"You dodged that strike? You truly deserve to be called the world's greatest."
Gern continued strolling forward as even more terrifying energy surged toward him. This time, its nature underwent another subtle change.
He was no longer simply suppressing the vibrations, but controlling the Tremor-Tremor Fruit's power with greater precision and unleashing it to its utmost limit.
For a moment, the hum of High-Frequency Vibration rose sharply, becoming piercingly shrill. It even surpassed the limits of human hearing, turning into a tearing sensation that acted directly upon the soul.
Most horrifying of all, the eerie blue light coiling around the blade began to undergo a bizarre transformation!
Extreme energy compression and violent friction at the molecular level generated unimaginable heat,
causing the vibrating fissures-those veins of energy resembling flowing lava-to twist, coil, and leap around the blade, scorching the surrounding air until it crackled.
The scene warped violently in the intense heat, as though Gern held not a sword, but a boiling ridge of magma freshly extracted from the core of a star!
"Take this, Mihawk!" Gern growled, driving both feet hard against the ground!
Boom! Clang!!! Another crushing thrust chained into Tremor Flash!
Hawk-Eye turned sideways and blocked with all his might. Yoru scraped violently against the tip of Eight Desolations, throwing off blinding sparks and black-and-red lightning!
Though he deflected most of the terrifying vibrational force concentrated at that single point, the remaining impact still slammed into his crossed, guarding arms like a heavy hammer!
"Urgh!" Unable to fully neutralize that immense force any longer, Hawk-Eye let out a muffled groan.
His entire body flew as though hurled from a catapult, his feet leaving the ground as he was sent hurtling backward and upward!
His body traced a parabola through the air, leaving him momentarily without any footing!