Chapter 239: "Golden Lion" Shiki (IV)
The burns on Shiki's cheeks, coupled with his bloodshot, deathly stare, made his menacing grin even more intimidating. It even made Eric feel a hint of fear in his heart.
'I'm going to take control of the entire world! How could I fear an old man like Golden Lion?!'
Eric gritted his teeth, forcefully throwing aside that brief feeling of fear in his heart:
"I will kill you here, and you will be nothing but a stepping stone for the World King!"
The rolling sand paused for a moment, and it seemed like Shiki saw a shadow from the past.
His head full of black hair twisted and danced like tentacles, his wild laughter echoing as he tried to become the King of the World—
Rocks D. Xebec!
At this moment, the illusory figure merged with Eric before him.
"Ha ha ha ha… The King of the World?" Shiki laughed loudly, "This isn't a child's game, brat!"
The rumbling sound that had stopped earlier began again, and the ground beneath Shiki's feet swelled in waves, like the ocean's tide.
"So, stop using such empty techniques and freeze!" Esdeath unleashed an absolute zero shockwave at Golden Lion.
Crack, crack, crack
The ground froze under the influence of the absolute zero cold, creating an icy path that rushed toward Shiki.
"!"
There was no time to avoid or defend, and the absolute zero cold burst across Golden Lion's body. The cold engulfed him in an instant, freezing him to the core with extreme cold that could stop atomic movement.
From the point where the cold hit Shiki, dark blue ice crystals began to visibly wrap around his body.
Within a few breaths, Shiki was covered in a thick layer of ice armor, looking like a winter general.
His gritted teeth and anger-filled eyes still stared at Eric .
Esdeath frowned and asked, "Did we win?"
"No, once this flag is inserted, it's not over…"
Eric didn't finish his sentence before the sound of cracking ice rang out. The hard ice surrounding Golden Lion was covered with cracks.
Boom!
The next moment, the ice shattered, and pieces flew everywhere.
"Now this is interesting!" Esdeath laughed. "You'll have to satisfy me well!"
"Ha ha ha ha, since I chopped off my own legs, I haven't been injured this badly, you little brats…"
"That's because you haven't fought seriously, Golden Lion?" Eric ruthlessly interrupted Shiki's self-praise.
"Cough, cough, cough…" Shiki's boastful words choked in his throat, and he coughed.
"You little brat, how dare you…"
"Go!" Without waiting for Shiki to finish, Scáthach launched a sudden attack with a spear.
"Cough, cough, cough…" Shiki was interrupted again, coughing even more.
Scáthach spoke little, her face cold, and her attacks were ruthless!
Her sharp attacks came one after the other, her spear moving like an extension of her limbs, creating a curtain of red spear shadows in the air, pressing down on Golden Lion.
" Lion · Thousand Cut Valley!" Holding his swords, Sakura Ten and Dead Wood, Golden Lion regained the feeling of a once unstoppable swordsman.
Brilliant golden sword lights flashed, continuously struck out by Sakura Ten and Dead Wood, and countless sword energies formed a tsunami that collided with the red curtain of spear energy.
Boom boom boom!
The clash of sword energies and spear lights created countless shockwaves.
This time, instead of being blocked by two people, Scáthach alone absorbed all the attacks.
"Ugh—!" Scáthach murmured as the Haki surrounding the sword energy, combined with her immense strength, created waves that flowed from her magic spear into both hands.
"You little girl, your Armament Haki still needs some work." Shiki looked down, towering over Scáthach .
"…" Scáthach calmly responded, her spear tip cutting through the air as she readied herself for another attack.
"And you, stop thinking about sneak attacks!" Shiki crossed his two famous swords, Sakura Ten and Dead Wood, and slashed out an enormous "X"-shaped sword energy that flew toward Eric .
"Empire!" Eric , fully charging his power, was not intimidated by the sword energy. Instead, he unleashed his Empire technique to compress the attack range and increase its power.
The spear energy, surrounded by purple flames and lightning, collided powerfully with the "X"-shaped sword energy.
In an instant, the golden sword energy was broken in the middle.
"!" Seeing the spear energy fly toward him like a laser, Shiki's expression became serious, then quickly returned to his arrogant smile. His two swords turned black in the eyes of the three, and black lightning surrounded the blades.
"Conqueror's Haki wrapping?!"
Eric was taken aback but soon understood. 'Of course, a great pirate like Shiki, who is on the same level as Roger and Whitebeard, would know how to use Conqueror's Haki wrapping. It would be odd if he didn't! It's more of a blunder for Luffy, who couldn't use Haki and lost to him!'
Esdeath and Scáthach 's eyes narrowed as they closely observed the two swords in Shiki's hands, trying to find a clue.
The mighty spear energy smashed through everything in its path, blowing away the clouds and clearing the air with its overwhelming force.
Finally, it reached Shiki!
Sakura Ten and Dead Wood, one after the other, slashed toward Empire. The black lightning and purple flames tangled with the blue storm as the Armament Haki and Conqueror's Haki collided, and the sword energy and spear energy clashed…
No, it didn't cancel each other out!
The two famous swords wrapped in Conqueror's Haki didn't even touch the invisible column of air.
The once unstoppable spear energy was torn apart by Shiki's dual attacks. The ground beneath him cracked in layers, like it was being crushed by an invisible weight. The earth sunk, finally reaching Eric 's position.
Eric gritted his teeth, his spear suddenly lunging forward in an attempt to block this attack.
The rushing sword energy flowed like a river bursting its banks, the air roaring with its force.
The booming collision sounded like the eye of a storm, the compressed air exploding in all directions.
Puff!
The intense shock was like being hammered with iron. Eric felt a sweetness in his throat and spat out a mouthful of blood.
"Ha ha ha ha, brat." Golden Lion laughed as if he were back in his prime, fighting Roger, "Have you experienced the real terror of a pirate now?!"
The taste of rust filled Eric 's mouth, his tongue twisted in his mouth as he swallowed the blood. With a bloodied smile, he said, "No, the legendary Golden Lion—Is this all you've got?"
"Is that so…" Shiki's feet lifted from the ground, and his body shot like lightning toward Eric , "I'll send you to hell, and you'll regret what you said!"
The sound of metal clashing erupted continuously as the violent shockwaves exploded again.
Golden Lion turned into a streak of golden light, drawing lines in the air as he relentlessly attacked Eric .
Eric didn't call for Esdeath or Scáthach to help; he wanted to use Golden Lion's famous sword as his stepping stone!
(END CHAPTER)
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