Bang!
Ain sent Wuli flying again. Zephyr seized the opening, finally broke past Wuli, and hurried on.
Damn. Wuli's heart sank. He tried to stop Zephyr, but the moment he moved, a sword slash came at him and forced him to halt.
"Hmph. Let's see if you can keep holding back now." Ain's tone lightened when she saw Zephyr get past Wuli.
She kept her eyes on Wuli, refusing to let him slip past her to pursue Zephyr. She also wanted to know, after all this time apart,
how much stronger Wuli had grown.
Earlier, he had rescued Straw Hat's companions from Kizaru's attack, and she hadn't even seen how he had done it.
Wuli saw the look in Ain's eyes and understood what she wanted. He gave a rueful smile and was about to speak when a dazzling light flashed into view.
His expression turned grave. A powerful aura erupted from him, and Sword Aura gathered around the blade in his hand.
A vortex of air whirled around him. His long robe, marked by several sword cuts, began to billow. In an instant, Wuli seemed like a swordsman with his blade drawn, radiating immense pressure.
Was he finally about to make a move? Ain grew wary at the sudden change in his bearing, and a little shocked.
So strong!
Her expression turned grave as well. She focused completely, sensing danger so clearly from Wuli that it shook her. For a moment, she lost awareness of her surroundings.
She thrust her sword at Wuli again. To her surprise, he did not dodge but charged straight at her. His overwhelming presence made Ain instinctively put more force into her strike.
"Watch out!"
Wuli cried out. His sword swept past her toward something behind her, carrying a surge of Sword Aura in