Chapter 209: One Year Later (Part 1)
Thud A black boot stomped on the ground, and an elegant figure emerged from the parting woods. Her exclusive music—a saxophone solo full of seductive and ambiguous atmosphere—filled the air...
"Kurumi, long time no see." Eric turned his head and smiled warmly.
"Good day, Eric -." Kurumi lifted her skirt with both hands, gracefully curtsying. "It has indeed been a while. It's been 340 hours, 7 minutes, and 53 seconds since we last met."
The precise calculation left Eric speechless.
Esdeath, who was sitting sideways on a mighty eagle, grabbed the key point, "But it's only been fifteen days! You two actually met secretly?!"
Kurumi gave Esdeath a sidelong glance, "Even though this island is vast, there's still a chance of crossing paths, right?"
Even Kurumi had, unknowingly, met Esdeath a few times.
"Hmph!" Esdeath crossed her arms, her frustration not stemming from Kurumi meeting Eric but because it had been over a month since her last meeting with Eric .
Eric smiled as he looked at Kurumi's stats:
[Age: 18]
[Constitution: 6 stars]
[Martial Arts: 4.5 stars]
[Gunsmanship: 7 stars]
[Armament Haki: 6 stars]
[Observation Haki: 6.5 stars]
[Devil Fruit: 7.5 stars]
[Overall Combat Power: 7 stars]
With her current strength, even facing the "Thousand-Hand Kraken" would put her in a favorable position, but unfortunately, Kurumi lacked a powerful technique to determine the winner of a battle.
Just then, a shadow fell from the sky.
"Just in time. Hmph," with a cool motion, Deidara landed in a crouch. He looked up to see Eric and the others staring at him with disdain.
"What's with those looks?!"
"No, it's just good to see you're back safely." Eric casually remarked, turning his gaze to Deidara's stats:
[Constitution: 6 stars]
[Ninjutsu: 8 stars]
[Martial Arts: 6.5 stars]
[Chakra: 7 stars]
[Armament Haki: 5 stars]
[Observation Haki: 6 stars]
[Devil Fruit: 6 stars]
[Overall Combat Power: 7 stars]
Aside from Armament Haki, other attributes had not seen much improvement, but Deidara's foundational attributes were already high, so his growth from training had been limited.
"What, I'm not the last one?" Deidara looked around and noticed that there were still others missing.
As they spoke,
Ding——!
With the perception of Observation Haki, the group quickly turned their heads toward another direction.
A red lightning bolt shot out from the mountain peak, making a 90-degree angle in the air before crashing down near them. The red thunder dissipated, and a sharp spearhead pierced the ground. Purple boots made of metal pressed down on the earth.
Purple hair fluttered in the wind, and Akame filled with wisdom emitted a regal aura. At that moment, Scáthach emanated an overwhelming kingly presence.
"Master, welcome back." Eric stepped forward to greet her.
"Hey! Why didn't you greet me like that?" Deidara angrily criticized Eric 's favoritism.
Ignoring Deidara's comment, Scáthach looked at Eric a smile in her eyes, "I'm back."
She scanned him up and down, then complimented, "You've been working hard. You've gained more of a king's aura."
Esdeath, having jumped off the fierce bird she was riding, looked at Scáthach , her eyes full of battle intent, "You've gotten stronger again. Let's fight again!"
"Mm, I'm happy to!"
The momentum of Esdeath and Scáthach soared, creating downward gravitational forces around them. The air seemed to stretch with vertical black lines as gravity pulled on everything.
The two of them simultaneously leapt toward each other, their weapons—Esdeath's rapier and Scáthach 's spear—clashing. They didn't use their abilities, relying solely on swordsmanship and spear techniques.
Esdeath's stats had already been reviewed:
[Constitution: 8 stars]
[Martial Arts: 7 stars]
[Swordsmanship: 8 stars]
[Armament Haki: 8 stars]
[Observation Haki: 8 stars]
[Conqueror's Haki: 7.5 stars]
[Devil Fruit: 9 stars]
[Overall Combat Power: 8.5 stars]
Not only had her abilities improved after awakening, but she had also learned internal destruction techniques with Armament Haki. If she fought Katakuri again, Esdeath was sure she wouldn't end up with a tie this time!
Scáthach 's stats were:
[Constitution: 8.5 stars]
[Spear: 9 stars]
[Magic: 7.5 stars]
[Armament Haki: 8 stars]
[Observation Haki: 8.5 stars]
[Conqueror's Haki: 7 stars]
[Devil Fruit: 7 stars]
[Overall Combat Power: 8.5 stars]
The red spear and flashing sword collided in the air, accompanied by the thunderous roars of battle.
Perona and Porche instinctively covered their ears, staring in shock at the battle, the word "monster" coming to mind.
After a prolonged back-and-forth, Scáthach , whose spear and physical attributes were slightly higher, began to overpower Esdeath, who wasn't using her abilities.
The weapons clashed once more, and both leapt backward.
"Looks like you haven't wasted the past year," Esdeath commented.
"Same to you," Scáthach replied a smile .
Stopping their fight, Esdeath said, "It's a shame you didn't get to see my new move. I'll surprise you when we face off next time."
"…" Scáthach 's eyes glinted with red light, "I've already seen it… and it's quite a good move."
Her usually expressionless face broke into a meaningful smile.
Esdeath: "…"
How was she supposed to hide her secrets when the other could see the future?
Crack, crack… The sound of dragging heavy objects came from afar. The trees on the edge were being knocked over, as if a giant beast was approaching.
Esdeath chuckled lightly, glancing over there.
The trees at the edge were knocked down, revealing a small, dark figure dragging a massive prey behind it.
"Akame." Eric flashed over to her side, helping her Dragon the prey, "You came so late, was it all for this?"
"Mm." Akame nodded, "I ate this beast's meat before, and it was really delicious. I thought you'd like to taste it too."
Perona saw the beast and exclaimed, "This beast only lives on the other side of the island, Akame, did you travel across the whole island with this beast?!"
"Mm." Akame smiled and nodded, "You'll love the taste of its meat."
The group stared, speechless. Akame was really going all out for food.
"Why are there so many more behind it?" Porche exclaimed as the beast was dragged out of the woods.
Behind the massive prey, a string of smaller animals were tied with rope, though everyone's view was blocked by the larger beast's body.
"They all attacked me on the way, so I brought them over together." Akame grinned, "We can have a barbecue party today."
(END CHAPTER)
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