The soldiers of the Self-Defense Force were dumbfounded. Swor Sama was a powerhouse from the CP organization, and the number of infamous pirates he had slain with his blade was countless. Who could have imagined that before he could even finish speaking, he would be knocked away by Liam with a flying knee?
Liam stood in place, glancing at the soldiers scattered on the ground and the village, where half a street had been sliced apart on both sides. He turned around and arrogantly shouted at the islanders hiding in the corners, silently observing the conflict:
"Listen up, I'm a pirate! Quickly bring out your food and money!"
The islanders at the street corners and behind the windows were terrified, clutching each other's hands tightly. None of them stepped forward, and none responded.
In a mud house, an old grandma, the village chief with feathers tucked into her hair, stepped on a rug and murmured to herself as if speaking aloud: "Good child, you can't come out yet…"
Outside, the soldiers heard the pirate's arrogant declaration, but they remained indifferent and charged at Liam. However, when their swords and blades struck Liam's body, they clanged with a ping-ping-pang-pang, unable to cause the slightest harm.
Instead, it was the soldiers themselves who were grabbed by Liam— one in each hand— by their collars or arms and casually flung out of the village, crashing into the white-uniformed swordsman Swor, who was once again rushing back with his sword raised.
"This Bastard!" Swor could only flip his sword edge.
Liam laughed heartily with a "hā hā," kicking the remaining soldiers away one by one.
Swor, meanwhile, could only use the back or flat of his blade to swat the soldiers flying toward him, one after another. The momentum of his furious counterattack diminished significantly.
"Tekkai from the Rokushiki— where did you learn that?"
Amid the fallen soldiers, Swor dragged the tip of his sword along the ground as he walked slowly, casually brushing off the wrinkles on his jacket where Liam's flying knee had struck earlier.
"This isn't called Tekkai. This is called 'Iron Block,'" Liam said. "Or you could also call it 'Iron Head Technique: Mighty Diamond Leg.'"
"…" Swor fell silent, his gaze shifting from Liam's face to Robin's face by the roadside, where she stood as if watching a show. "Your face, and her face—I must have seen them on a Bounty poster!
"State your name. If the Bounty is…"
Before he could finish, Liam sighed, lunging forward with unstoppable force, elbow raised as he charged in.
'So fast!' Swor's pupils contracted, reflecting the rapidly enlarging elbow.
He couldn't even see when the opponent had moved!
Was it Soru from the Rokushiki?
To be this fast?!
Swor could only hastily raise his sword to block— slashing forward with the blade toward the elbow, but to his surprise, the blade didn't cut into flesh, nor did blood spray out. This pirate's elbow was covered by something like black armor. Busoshoku Haki (Armament Haki), it was Busoshoku Haki (Armament Haki)!
This pirate, with such mastery of Rokushiki techniques, had even grasped Busoshoku Haki (Armament Haki). What kind of monster had emerged from nowhere?
Liam's strike was blocked, so he lifted his leg and kicked.
Swor's expression grew serious as he swung his sword to defend.
Dīng Dīng Dāng Dāng… His sword swung into afterimages, but the speed of Liam's fists and feet didn't lag behind in the slightest.
Liam's speed grew faster and faster. He had already integrated the footwork of Rokushiki's Soru into his normal combat, no longer needing to carefully consider how to use Soru.
Whiz Whiz Whiz Whiz…
His speed flowed freely, unimaginably fast, like a flicker, strolling effortlessly through Swor's flurry of sword strikes.
He moved with ease.
Swor was also using Rokushiki, but his Soru couldn't keep up with his opponent's pace.
With a swing of his sword, he didn't expect that where the blade passed, the opponent's body would collapse like dough… Was it Kami-e? He had mastered Kami-e too?!
Swor's mouth opened slightly. He caught a glimpse of the high-speed pirate giving him a slight smile, then bringing both fists together—oh no! Could it be that move?!
No! Impossible!!
Liam clasped his fists together, stepping forward with a Bang, crashing into Swor's chest with a heavy strike that sent shivers down the spine.
"Pfft!" Swor spat out a mouthful of blood. A gust of wind surged behind him.
Bang!
Only then did he realize he'd been sent flying.
Pa! Pa!
With two uses of Geppo, Liam chased after him.
Pa!
Swor stepped into the air to steady himself, enduring the excruciating pain throughout his body. He swung his sword, unleashing a chilling crescent slash that struck Liam head-on as he charged through the air.
Bang Bang…
Liam was struck down, and some of the houses below were slightly affected, their walls sliced and eaves sheared off.
Da,
Swor landed, clutching his chest and wiping the blood from the corner of his mouth.
"Rokuōgan? Impossible. That's a technique only someone who has perfectly mastered all the Esoterics of Rokushiki can use…"
Liam said indifferently, "I just tried it out casually earlier, and the effect seemed decent.
"But you slashed my clothes into such a tattered state, how do you plan to compensate me?"
Swor didn't respond. With a twist of his blade's edge, an indescribable aura entwined around the sword.
"Your body is indeed tough, hard as steel," Swor said coldly. "But have you heard of a swordsman who can cut through iron?"
"I've heard of it," Liam replied indifferently.
"…" Swor was speechless and wasted no more words, raising his sword to strike.
However, what unsettled him was that even with his iron-cutting Sword Technique, he still couldn't break through this pirate's defenses.
What was this guy's body made of?!
Was this still a human body of flesh and blood?
Dang! Dang! Dang! Dang!
The blade struck this pirate's flesh, yet it produced a dīng dāng sound, irritating Swor to no end.
"Your blade's getting notched," Liam said with a laugh. Amid the flurry of sword strikes, he reached out with an arm, his pitch-black fingers precisely grabbing the blade swinging toward his forehead. "Oh? The Haki on the sword is growing stronger?"
As Liam marveled, Swor let out a low roar. His sword grew heavier, erupting with astonishing force as he unleashed a ferocious slash aimed straight at Liam's head.
Bang!
A massive trench split through the entire village, dividing the street in two. The islanders watched in panic, too afraid to show themselves. Women covered the eyes of children, bowing their heads in prayer.
Swor gripped his sword, panting lightly. He paid no mind to the destruction caused by this strike; he only cared whether it had harmed the pirate in front of him.
Liam's shirt is torn apart on both sides, revealing a chiseled physique. He reached up to catch a severed strand of hair drifting down, touched his chin, and felt a tiny cut seeping a bead of blood.
"I cut you," Swor said, a smile spreading across his face.
"After all that effort, you made me bleed this little— should I praise you for this!" Liam sneered. "But do you think this means you can protect the people here?
"I see you don't know why flowers are so red!
"A slash, huh?
"Now I'll show you what a real slash looks like—"
It was killing intent! Swor's grip tightened. In his eyes, the pirate's movements seemed to slow. He watched as the pirate slowly raised a Long Leg, kicking an arc in front of him… Was it Rankyaku?
Bang!
A slash far surpassing anything he had unleashed before… No, it was countless slashes! Countless beams of Rankyaku slashes flew out from beneath Liam's feet, surging toward Swor with unstoppable force.
Swor raised his sword to block, but the rain of Rankyaku beams struck like a storm of dots. His sword clashed with a dīng dīng dāng dāng, sparks flying, until finally, with a loud dang, a section of it was sliced off.
In just an instant, Swor's white military uniform was shredded to tatters. His entire body was torn open, flesh split and bleeding profusely, with wounds deep enough to expose bone.
(To Be Continued…)
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