The moment Diarmuid finished speaking, he completely ignored Rayleigh and Newgate, bringing his hands together in front of him: "Heavy-Plated Combat Body!"
Newgate and Rayleigh's eyes narrowed, both highly vigilant.
But no immediate attack followed. Instead, Diarmuid's appearance changed drastically.
Cloud-like Armament Haki instantly erupted from his feet, quickly spreading up his legs and over his body. In a brief moment, it entirely engulfed him. Then, this Haki gradually solidified into thick, imposing armor, looking extremely domineering.
Not only that, a dark-purple light exuded from the armor. Clearly, it was imbued with the power of Diarmuid's ability!
"My Sensei warned me many times not to leave myself too many weaknesses or openings, and that it's best to be well-rounded. To be honest, I agreed at first, but in the end, I had to admit that a person must specialize. What is called being well-rounded is ultimately lacking. However... I have made some minor achievements in other areas. Please observe!" Diarmuid chuckled.
The moment he finished speaking, he moved his foot. The ground instantly shattered, and his 'armored' figure charged toward Newgate with extreme speed!
Newgate's face was unchanged. He threw a punch at Diarmuid, and a dense Tremor force burst forth.
The next second, Diarmuid's fist slammed into the shockwave of Newgate's punch.
The tremor force instantly tried to invade but was abruptly blocked by Diarmuid's Haki armor.
Before Newgate could apply more force, he suddenly felt his fist sink. So heavy!?
Looking closer, he saw that the purple aura on Diarmuid's Haki armor had all condensed onto his fist!
"Heavy Strike!" Diarmuid roared.
The powerful Gravity suddenly erupted, instantly crushing Newgate's tremor force. The mighty gravitational pressure immediately enveloped Newgate's fist. Newgate's arm sank, forcing it downwards involuntarily.
Because of this, he missed Diarmuid's position.
Diarmuid seized the opportunity, closing in on Newgate's figure, and reached out to grab the hilt of the Kokorowatari.
"Hmph!" Newgate grunted. A subtle, invisible tremor force instantly blocked Diarmuid's approaching palm.
Bang!
A dull impact. Gravity and the tremor force collided, preventing Diarmuid from touching the hilt.
Just then, Rayleigh's figure had caught up. A cold light flashed in his hand, and his sharp sword reached the side of Diarmuid's waist.
A loud clang! The blade failed to penetrate Diarmuid's Heavy-Plated Haki armor, but the force transmitted through the blade certainly pushed Diarmuid back slightly.
This managed to alleviate Newgate's urgent situation.
Showing no sign of giving Diarmuid any time to breathe, Rayleigh's sword erupted in a frenzy. His hand speed was lightning-fast. In three to five breaths, he unleashed an unknown number of slashes, relentlessly hacking at Diarmuid.
The sharp slashes and the sword's blade, like a torrential storm, engulfed Diarmuid's figure. The blade and Haki collided, producing a huge amount of star-like sparks. At the same time, Rayleigh's sword was also imbued with Armament Haki. Every clash created a small counter-blast of Armament Haki.
In a short period, Diarmuid was forced back dozens of meters by Rayleigh's relentless, storm-like offensive.
The purple energy aura on his Haki armor seemed to rapidly dissipate with Rayleigh's countless slashes. Soon, Diarmuid seemed to be left with only the dense black Haki.
"Hooah!" Rayleigh roared. His offensive paused for a moment, as if he were charging up. The next instant, he unleashed a powerful slash that struck the center of Diarmuid's waist, cracking Diarmuid's Haki and sending him flying!
Diarmuid's figure tumbled a few times in the air, then landed firmly on the ground. The Haki armor on his body also shattered and dissipated.
It looked like he had been completely suppressed by Rayleigh's furious offensive and should be at a disadvantage. However, a smile played on Diarmuid's lips as he looked at Rayleigh: "Wasn't it heavy?"
The moment his words fell, the sword in Rayleigh's hand dropped to the ground!
Looking closer, Rayleigh's wrist was trembling slightly, as were his fingers. His face was pale, and sweat streamed down his forehead.
When the sword hit the ground, it actually sank into the earth!
Every slash Rayleigh delivered to Diarmuid had made contact with the gravity energy. Consequently, his blade was being corrupted by the energy. In a short while, Rayleigh's sword, having struck Diarmuid hundreds of times, had become extremely heavy.
"Heavy, but effective, wasn't it?" Rayleigh gasped, forcing a smile.
Then, Diarmuid also oozed a little blood from the corner of his mouth, nodding: "Very effective."
"The heavier it is, the greater the force," Rayleigh murmured.
He had certainly felt his sword continuously gaining weight, but he had thrown out hundreds of slashes regardless. Because the heavier his sword became, the stronger his offensive and power!
Especially that last strike, which successfully shattered Diarmuid's Haki armor!
Diarmuid was, after all, younger and stronger. Seeing Rayleigh covered in sweat, Diarmuid didn't waste any more words. He suddenly lost weight, flashed forward with Soru, and appeared in front of Rayleigh. He raised his palm, imbued with Haki, and aimed it at Rayleigh's face.
"I was just catching my breath. Don't tell me you think I'm out of stamina? It's not good to underestimate an old man..." Rayleigh swiftly dodged Diarmuid's close-range palm strike. As he moved to the side, his elbow, carrying a powerful burst of Haki, struck viciously at Diarmuid's side waist.
Diarmuid's reaction speed was naturally rapid. As his palm strike missed, he snapped his thigh up. Using his height advantage, his Haki-infused knee shot up, precisely blocking Rayleigh's elbow strike.
The counter-clash of Armament Haki instantly erupted between the two.
But it was only for an instant before the deadlock dissipated. Diarmuid countered with a punch downward. Rayleigh raised his palm, catching Diarmuid's forearm, skillfully bracing Diarmuid's fist with technique alone.
The next second, Diarmuid straightened his torso, thrusting his hip forward, crashing directly into Rayleigh's waist. Rayleigh, seemingly prepared, met the move with a counter-thrust from his own waist, locking with Diarmuid for another instant.
Then, both men simultaneously changed tactics!
Diarmuid turned his fist into a claw, aiming a Tiger Claw at Rayleigh's heart. Rayleigh drew his two fingers together like a sharp sword, thrusting directly at Diarmuid's chest.
In these brief three to five breaths, the two engaged in a contest of pure martial arts, seemingly unable to gain an advantage over the other.
It was at this moment that their eyes met. Rayleigh saw a hint of viciousness in Diarmuid's eyes, and Diarmuid saw a look of resolve in Rayleigh's.
Clearly, both were tough opponents. One aimed for the heart with a claw, the other with a sword-like finger. Neither intended to dodge, seemingly aiming for a mutual kill.
After this exchange of glances, in the next instant, Diarmuid and Rayleigh slightly twisted their bodies. The second after that, blood flashed!
Rayleigh's two fingers, like a sharp sword, pierced into Diarmuid's flesh, but because of the slight twist of the body, they did not directly puncture the heart.
The next second, a blast of Haki power shot straight through Diarmuid's chest and back, exploding out of his back in a spray of blood.
Looking at Rayleigh, his clothes had been ripped to shreds by Diarmuid, stained with crimson blood. Diarmuid's five-finger attack left deep bloody gashes on Rayleigh's toned muscles, and he had literally torn a chunk of flesh away near Rayleigh's heart!
Similarly, if Rayleigh hadn't slightly twisted his body at the last moment, Diarmuid might have ripped out his heart with that blow!
Of course, Diarmuid's own heart would have been pierced through in return.
Quick as a flash, the time from the blood appearing on both men to this moment was less than a single breath.
And it was in this instant that the crucial factor that would decide the outcome of this clash appeared.
Rayleigh frowned slightly, his eyes showing a hint of pain. It was no joke; anyone having a chunk of flesh torn off would inevitably feel intense pain.
This moment of pain clearly caused Rayleigh's movements to stiffen for a split second.
This momentary stiffness wouldn't have been a big deal, as Diarmuid had also been pierced through his chest and back and should have been similarly affected.
But precisely in this moment, Diarmuid's eyes shone with a savage light, as if he felt no pain whatsoever. His movements were fluid, without any stiffness. He suddenly leaned in close to Rayleigh's chest.
"Crap..." Rayleigh thought.
At the same time, he was deeply astonished. What is wrong with this man? Even with training for pain response, it's impossible to feel absolutely nothing, right?
Before Rayleigh could finish that thought, a violent impact erupted. Then, Rayleigh spat out a mouthful of old blood. His figure was sent flying like a cannonball by Diarmuid's Iron Mountain Lean.
After tumbling and rolling over twenty meters on the ground, Rayleigh finally managed to stop himself, bracing his hands on the ground. Before he could speak, he spat out another mouthful of old blood.
"Kughk..." After spitting out the blood, Rayleigh felt his breathing normalize slightly. He looked up at Diarmuid, who was standing still in the distance, a ferocious smile on his lips, and a look of slight emotion in his eyes.
"It seems I've won the round in hand-to-hand combat and martial arts," Diarmuid smiled.
Rayleigh rubbed his ribs, which felt slightly fractured. Enduring the pain, he stood up and said: "You really are ruthless..."
Not far away, Newgate simply stood there, motionless.
This was normal. Rayleigh himself understood that he and Newgate had never collaborated or teamed up before. Their combat rhythms couldn't possibly synchronize. Newgate's inaction just now was the correct choice.
If he had intervened, Rayleigh himself might have ended up in a much worse state!
"Round two is about to begin..." Diarmuid took a deep breath, exhaling slowly.
The moment his words fell, his figure vanished.
Newgate's eyes widened in surprise. He shuffled his feet backward, and his tall frame immediately crouched low to the ground.
The next second, Diarmuid's high whip kick swept over Newgate's head. The force was so immense that it seemed to shatter the air, emitting a sonic boom.
And it was at this moment that Newgate's crouching figure suddenly sprang up. He separated his hands and grabbed both of Diarmuid's legs, lifting Diarmuid onto his shoulder.
A look of astonishment flashed in Diarmuid's eyes. Just as he was about to exert force, Newgate performed an Iron Bridge, arching his body backward, crushing Diarmuid as the two slammed into the ground!
This time, Newgate had the first move and was faster than Diarmuid. While pinning Diarmuid, Newgate twisted his arm, directly grabbing Diarmuid's neck and pressing him to the ground.
"Don't tell me you thought my fighting skills were weak?" Newgate grinned.
"Don't tell me you think you've got the upper hand?" Diarmuid, despite being choked, wore a smug smile.
The moment his words fell, Newgate's heart suddenly jumped with an unexplained warning. Then, his peripheral vision caught sight of Diarmuid's other hand...
"Impossible!?" Newgate's mind reeled. He didn't care about landing a harsh blow on Diarmuid anymore. He released the pressure on Diarmuid's neck and sprang up, scrambling backward in a panic.
But he seemed to be a step too late. A sharp pain erupted from his waist. As Newgate pulled away from Diarmuid, there was a gruesome wound on his side, bleeding profusely!
"Abyssal Devourer..." Diarmuid said softly.
The Kokorowatari was still stuck in Newgate's body, but in Diarmuid's hand now was the scabbard of the Kokorowatari...
"Did you really think I wouldn't have a backup plan for such an obvious weakness?" Diarmuid's mouth curled into a savage smile as he looked at Newgate's figure, half-kneeling on the ground, clutching the huge wound on his waist.