-Near the entrance on the inside of the wall.
"Impossible... why!?"
Covered in cuts from the fierce fighting and looking decidedly worse for wear, Gladius stared at the defeated stone giant and cried out in disbelief.
-Why had Pica, who could move freely through rock, lost the ability to fight back after just that one attack?
"...Say what you will about our mechanical boss, but his aim is second to none."
His Adamantine Power Armor was blackened all over, and the explosions had left Ohm with internal injuries. He took up his stance again and raised his Iron Cloud sword.
Personally, he had never liked wearing armor. But the High God had told him about something called the "helmet paradox law."
-Those wearing helmets were background extras who got killed easily. Those without helmets got killed even faster unless they were chosen by a god.
Although he did not quite understand what the High God meant, and felt he probably counted as "chosen," Ohm had prudently put on a helmet anyway.
Haki could resist damage, but it was depleted in the process. A little more protection was always better than a little less.
"Hss... phew..."
-Boom!
The Imperial Guard said nothing. It simply kept attacking.
"Bastard!"
Gladius had suffered at the Imperial Guard's hands as well. At first, he had traded blows evenly with Ohm, even holding a slight advantage, until that strange thing joined the fight.
Who could have known that its movements not only threw Observation Haki out of sync with the normal five senses, but could also further contaminate and interfere with Observation Haki itself? Even the slightest discrepancy could prove fatal in an actual fight.
"Black Feather Arm Cannon!"
Gladius raised both hands, the flesh beneath the black armor encasing his forearms swelling steadily.
Sparks crackled