The crimson blade aura shot straight towards them. Wilder and Sadi, standing beside him, felt their hairs stand on end, a powerful sense of danger washing over them.
"Boom!" The terrifying blade wave swept forward, the red light twisting and turning, like a furious downpour of slanting rain, sharp and bloodthirsty.
Clang! The blood-red blade wave struck, instantly slicing into the toppled wall segment.
The veins on Wilder's forehead bulged. He had already moved with Sadi to another location, his expression incredibly grim as he looked back at the damaged wall.
The blade aura had sliced through the wall segment and the ground. The red light flashed, and Swoosh! The ground split open, and the wall segment was cleaved cleanly in two.
"Ha…" Shiryu saw this, glanced at Wilder, and gave a bloodthirsty laugh. "Interesting." In the next instant, Bam! he appeared directly in front of Wilder.
"Crooked Rain!"
A bloodthirsty, cold smile hung on Shiryu's face. With a single slash, time seemed to freeze. Blood-red became the only color.
Wilder's hairs stood on end, a powerful sense of crisis enveloping his entire body. His pupils contracted. He wanted to move, to escape, but he felt as though he were trapped in an ice cellar, completely immobilized.
His blood, at that moment, seemed to break free from some constraint, surging through his veins at an incredible speed.
The muscles in his body, after a momentary bulging, tightened and contracted. A strange sensation flowed through him.
This was…
As if guided by some unseen force, Wilder raised his arms, crossing them protectively in front of his chest. His muscles tensed to their absolute limit in that instant. Inside him, his blood flow abruptly stopped, then instantly surged towards his arms.
Clang! The long sword struck his arms, a resounding metallic clang echoing out, sparks flying. Wilder was sent flying backwards, crashing heavily into the ground in the distance.
His hands were covered in blood, but Wilder stood up without any change in expression.
"Shave!" A crazed smile blossomed, Wilder's expression turning ferocious. He vanished from his spot, reappearing behind Shiryu.
"If you're planning a sneak attack, you're too sl—" A cold smile was on his face, but before he could finish his sentence, Shiryu's expression changed. He tried to escape, but it was too late.
"Poison Dragon!" A surge of powerful poison rushed towards him. Shiryu gritted his teeth and swung his sword, sending a blood-red blade aura straight at the Poison Dragon.
But Wilder's attack from behind had already arrived.
Thump! A solid fist slammed heavily into Shiryu's back.
Crack. Wilder's expression twisted in pain for a split second. His wrist was twisted at an unnatural angle, clearly dislocated.
"Armament Haki, huh?" Breathing heavily, Wilder retreated a few steps, then grabbed his twisted wrist and yanked it sharply. A muffled crack sounded as the bone snapped back into place.
However…
He looked up at the battle between Shiryu and Magellan, his eyes narrowing. "However, that punch must have hurt quite a bit, too."
The terrifying battle had begun. Magellan, enveloped in swirling poison, rained down blow after blow with his poison-covered fists upon Shiryu.
Shiryu fought while retreating, keeping his distance from Magellan. From time to time, he unleashed terrifying crimson blade auras from his blood-red sword, slicing through the poison.
Bam! Another fist connected. Shiryu was struck, his body sent flying backwards. He landed on the ground, rolling in agony.
Purple poison corroded one of Shiryu's hands. Fortunately, it had only grazed him. After shaking off the remaining poison, Shiryu's face was covered in a cold sweat, his complexion pale, but his eyes remained sharp.
He watched Magellan approach, then swung his sword, unleashing a wide and curving blade aura. The aura encompassed the surroundings, bursting outwards, instantly breaking through the encroaching poison.
Shiryu's sword was treacherous, vicious, bloodthirsty, yet also possessed a direct, overbearing power, like a curve.
The spot on his back where Wilder had struck him throbbed with a dull ache. Shiryu frowned, gnawed at his lip, and shot a fierce glare at Wilder in the distance.
But soon, Magellan's attack came again, poison and poisonous gas surging forward in a combined assault.
Speed and a curving trajectory – that was the essence of Shiryu's swordsmanship. The twisting red lines were the blade auras he unleashed, swift and relentless like a torrential downpour. Anywhere those curves encompassed, death could follow.
Poison and blade aura collided once again. The two remained silent, focused solely on their attacks.
But their expressions had changed. Shiryu's initial calm was gone. Magellan's attacks were proving difficult to handle. He had relit his cigar at some point after the last one had burned out, and he unconsciously clenched his teeth, swinging his sword, blood-red waves bursting forth.
Magellan's face was grim, his fists swinging in wide, powerful arcs. The overwhelming power emanating from him was steadily increasing. The poison, like a savage beast, carrying terrifying toxicity and impact, crashed down relentlessly.
Shiryu dodged the poison attacks while maintaining distance from Magellan. Every time they came close to engaging in close combat, he would break away, his wariness undisguised.
"Let me teach you a lesson, kid…" Magellan's face was dark as he advanced with heavy steps. Poison dripped from his hands, sizzling as it hit the ground, corroding it into bubbling foam and mist.
"Shiryu of the Rain!" Seething poison billowed out, and in an instant, a giant skull made of poison took shape.
Thud… Thud… Thud…
The enormous poison skull floated above, held aloft by Magellan with one hand. He lowered his head, walking step by step towards Shiryu, his aura steadily building.
Suddenly! Magellan raised his head. The shadows receded from his eyes, and as he opened them, boundless killing intent erupted!
"Hey, hey… You've got to be kidding…" Shiryu's mouth, still holding the cigar, twitched slightly. His expression stiffened.
Boom!
Magellan's forward march halted. He leaped high into the air, the poison skull held high above him crashing down with devastating force!
"Poison Demon: Hell's Judgment!"
With a roar, the poison skull opened its maw, and boundless poison spewed forth!
The all-encompassing poison rained down from the sky. Shiryu's expression changed at this moment.
He turned and ran, fleeing without hesitation.
Rumble!
Like a marching army, the poison descended from the sky, hitting the ground with a rush, surging forward with incredible speed.
"What a terrifying guy." Wilder, observing from a distance, had a grave expression. Faced with that overwhelming tide of poison, Wilder couldn't think of any way to escape from it.
While watching this scene, Wilder was also acutely aware of the sensation of blood rushing through his body. His mind was far from calm.
"That situation just now…" Thinking back to the feeling of being in danger, his entire body tensing, followed by the sudden acceleration of his blood flow, Wilder's eyes narrowed slightly.
Boom! The loud explosion in the distance shattered Wilder's train of thought. He turned his eyes towards the battle.
The vast expanse of poison had ceased its forward surge. Magellan stood calmly amidst the poison.
At his feet, Shiryu coughed up blood, his eyes already glazed over and unfocused.
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