With the aid of Wind Wings, Aoba weaved nimbly through the waves of sand, avoiding most of the sand blades.
The occasional stray sand blade that struck his Lightning Armor left only a few shallow marks.
His target was clear: the bracelet on Kato En's left wrist.
"Don't even think about getting close!"
Kato En formed hand seals with both hands. "Sand Release: Sand Wall!" A thick wall of sand suddenly rose before Aoba, blocking his path.
Aoba's gaze sharpened. He raised the longsword high, pouring both lightning and Wind Release chakra into its blade. "Thunder Wind Slash!"
The instant the longsword came down, a massive blade of energy fused with Lightning Release and Wind Release cleaved out, splitting the sand wall in two.
Aoba passed through the gap in the sand wall and appeared before Kato En in an instant, his longsword slashing straight at the other man's left wrist.
Kato En paled in shock and hurriedly twisted aside to evade.
But Aoba was simply too fast. He was still a step too slow.
With a sharp crack, the black bracelet on Kato En's left wrist was shattered by the longsword.
The moment the bracelet broke, the surrounding Crystal Sand lost the control of chakra and scattered into ordinary grains of sand.
Kato En's face went pale. He staggered back several steps, staring at his left wrist in disbelief. "My Crystal Sand..."
"Your crutch is gone."
Aoba stood where he was, breathing heavily. His Lightning Armor had completely vanished, and Wind Wings had dissipated without a trace.
That series of attacks had nearly drained all his chakra, but he had finally found his opponent's weakness.
A trace of madness flashed through Kato En's eyes. "Even without Crystal Sand, I can still kill you!"
His hands rapidly formed seals as