Facing Kenpachi Zaraki (III)

Seizing the opportunity, Liu Hao raised his right foot and kicked Kenpachi Zaraki hard in the chest. The kick was extremely powerful, carrying all of Liu Hao's Reiatsu, his understanding of battle, and his determination to break free from his restraints.

With a muffled thud, Kenpachi Zaraki's body flew backward violently, a trickle of blood spilling from the corner of his mouth. His grip on Liu Hao's wrist involuntarily loosened, and Liu Hao's wrist flipped, like a slippery eel, freeing him from his grasp.

Liu Hao stepped back, creating distance between himself and Kenpachi Zaraki. His movements were light and agile, like a feather blown by the wind, tracing a graceful arc in the air before landing steadily on the ground.

Five deep finger marks were left on his wrist, the marks left when Kenpachi Zaraki grabbed him. Bruising was spreading under his skin, and a stinging pain came from it. But Liu Hao didn't care about these marks; his attention was entirely focused on Kenpachi Zaraki.

After standing still, the flame-shaped Reiatsu on Liu Hao's shoulder began to spread rapidly. The flame-shaped Reiatsu spread from his shoulder to his arm, from his arm to his chest, and from his chest to his entire body, eventually enveloping his whole body. The flame-shaped Reiatsu danced, rolled, and spun on his body surface, and then gradually solidified, forming a magnificent Imperial Robe.

The Imperial Robe was entirely gold, embroidered with intricate patterns of dragons and phoenixes, clouds and water, mountains and seas, the sun and the moon, as if the entire world had been condensed into this one robe.

The collar of the Imperial Robe stood up high, the sleeves were wide and flowing, and the hem reached his feet. He looked majestic and noble, like an Emperor who had stepped out of mythology. The surface of the Imperial Robe shimmered with a faint light, which flickered as if it were alive, pulsating with Liu Hao's breath.

Kenpachi Zaraki got up from the ground, looked at Liu Hao's Imperial Robe, and grinned. Blood still clung to the corner of his mouth, and his body was covered in wounds, but his smile was even brighter, more maniacal, and more excited than before.

"You've finally gotten serious." Kenpachi Zaraki's voice carried a sense of satisfaction, anticipation, and the joy of finally getting what he wanted.

As soon as he finished speaking, Kenpachi Zaraki slammed his feet into the ground, shattering it and sending shards of stone flying. His body shot towards Liu Hao like a cannonball.

His speed was astonishing; a sharp whistling sound filled the air—the sound of his body tearing through the air. He raised his Zanpakuto high, its blade gleaming with a cold light, the serrated notches on the blade appearing particularly ferocious under the light.

Liu Hao did not retreat, dodge, or even blink. He raised the Imperial Sword, its tip pointing at Kenpachi Zaraki. Golden light flowed across the blade, reflecting off the light of the Imperial Sword's Imperial Robe, making him appear like a golden-armored war god.

"Clang--"

The swords clashed again, producing a deafening metallic clang. The sound echoed in the empty space, making everyone's eardrums buzz. A dazzling burst of sparks erupted from where the swords struck, strikingly bright in the dim light, like fireworks blooming in the night sky—beautiful yet fleeting.

Liu Hao's arm felt slightly heavier; he sensed that Kenpachi Zaraki's Zanpakuto was heavier than before. It wasn't an illusion, but a real change.

Kenpachi Zaraki's power grew steadily during the battle, his Reiatsu rose continuously, and his fighting spirit surged ever higher. This man grew stronger the more he fought, became more frenzied the more injured he was, and unleashed astonishing power the more desperate the situation he faced.

The two moved at an astonishing speed; the naked eye of an ordinary person could not even catch their movements. They could only see two blurry streaks of light moving rapidly across the field, one golden and one silver-white, like two intertwined shooting stars, or two dragons chasing each other.

Every time swords clashed, dazzling sparks flew; every time figures crossed paths, violent Reiatsu fluctuations were stirred up. The cracks on the ground became more numerous and deeper, from being as thin as a hair to being as wide as a palm, from being just a few lines to being as dense as a spider web.

The Heat filled the air, the heat generated by the friction between two immense Reiatsu. The heat was so intense that everyone on the sidelines felt waves of heat wash over them.

The Imperial Robe Liu Hao wore began to show signs of damage during the fierce battle. The Imperial Robe, which was formed from Reiatsu, was originally radiant with clear patterns and every detail was perfect, like a meticulously crafted work of art.

But at this moment, countless tiny cracks appeared on the surface of the Imperial Robe, like ice cracks on porcelain, densely covering various parts of the Imperial Robe.

In some places, large areas were even torn, exposing the clothes and skin underneath. Although the Imperial Robe could quickly repair the tears, the underlying injuries could not heal immediately.

A knife mark extended diagonally from Liu Hao's left shoulder to his right rib, a mark left by Kenpachi Zaraki's Zanpakuto. Although the Imperial Robe blocked most of the damage, the Reiatsu on the blade, exceeding the defensive density of the Imperial Robe, still Imperial Robe, leaving a shallow bloodstain on Liu Hao's body.

The bloodstain wasn't deep, just a scratch on the skin, but the stinging pain clearly reached Liu Hao's nerves. There was also a knife mark on his right arm, left from when he couldn't completely neutralize Kenpachi Zaraki's power while parrying, and the blade grazed him.

There were several bruises on his arms, left from being struck by the back of Kenpachi Zaraki's sword. There was also a trace of blood at the corner of his mouth, from a fierce struggle in which Kenpachi Zaraki's force caused his internal organs to shift slightly, and a mouthful of blood welled up in his throat, which he then swallowed back down.

These wounds were nothing to Liu Hao; his recovery ability was strong, and these superficial injuries would heal quickly. But more importantly, these wounds proved that Kenpachi Zaraki was indeed capable of hurting him.

His Imperial Robe, the one he called "absolute defense," was not truly absolute. If the Reiatsu density exceeded the Imperial Robe's limit for even a moment, the Imperial Robe would tear, and he would be injured. Kenpachi Zaraki did this, and more than once.

Kenpachi Zaraki was in no better condition. His body was also covered in wounds, some left by Liu Hao's Imperial Sword, and others by the swords that flew out of the spatial vortex.

His Shihakushō was tattered and almost unrecognizable, covered in knife marks and bloodstains. There was a deep sword wound on his chest, left by Liu Hao's first attack. Although the bleeding had stopped, the wound had not yet healed, and the flesh was torn open, looking horrifying.

He had a deep knife wound on his left arm, pierced by a longsword that flew out of the spatial vortex. The skin around the wound had turned bluish-purple, a sign that blood stasis was spreading under the skin.

There was also a bloodstain on his face, stretching from his left eyebrow to his right cheek. It was from a shard of a sword. The blood had dried on his face, forming a dark red mark.

But he was still smiling.