Hope So

The collision of overwhelming power.

The clash of exquisite swordsmanship.

Thousands upon thousands of exchanges of blades.

Then, in an instant, victory and defeat were decided.

This was more or less how swordsmen's duels went.

The large amount of blood gushing from his chest heralded Hawk Eyes' defeat.

The Haki carried by the slash rapidly drained his strength.

"..."

Amid the soundless silence, Hawk Eyes staggered and dropped to one knee.

His rapidly draining strength made it extremely difficult for him even to stand.

But.

His right hand gripping the hilt never showed any sign of loosening.

"Huff, huff..."

Hawk Eyes panted.

Every breath sent blood trickling from his mouth.

He looked like a faucet that could never be fully turned off...

This was the terrifying aspect of a slash wrapped in Haki.

Once it struck true, it could snuff out all the strength that followed and end the battle in an instant.

Hawk Eyes, already at death's door, lowered his head to glance at the pool of blood before him, then raised it to look at the bloodstains on Maud's body.

"In the end, it was still a little lacking..."

His final slash had merely torn open Maud's exterior.

Maud's slash, however, had severed his very life force.

The difference between a single slash was also the difference between victory and defeat.

"Black Blade..."

Maud lowered his head to look at the wound bleeding across his chest.

At that moment, despite being on guard, he had still been cut open by Hawk Eyes' Black Blade Night.

That slash had not only cut through his Haki, but also the shadow of Twin Fish Flow covering his body...

Maud raised his eyes, his gaze passing over Black Blade Night in Hawk Eyes' hand.

This black blade, tempered by Haki over countless