Chapter 343: Breaking Free
A narrow beam of light burst from beneath Kizaru's raised foot.
The instant it appeared, it was already in front of Axel.
Even with Observation Haki warning him in advance, his body could not physically move fast enough to avoid it.
Reflection activated first.
But this was no ordinary kick.
Kizaru had charged the attack beforehand, compressing enough power into it to push beyond the range Axel could comfortably process.
The force was too great.
The speed was too fast.
Axel's calculations could not completely reverse it in time.
So he changed methods.
Instead of reflecting the entire attack, he split its force and redirected it around both sides of his body.
The beam divided.
Two thinner streaks of light tore past his waist.
Once they cleared Axel, nothing remained to restrain them.
Boom!
The towering rock wall behind him vanished beneath the impact.
The reinforced structure Navarone Fortress took pride in offered almost no resistance.
Stone and steel were swallowed by light.
Nearby Marines immediately dropped low behind their cannon-shaped launchers loaded with prison rounds.
The blast wave rolled over them.
Sweat covered their faces.
The destroyed wall had been less than a few dozen meters away.
Even from that distance, they could feel the heat radiating from the impact.
Death had passed frighteningly close.
Several Marines stared at the battlefield in disbelief.
Was this still a fight between humans?
Perhaps Devil Fruit users really were monsters.
The Admiral certainly looked like one.
And so did the criminal standing against him.
Kizaru's kick had carried so much force that his leg remained extended for the briefest moment.
Axel seized it.
"Don't think you're getting away!"
His hands shot forward.
Kizaru's eyes sharpened.
Whether he was surprised Axel had survived or simply reacting to the counterattack, his response was immediate.
He knew one important weakness in Axel's ability.
Touch.
Axel needed contact to directly manipulate another person's body.
Kizaru had no intention of giving him that opportunity.
His body pulled backward in a straight line.
Light flashed.
Axel's fingers closed on empty air.
Jonathan recovered from the previous exchange.
"Admiral Kizaru attacks from the front!"
He raised his voice.
"We'll support from the sides!"
Sentomaru glanced toward the unfamiliar Vice Admiral.
Then tightened his grip on his axe.
"Got it!"
The two moved.
One from the left.
One from the right.
Jonathan could have remained silent.
A surprise attack would have been more effective.
But the announcement itself was part of his strategy.
He wanted Axel to hear it.
Wanted him to know there were threats approaching from both sides.
If Axel had to divide his attention among three attackers, he would have less focus to spare for Kizaru.
Axel understood immediately.
And responded in a way Jonathan had not expected.
He ignored both of them.
Then charged straight at Kizaru again.
Sentomaru's face darkened.
"Don't get too arrogant, brat!"
His pace increased.
He rushed in from behind, gathering tremendous strength into both arms.
Then the massive axe came down diagonally.
Boom!
The blade struck Axel's shoulder.
Against an ordinary person, the blow would have split them apart from shoulder to waist.
Against Axel, the result reversed.
The axe rebounded.
A shockwave tore back through the weapon.
Sentomaru's eyes widened.
Pain exploded through his arm.
A gruesome wound split open from the back of his hand to his elbow.
Blood sprayed.
Even with his feet planted firmly against the ground, Sentomaru was forced backward.
His boots carved two trenches through the earth.
Jonathan immediately changed direction.
He crossed the distance in several bursts and appeared behind Sentomaru.
Both palms pressed against his back.
Jonathan absorbed part of the remaining momentum and finally helped bring him to a stop.
"You all right?"
Sentomaru gritted his teeth.
"Of course I am."
Then the movement pulled at the wound.
"Hiss...!"
Jonathan glanced at his arm.
"Can you still fight?"
Sentomaru flexed his muscles.
The flesh around the wound tightened, slowing the bleeding.
"Obviously."
While the two recovered, Axel and Kizaru had already collided again.
But now another problem was entering the battlefield.
The Pacifistas.
One after another, the machines descended from the surrounding rock walls.
Compared to Sentomaru, Axel found them more troublesome.
Sentomaru was stronger individually.
But his attacks could still be handled by Reflection.
The Pacifistas were different.
Their imitation Reflection and linked calculations could interfere with Axel's own processing.
Against ordinary opponents, that would not matter much.
Against Kizaru?
Even a momentary disruption could become fatal.
Axel frowned.
What should I do?
Kizaru's voice reached him.
"It's rather dangerous to get distracted while fighting me."
Ama no Murakumo swept across Axel's body.
Reflection reacted automatically.
The blade of light was stopped.
Then the force rushed back toward Kizaru.
His hand trembled from the returning impact.
Kizaru immediately released the light sword.
His body transformed into particles before the reflected force could fully reach him.
A flash later, he reappeared at a safer distance.
From the outside, the exchange looked almost even.
Axel knew better.
A sharp pain tore through his chest.
His expression did not change.
But beneath his clothing, an old wound had split open again.
The injuries his ability had been holding together were beginning to fail under the accumulated burden.
Blood threatened to spill through the fabric.
Axel redirected the flow before it could stain his clothes.
Nothing showed on the outside.
The pain remained.
Vector manipulation could change direction.
It could alter force.
It could control blood flow.
It could not erase damage that already existed.
Pain was still pain.
His body had been tearing itself apart for years.
He had simply grown used to the sensation.
That did not make the situation safe.
If this battle continued, his body would collapse long before his enemies ran out of options.
He needed to break the encirclement.
Now.
Axel raised his head.
His crimson eyes brightened.
Then the light around him changed.
At first, it was subtle.
Then his entire body began drawing in and manipulating the surrounding light.
Brightness gathered around him.
More.
More.
Until Axel seemed to become the center of a rising sun.
The light around Kizaru himself was almost overshadowed.
Everyone stopped.
Sentomaru tightened his grip on the axe.
Jonathan's eyes narrowed.
Kizaru watched carefully.
The glow intensified.
Soon it became impossible to look directly at Axel.
Marines raised their arms over their eyes.
Even seasoned officers were forced to turn their faces away.
Jonathan shielded his vision with one hand.
"Don't let him escape!"
His voice cut through the battlefield.
"The PX units aren't affected by the light!"
Sentomaru immediately understood.
Machines did not care about being blinded.
He shouted,
"PX units!"
"Track Axel!"
"Do not lose his position!"
"Report every movement!"
The Pacifistas prepared to respond.
They never got the chance.
Boom!
An explosion erupted.
Then another.
Boom!
Boom!
Sentomaru's expression changed.
"What happened?!"
Kizaru sighed.
"How troublesome."
The blinding light began to fade.
Shapes returned.
Then the battlefield became visible again.
Axel stood among the Pacifistas.
One machine lay beneath his foot.
Two others nearby had already been destroyed.
Broken steel.
Sparking components.
Twisted limbs.
In the few seconds everyone had been blinded, Axel had scrapped three units.
Sentomaru stared.
Axel bent down.
He grabbed one of the destroyed Pacifistas.
Then lifted the massive machine as though it weighed nothing.
Sentomaru's eyes widened.
Axel twisted his body.
And threw.
The ruined Pacifista flew across the battlefield.
"Wapol!"
Axel shouted.
"This one's for you to eat!"
…..
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Frieren: The Demon Who Learned to Love