Marvel: Sign-In System – Starting with the Glint-Glint Fruit

As the commotion gradually subsided and the dust slowly settled, a scene of complete devastation came into view.

The ground stretching thousands of meters was utterly ruined, riddled with cracks and craters of varying sizes. The surrounding trees and vegetation had all been uprooted, and in some places the earth was scorched black.

Many of the hills along both sides of the road had been flattened or blasted apart, leaving the area far more open than before.

Matthew hovered in midair, looking down below.

Within those fractures, faint flames flickered, while the old man stood calmly on a relatively intact patch of ground among them.

The earlier clash of energy clearly hadn't caused him any harm.

Matthew's gaze shifted from the old man to the flames burning within the cracks at his feet.

He could sense that they weren't ordinary flames. Not only were they extremely hot, but they seemed to carry some other effect as well—at the very least, his instincts warned him not to come into contact with them.

"A remarkable ability. Your physique is quite special—you can control the power of light. You're somewhat similar to those bird-men."

While Matthew studied the flames, the old man noticed his scrutiny and was not stingy with his praise.

In truth, the compressed beam of light energy Matthew had unleashed earlier had nearly been impossible to block. It was a highly concentrated form of light energy, and its power was astonishing.

Yet what puzzled the old man was that he couldn't sense any inherent source of light energy within Matthew.

Instead, Matthew seemed able to freely shift between a physical body and light itself.

This was entirely different from his own state. His body was merely a projection—a manifestation of consciousness and energy, a false flesh created through projection magic.

It did not bleed, nor did it feel pain.

Such a peculiar body. No wonder that greedy ogre Nehemah was both salivating over and repulsed by Matthew's form.

Because of this, the old man's interest in Matthew had only grown—from seeing him as a collectible to now desiring his body and soul entirely.

To forge him into a warrior that belonged solely to himself.

With that thought, the old man slowly rose into the air, leveling himself at the same height as Matthew.

"Are you interested in this?"

He raised a hand lightly, and a wisp of flame floated up from the crack in the ground, settling into his palm.

"It seems capable of burning the soul. The only thing I can think of is Hellfire," Matthew said, the flickering flame reflected in his eyes. Then he looked at the old man. "That's not something an ordinary demon can control."

"Haven't you already guessed who I am?"

"To wield Hellfire, to favor making deals with humans, and to be called a Demon King—there's only one in legend. Mephisto."

Matthew gave his answer, his gaze sharp and unwavering.

With those clues, even without any memories from a previous life, deducing Mephisto's identity wasn't difficult.

"You've already figured out who I am, yet you still maintain such a strong desire to fight. What a strange human."

Mephisto was surprised. The young man before him had clearly identified him, yet there wasn't a trace of fear—if anything, he seemed even more eager to fight.

What was this supposed to mean?

Did he really see him as prey?

What did the name Mephisto represent? In mythology, religion, and folklore, he was the very embodiment of power and terror—the ruler of Hell, the sovereign of countless demons.

To Matthew, however, that fearsome reputation seemed to carry no weight at all.

Since that was the case, he would have to make this youngster understand what the name Mephisto truly meant.

"Come~"

Mephisto extinguished the hellfire in his palm and flicked his fingers, signaling for Matthew to attack, his posture filled with condescension.

Yet that disdainful attitude did not anger Matthew.

Instead, he grinned, and the fire burning in his heart surged even higher.

"I'm starting to like you a bit, Mephisto."

Boom!

As his words fell, he stomped his right foot, and the air itself burst into a shockwave. Matthew shot forward toward Mephisto.

His right hand clenched into a fist, coated in a dark sheen as it drove toward Mephisto. He did not choose to use the Glint-Glint Fruit this time.

Mephisto saw through Matthew's intent. Raising his cane, he swept it forward with immense force.

Fist and cane collided, detonating a ring of air in midair.

But it didn't end there. Matthew's fists, wrapped in Armament Haki, unleashed a torrent of attacks like crashing waves, while Mephisto responded in kind without yielding.

In an instant, continuous shockwaves erupted across the sky.

Each explosion thundered like rolling lightning.

If the earlier exchange had been a test, then the battle now was like dancing on the edge of a blade.

No magic, no Glint-Glint Fruit energy attacks—only the purest form of close-quarters combat.

As a Demon King of Hell, Mephisto was far from being someone who only relied on magic or soul manipulation. Having lived for countless years, he had fought and clawed his way up through Hell, ultimately bearing the name of Satan. His combat experience and technique were exceptionally rich.

From the very moment Matthew engaged him at close range, he was almost immediately pushed into a disadvantage in that regard.

There was no doubt that Matthew was well-rounded. He had mastered all three types of Haki—especially Observation Haki, which could anticipate an opponent's next move, making it a near game-breaking ability in real combat.

At the same time, he also possessed the Six Powers.

This was a supreme martial art forged and refined by top fighters of the pirate world, pushing the human body beyond its limits, granting Matthew precise control over strength and movement.

But that didn't mean Matthew was invincible in real combat.

On the contrary, what he lacked was experience at this level of battle.

In his previous fights, he had simply relied on overwhelming stats to crush his opponents.

That was his weakness.

And it was precisely why Matthew craved high-intensity combat. Even knowing that the old man was Mephisto, his fighting spirit remained undiminished.

The Glint-Glint Fruit undoubtedly gave him a massive boost in battle.

However, overreliance on a Devil Fruit could instead become a hindrance to growth.

Just as Admiral Zephyr once said that Kizaru relied too heavily on his fruit ability.

Zephyr did not look down on Devil Fruits.

Many of his students possessed such powers, yet he always taught them not to depend on them—because real combat was the best catalyst for growth.

Every punch that landed, every life-and-death struggle, every injury—all of it tempered the body, the will, and Haki in the best possible way.

Matthew could indeed rely on the Glint-Glint Fruit to fight Mephisto.

He could even defeat this energy projection of Mephisto using it—but what of it?

Winning that way would only deepen his understanding and development of the fruit.

What he truly sought was to excavate and strengthen himself. Only by becoming stronger on his own would the Glint-Glint Fruit amplify his power even further.

Matthew understood that only this kind of brutal, flesh-to-flesh combat could make his body stronger.

It would accelerate his mastery of Observation Haki, expand the applications of Armament Haki, and perhaps even allow him to grasp the advanced form of Conqueror's Haki—Conqueror's Coating.

In short, the beauty of raw power is the true beauty.

...

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