A blood-red aura seethed around Bege, outlining the phantoms of a hundred ferocious beasts. The apparitions twisted and roared, a horrifying sight to behold.
Then, the hundred beasts bored into Bege's body. His frame shuddered as the blood energy within him erupted, enveloping him completely before spreading outwards like a crimson tide.
This aura was not only vicious, but also profoundly evil.
The blood energy coiled around the burning Fire Cloud Sword, transforming its flames into a bloody inferno. A similar energy rolled across the cursed sword Hannya, making it appear as if it, too, was wreathed in blood-fire.
Andrew tore through the air, his iron fist descending. The sheer pressure of the punch blasted away the bloody aura around Bege, exposing him.
Bege's head snapped up. His blood-red eyes were soul-shaking; a normal person would be frozen in fear from a single glance. A savage grin stretched across his face, making him look like a demon made flesh.
"Fierce Sword Ogi: Ascension of a Hundred Beasts!"
For the past few years, he had been honing a new ultimate technique for his sword style. In the last two, he had finally mastered it—a new Ogi, more powerful, more ferocious, and more domineering than the Ascension of Ten Beasts.
Bege shot to his feet, pushing back against the mountain-like pressure of the descending fist. He swung Hannya, effortlessly tearing the pressure apart and unleashing an arc of supremely vicious energy that struck Andrew's iron fist.
BOOM!
The force of the blow sent Andrew flying. He tumbled through the air before landing heavily on the ground.
Andrew's expression changed. The Armament Haki on his fist had been torn open, revealing a bloody gash. It was instantly covered by Haki once more.
Bege's blood-red eyes darted about wildly, like those of a wild animal. He stomped, shattering the ground beneath him as he charged Andrew, swinging his sword again to unleash another terrifying arc of blood-red energy.
Andrew roared, his hands shooting forward to snatch the bloody sword qi right out of the air. The astonishing force of the attack pushed him back two steps. With a sudden heave, Andrew flung the energy into the sky where it exploded, forming a crimson halo that expanded for over a thousand meters.
"I thought you were supposed to be strong!" Bege flashed forward, his twin swords raised high. He pounced like a tiger, bringing both blades down in a ferocious strike.
"Two-Sword Style: Tiger Hunt!"
Two powerful arcs of blood-red light crashed down. Andrew thrust his hands upward, catching both of them.
The immense cutting force made Andrew's brow furrow. The ground beneath his feet cracked and shattered, the fissures spreading out like lightning. He was pushed back more than ten meters before he finally came to a stop. With a flick of his wrists, he threw the two arcs of energy away. They flew into the distant forest and detonated, the terrifying explosion leveling the trees.
Bege closed the distance in two steps, his swords slashing sharply towards Andrew's vitals.
Andrew reacted instantly, blocking the twin blades with his fists. Bege's assault grew even more frantic, and the two exchanged a furious volley of blows. Each strike generated unparalleled destructive power, and black lightning crackled and spread, engulfing them both.
The chilling, black aura of fear clashed violently with Bege's supremely malevolent Conqueror's Haki. The shockwaves from their attacks swept outwards in every direction. With the two of them at the epicenter, everything around them was obliterated. The earth shattered again and again, endless fissures spreading across the landscape as rubble shot through the air and dust clouds billowed.
No one could have possibly stood on their battlefield.
Andrew's Observation Haki was also superb; he could predict the trajectory of Bege's every slash. His defense was flawless.
Instead, it was Bege's relentless assault that allowed Andrew to find an opening. A large, black-clad foot shot through the air, kicking Bege squarely in the abdomen.
Bege hastily coated the area in Armament Haki, even forming an invisible wall with his spatial abilities. But Andrew's kick was too powerful. It shattered the invisible wall instantly, and his Armament Haki collapsed on contact. Even his famed Castle Skin was crushed. He was sent flying backwards like a cannonball, crossing a thousand meters in an instant. He smashed through every obstacle in his path before finally crashing into a small mountain. He blew through the rock and shot deep into the mountain's core. The peak shuddered violently, and countless cracks spread from the shattered hole across its entire surface. Then, with a final groan, the entire mountain collapsed.
BOOM!
The collapsed mountain was sliced in two, and Bege, wreathed in a blood-red aura, walked out. He bent over and spat out a mouthful of blood. A footprint was indented in his abdomen, and his internal organs felt like they had been scrambled and shattered. The pain made him grit his teeth.
The broken Castle Skin on his abdomen rippled, covering the footprint.
"That damn well hurt."
Suddenly, his expression changed drastically. He looked up at the sky to see a black shadow plummeting towards him.
Andrew's right foot descended like a giant mountain, the formless pressure once again bearing down on Bege.
Without any hesitation, Bege swung his right arm upward, slashing at Andrew's foot with Hannya.
With a deafening roar, Andrew was sent flying back into the sky, while Bege was driven downwards, the ground for hundreds of meters around him instantly exploding.
Bege shook his right hand, the entire arm numb and tingling.
Andrew landed on the ground, shook his foot, and then charged forward again, stomping across the earth like a ferocious beast.
Bege didn't hesitate either, flashing forward to meet him head-on. A fierce gale swept the field, black lightning filled the air, and blood-red flames and black light clashed without end.
Once again, Andrew seized an opportunity and sent Bege flying.
"Cough... cough..."
A series of coughs came from the center of the dust cloud. Bege emerged from the rubble and dust, wiped the blood from his mouth, and looked at Andrew, looking a bit worse for wear as he rubbed his shoulder.
Andrew strode forward, a black aura erupting from his body, his presence as vast and deep as an abyss.
"You're still too green, brat."
"Old geezer, that kick of yours was pretty weak. We've only been fighting for a little while and you're already out of breath? Looks like you really are old." Bege beckoned with his finger, taunting Andrew with a sneer.
"Sharp-tongued little brat! I'm going to pull your teeth out one by one!" Andrew's brow twitched with rage. The ground at his feet cracked and gave way. He vanished, reappearing in front of Bege. His pitch-black leg, massive as a mountain range, seemed to bring the very air to a standstill before it exploded forward with the force of an avalanche.
Suddenly, a castle gate opened on Bege's chest. Standing before the gate was one of his young crewmen.
The man put his hands together and fired a beam of light. The beam shot through the air and struck Andrew.
"Slow-Slow Beam."
Andrew's speed instantly plummeted. He became sluggish, his movements several times slower than before.
Andrew's face fell. He tried to forcibly shift his body, but in his current state, how could he possibly evade Bege's attack?
"I've been waiting for this exact moment."
"Beast King!"
Bege's face was a mask of madness. The blood energy on Hannya surged forth as he slashed Andrew's leg. The terrifying attack struck true. Sparks flew as Andrew's Armament Haki finally shattered. The cursed sword instantly sliced through the muscle of his thigh and struck bone, embedding itself deep within his leg.
Blood sprayed everywhere, but unfortunately, the blow hadn't been enough to sever his leg completely.
Then, the Fire Cloud Sword in his left hand came crashing down. An arc of blood-red fire slashed across Andrew's body, sending him flying.
His body slammed into the ground, shattering it and carving a long trench.
Andrew lay in the deep pit, clutching his right leg and howling in agony. A long, scorched slash mark, equally gruesome and terrifying, ran across his body. The blood from the wound had been seared black by the intense heat of the Fire Cloud Sword.
These two blows had grievously wounded Andrew.
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