Chapter 260: The Weight of Legends
"Alright! Hahaha!"
The moment Wright flashed out of the way, Shiki had already launched his attack:
"Lion: Thousand Slice Valley!"
A violent golden slash cascaded down like a waterfall, crashing directly toward Wright. This was a full-powered attack, wielded with both hands—vastly superior to the slashes Shiki delivered using his feet as swords.
"Secret Technique: Divine—Shattering Void!"
Space seemed to fracture and collapse. Under the effects of Avenging Wrath, the power of Wright's secret technique was far beyond its usual limits!
The skies over Merveille were now completely clear—clouds had been entirely dispersed by the sheer clash of Haki between these two titanic warriors!
With an unobstructed view of the sky, distant floating islands were already shifting toward Merveille—when they reached their positions, Shiki's next wave of attacks would commence!
At the island's edge, Smoker reappeared in a burst of white smoke.
"Good thing we evacuated the islanders in advance… This island moves in a way that defies all logic."
Smoker arrived at the spot where the Den Den Mushi recording device had been placed. The little creature seemed utterly terrified and had completely shut down.
"So we didn't get footage of that insane battle just now? What a damn shame."
Shaking his head, Smoker pocketed the Den Den Mushi—forcing it to keep recording might just corrupt everything it had already captured.
"I should focus on protecting the islanders. This fight… even standing at the island's edge, I can't stop myself from trembling."
Wiping away the cold sweat dripping down his face, Smoker turned into white smoke and disappeared into the distance.
Wright's lip twitched slightly as he clashed blades with Shiki, only to be sent flying by a powerful slash.
"Brat! This isn't enough! If this is all you've got, you'll never take me down!"
Regaining his balance mid-air, Wright rapidly unleashed flying slashes to prevent Shiki from pressing his advantage. At the same time, he raised his Holy Light Wall—
"Urgh!"
Once again, it failed to block in time!
A burst of Holy Light healed his wounds, and Wright charged back into battle with renewed vigor!
What was the biggest difference now that Shiki was fighting at his peak?
His Armament Haki, attack power, and speed hadn't changed dramatically—but his Conqueror's Haki was now fully unleashed! Wright was confident he could match that. However, the real game-changer was Shiki's Observation Haki!
Observation Haki is the power of perception, deeply tied to one's mental state. With that ship's helm embedded in his head, Shiki's perception had been dulled for decades. But now, freed from that restraint, his three types of Haki had fully returned to their rightful levels!
With his enhanced Observation Haki and a lifetime of battlefield experience, Shiki's attacks now held an overwhelming advantage over Wright!
His Observation Haki had no unique special abilities—but combined with the instincts of a legendary warrior who had survived countless life-or-death battles, it became incredibly efficient!
As the battle progressed and his emotions stabilized, Shiki could now predict almost every one of Wright's moves!
Anticipating the anticipation itself—this was no joke. Shiki had reached a level where he was consistently one step ahead of Wright!
Because of this, Wright was accumulating wound after wound—far more than in their three days of previous high-intensity combat!
But… Wright could heal himself.
So this fight was far from over!
"Magnificent! Absolutely magnificent! I haven't had a fight this exhilarating in decades, brat!"
Though Shiki's laughter was wild and unrestrained, the golden light in his eyes never dimmed—a clear sign that he remained calm and composed.
"As expected of a legend!"
Wright's own golden eyes burned ever brighter, as he pushed himself to his absolute limits, maximizing his high defense and regenerative abilities to adapt to Shiki's relentless assault.
"If I remain at my current level—I won't be able to defeat you!"
With a fierce clash of blades, Wright exhaled deeply. "I have to break through my limits!"
Shiki lunged at him once more, but this time—Wright gripped his sword with both hands and closed his golden-lit eyes!
"Good!" Shiki grinned menacingly. "If you want to die faster, I'll make it happen!"
Feeling his peak-state body surging with power, Shiki tightened his grip on his swords. Behind Wright, the nearest floating island was already in position!
"Slash! Slash!"
With his eyes closed, Wright took direct hits from Shiki's frenzied assault! But his incredible durability and healing abilities allowed him to endure it!
Forcing himself into a state of absolute calm, after three days and nights of extreme battle, Wright relied solely on Observation Haki to perceive Shiki's attacks and respond in kind.
"Holy Light Wall!"
At the last possible moment, a radiant barrier perfectly deflected Shiki's oncoming slash. But in the next instant, both of Wright's arms were struck, sending a spray of blood into the air!
"Brat! You've got some impressive durability! But even if you can heal wounds—can you heal a fatal one?!"
Shiki swung his swords, and the floating island behind him shattered, transforming into countless gigantic swords!
"Let's see you block this one!"
The sun set. Darkness descended. And then, the dawn broke once more.
Wright and peak-state Shiki battled through the entire night.
Now, Wright stood covered in blood—though it was only blood that had already spilled. All his wounds had healed.
And at last… Shiki himself bore numerous injuries.
"Brat… you're really something…"
Shiki panted heavily. Even at his peak, he had fought all night and still couldn't take down this kid. Meanwhile, Wright had managed to land more and more injuries on him.
A battle of pure intensity—fierce, exhilarating, and unrestrained. Shiki had never felt so alive. His blood surged with the thrill of combat, and even his sword swings seemed to gain an extra edge of speed.
The strong live for battle!
But exhaustion was inevitable. The relentless drain on his stamina, the massive toll on his life force—it all told him one thing. He would not live to see the sun set again.
Then so be it. He would decide life and death while still at his peak!
"Lion: Thousand Slice Valley!"
A flurry of devastating slashes, each more ferocious than the last, surged forth. Shiki had even managed to imbue his sword strikes with the power of the Float-Float Fruit!
The massive barrage of flying slashes rained down like homing missiles, bearing down on Wright with unstoppable force.
Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang!—
But this time, Wright did not counter with his own sweeping technique as he had before.
All night, he had met this attack head-on—crossing blades with each and every incoming slash. At first, he had taken wounds in the exchange. But now…
Every single one of Shiki's slashes was obliterated mid-air by Wright's own flying sword strikes—before they could even reach him!
"This brat… could it be—"
As the first light of dawn broke across the horizon, Wright's eyes snapped open. A blinding golden radiance erupted from them, divine and overwhelming.
"Shiki! Let's settle this—once and for all!"
"Jihahahaha! That's MY line, brat!"
Throughout the night, Shiki had repeatedly smashed Wright into the ground using floating islands shaped into swords, dealing him grievous wounds—only for Wright to recover each time.
But now…
Every last fragment of those shattered floating islands—including Merveille itself—had become Shiki's final weapons!
"Come at me!"
With a thunderous roar, Shiki swung both his swords.
This time, escape was impossible.
Every last remnant of the floating islands—including the great Merveille—plunged toward Wright, descending with unstoppable force. Shiki himself remained at their heart, shielded by the storm of destruction.
It was as if the heavens themselves were collapsing.
As if the entire world had turned against Wright.
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