Whoosh! Rumble—
Cross, like a cannonball, transformed into a black blur. Accompanied by a sharp tearing sound, he crashed through several buildings one after another.
Amidst the continuous roars, violent earthy air currents surged through Whiskey Peak town, quickly spreading dust and causing the ground to faintly tremble.
"Damn brat! You really hurt me! You bastard!" At this moment, Moria cursed, his expression a mix of pain and resentment. He clutched the wound on his chest with one hand, supporting himself on the ground with the other, and shakily stood up.
"One-Sword Style: Flying Edge!"
Just then, at the end of the pile of ruined houses, a sharp slash suddenly tore through the swirling dust, striking through the air with extreme speed.
Rumble—
Moria quickly did a clumsy roll, narrowly avoiding the slash, but the ground behind him was carved with a crack over ten meters long.
"Geppo!"
"Damn it, is that brat completely fine?!" Moria's face darkened as he looked up and flipped himself upright. He then saw Cross leap dozens of meters into the air from the town, then rapidly dash forward in mid-air as if stepping on invisible stairs.
"Geppo, one of the Rokushiki... Brick Bats!" Moria recognized Cross's aerial movement technique. He immediately raised a hand and waved it. His shadow clone beside him quickly split into countless shadow bats, flapping their wings with a flapping sound, forming a 'black cloud' that surged forward.
"One-Sword Style: Shockwave!"
Cross let out a low roar, raising his hand and unleashing a sword slash. A fierce blade wind whistled forth, like a powerful shockwave, instantly sweeping away the swarm of bats covering the sky!
Seizing this opportunity, Cross stomped the air, soaring like an arrow released from a bow, directly above Moria's head.
"Nani?!"
"One-Sword Style: Starfall!"
Moria's expression subtly changed. He saw Cross holding his katana in a reverse grip with both hands, plummeting straight down, the sharp blade tip aimed directly at his head.
Rumble—
The next second, Cross fell like a meteor. The sharp Kagehide plunged halfway into the ground as easily as a hot knife through butter. The terrifying force also blasted a large pit over five meters in diameter into the ground, with dense, spiderweb-like cracks radiating from it.
Although Moria dodged the fatal blow, he was sent tumbling by the stirred-up air currents, getting covered in dust and looking utterly disheveled.
Immediately, Cross glanced sideways at Moria, pulling Kagehide out of the ground without hesitation and swiftly rushing towards him.
"You scoundrel!" Moria cursed, pulling out a giant pair of scissors from somewhere. He then split them into two large blades and furiously swung them forward.
Clang—
The katana and the two scissor-shaped greatswords collided heavily, immediately erupting in a clang of metal. Dazzling sparks flew, and visible air currents spread in all directions like a raging storm, kicking up swirling dust.
"Is that all the strength you have?" Cross gazed expressionlessly at Moria, scoffing without a hint of emotion.
"You bastard..." Moria's face was dark, his teeth gritted. He was inwardly horrified: 'This brat's strength is actually equal to mine? What a joke!'
"Doppelman!"
Filled with unwillingness and raging fury, Moria activated his Paramecia-type Shadow-Shadow Fruit ability. His shadow clone, similar in appearance to him, reappeared beside Cross, clenching its fists and striking towards Cross's head.
Bang—
However, at that very moment, Cross's shadow also eerily materialized, forming a well-proportioned female shadow. It swiftly extended its hands, precisely grabbing the wrists of Moria's shadow clone.
"What is this?! A shadow?!" Moria's expression was one of shock. He stared at Cross's shadow in disbelief, almost unable to believe what he was seeing.
"Scáthach!"
Cross was also surprised because he had intended to dodge and had not instructed Scáthach to block. This was clearly its own initiative. Moreover, the ethereal shadow that was Scáthach could actually touch Moria's tangible shadow.
'Could it be... because both were shadows?'
"Well done, Scáthach!"
At this moment, Cross seemed to understand something. The corner of his mouth curved upwards, and he praised Scáthach.
Following this, while Moria was distracted, Cross gave his long blade a shake. Immense power erupted, instantly shaking off Moria's scissor-shaped greatswords. Then, with crossed steps, he swiftly circled to Moria's side.
"One-Sword Style: Hawk Assault!"
"Shadow Substitute!"
Cross held his sword with both hands, unleashing a sudden thrust. His body shot forward like a flash of lightning, but quicker than words could say, Moria's body and his shadow clone instantly swapped places.
Then, Cross crashed into the shadow clone's body without any resistance, passing through it like an illusion.
Rumble—
Instantly, an invisible, sharp blade wind erupted, like a cannonball, utterly obliterating a house on the opposite bank.
Meanwhile, Moria looked at Scáthach in front of him, a hint of viciousness flashing across his face. He reached out and grabbed its neck, lifting it clean off the ground.
"I'd like to see what kind of thing you are?" Moria said through gritted teeth.
Scáthach struggled fiercely, but its ethereal shadow body couldn't touch Moria, making it impossible to break free.
"Damn it, he can actually touch Scáthach... Is it the power of the Shadow-Shadow Fruit?!" Seeing this, Cross's expression subtly changed, and he immediately understood the reason.
No matter how ethereal and miraculous Scáthach was, it was essentially a mass of shadow, naturally countered by the Shadow-Shadow Fruit's ability.
"Enliven: Inorganic Reincarnation!!!"
Without thinking, Cross immediately crouched down and placed a hand on the ground.
Rumble rumble rumble—
The earth suddenly churned, letting out great roars.
"Nani?!"
Moria looked stunned, staring around him in disbelief. Enormous mud-rock tentacles burst out of the ground, twisting their bodies menacingly, like the tentacles of a deep-sea giant kraken.
"Destroy him!" Cross waved his hand, ordering sharply.
Instantly, over a dozen mud-rock tentacles, each more than two meters in diameter and over thirty meters long, tensed their bodies. Like giant knight's lances, they all thrust towards Moria.
Hiss—
The fierce whistling wind made Moria gasp. He subconsciously activated his Shadow-Shadow Fruit ability, roaring, "Shadow Horn..."
Boom boom boom boom boom...
A continuous series of deafening explosions engulfed Moria's figure. The ground vibrated violently, kicking up thick, sky-high dust, and waves of air spread outwards.
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