious. The way you're talking, it must be a brutal fight up there. But what really intrigues me is—who could be so powerful that they threaten our esteemed Chief Warden Magellan?"
"It's a convict from the Crimson Hell. We don't know what kind of strange power he used, but he's already defeated Saldeath the Beast Tamer, Sphinx, Chief Guard Sadie, and even Vice Warden Hannyabal.
Magellan himself is probably fighting him right now on the fourth floor."
"How interesting... Never thought I'd live to see someone who might actually escape from this place."
Just then, a sharp, shrill female voice echoed from the adjacent cell.
If Rikuya had been there, he would've seen a woman with heavy makeup, flamboyant clothing, and a high, pointed nose.
"Catarina Devon, you'll never leave this place alive!" Domino immediately barked back.
"Tch, you'd better worry about yourself. He might be coming for you next~" Catarina Devon chuckled eerily.
"No need to wait—he's already here. Open the door," Shiryu said, stepping out from the shadows toward the cell bars.
His sudden appearance startled Domino.