Want to read ahead? Join my Patreon for just $7 to get early access to upcoming chapters!
> > Patreon.com/NegativeTranslations <<
----------------------------------------------------------
Chapter 209: Shūkei: Hakuteiken, The Clash of Real Men
Shining silver light floated around Yuichi.
With wings on his back and white brilliance in his hand, he left a trail of light in the air, heading straight for the meteorite. Focusing all his Reiatsu into a single blade, Yuichi exuded a freezing breath.
In an instant, when Yuichi's white light hit the meteorite directly, a beam of energy penetrated the massive rock. Endless silver rays rushed into the core.
Hum!
An astonishing ripple set off, spreading rapidly. A roar followed as the shockwave, visible to the naked eye, swept away.
BOOM!!
A short, violent sound erupted. The meteorite began to crack, white light bursting from the fissures. As the cracks multiplied, the light became blinding. Everyone stared blankly, mouths wide open, at the rapidly disintegrating meteorite. They felt the strong energy fluctuations in the air.
Suddenly, the entire meteorite exploded, turning into rubble that filled the sky. However, it wasn't over. The exploded stones were blown gently by the wind and turned into powder. The huge meteorite vanished from sight at a speed visible to the naked eye, dissipating over Enies Lobby along with the white light.
When the sun shone down again, illuminating everyone's faces, the reflection returned to the lake in the light curtain. Whether it was the people fleeing Enies Lobby, the audience, or the people in the Ninja World, they all stopped. They stood motionless, staring at the sky that had lost all trace of the threat.
From a distance, only a back could be vaguely seen. A stalwart back.
The white cloak billowed in the wind, exposing Yuichi's sharp muscle lines. His face was slightly pale. Blocking the meteor had cost him a lot of Reiatsu.
The first time casting Shūkei: Hakuteiken took more energy than I thought.
No wonder it was Byakuya's unique move; this kind of technique couldn't be used casually. If not for the One Tail Chakra supplementing his reserves, plus his Haki, he feared his fighting strength would be down to one-fifth after that blow.
Below, Whitebeard and the others on Enies Lobby were slowly recovering their strength. But their hearts were not at peace. Yuichi had done alone what took the four of them to do together. That blow, the white light, and the wings made Yuichi look like a savior descending to block the devastating impact.
Whitebeard unclenched his fists and smiled faintly. "You really have it in you... I didn't expect such a powerful move to be hidden!"
The effect of the blow wasn't just blocking the meteorite; it made Kaido and the others more afraid of Yuichi. It wasn't just a rock that Yuichi smashed—it was the hierarchy of power. Now, in the auditorium of the Pirate World, countless people looked at the figure in the picture. No one dared to say this was just a new Emperor whose strength wasn't comparable to the old generation. After all, the results spoke for themselves.
However, blocking a meteorite and fighting a duel were different things. Yuichi's ability to destroy the rock didn't guarantee victory in combat.
"Sure enough, you didn't disappoint me..."
Madara's voice sounded in the quiet moment, especially clear on Enies Lobby. In the air, Yuichi felt the battle intent in Madara's gaze becoming intense. It seemed his display had given Madara the desire to fight.
Sensing Madara's position, Yuichi dropped straight down.
Shua~~
Watching Yuichi fall as if collapsing made the people in the Pirate World worry. But as he neared the ground, he suddenly stopped. At a height of less than ten meters, his speed slowed, and he floated down gently. This process was normal for Yuichi, but it made the audience's hearts tremble. If he had run out of strength, he would have fallen to his death. Luckily, he seemed to have energy to spare.
Regardless of what others thought, Yuichi now stood before Madara. He held the Zanpakutō, which had left the Bankai state, gently. His momentum was weaker than before, and he looked tired.
"Now... it's finally our turn!"
Madara's voice became high-pitched and excited. The man who had been calm all this time now had excitement written all over his face.
Yuichi nodded slightly.
The people around saw their posture—this was a one-on-one duel!
Why do such a thing? There was only one enemy, and the Five Emperors Alliance had five people here. If they attacked together, they should be able to solve it quickly. Why single combat? This was about the fate of two worlds, not a duel between warriors!
However, Big Mom, Whitebeard, Kaido, and Shanks didn't move. They just stood there and watched silently.
King, however, seemed to want to sneak attack Madara. But just as he was about to move, he was locked in place by Kaido's gaze.
"King! Don't move!"
King was puzzled. "Master Kaido, this is a good opportunity. Why..."
Kaido ignored the question and turned to look at Yuichi and Madara. He slowly crossed his arms, the corners of his mouth raising into a smile.
"How can you bother them at this time! Don't you see that the two of them just want to fight each other? A tacit battle between two men—if you still have face, don't participate!"
King understood. Now Madara was focused on Yuichi and had no defense against the others. Attacking now would be effective, but it would be dishonorable. King didn't care about honor, but Kaido did. He even appreciated Madara's courage. To be surrounded by enemies on all sides and yet show no wariness—this kind of courage was rare.
If the opponent was so confident, shouldn't the Emperors have similar confidence? Did they need to rely on sneak attacks?
"Do you need me to wait for you? Let you recover a little bit of strength?" Madara spoke generously.
Hearing this, Yuichi admired Uchiha Madara. Others might think Madara was upright, but in Yuichi's view, this guy was simply arrogant and had absolute confidence in his own strength.
However, when it came to arrogance, Yuichi was not weak!
"No need! Let's get started! Uchiha Madara!"
After Yuichi finished speaking coldly, Madara's eyes burst with strong killing intent. "Okay! Let's start then!"