Twelve Divine Air Strikes

Senga and Tokikake stood on opposite sides of the arena, both adjusting their condition. The atmosphere was unusually quiet, and the spectators beside the ring barely dared to breathe, afraid of missing anything exciting.

After a brief standoff, Senga made the first move. He had already entered Sage Mode, boosting his speed severalfold. Caught unprepared, Tokikake was sent flying by a single strike and only barely stopped at the edge of the arena.

Senga gave Tokikake no chance to catch his breath, following up immediately with another wave of attacks. This time, Tokikake was prepared. He twisted aside and seemed to evade the blow, yet the next second, he was blasted away again.

Tokikake spat out a small mouthful of blood and wiped the corner of his mouth, utterly perplexed. He had clearly dodged that attack. How had he still been hit?

As if recalling something, he raised his head, stared at Senga, and asked,

"Advanced Armament Haki? You know it too?"

Advanced Armament Haki was the Flowing Cherry Haki that appeared in the Wano Country arc of the pirate anime. It allowed one to strike an opponent without making physical contact. Of course, there was an even stronger form of Armament Haki, one capable of internal destruction. Anyone who mastered that level was a top-tier powerhouse of the seas.

Though Tokikake voiced it as a question, he had already concluded that Senga's previous attack had been an application of advanced Armament Haki.

He was not the only one. The higher-ups in the stands thought so as well.

Everyone seated there was among the Navy's elite combat forces, so they were naturally familiar with advanced Armament Haki. But was that really something a Navy cadet could master?

Kizaru glanced at Zephyr and said in a mocking tone,

"Since when did advanced Armament Haki become part of the Training Camp curriculum? The newcomers these days are really scary, aren't they, Teacher Zephyr?"

Zephyr fell silent for a moment. He knew Kizaru was sarcastically implying that he had been giving Senga special lessons. That was true, and there was nothing to argue about. But as for Senga's last attack, Zephyr knew it was not advanced Armament Haki at all, because he had not even taught Senga that yet!

After thinking for a moment, Zephyr slowly said,

"That wasn't advanced Armament Haki. That attack was Senga's own technique. He calls it Sage Mode. Once he enters that state, he can use natural energy and wrap it around his fists and feet. It does bear some resemblance to advanced Armament Haki."

Sengoku also spoke up in support.

"There is indeed a difference. Uchiha Senga did not use Haki at all just now. His arms showed no change whatsoever."

Seeing the two of them refute him, Kizaru shut his mouth. Starting trouble for no reason was not his style, especially when one of them was responsible for paying his salary.

Senga did not explain any of that to Tokikake. Seeing that Tokikake's breathing had become somewhat unsteady after the last blow, he immediately raised a hand and unleashed Banshō Ten'in at maximum power.

A tremendous gravitational force erupted. In the direction Senga's palm faced, the arena's stone slabs cracked apart inch by inch. Even the spectators behind Tokikake could barely hold their ground and were nearly pulled toward Senga, despite him having restricted Banshō Ten'in's range.

Tokikake had only just been injured, and when he suddenly faced Banshō Ten'in, he too was dragged forward.

"Damn it! Don't get too cocky, rookie!"

After being repeatedly put at a disadvantage, Tokikake finally grew angry. Armament Haki covered his right hand once more, but this time, its color was clearly different from before, taking on a reddish hue. This was true advanced Armament Haki.

Tokikake swung fiercely through the air, releasing an even more powerful shockwave straight at Senga.

Senga sensed the danger of the attack and fired off another Shinra Tensei, but the effect was negligible. Without daring to hesitate, he quickly formed a Yin-Yang Black Rod in his other hand and raised it before himself.

Crack! The Black Rod snapped at once. This time, Senga was the one sent flying. Forcibly activating the Deva Path's power, he finally stabilized himself after being thrown more than ten meters away.

Tokikake had regained some ground, and he felt much better about it. Yet his hands did not slow in the slightest. He drew both arms back to his waist, gathered strength for a moment, then blasted them forward together in Senga's direction.

"Boar Impact!"

A translucent shockwave shaped like a wild boar appeared in the arena. It even let out a vivid roar toward the sky before charging straight at Senga.

Senga had only just steadied himself and was about to be struck. Gion, watching from the stands, nervously dug her fingernails into her thigh. Ain, seated below the platform, bit her lip tightly as well. Everyone knew Tokikake's attack was immensely powerful. Whoever took it would lose a layer of skin at the very least.

Boom! Smoke engulfed the center of the arena as shattered stone slabs flew in every direction. The Navy officers stationed around the ring quickly acted to block them, preventing casualties among the spectators.

"Senga!!!"

A cry rang out. The others paid little attention, but Gion on the elevated platform looked toward its source.

The one who had cried out was Ain, sitting below the arena. Seeing Senga vanish into the smoke, she could no longer control her emotions.

Seeing that it was a Navy cadet, and a beautiful female cadet at that, Gion could not help but curl her lips. So Senga really has more than just me thinking about him. But Senga's condition was still unknown, so she quickly put aside those stray thoughts and turned back to stare intently at the center of the arena.

After a long while, the smoke dispersed.

Senga's figure appeared before everyone's eyes. He had his head lowered, with his right hand pointed toward the direction from which the shockwave had come. White smoke still rose from that hand.

But what drew the most attention was the back of his hand. A black circular pattern had appeared there, with five thick black lines connecting it to his five fingertips. The black circle pulsed again and again, like a black heart.

Senga slowly raised his head and said softly,

"Armament: Ascension."

Armament: Ascension? What was that? Tokikake was confused. The instructors had never taught that!

Lowering his arm and relaxing slightly, Senga's gaze gradually turned dangerous. A terrifying aura emanated from his right hand.

Tokikake did not dare let his guard down. He tensed his body, ready to face the coming attack.

Feeling the explosive power in his right hand was ready, Chizuru's right arm instantly swung twelve times.

"Twelve Divine Air Strikes."

Twelve fist-shaped shockwaves formed a wall of air. Their coverage was enormous, leaving almost nowhere to evade, and they moved so quickly that even the space they passed through twisted.

Tokikake knew he could not dodge this attack. He planted himself in a horse stance, his expression resolute, and shouted,

"Tekkai!"

Hearing Tokikake call out the name of his technique, Senga directly took out a new set of clothes from the Door-Door Space and changed into them.

Only when a smack sounded from below did the referee appear beside Tokikake, who had fallen beneath the arena. Tokikake's eyes had already rolled back, and after confirming that he had lost consciousness, the referee turned, raised his hand, and shouted,

"Vice Admiral Tokikake has lost consciousness! I declare the winner of this match to be..."

At that point, the referee swallowed, calmed himself, then shouted with all his strength,

"Uchiha Senga!!!"