"Retreat upwards!"
As the molten iron began to flow, Lily directed the Demon Race to run up towards the mineshafts, while she...
"Moon Step!"
She stepped into the air, continuously creating smoke rings at this height of less than four meters, raising her hand to launch another Flying Bird, striking Kappa who was half-kneeling on the ground.
Bam!
The impact from the slash swept the earth near Kappa, kicking up a cloud of dust.
But in that dust, Kappa's burly figure rose slowly, "Oh? In the face of my Awakening strength, you didn't run away... I'm growing more appreciative of you. Very well, to show my sincerity, I'll defeat you first, then catch those of the Demon Race."
He looked up at Lily, who was stepping on air, with confidence, "Do you think that after Awakening, all I can do is melt the surrounding iron? The important factor that makes me on par with Akainu is..."
He suddenly raised his hand, and the molten iron on the ground rapidly congealed, forming a crimson stream shooting upwards.
"It's because I control it!"
Facing the high-temperature iron stream shooting towards her, Lily's pupils contracted. She stepped into another smoke ring in the air, using Moon Step to swiftly dodge the stream, allowing it to spray onto the rocky wall above, instantly turning it into a cratered mess.
This level can't melt the earth yet, but the iron ore within the rock was fused by this iron stream, making it even larger.
This thing... one touch and it's over!
Lily's expression was grave; Haki Defense couldn't block this thing, it could block damage and impact, but absolutely not high temperature. In some sense, it could be considered a Logia-type.
"Flying Bird!"
Lily swung another slash towards Kappa.
"Futile struggle."
Kappa didn't even dodge, letting the slash land on him, lifting his arms and shouting: "Iron Water Sea Stream Roll!"
More iron streams rose from the ground, attacking Lily in the air from all directions. No matter how she dodged, the height was the same; as the streams increased, her space to evade decreased.
Just as Lily stepped into a smoke ring, narrowly dodging an incoming iron stream, more iron streams blocked her path, about to hit her.
That guy...
Lily instinctively glanced down, seeing Kappa with a confident smile, his eyes revealing something unusual.
Observation might not manifest to others, but Lily knew... this guy possessed Haki too!
Did he sense her path with Observation?
"Flying Bird·Forest!"
Seeing there was no way to evade, Lily flicked her rapier, creating several arcs of sword light. The Flying Bird-shaped Soaring Slashes slashed like a flock of birds into a forest, cutting apart the few streams of iron attacking her. Amidst the scattering crimson, her body vanished within the high-temperature droplets, instantly reappearing above Kappa.
"Flying Bird·Raid!"
White lightning, imbued with Armament, brushed past Kappa's shoulder from Lily's lower side, with the sword tip barely a fraction away from his glowing-red body, creating a slash like an eagle's talon hunting, striking heavily downward.
Bam!
This hit made Kappa hesitate slightly, his body bending instantly. Striking successful, Lily stepped once more into the air, creating a series of smoke rings, returning to the sky.
"Indeed..."
She looked down at Kappa, showing a look of understanding.
On that guy's shoulder, there was now an obvious dark mark.
Armament!
"Truly impressive! The long-range Soaring Slash can't break my Steel Body, but with close-quarters swinging, you maximize the slash's power to the point of even breaking steel."
Kappa straightened up, laughing, "Smart, calm, knowing what move to make for maximum attack. I'm growing fonder of you!"
"You wish!"
Lily spoke icily, but continued using Soaring Slashes to attack Kappa, not losing her composure because of his words.
If she lost her composure, she'd truly fall into his trap.
This guy seems rough on the outside but is very clever in battle, a formidable foe.
But Haki is limited, and Sage is unique; this guy can't match her speed. As long as she keeps wearing him down until his Haki is depleted, it will be over!
"Do you think that as long as you wear me down, you can beat me?"
Just as Lily had this thought, Kappa slowly shook his head:
"Your speed is indeed fast; apart from Awakening moves, I have none that can catch you. But the Moon Step of the Six Styles can't keep you airborne for long, right? As soon as you take a hit, losing your aerial control, you'll fall into the iron below, and even your bones will melt away."
"Moreover, your expenditure must be greater than mine: the high-speed movement, precision attacks, and needing to block my attacks; both your stamina and energy are major burdens. You can't afford any mistakes; one slip and you're done, while I can make countless errors!"
Kappa sneered, "But now, I have no time to play cat and mouse games with you..."
He raised both hands, causing the iron streams to rise more, beginning to block the open space ahead. The gaps between each iron stream were too small for a person to pass through. No matter how fast Lily was, if there was no space to dodge, there was no way out.
Lily clenched her teeth, instinctively glancing towards the mineshaft. At this distance, perhaps she could slash through and escape...