The flash of lightning arrived in an instant, breaking through the barriers of space and escaping the restraints of time. In the blink of an eye, it was already right in front of Hawkeye.
Through the void, Mihawk could even see the airflow pierced by the force of the strike; it bloomed like an icy flower before shattering with a sharp 'crack'. Only then did the shrill whistle of something cutting through the air reach his ears.
At the critical moment, Mihawk barely had time to raise the Black Blade in front of him to block the sudden attack. The instant the blade came up, a tremendous force crashed into it.
Clang!
His wrist shook violently. An unimaginable impact traveled from his arms through his entire body, forcing him to retreat to absorb the blow.
'Step! Step! Step! Step! Step!'
Only after taking five heavy steps back did Mihawk finally stop himself. When he looked up again, his eyes were filled with absolute seriousness. He had never seen swordsmanship like this before—a sword that could fly.
What made his pupils shrink even more was that, in the very next second, another gust of wind rushed toward him. The sword light rapidly grew larger in his vision, reaching him in an instant.
With a flash, it suddenly shifted from a thrust to an upward slash. There wasn't the slightest pause or delay that usually came from being controlled by human hands; instead, it moved as though it were alive, possessing a will of its own.
This sword had discarded every weakness that came with a human wielder. It had even discarded the wielder himself.
'Swish! Swish! Swish!'
Mihawk swung the Black Blade rapidly, clashing again and again with the Seven Star Sword. Every collision sent bursts of dazzling light and overwhelming force from the pitch-black blade, matching his own strength perfectly.
The slender, unusual sword darted around him at incredible speed, constantly changing directions as it stabbed, slashed upward, chopped, and cut from every angle.
For a moment, Mihawk felt as though he were surrounded by master swordsmen, with attacks coming from all directions.
Across from him, Rogen's eyes shone sharply. Twin sword lights flickered in his pupils as he held two fingers together like a blade and continuously formed sword seals with his left hand.
Mihawk noticed it immediately. "So the sword isn't moving by itself... He's controlling it with his will! What an incredible sword art. It's completely freed from the limitations of the human body. It's practically a technique for controlling swords."
The Seven Star Sword flew like the wind and struck like lightning. Sword Qi surged from its hilt, and every swing felt as though it were guided by an invisible master, unleashing unbelievable power.
Even Mihawk began to feel the pressure. He could only defend himself while his opponent remained completely out of reach.
"I have to break through the sword's blockade and attack him directly," his gaze sharpened as he quickly figured it out. "That's the only way to stop this sword-control technique."
Bending his knees slightly, he gripped the hilt of the Black Blade Yoru with both hands. The next moment, the Black Blade swept through the void.
'Buzz!'
The air trembled. A deep-blue slash burst forward, carving open the ground before crashing into the Seven Star Sword. The tremendous force knocked the flying sword off balance, making it wobble violently in midair.
At that very instant, Hawkeye Mihawk narrowed his eyes. His knees bent, then exploded with power. "Now!" His body shot forward like a streak of lightning.
The Black Blade was already poised in front of him, ready to strike. Like a flash of white passing by, like thunder tearing through the sky, Mihawk appeared before Rogen in an instant and swung.
The blade flashed brilliantly.
Without question, it was a slash capable of splitting the sea or cleaving a mountain in two. Before it was unleashed, its presence was almost imperceptible.
But the instant it appeared, it shook the surroundings with an overwhelming force that was nearly impossible to resist.
"Return!" Rogen had naturally seen Mihawk charging toward him. His eyes narrowed as his sword fingers pointed forward. Not far away, the still-humming Seven Star Sword trembled before instantly turning around and flying back.
This time, it moved even faster than before. In the blink of an eye, it was back in his hand. With barely a moment to spare, Rogen gripped the Seven Star Sword and slashed upward.
Clang!
A crisp metallic ring echoed as the Seven Star Sword collided with the Black Blade.
'Crack!'
A second later, the ground burst apart. Centered on the two of them, long cracks spread across the earth like giant sword cuts, extending thirty meters in every direction and forming the shape of a strange flower.
"Go!" After blocking Mihawk's strike, Rogen didn't hesitate for even a moment. He released the hilt and pointed with two fingers.
The Seven Star Sword spun through the air as though receiving the most precise command possible before shooting straight toward Mihawk's forehead from point-blank range.
"Again!"
Mihawk roared as the Black Blade came crashing down.
'Clang!'
The two swords collided once more, trembling violently. An enormous shockwave erupted between them, blasting dust into the air and hiding both figures.
Within the swirling dust, Rogen reached out, caught the Seven Star Sword once more, spun his body, and leaped into the sky. In a single breath, he had risen over thirty feet into the air.
Gripping the sword tightly with his right hand, he brought it down from above with another powerful slash.
Inside the dust cloud, Mihawk held the Black Blade horizontally. Without even opening his eyes, he sensed Rogen's movement and swung upward.
'Clang!'
Their fierce attacks canceled each other out yet again. Rogen could even feel the terrifying strength behind Mihawk's strike.
The impact left him suspended in midair for a full five seconds, his black hair floating wildly from the shockwave created by the collision of their blades.
"Sword Control!"
Rogen shouted coldly as he let go of the hilt again. The Seven Star Sword trembled, humming as clear sword cries echoed through the air.
"Myriad Sword Secrets!"
His body drifted backward as lightly as a feather while his left hand formed another sword seal.
'Whoosh!'
To Mihawk's shrinking pupils, the single Seven Star Sword suddenly split apart. One became three. Three became ten. Ten became thirty. Thirty became a hundred. A hundred became three hundred.
In the blink of an eye, an entire curtain of black swords filled the sky before him, then every one of them dove toward him at once, launching an attack of terrifying intensity. Even Mihawk's expression changed.
"Ahhh!"
He roared, gripping the Black Blade with both hands as the veins in his arms bulged, then swung with all his strength.
'Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom!'
Explosions rang out one after another. Razor-sharp Sword Qi shot in every direction, blasting craters into the ground and filling the battlefield with dust.
The endless curtain of swords descended like a storm of lightning, relentlessly attacking Mihawk. Yet with nothing but the Black Blade in his hands, he somehow defended against every single one.
The explosions continued as everything within a hundred meters of Mihawk disappeared beneath a sea of dust.
The bombardment lasted a full thirty seconds before finally coming to an end. At the very instant it stopped, Rogen, who had already retreated some distance away, suddenly changed expression.
"One Sword Style!"
An enormous Black Blade, as dark as the night itself, tore through the dust and silently descended.
(End Of This Chapter)
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