The dark long blade snapped, a streak of blood flew, and Fūgetsu Omusubi fell like a kite with a broken string.
Fūgetsu Omusubi lay on the ground, staring at his severed arm, blood vessels crawling across the whites of his eyes, wailing in agony, his forehead covered in fine beads of sweat.
Blood flowed from the stump of his arm, pooling on the ground.
Bullet landed heavily, the ground beneath his feet collapsing into a spiderweb pattern, with earth and rocks rising high on either side.
He held the Kusanagi Sword, a slight smirk on his lips, the snake scales and cloud patterns on his face forming a devilish mask, and the killing intent emanating from his body rose like a bloody mist.
"You're quite good, but you just had the misfortune of running into me!"
Bullet took a step, walking towards Fūgetsu Omusubi, his footsteps making a dull thud on the ground.
A dark shadow gradually covered Fūgetsu Omusubi, who looked up in shock, meeting Bullet's terrifying and piercing eyes.
Bullet raised the Kusanagi Sword, the gruesome bone sword emitting a cold gleam, and then slashed down!
Clang!!
Hmm??
Bullet's eyes narrowed as he looked at the purple-blue haired samurai who had suddenly appeared before him.
That samurai had a handsome face, completely different in style from Fūgetsu Omusubi and Amatsuki Tenpura. Bullet's bone sword scraped against the other's sword, making a clattering sound.
"The scene is truly tragic, Omisubi. It's not time to give up yet."
Shimotsuki Ushimaru's expression was slightly grim, veins bulging on his forehead. He blocked Bullet with a single hand on his sword.
Swords scraped and clashed, sparks flying, as the two subtly vied for strength.
A transparent energy sphere suddenly expanded, its residual force rushing down to the ground beneath their feet. With a crack, the ground collapsed, and the energy sphere spread outwards like a deathly gale, tearing the surrounding dozens of meters of ground to shreds.
Bang!!
Shimotsuki Ushimaru's sword strike forced Bullet back. Bullet was slightly surprised, then a hint of fighting spirit flashed in his eyes, and he smiled faintly:
"Finally, someone a little interesting has arrived."
Shimotsuki Ushimaru quickly bandaged Fūgetsu Omusubi's wound, his expression gentle as he half-jokingly said, "Omisubi, you're a powerful daimyo after all. How can you simply accept your fate when facing pirates?"
Fūgetsu Omusubi's face was flushed: "I apologize, I almost died by his sword. Ushimaru, his strength is not to be underestimated. Be careful."
Shimotsuki Ushimaru chuckled. He was well aware of Fūgetsu Omusubi's strength. To push Fūgetsu Omusubi to such an extent, it was clear that Bullet's strength was different from the pirates who had tried to invade Wano Country in the past.
"Leave it to me. I will avenge your arm."
Shimotsuki Ushimaru helped Fūgetsu Omusubi up and motioned him to step aside. Then, his gaze gradually sharpened, his gentle expression vanishing, replaced by an icy coldness.
Shimotsuki Ushimaru held his long blade and walked, scanning Bullet: "I don't care where you come from, but if you intend to invade this country and injure my friend, then you are my enemy."
Bullet taunted mockingly: "The strong prey on the weak; that is the law of nature. Show me what you've got. Let me see what makes the so-called Wano Country samurai so powerful!"
Shimotsuki Ushimaru said no more. He came from a family of sword masters, the Shimotsuki clan, whose ancestors included several generations of renowned sword masters whose fame echoed overseas, the most famous of whom was Shimotsuki Ryuma.
It is said that Shimotsuki Ryuma once single-handedly fought against tens of thousands of overseas forces, and with his absolute strength, he repelled all invaders, safeguarding the peace of Wano Country.
Because of that battle, Shimotsuki Ryuma's name resounded throughout the world. He was known as the Dragon-Slaying Samurai and revered as the Sword God by later Wano Country samurai.
The Shimotsuki clan has always taken the protection of Wano Country as its responsibility, a legacy that has continued for hundreds of years to Shimotsuki Ushimaru's generation.
Although a young generation of Wano Country produced Kozuki Oden, Shimotsuki Ushimaru's strength and reputation were second only to Kozuki Oden, and even Hana no Hyogoro praised Shimotsuki Ushimaru's swordsmanship.
Bullet was unafraid. Having endured inhuman training and battles since childhood, he was long accustomed to the brutality of the battlefield.
He held the Kusanagi Sword and walked towards Shimotsuki Ushimaru. Then, the two walked faster and faster, soon breaking into a run!!
Both almost simultaneously wrapped Haki around their weapons, unleashing dark sword lights at each other!
Boom!!
Terrifying energy intertwined, then rapidly diffused, blowing away all the ground beneath their feet and the surrounding rocks!!
On the other side of the battlefield.
Abel, transformed into a Hellhound, breathed flames, a huge column of fire spiraling towards Amatsuki Tenpura.
Amatsuki Tenpura was agile, dodging continuously, and swinging his weapon to cut through the flames. The flames struck the ground, causing violent explosions.
Amatsuki Tenpura's body flickered, his steps swift as wind, arriving in front of Abel. He stomped his feet and leaped high, poised to sever the middle head.
However, the sharp long blade, imbued with Haki, struck Abel's head, emitting a harsh, metallic screech, followed by a violent explosion that forced Amatsuki Tenpura back.
Amatsuki Tenpura had just regained his footing when an extremely cold blast of freezing air descended upon him. He was startled and quickly retreated.
The freezing air slammed into the ground, instantly freezing the surrounding vegetation for dozens of meters into ice sculptures.
Amatsuki Tenpura's throat tightened as he watched the three-headed monster emerge from the smoke of the explosion, flames burning fiercely behind its head.
Amatsuki Tenpura's face was solemn: "How can this be? Is this monster immortal? Since just now, I haven't been able to break through his defense—"
Abel's paws scraped the ground, and both side heads simultaneously opened their gaping jaws, distinct energy particles continuously gathering in their mouths.
"Fire Lotus Breath!"
"Frost Chill!"
Vast energy instantly erupted, two distinct forces intertwining to form a spiral vortex that blasted towards Amatsuki Tenpura.
Amatsuki Tenpura paled in shock, unleashing a slash towards the red and white vortex. The energy of the red and white vortex was split apart,
but like spiritual snakes, it transformed into several energy streams, biting at Amatsuki Tenpura!!
Amatsuki Tenpura's face changed drastically in fear, and he hastily retreated. Fortunately, he was quite agile and narrowly avoided it, but his skin was still scorched by the high-temperature steam from the energy explosion, leaving patches of red marks.
The rocks and trees that were directly hit by the energy instantly melted away.
Over a dozen samurai were tragically hit by the energy, melting away in agonizing screams.
Amatsuki Tenpura clutched his half-burned face in pain, looking at Abel in terror.
Abel smiled coldly, his body gradually shrinking, transforming into his human-beast form.
White hair fell over his shoulders, his face retaining canine fur features. Unlike the three heads of his mythical beast form, his human-beast form maintained a single head, but Abel could freely switch it between flame or ice forms according to his consciousness.
Dark wings suddenly spread from his body, the flames from the back of his head igniting the wings, with residual fire burning at the wingtips.