Kanjuro's betrayal at such a critical moment was undoubtedly a crushing mental blow. They had also lost a fighter and gained a powerful enemy.
Every samurai who fell brought Kozuki Oden unbearable heartache.
Kozuki Oden knew perfectly well that begging for mercy now was useless.
All he could do was throw himself into battle and keep searching for an opening.
In the end, this was a fight to the death.
They had all accepted that, and Kozuki Oden was no exception.
But before he died, he would take at least one of them with him.
The CP0 Chief was undoubtedly the one he intended to kill.
With every clash, Kozuki Oden's two blades grew sharper, his fierce anger lending him even greater strength.
Yet he kept holding himself back.
Kozuki Oden's mind was crystal clear now. He needed to wait for the right moment.
A person's emotions could strengthen their fighting power, and the intensity of their Haki was affected by those emotions.
That included Kozuki Oden's Conqueror's Haki.
Kozuki Oden was steadily honing his blades. When he unleashed everything in a single strike, its destructive power would be terrifying.
He had entered a strange state. Every time a companion fell, the fury in Kozuki Oden's heart surged, and his killing power continued to rise with it.
The CP0 Chief fighting him had not noticed, because Kozuki Oden had kept it under control.
Kin'emon fell.
Shimotsuki Ushimaru fell.
Kozuki Oden's retainers, Kikunojo and Raizo, fell next.
Then came Izo.
The other daimyo fell one after another as well.
Kozuki Oden's heart bled and trembled, yet his resolve only grew stronger.
At last, that terrifying killing intent erupted, impossible to suppress any longer.
Conqueror's Haki coated his blades, terrifying black-and-red arcs crackling and surging around them.
"Oden Two-Sword Style: Dragon Slayer!"