“Tsukiyomi Sovereign!!”

  A fsh of cold steel—

  The bde of the “Great Deva King” cleaved forth.

  A massive, crescent-shaped sword ssh tore through the air, colliding head-on with two fierce incoming sshes.

  Boom!!!

  Whooosh…

  A dazzling burst of light.

  Ice shattered, gale winds roiled, shards of frost scattering in every direction.

  Two figures—one tall, one smaller—locked gazes, eyes razor-sharp. They instantly charged each other, bdes cshing.

  Cng… cng…

  Sparks flew.

  Cold gleams hummed as steel rang again and again.

  Both figures moved with blinding speed, locked in fierce combat. Back and forth, they engaged in a thrilling sword duel whose outcome was impossible to predict.

  “He goes straight for Divine Evasion, huh?”

  “What a show-off…”

  Up on Atntis, neither Thor nor Sif could help curling their lips at the sight of Dal in action. Even monsters like them had to admit that Dal’s innate skill far exceeded that of any of their other siblings. Possibly only Ares—the eighth child, considered the Kukulkan family’s “greatest masterpiece”—could rival Dal in this regard.

  Among the younger generation of the Kukulkan family, quite a few had awakened Conqueror’s Haki. But so far, Dal alone had fully mastered advanced Conqueror’s infusion.

  “Heh heh, but Dal-nii really is amazing!”

  Eden—tall, youthful, and lively—spoke with a small smile. “It’s a shame Medusa-nee is missing such a spectacur fight!”

  Besides the eldest sibling—Medusa, who had just turned sixteen that year—nearly all Kukulkan children were present. As it happened, Medusa had recently succeeded Shakuyaku (who repced Gloriosa as the Empress of Amazon Lily) and was officially crowned the new Empress of Amazon Lily. Over the st few days, rumor had it she was leading the Kuja Pirates on an expedition, so she had no time to be here.

  “Heh-huh-huh~! Keep it up, Dal-nii!” shouted Frey, a towering figure, raising both arms in a booming cheer.

  “Hey, hey—think you could tone it down, Frey…?”

  Sitting on his shoulder was Willie, the fourth child—his face youthful, yet strikingly handsome. He couldn’t help wincing at Frey’s volume. “My ears are still ringing!”

  “Heh-huh-huh~! Sorry, Willie-nii, I got too excited!”

  Frey scratched his head, sheepishly apologetic.

  Whoosh—

  Suddenly, the flow of battle on the ruined isnd shifted.

  Dal’s figure vanished like a ghost, repced by a barrage of massive stones, torn free during their cshes. Those rocks now loomed high in the air before crashing down toward Shimotsuki Ushimaru below.

  Boom… boom…

  Ushimaru’s eyes sharpened.

  He swiftly swung both bdes, slicing the oncoming boulders into rubble.

  Whoosh…

  Sensing danger, he reacted on instinct.

  Without a second thought, he spun around to meet the incoming sword strike.

  Cng!! Sparks flew.

  The huge bde cshed with his crossed swords, the sheer force causing Ushimaru’s expression to shift. Veins bulged in his arms. The stone under his feet cracked and caved inward.

  “So despite not having the same ironcd body as Thor-sama or Sif-sama, he’s still a genuine monster?” Ushimaru mused grimly.

  Dal’s physical prowess might not reach the absurd, nearly invulnerable levels of Thor or Sif, but he was still terrifyingly strong, surpassing most. Even an experienced Mythical Zoan user like Ushimaru found himself struggling against Dal’s power—an almost unbelievable feat.

  “Get off me!!”

  Bellowing, Ushimaru tightened his biceps and wrenched both swords upward, forcing Dal back.

  “Two-Sword Style: Cross Ssh!”

  Enma and Ame no Habakiri swept out in a lightning motion. Two massive cuts, forming an X, hurtled forward. In the next heartbeat, Dal abruptly vanished from sight. The pair of powerful cross-shaped sshes continued on unabated, striking the distant ocean in a gigantic plume of spray.

  Cng!!

  Metal cshed with metal.

  Infused with Conqueror’s Haki, Ushimaru’s Enma narrowly deflected a lethal strike from Dal’s enormous bde. Before Ushimaru could attack with Ame no Habakiri, Dal disappeared yet again—

  Reappearing far away.

  Whoosh…

  Using his not-inconsiderable Observation Haki, Ushimaru locked onto Dal and fpped his wings, lunging forward to pursue, swords cutting through the air. “Two-Sword Style: Thousand-Faced Gale!”

  Swish… swish…

  A fierce gale erupted. One ssh after another rained down like a howling storm, saturated with deadly intent.

  “Dispcement!”

  Retreating to widen the gap, Dal wore an amused grin.

  His free left hand suddenly gestured.

  Whooosh…

  A moment ter, everyone was left dumbfounded. The torrent of bde strikes vanished from where they’d been moments ago—only to reappear behind Ushimaru, flying straight at him.

  “What!?” Ushimaru’s hair stood on end.

  Armed, he stomped the ground in a desperate pivot, swords raised to defend himself.

  Cng… cng…

  Suddenly, blow after blow hammered in relentlessly. Though Ushimaru blocked each ssh, the resulting impact sent him stumbling back, body flung sideways.

  Crack, crack…

  Whoo…

  With hoof-like legs, he skidded across the air, wings beating wildly to disperse the force and regain his stance at the st second.

  “Don’t celebrate too soon! Elbaf Spear—”

  Just then, Dal grinned coldly.

  A red glint shone from the third eye on his forehead, as though he’d foreseen Ushimaru’s exact nding spot.

  Standing over eight meters tall and radiating menacing energy, Dal was like a legendary sword being drawn from its sheath, eyes sharp as daggers. Seizing his ornate bde, he unleashed a ferocious swing.

  “WEIGUO!!!”

  Whoosh—

  A razor-sharp screech tore the air.

  An immense sword-energy shockwave bsted out instantly, bearing down on Ushimaru—whose face paled in arm—with unstoppable force.

  Boom… BOOM…

  Bleam