"Your slash can cut through one layer of my tortoise shell." Chongyue slowly lowered his center of gravity, his shell resembling a mountain sinking into the water in the lake's reflection. "But my shell has multiple layers. You must cut through them all to truly hurt me."
He slammed his fists together before his chest, and the dark teal serpent patterns on his shell lit up together. "And I will not give you the chance to swing a second time."
Chongyue moved. He moved slowly, each step planted firmly on the lake's surface, each pressing a sunken footprint into the water. Both serpent heads shot out from behind him, their bodies drawing shrill whistles through the air, dark teal Armament Haki coiling around their venomous fangs.
"Snake Shadow Entangling Strike."
The twin serpents coiled toward Zhang Liao from both sides at once. Their mouths gaped, their fangs aimed at his shoulders. This was no ordinary venom, but a neurotoxin capable of paralyzing the Haki system. A single bite would disable Armament Haki and Observation Haki within an extremely short time. For Zhang Liao, who relied on speed and perception to fight, losing either could prove fatal.
At the same time, Chongyue's fists arrived. His left Dark Rock Fist pressed from the front, while his right Water-Entwining Fist sealed off the side. The Dark Rock Fist carried crushing weight, while the rapidly spinning water blades of the Water-Entwining Fist could cut through intermediate Armament Haki defenses. Together, they sealed every escape route on either side of Zhang Liao.
Two serpents and two fists-four points of attack converged on him at once.
Zhang Liao's Observation Haki foresaw every trajectory just before the serpent fangs struck. He pivoted on his toes against the water, slipping sideways through the gap between the serpent heads