Marineford, on a coastal beach.
Under the effects of Akainu's Magma Fruit, this place had long since turned into a magma hell, with black smoke billowing and flames soaring into the sky.
As Sephiroth fell, his consciousness was somewhat hazy. Even the Black Blade Shusui in his left hand was flung from his grasp and plunged into the magma.
Just as he was about to crash into the magma hell below and be burned into a charred corpse, the Vampire Fruit's super-speed regeneration finally healed the wound on his forehead, restoring most of his awareness.
In an instant, the recovered Sephiroth fiercely beat the Black Wings on his back, skimming over the boiling magma as he pulled off a low-altitude aerial flip, curved around, and shot back into the sky.
On the other side, Akainu slammed heavily into the magma hell. Due to the nature of his ability, the thousand-degree magma failed to harm him in the slightest.
Akainu shook his groggy head and rose from the boiling magma.
However...
"Akainu, die!!!"
Before he could fully catch his breath, the silver-haired young man in the sky dove down fiercely.
Sephiroth beat the Black Wings on his back with all his strength while using Geppo beneath his feet for a second burst of acceleration. His body tore through the air with a sharp sonic boom as surging, pitch-black Armament Haki poured frantically into the Butcher Blade in his hand.
Only when he neared his enemy did he unleash this incomparably violent slash.
At the same time, the Conqueror's Haki coiled within Sephiroth's mind stirred faintly with an inexplicable pulse, as though it wanted to flow into the Butcher Blade. Yet he forcibly suppressed it...
"!!!"
Akainu's pupils suddenly contracted. Through his Observation Haki, he sensed that there was no way to