Saint Shigdell lunged at Eli Winters once more, his massive wings gleaming with Armament Haki. Each feather turned razor-sharp as they slashed through the air like twin blades, aiming to cleave Eli in two.
Eli twisted aside just in time, but the next instant a pitch-black spear came thrusting straight for his throat. Instead of retreating, Eli leaned back slightly, driving both feet hard into the ground. Using that explosive force, he slid forward beneath the spear's trajectory, crossing his arms to form a makeshift shield before him. The weapon struck with a burst of sparks, ringing like clashing metal.
With a powerful twist of his arms, Eli caught the spear between his elbows and clamped it tight. Shigdell's eyes widened as he tried to yank it free only to find it wouldn't budge an inch. A grin flashed across Eli's face. He kicked the shaft with all his strength, sending a violent shockwave through the weapon that blasted Shigdell backward into the air.
But the Celestial Dragon was far from finished. Midair, he spun gracefully, regaining balance, then snapped his wings. Countless feathers shot out like daggers, screaming through the air toward Eli.
Eli reacted instantly. He spun his body, creating a fierce whirlwind that swallowed the deadly barrage. The feathers lost their trajectory and clattered harmlessly to the ground.
Tch. I should've brought my blade from the start, Eli thought with a flicker of regret. But revealing it would risk exposing his identity, and that wasn't an option right now. This damn bird's wings moved like extra arms agile, unpredictable, and annoyingly strong.
And this guy's Devil Fruit… definitely a Mythical Zoan.
Shigdell's wings beat harder, stirring a storm so violent it ripped through the marble around them. Invisible blades of wind howled toward Eli, slicing the air itself apart.
"Great," Eli muttered under his breath. "So it is a Mythical Zoan."
With the gale closing in, he stopped holding back. A surge of pure, overwhelming will burst from him Conqueror's Haki, unfettered and absolute.
The pressure hit like a tsunami. Shigdell's wind blades shattered midair, crushed under the invisible force. The air quaked, the ground split, and the storm scattered in an instant.
Shigdell staggered, his mind spinning as if struck by a hammer. For a heartbeat, his movements froze. That was all the time Eli needed.
He flashed forward, closing the distance in an instant. Shigdell forced himself to move, wings flaring wide to block Eli's advance, but it was too late. Eli's fist connected with a roar, wind screaming from the impact.
Shigdell crossed his spear to parry, but the force of Eli's punch sent cracks through his bones. The weapon bent under the pressure, and his arms screamed in pain.
Eli followed up with a savage kick that sank deep into Shigdell's abdomen. Blood sprayed from the man's mouth as he was hurled backward through the air. Even so, the Celestial Dragon was no weakling. Midflight, he twisted his body, eyes burning crimson with fury.
"I didn't think you were one of the few with awakened Conqueror's Haki," he hissed, voice trembling with rage. "That makes you far too dangerous to leave alive."
Eli tilted his head, smirking. He extended his hand, palm up, and curled his finger. "Come on, then."
That small gesture was the spark. Shigdell exploded in fury. "You insolent brat!" he roared. His entire body trembled not with fear, but with a murderous rage so intense it distorted the air around him.
In the next second, his form expanded. Feathers burst outward, bones stretched, and muscles twisted into new shapes until a colossal golden roc spread its wings across the sky, blotting out the sun.
The air vibrated under his screech. Across Mariejois, ten powerful auras stirred at once. From distant halls, figures stepped outside, gazing toward the clash each radiating terrifying power.
Shigdell's scream turned the air into blades. Twelve immense black tornadoes spiraled into existence around Eli, merging into a vortex of destruction that devoured everything in its path.
"Dark Gale Twelve Heavens!"
The cyclones closed in. Eli's skin split in fine crimson lines as the violent wind shredded even the air he breathed.
"Damn bird really went all out," Eli growled. His twin Haki flared, wrapping him in crimson and obsidian light. He stomped the ground and launched himself straight into the storm.
"Conqueror's Path Dragon's Way!"
A dragon-shaped aura erupted from his fist, its roar shaking the sky. He drove his punch forward.
"Break!"
The tornado shattered under his strike. He tore through the collapsing storm and burst free, but behind him, the remaining cyclones fused into one colossal black hurricane, its destructive energy rippling outward like a living beast.
"Seriously?" Eli spat, annoyed. He whipped around, both hands slamming forward as waves of Haki surged together to form a solid wall. The impact hit like a cannon, sending him flying through the air.
He tried to stabilize midair but before he could, a searing golden light streaked toward him.
A pair of enormous golden wings, radiant as the sun, struck him square in the chest.
Blood exploded from his mouth. Pain lanced through his ribs as a deep gash tore open across his torso. He crashed into the ground like a meteor, dust and rubble surging high into the air.
Before he could move, Shigdell's eyes flared, firing two beams of golden light. The lasers screamed through the air, slicing the atmosphere apart with shrill, burning force.
Eli yanked a vial from his pocket and swallowed the healing potion he'd exchanged from the system. His bleeding slowed instantly.
Then he moved.
The lasers carved deep lines into the ground as he dodged, zigzagging through collapsing buildings. The beams chased him relentlessly, cutting stone and steel like paper.
His Observation Haki surged, spreading outward like a tidal wave, sensing every motion around him. He darted through the ruins, his form flickering like a ghost. Each laser passed so close it brushed the edge of his coat, never once striking true.
Then, mid-dodge, something shifted. For a split second, his Haki sharpened images flashed before his mind.
He saw the future.
The twin beams slicing through the grand palace ahead, cleaving it cleanly in two then the vision vanished as quickly as it came.
Eli grinned. "Well, that's new. Guess I just leveled up."
He dashed into a crumbling structure. The lasers followed, blasting it apart in an explosion of dust. For a moment, the massive roc lost sight of him, its golden eyes scanning furiously.
Out of the smoke, Eli burst forth.
"Conqueror's Fist Whale's Way!"
Twin Haki auras erupted from him like tidal waves, twisting the air until a vacuum formed above. The force slammed into Shigdell's massive body, dragging him downward.
"Hah! Got you now, you overgrown pigeon!" Eli roared, springing upward. His body glowed with overwhelming power as he slammed a massive Haki-formed palm against the roc's chest.
A sickening crack echoed. Shigdell screamed as he was hurled skyward, blood raining from his wings.
Eli didn't let up. He kicked off the air itself, chasing faster than the bird could rise.
"Conqueror's Path Bull's Way!"
Dark energy surged around him, condensing into two colossal black hooves that materialized above him. With a final, thunderous roar, he brought them down.
The impact shattered the sky. The roc plummeted like a meteor, smashing into the earth below with a cataclysmic boom that shook all of Mariejois.
When the dust cleared, a vast crater yawned before him. Shigdell lay broken within it, blood pooling beneath his shattered form. Yet even in ruin, his eyes burned with hatred and defiance.
Eli exhaled, shoulders heavy. He could feel it dozens of powerful auras watching from afar.
Tiger should be long gone by now. No point sticking around and getting surrounded. I've already gained plenty from this little trip.
He laughed, raising a hand in salute. "Hey, birdman! Let's finish this next time I'm out!"
With that, he shot toward the edge of the Red Line. Shigdell tried to follow, but his battered body refused to move fast enough. All he could do was watch Eli vanish into the horizon, roaring in fury as another wave of destruction burst from his wounded form.
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
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