The Twilight Lion Falls

"Zehahahaha! Zehahahaha!"

Though Golden Lion Shiki was severely wounded, the more he fought, the more exhilarated he became. Madness gleamed in his eyes as the muscles in both arms bulged. He swung both swords again, unleashing an incomparably powerful slash at Dawn.

Armament Haki and Conqueror's Haki wrapped around both blades without restraint, black-red arcs of lightning racing wildly between them. The air crackled with a teeth-grinding barrage of snaps and pops.

Dawn gripped Kikoku tightly, wrapping it in both types of Haki. The blade sliced through the air and came crashing down at Golden Lion head-on with unstoppable momentum. Under the crushing force, the air compressed layer upon layer, while raging winds howled between heaven and earth.

"Boom!"

Another earth-shaking explosion erupted above Vermeyo Island. A surging shockwave swept outward from the two men. A line of blood burst across Dawn's body; this wound cut deep into the muscle, yet still did not reach the bone.

Across from him, a vicious horizontal sword wound burst open across Golden Lion's chest, crimson blood spraying out like a high-pressure jet.

His body flew backward like a battered old doll casually thrown by a child, crashing into the towering mountain behind him and kicking up dust that filled the sky.

The mountain trembled. Massive cracks spread outward from the impact point, and countless boulders tumbled down. Golden Lion shot out of the mountain, launching countless thrusts in an instant as he charged forward. Sword shadows overlapped like a storm of pear blossoms.

Dawn answered with lightning-fast thrusts. Their sword tips collided madly at point-blank range, producing a dense chorus of clanging sounds like raindrops.

Next, all manner of basic sword techniques unfolded from their hands—chops, slashes, thrusts, upward cuts, sweeps...

Every movement contained world-destroying power. The aftershock of each strike was enough