Chapter 80: The Fierce Battle
Following the collision, both Kaido and Ryuma Shimotsuki were thrown back simultaneously.
One flew back into the sky, hovering in the air and looking down from above. The other slammed into the ground with a thunderous crash, right into the Shogun's residence. His powerful body tore through the floors like a cannonball before hitting the earth.
Accompanied by a massive explosion, the Shogun's residence—which had already been split in two—completely collapsed. Dust billowed out across a wide area, threatening to swallow Yumesaki's group.
At that moment, Hashirama clapped his hands together.
"Wind Release: Great Breakthrough."
A blast of intense wind surged from his mouth, blowing away the encroaching smoke and debris.
Kaido stared at Hashirama with an expressionless face, then turned his gaze back to the ruins of the Shogun's estate.
The sound of light footsteps reached his ears.
Ryuma Shimotsuki walked out of the rubble completely unscathed, looking up at the hovering Kaido.
Kaido's eyes flickered, acknowledging his opponent's strength. "You have earned the right to state your name, Samurai."
"Shimotsuki... Ryuma."
"A member of the Shimotsuki clan?" Kaido narrowed his eyes, asking curiously, "What is your relation to Shimotsuki Ushimaru?"
*Shimotsuki Ushimaru?* Ryuma didn't know the name, but judging by it, the man was likely his own descendant. However, there was no need to tell that to an enemy.
At the same time, Kaido felt the name "Ryuma Shimotsuki" was incredibly familiar, as if he had heard it somewhere before. But he didn't immediately connect it to the Sword God of Wano; after all, that was a legendary figure who had died hundreds of years ago.
Seeing that Ryuma remained silent, showing no interest in responding, Kaido's expression darkened further.
"Not much of a talker, eh? Fine, then don't speak again!!!"
The moment the words left his mouth, Kaido vanished.
When he reappeared, he was directly above Ryuma's head, club raised high. Techniques like *Soru* (Shave) were high-level combat moves for ordinary people, but for a peak powerhouse like Kaido, they held no secrets.
"Conquered Three Worlds: Ragnaraku!"
Kaido's club carried unprecedented power, aiming for Ryuma's head as it fell alongside heaven's lightning. The air was compressed into a tangible shockwave, and a sonic boom erupted before the sound could even register. This strike was enough to turn a mountain peak to dust and trigger a massive earthquake.
Ryuma's pupils contracted sharply.
But he did not retreat. Instead, he tightened his grip on Shusui.
*Clang!*
As Ryuma drew his blade, the path of the steel was a perfect straight line—moving from bottom to top, meeting the downward trajectory of the club in a head-on clash.
Blade and club locked together.
The ground beneath Ryuma's feet shattered instantly, collapsing layer by layer to form a massive, stair-shaped crater. Yet, Ryuma held his ground, not losing an inch.
Kaido, however, suddenly felt his chest split open. A large amount of blood sprayed out.
This felt impossible to him. His Oni physiology and the Uo Uo no Mi, Model: Seiryu gave him a body that was virtually indestructible. He had been captured by the Navy and sentenced to death forty times. Whether it was swords, axes, lightning, fire, or even being submerged in poison or alcohol, nothing could leave a scratch on him. Even during executions, the blades themselves would break. Because of this, the world knew him as the "Unkillable Monster."
It had been a very long time since his defenses had been breached.
The last time he was wounded was by Kozuki Oden. He hadn't expected that after over a decade, he would be cut again by a Wano samurai. In terms of depth, this wound was even slightly deeper than the one Oden had left.
Fortunately, he wasn't the same man he was back then. Both his raw strength and his Haki were far superior now, so he could endure a deep wound like this.
Kaido let out a cold snort and immediately flexed his muscles to forcefully close the wound, stem the bleeding, and allow his potent regenerative abilities to begin repairs.
Bang!!!
Exactly then, Ryuma launched a strike. His right hand, coated in Armament Haki, moved in an upward arc, smashing into Kaido's chin with incredible force. Kaido was sent hurtling toward the sky like a rocket.
Ryuma admitted to himself that he had slightly miscalculated. Originally, he wanted to defeat Kaido within the Flower Capital so everyone could witness the fact that Wano was being liberated. But he had underestimated Kaido's resilience.
This wasn't an opponent who could be dealt with easily; he would have to give it his all.
Therefore, the battlefield had to be moved. The Flower Capital was no longer suitable; otherwise, the city would likely be leveled in the crossfire.
After punching Kaido away, Ryuma leaped and shot toward the sky.
"Arrogant brat."
In mid-air, Kaido corrected his posture and transformed back into the gargantuan blue dragon. He opened his mouth and unleashed a scorching dragon's breath downward.
"Bolo Breath!!!"
He had used this move before with underwhelming results, but this time, Kaido was serious. Compared to the earlier "greeting," this *Bolo Breath* was far hotter and more terrifying. It was enough to melt mountain ranges and vaporize seas—a power capable of burning down an entire nation. Even the air itself ignited, turning into a sea of flames that swallowed everything.
Yet, amidst the inferno, a cold sword light flashed.
Ryuma swung his blade, and the dragon's breath that scorched the heavens was literally split apart! The fire flowed to either side as if afraid of the blade's sharpness, automatically parting three feet away from Ryuma. He passed through the flames without so much as a singed hem on his clothing.
Kaido's pupils shrank instantly.
"Dragon Slaying Flash—"
Ryuma's voice broke through the wind, but the sword in his hand remained steady. Shusui's blade reflected a curved light like a full moon. That light sliced through the heatwave, cut through the rumbling lightning, tore through the Haki swirling around the giant dragon, and aimed straight for the dragon's head!
At that moment, Kaido felt something he hadn't felt in ages—a sense of crisis. His Observation Haki was screaming frantically.
With his dragon body, he twisted violently. His massive tail swept out with enough force to shatter a mountain, slamming toward the incoming sword light.
When the dragon's tail collided with Shusui, a visible shockwave exploded between heaven and earth! Houses within a several-mile radius were blown away, and trees were uprooted.
Kaido's massive frame was sent tumbling, hurtling from the skies above the Flower Capital toward a distant mountain peak. He slammed into the mountainside with a deafening roar.
Ryuma was also thrown back by the impact, but his goal had been achieved. He had successfully driven Kaido out of the Flower Capital, shifting the battlefield.
By the time Ryuma arrived at the distant peak with high-speed movement, Kaido had already shifted his form once again.
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