Battle Intent Rekindled

The battlefield had been torn to shreds. The fractured earth resembled bottomless abysses, while billowing black smoke and the stench of scorched soil filled the air.

The sky was gray and lightless, as though even the sun refused to witness this hellish scene.

Jin An and Blackbeard darted rapidly through the ruins, blade flashes and fist shadows intertwining as thunderous clashes echoed across the heavens.

"Clang—!"

Jin An's long blade collided head-on with Blackbeard's fist once more. The resulting shockwave blasted the surrounding rubble away, heaving up a wave of dirt and carving a trench dozens of meters long into the ground.

Blackbeard's wild laughter was mixed with ragged breaths, making him sound both crazed and exhilarated.

His eyes gleamed with bloodlust, while the power of the Dark-Dark Fruit surged ceaselessly around him, seemingly transforming into countless tentacles that lunged madly at Jin An.

Meanwhile, the elastic abilities of his Nika Fruit made his movements utterly unpredictable. Every attack came like a raging storm, impossible to anticipate.

"Hahahaha! Jin An! You really can take a beating! But the more you endure, the more excited I get!"

Blackbeard bared his teeth in manic laughter, his fists crashing down at Jin An like two massive hammers.

Jin An moved with incredible speed. He shifted his body slightly and narrowly evaded one of Blackbeard's punches, only to immediately feel a pull of dark gravity coming from behind him, trying to drag him back by force.

He gritted his teeth, kicked off the ground, and shot into the air. His long blade carved a dazzlingly cold arc through the sky before slashing down at Blackbeard's head from behind.

A savage glint flashed through Blackbeard's eyes. He raised his arms to block, but the blade carried unmatched force and sword energy. It numbed both his