Chapter 249: The Battle Doesn't End
Boom, boom, boom!
The yellow flashes kept lighting up, and the ice knights created by Esdeath were continuously shattered by Kizaru's kicks, slashed apart by the Amaterasu sword. The broken ice shards flew everywhere, and the ice mist reflected the bright light of the sun.
Wendy muttered softly, "So beautiful."
"Now's not the time for sightseeing, Wendy. You can look later, but don't lose focus in battle," Eric said.
"I-I know," Wendy blushed when Eric heard her muttering.
I didn't expect Esdeath to be this strong... After seeing such an intense battle firsthand, Carla immediately realized that she was no match for Esdeath.
Some of the ice knights had their upper bodies shattered, or their limbs left behind, lying on the grass, while new ice blocks grew where they broke apart. The shattered ice knights quickly reformed and got back up, charging at Kizaru again.
Esdeath's slashes combined with the fearless charge of the ice knights caused frost to slowly gather on Kizaru's clothes and shoulders.
"Your ability really is troublesome..." Kizaru, distracted by the human wave tactics, transformed into a stream of yellow light and vanished.
In the sky, a blinding light burst forth and quickly condensed into Kizaru's form. His thumb and index fingers formed a circle, with cross-shaped light constantly rotating within.
"This guy... could it be..." [Mind Network] activated, and Eric immediately assumed an attacking stance, his hands clenched into fists. They turned into a deep blue electric charge, pointing at Kizaru in the air.
"Yata no Kagami!"
Countless yellow light bullets rained down on them!
The light bullets came down like a torrential storm, accompanied by the sound of whistling winds, engulfing everyone from the Dawn Pirates.
"Wendy!" Seeing the sheer magnitude of the attack, Carla leaped toward Wendy.
"Storm Release: Wild Force Lock!" From their clasped hands, countless blue lasers shot out, and under Eric 's precise control through [Mind Network], they collided with the light bullets in mid-air.
Boom, boom, boom!
Countless explosions erupted, and the shockwave from the explosions hit them, forcing them to raise their arms to shield their faces.
To Eric 's surprise, his largest area-of-effect attack, Yata no Kagami, had its countless light bullets intercepted one by one by Eric , and Kizaru muttered angrily, "…'Eric '!"
"Hah..." After just one exchange, Eric was already panting heavily. Not only did he need to use [Mind Network] to sense the path and position of the light bullets, but he also had to multitask, controlling the countless blue lasers. The strain from the calculations caused his brain to almost overheat.
"This is our battle, Kizaru!" Eric shouted.
"Gray Ice Giant Horn!" Several giant ice spears shot up from the ground, aimed at Kizaru in the air.
Kizaru shifted his body sideways to avoid the attack, and casually said, "This attack can't hit me~"
Clink, clink
Esdeath jumped onto the ice spears and charged toward Kizaru with incredible speed.
Her sword, infused with Haki, flashed brightly as she slashed toward Kizaru. As she struck, the surrounding air pressure seemed to be pulled along, and a white sword beam shot out, headed straight for Kizaru.
Kizaru raised an eyebrow, tightly gripping his Amaterasu sword, and swung it downward, perfectly meeting the oncoming sword beam. However, the ice-blue freezing energy released from Esdeath's left hand surged forward, hitting Kizaru directly.
Even though his Amaterasu sword blocked Esdeath's strike, the Absolute Zero shockwave from her left hand hit Kizaru without hindrance. The freezing temperature capable of stopping atomic motion spread immediately, and Kizaru's body was covered in a thin layer of blue ice crystals.
The Amaterasu sword was knocked back, and Esdeath swung it toward Kizaru, who stood motionless.
Within the ice crystals, Kizaru's eyes, hidden behind his sunglasses, shifted. Just before the ice shards could shatter, Kizaru's form dissipated like scattered light.
"How terrifying~ I was frozen, yet still managed to attack. Don't you have any martial morals?" The yellow light reassembled on the ground, and Kizaru's voice still carried that distinct tone.
"I'll take you to my interrogation room and show you my 'martial morals'."
"Light won't be frozen by your ice, Ice Queen."
Snap!
"Ha! Hail Fury Leap Strike!"
With a sharp snap, a gigantic ice block shot toward Kizaru.
Once again, a blinding light appeared from Kizaru's right foot. His leg stretched out suddenly, kicking with immense force. A laser shot from the bottom of his foot, leaving a dazzling trail.
Boom!!
In the instant of the flash, the massive blue ice block was shattered, and the fragments flew in all directions.
"Whew—"
The mist between Kizaru and Esdeath was split in two as Esdeath jumped out. She retracted her Western sword, and the white mist surrounding the sword shimmered like a brilliant diamond as she thrust it toward Kizaru.
Even if justice was ambiguous, Kizaru was still a Navy Admiral, representing the Navy's top fighting force!
The Amaterasu sword, glowing yellow, was forcefully swiped upward by Kizaru.
Boom!
The clash of sword blades seemed to freeze in time, and the resulting explosion shook the ground beneath them.
The area where the sword blades collided was left with a five-meter-wide crater, and the violent storm created by the shockwave sent Carla flying. Eric quickly caught her and shielded Wendy from the gust of wind.
Carla 's affinity increased, and her bond level rose from 1 (normal friend) to 2 (close friend), gaining 1 bond point.
Wendy's affinity increased, and her bond level remained unchanged.
"Hmph, as a captain, your actions aren't too bad," Carla said with her usual proud tone.
Eric smiled, refocusing his attention on the fierce battle between the two.
Clash, clash, clash!
The two swords clashed with the force of a storm, each strike producing the sound of metal against metal. Unlike when he fought Rayleigh, Kizaru's slashes were wide and forceful. Even though he was often criticized by Zefa for relying too much on his abilities, Kizaru's swordsmanship and kicking techniques still had their merits.
In the midst of the intense swordplay, the two exchanged several kicks. Even with the height difference, every time Esdeath kicked, it stirred something deep within Eric ...
Cough
The cold air and the sunlight made the area feel like it was daytime in the Antarctic. Even though the sun was high, it couldn't stop the temperature from dropping.
The prolonged and intense battle had drained Esdeath's stamina. Even though the ice knights continued to dissipate into the air and were used as energy by Esdeath, it couldn't prevent the decline in her physical condition.
The orange-red glow of the sunset illuminated the ground...
"If your stamina and Haki were just a bit stronger, I'd have lost already, Ice Queen..." Kizaru said with a slight grin.
Esdeath's Western sword was knocked away by Kizaru's strike.
"!" Eric tensed his muscles, preparing to rush in and save Esdeath.
The glowing light sword was about to land on Esdeath's head.
"You should never let your guard down for a moment..." Esdeath formed a triangle shape with her hands and said, "—Mahapadma!"
(END CHAPTER)
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