If you want to read more about my works or just to support me then here is my patreon:
Patreon.com/Doflamingo4 .
__
If you liked this one. Cheek also my other stories :
[ Shadow Monarch in Hogwarts].
Patreon.com/Doflamingo4 .
________________________________________________________________________________
Akai didn't move at first.
He just stood there—bleeding, breathing, smiling.
The blood from the cut on his chest had slowed to a steady drip, no longer pouring but still flowing, still warm, still staining the front of his torn shirt. Each breath he took sent a fresh pulse of pain across his torso, but he had stopped flinching from it. The pain was just there now, like background noise, like the sound of the torches burning or the distant drip of water somewhere in the hall.
His legs were still trembling, but less than before. The muscles had stopped shaking and started holding. His body was adapting, learning, finding new reserves of strength he hadn't known existed.
The knight stood opposite him.
Unshaken.
Unmatched.
The black armor gleamed under the torchlight, flawless and perfect. The crimson glow behind the helmet never wavered, never dimmed, never showed anything that could be called emotion. The sword rested in the knight's hand, tip against the floor, calm and patient.
Then—
They moved.
The space between them collapsed in an instant. Two bodies, one dark and one bloody, launched toward each other with a speed that made the air scream.
BOOOOM—!
The floor cracked as Akai lunged forward again, faster than before, his body pushing past its limits.
Stone chips exploded upward from where his foot had landed. The crack spread across the floor like a web, thin lines of broken stone radiating outward from the impact point. His whole body had become a weapon, every muscle working together, every fiber focused on one thing—closing the distance.
This time—
He didn't aim blindly.
His eyes were wide open. Watching. Tracking. The knight's shoulder. The knight's hip. The knight's feet. Every tiny movement, every subtle shift of weight, every breath that lifted the dark armor.
He watched.
He studied.
His leg shot out—
KICK—!
The air compressed around his shin as it cut through the space between them. His haki-coated leg aimed not at the knight's body this time, but at the sword. At the blade that had cut him so easily.
The knight's sword rose—
CLANG!!!
The impact echoed like thunder.
The sound rolled across the hall, bouncing off the walls, reverberating through the stone. It was louder than any strike Akai had landed before, sharper, more violent.
But unlike before—
Akai didn't miss completely.
His shin connected with the flat of the blade. Not the edge. Not the tip. The flat. The impact sent vibrations up through the sword, into the knight's arm, into the knight's body.
His strike connected with the blade itself, sending a shock through both of them.
The knight's arm shifted slightly. Barely noticeable. But Akai saw it. Felt it through his own leg. The knight had felt that hit. Had been affected by it.
Akai's eyes widened slightly.
His pupils dilated. His eyebrows lifted. His mouth opened just a fraction.
"…there we go…"
The words came out soft, almost surprised. He had found something. A thread to pull. A weakness to exploit.
The knight responded instantly—
SHHHHK—!
Another slash—
The blade came around in a wide arc, fast and smooth, aimed at Akai's neck. No wind-up. No telegraph. Just motion, sudden and complete.
Akai twisted—barely avoiding a fatal hit—but the blade still carved across his side.
His body rotated at the last moment, turning his chest away from the strike. But he wasn't fast enough. Wasn't quick enough. The tip of the blade caught him just below the ribs, slicing through skin and the thin layer of muscle beneath.
—SPLASH.
Blood sprayed again.
Warm and wet, splattering across the floor, across his arm, across the knight's armor. The cut was shallower than the one on his chest, but longer, running from his side around to his lower back.
"GHH—!!"
The sound tore from his throat, raw and involuntary. His body convulsed from the pain, muscles clenching, nerves firing.
He stumbled—
His feet slid across the stone floor, trying to find balance, trying to stay upright. His arms flailed at his sides. His head snapped back.
But then—
He laughed.
The sound came out broken, cracked, mixed with blood and spit.
"Heh… hehehe…"
His voice cracked, breath unstable.
The laughter was uneven, wild, the kind of laugh that came from somewhere deep and dark. Not happy. Not amused. Something else. Something that sounded like relief and madness mixed together.
"…that's more like it…"
The knight stepped forward.
No wasted motion.
No hesitation.
The black boots moved across the stone floor with precision, each step measured, each step deliberate. The distance between them shrank again. The sword came up, no longer resting, no longer waiting.
A thrust—
WHOOSH—!
The blade shot forward like an arrow, straight and fast, aimed at the center of Akai's chest. The tip gleamed under the torchlight, sharp and hungry.
Akai leaned back just enough to avoid the tip, then swung his fist—
BAM!!!
His knuckles connected with the knight's chest plate. The impact sent a shock up his arm, through his elbow, into his shoulder. The black armor didn't crack. Didn't dent. Didn't even scratch.
It hit the armor—
But—
Nothing.
No damage.
The armor was too thick. Too strong. His haki-coated fist had hit with enough force to break stone, but the armor had absorbed it like a sponge absorbing water.
Akai blinked.
His eyes went wide. His mouth opened.
"…right…"
The word came out flat, almost disappointed. He had forgotten, for a moment, that this wasn't a normal enemy. That normal rules didn't apply.
The knight's knee came up—
THUD!!!
It slammed into Akai's stomach.
The impact was brutal. The knee drove into his abdomen, compressing his organs, forcing the air from his lungs. The armor covering the knight's knee was hard and unyielding, like being hit by a hammer made of stone.
Air exploded out of him—
"GHHH—!!"
His mouth opened wide, but no sound came out at first. Just air. Just the desperate gasp of a body that had lost all its breath at once.
His body folded before being launched backward—
He doubled over, his chest meeting his knees, his arms wrapping around his stomach. Then the force of the kick lifted him off his feet, sent him flying through the air like a ragdoll.
CRASH!!!
He rolled across the ground, coughing violently.
His body tumbled across the stone floor, once, twice, three times. His elbows and knees scraped against the rough surface. His head snapped back and forth. Blood from his wounds smeared across the stones in long red streaks.
"…okay…" he wheezed, pushing himself up again. "…that hurt…"
His arms shook as he pressed his palms against the floor, lifting his chest, straightening his back. His whole body screamed at him to stop, to rest, to lie down and close his eyes.
He wiped blood from his mouth.
The back of his hand came away red. He looked at it for a moment, at the blood shining under the torchlight, then wiped it on his pants.
Then smiled again.
His lips pulled back, showing teeth stained pink with blood. His eyes, tired and wild, locked onto the knight.
"…I like it."
DING.
[Level Up → 21]
[Combat Instinct Increased]
The notification flashed in the corner of his vision, bright blue against the dark hall. He barely glanced at it. Didn't read the details. Just saw the number go up and felt something shift inside him.
Akai's eyes sharpened.
The tiredness was still there, but underneath it, something had awakened. Something hungry. Something that wanted more.
"Yeah… keep it coming…"
He rushed again—
Faster.
Sharper.
His feet pushed off the floor with more force than before, launching him forward at an angle. Not straight at the knight. Not directly into the path of the sword.
This time, he didn't attack directly.
He circled.
His body moved in a wide arc around the knight, staying just out of reach, just beyond the range of the blade. His feet shuffled across the floor, quick and light, keeping his weight balanced, keeping his options open.
Moved.
His eyes stayed on the knight, watching, waiting. Looking for patterns. Looking for tells. Looking for anything he could use.
Tested.
He darted in close, threw a quick punch at the knight's side, then jumped back before the sword could respond. The punch hit armor and did nothing, but that wasn't the point. The point was to see how the knight moved. How fast. How far.
The knight followed—
Every step precise.
Every motion controlled.
The black boots turned, tracked, followed Akai's movement. The sword stayed between them, tip pointed at Akai's chest, ready to strike. The crimson glow in the helmet moved with Akai, never losing him, never falling behind.
Then—
CLANG—!
Blade met kick again.
This time, Akai aimed for the same spot on the sword. The same flat of the blade. The same weak point he had found before.
CLANG—!
CLANG—!
CLANG—!
The sounds stacked rapidly now—steel against flesh reinforced by will.
Each impact was louder than the last. Each one sent vibrations through the knight's arm. Each one pushed the blade slightly off course.
Akai's movements grew more refined.
The wildness was still there, but it was focused now. Channeled. His kicks came faster, his punches came sharper, his dodges came tighter.
Less reckless.
More calculated.
Still wild—
But controlled chaos.
His body moved like water, flowing around the knight's attacks, slipping through gaps that shouldn't have existed. The sword passed by his ear, his shoulder, his hip—close, always close, but not close enough.
A slash came—
He ducked.
The blade passed over his head, close enough to cut a few strands of hair. His knees bent, his back curved, his body dropped low to the floor.
A thrust—
He sidestepped.
The tip of the sword passed by his ribs, close enough to touch. His weight shifted to his left foot, his hips rotated, his body turned sideways.
A spin—
He jumped—
The knight's whole body rotated, the sword spinning in a wide circle, aimed at cutting Akai in half at the waist. Akai's legs pushed off the floor, lifting him into the air, over the blade.
But—
SHHHHK—!
Too slow.
He had jumped, but not high enough. Not fast enough. The tip of the sword caught him on the way up, slicing across his lower back.
"AGHH—!!"
The cry ripped from his throat, loud and raw. His back arched. His hands reached behind him, trying to find the wound, trying to stop the bleeding.
He dropped to one knee.
His right knee hit the stone floor hard, sending a shock up his leg. His hands pressed against the ground, holding him up, keeping him from falling flat.
Blood dripping again.
Heavy.
Warm drops fell from his back, from his side, from his chest, pooling on the floor beneath him. The stone was slick with red now, stained in a wide circle around where he knelt.
But his smile—
Wider.
His lips stretched across his face, showing all his teeth. His eyes were bright, almost feverish. The pain had pushed him past exhaustion into something else. Something that felt like being alive.
"…you're good…" he muttered. "…you're really fucking good…"
His voice was low, rough, barely audible. But the words carried weight. Respect. The kind of respect you give to an enemy who has earned it.
The knight raised its sword again.
The blade came up, tip pointing at the ceiling, then angled down toward Akai's kneeling form. The crimson glow in the helmet burned brighter, hotter.
Akai stood.
Again.
His legs pushed against the floor. His knees straightened. His back, wounded and bleeding, pulled itself upright. His hands, slick with blood, lifted away from the ground.
Again.
DING.
[Level Up → 22]
[Speed Increased]
[Busoshoku Haki → Stability Improved]
The notifications came faster now, stacking on top of each other. The system was working overtime, tracking his growth, recording his improvement.
"…but I'm getting better."
His voice was quiet. Confident. Not arrogant. Just sure.
He vanished forward—
His feet moved so fast they seemed to blur. The distance between him and the knight disappeared in a heartbeat.
This time faster than before—
KICK—!
His leg whipped out, aimed at the sword, aimed at the same spot, the same weak point.
The knight blocked—
The blade came up to meet his shin, flat side out, ready to absorb the impact.
But Akai twisted mid-air—
His body contorted in ways that shouldn't have been possible. His hips rotated. His spine curved. His other leg came around, driven by momentum and will.
A second kick—
BAM!!!
The impact was harder than any he had landed before. His shin connected with the knight's chest plate, right in the center, right where the armor should have been strongest.
The knight slid back half a step.
Not a stumble. Not a fall. Just a slide. One foot dragged across the floor, then planted. The knight's body shifted backward, just a few inches, just enough to notice.
A first.
Akai's eyes lit up.
His pupils dilated. His eyebrows shot up. His mouth fell open.
"…oh?"
The sound was small, almost childlike. Surprise. Wonder. The joy of discovering that something impossible was actually possible.
The knight attacked again—
Relentless—
No pause. No recovery time. The sword came at Akai in a flurry of strikes, each one faster than the last, each one aimed at a different part of his body.
A flurry of precise strikes—
SHHK—!
CLANG—!
WHOOSH—!
The blade moved like lightning, cutting the air, cutting everything in its path. High strikes aimed at his head. Low strikes aimed at his legs. Mid strikes aimed at his chest and arms.
Akai barely kept up.
His body moved on instinct now, reacting faster than thought. His arms came up to block. His legs moved to dodge. His head ducked and weaved.
Cuts formed across his body—arms, shoulders, chest—
Each one deeper than the last.
The blade found him again and again. A slash across his forearm. A stab through the meat of his shoulder. A cut along his thigh. Each wound added to the others, layering pain on top of pain.
He was losing.
Clearly.
The knight was too fast. Too skilled. Too perfect. Every time Akai adapted, the knight adapted faster. Every time Akai found an opening, the knight closed it.
But—
He was learning.
His eyes weren't just watching anymore. They were understanding. Seeing the patterns beneath the movements. The rhythm beneath the chaos.
Every strike…
Every movement…
He adapted.
His body remembered. His muscles remembered. Each cut, each near miss, each block was a lesson. And he was learning fast.
DING.
[Level Up → 23]
The number climbed again. His body felt different. Lighter. Faster. Stronger. The wounds still hurt, still bled, but they didn't slow him down as much anymore.
"…yeah…"
He wiped blood from his eye.
His hand came away red, but he didn't blink. Didn't flinch.
"…I see you now."
His voice was calm. Certain. The voice of someone who had figured out the puzzle.
The knight lunged—
A straight thrust aimed at his heart—
The blade shot forward like a spear, fast and true, aimed at the exact center of Akai's chest. The tip gleamed, sharp and hungry, ready to pierce flesh and bone.
Akai didn't dodge.
His feet stayed planted. His body stayed still. His eyes stayed on the blade.
He stepped in.
Forward. Toward the knight. Toward the sword. Toward the point of the blade.
The blade pierced slightly into his shoulder—
—SHHK!
The tip entered his flesh just below the collarbone, sliding in smoothly, cleanly. Blood welled up around the wound, dark red against his pale skin.
"GHH—!!"
The pain was sharp, immediate, blinding. But he didn't pull back. Didn't retreat.
But—
He grabbed it.
His left hand shot up, fingers wrapping around the blade. The edge cut into his palm, into his fingers, but he didn't let go.
Barehanded.
His arm coated in haki.
The invisible armor covered his hand, his fingers, his palm. The blade still cut, still drew blood, but it didn't slice through. Didn't sever. Didn't take his hand off.
The blade stopped.
The knight paused—just for a fraction.
The crimson glow behind the helmet flickered. The knight's body went still, surprised, confused. In all its centuries of guarding, no one had ever grabbed its blade.
That was enough.
Akai's leg moved—
Not wild.
Not desperate.
Precise.
His right leg came up, knee bending, foot aiming. His eyes were locked on the knight's wrist, on the gap between the armor plates, on the joint that connected hand to arm.
Targeting the wrist.
KICK—!!!
His shin connected with the knight's wrist, driving upward, forcing the hand to open. The haki coating his leg made the impact harder, sharper.
CRACK—!!!
The impact echoed violently.
The sound was different this time. Not metal on metal. Not flesh on armor. Something else. Something that sounded like bone.
The knight's grip broke—
The fingers opened. The hand released. The sword, still embedded in Akai's shoulder, came free as the knight pulled back.
The sword flew from its hand—
The blade spun through the air, end over end, trailing drops of Akai's blood. The torchlight caught the metal, flashing bright, then dark, then bright again.
CLANG—!!!
Spinning across the floor before crashing meters away.
The sword landed on the stone, skidded across the surface, and stopped against the far wall. It lay there, still and silent, for the first time separated from its master.
Silence.
The hall went quiet. Even the torches seemed to dim.
Akai staggered back, pulling the blade from his shoulder, blood dripping heavily—
His left hand, still wrapped around the blade, pulled it free. The metal slid out of his flesh with a wet sound, leaving a deep wound that pulsed with blood. He dropped the sword. It clattered against the floor at his feet.
But his grin—
Unhinged.
Victorious.
The smile on his face was wide, almost too wide. His teeth were red. His eyes were bright. His whole expression screamed of madness and triumph mixed together.
"…got you."
The words came out breathless, almost laughing.
The knight stood there.
Empty-handed.
The black armor still gleamed. The crimson glow still burned. But the hands that had held the sword were empty now, fingers spread wide, palms facing the floor.
For the first time—
Disarmed .
___
[ End of Chapter 25 ].
To Be Continued...
___
If you want to read more about my works or just to support me then here is my patreon:
Patreon.com/Doflamingo4 .
__
If you liked this one. Cheek also my other stories:
[ Shadow Monarch in Hogwarts].
Patreon.com/Doflamingo4
__
Thank you all for reading....