The moment the Sakura's "First Sword Saint" revealed his true form, the other members aboard also took battle stances. Not one of them looked human, and they clamored as they prepared to attack.
But in a corner no one noticed, in the shadow beneath the First Sword Saint's twisted body, an inconspicuous little dirt mound suddenly appeared and rapidly moved away from the Sakura.
"Shine!!"
The First Sword Saint led the charge. His uppermost human body thrust a ten-meter-long spear at the Lionheart Knight, while the other bodies attached to him also attacked, flinging out all kinds of ranged weapons, including shuriken, flying sickles, arrows, guns, and cannons.
The other members followed close behind, wielding different standard-issue weapons. They clustered into a pink shock wave surging against the current, determined to devour the Lionheart Knight completely.
Yet the latter barely reacted. He still had his eyes closed, sensing his surroundings. The cherry blossoms on his face, paired with his sharply chiseled features, gave him an eerie beauty.
"The source was actually a ship...!?"
The Lionheart Knight spoke in surprise and only then opened his eyes. At the same time, the light emanating from his body receded, leaving his skin faintly luminous.
Then he reached for the Lion-Swallowing Longsword hanging at his waist, and the entire area was once again engulfed in an even more dazzling white light.
As for the Sakura Divine Tree, it was like a drawing meeting an eraser: wherever it touched the light, it was erased.
For a moment, everything within several nautical miles turned white. Even anyone trying to watch could not make out what was happening.
When the white light subsided, the Sakura and the hundreds of Pink-Haired Monsters were all gone, annihilated in a single strike.
The cherry blossoms on the Lionheart Knight's face