The blazing sun hung overhead as tens of thousands of spectators held their breath, watching the two figures in the arena.
Dian Wei stood bare-chested, his bronze muscles gleaming like metal in the sunlight. Two door-sized Dark Iron Short Halberds rested casually on his shoulders, deep black Armament Haki faintly flowing over their blades. Opposite him, Ma Chao wore white armor and carried a silver spear, a cold glimmer flickering at its tip. His Observation Haki was already spread out, sensing every fluctuation of presence within a hundred zhang.
"The second semifinal! Dian Wei versus Ma Chao!" Zhang Fei's thunderous roar opened the curtain on this unparalleled battle.
The sun blazed overhead, and the war drums thundered.
Ma Chao moved first. Highly compressed Armament Haki gathered at the tip of his Dragon Rider Spear, turning into a streak of silver lightning that shot straight for Dian Wei's throat. The thrust was faster than the naked eye could follow, the air shrieking wherever the spear tip passed.
"Well met!" Dian Wei laughed wildly. Without dodging, he swept his left halberd across with black Haki so dense it seemed solid. The wind from the halberd plowed a deep furrow through the arena floor.
Clang!
Spear and halberd collided, and a shock wave spread outward like a tsunami, sending spectators in the front row staggering. Ma Chao felt an irresistible force surge toward him. The web of his hand split, and blood instantly stained the spear shaft red. He used the force to retreat, his white horse turning nimbly in midair to shed most of the impact.
"Your Haki isn't hard enough!" Dian Wei roared, his twin halberds whirling like the wind, each blow carrying enough power to cleave mountains and shatter stone. Ma Chao relied on his exceptional Observation Haki to anticipate