Chapter 117: Cat and Mouse
At the same time, it left him no room to spare a glance toward Sunny's situation.
Fending off Gion's unrelenting attacks demanded his undivided focus. A single lapse in attention would bring him perilously close to death.
Gion closed in, her killing intent palpable, the blade of her sword aimed squarely at Maude's vital points.
A flash of cold steel.
Maude struggled to keep pace with Gion's speed, raising his sword in a desperate block.
Clang!Sparks erupted as their blades collided.
The force from Gion's blade traveled through Maude's arms, reverberating throughout his body and pulling sharply at the wounds in his abdomen.
The sudden burst of pain briefly disrupted Maude's composure.
Gion didn't linger in a contest of strength. As the sparks faded, she withdrew her blade and struck again.
Maude focused intently, tracking the swift trajectory of her sword. Summoning his remaining strength, he raised his blade just in time to block the second strike.
Again, the crushing power behind her blows sent shockwaves through his body, as though a steel ball had rolled across his frame.
Blood quietly seeped from the corner of Maude's mouth.
Despite the suffocating pressure bearing down on him, his Observation Haki ran at full tilt.
His past life's experiences worked silently in his favor, preventing his mental defenses from collapsing under the weight of this life-and-death trial.
For he knew, even a moment of hesitation or retreat would cause the defensive net woven by his Observation Haki to unravel instantly.
Cool-headedness was the key to survival.
But the real foundation of his defense came from the mastery he had painstakingly cultivated in Haki techniques.
Yet, Gion gave him no chance to breathe.
The third swift strike tore through Maude's defense.
Her relentless assault gained momentum.
Fourth strike. Fifth strike...
Maude faltered, retreating repeatedly under Gion's ferocious onslaught. His defenses were crumbling, and his internal injuries worsened with every clash of blades.
In mere moments, his mouth and chin were stained crimson with blood.
Before long, Maude's breathing grew erratic.
At this stage, Gion was an insurmountable mountain he could not conquer.
To have held out this long was already a testament to his resilience.
Yet, as the dominant party in this battle, Gion found herself growing increasingly wary of Maude.
When Maude's unsteady breathing caused a fatal opening, Gion's blade mercilessly struck.
Clang!
The blow landed heavily.
Maude, unable to gather his strength in time, was sent flying by the sheer force of her strike.
The powerful shock compounded his internal injuries. As his body hurtled through the air, he coughed up a mouthful of blood, scattering crimson droplets mid-flight.
Yet, even this strike failed to end Maude's life.
"Incredible resilience..."
Gion stomped her foot and pursued Maude without hesitation.
In this brief exchange, Maude's tenacity had far exceeded Gion's expectations.
Still, the outcome was clear.
No matter how exceptional Maude's talent was, a few more strikes would decisively end this one-sided battle.
Meanwhile...
Wolfrat crushed the two flintlock pistols Sunny carried.
The weapons, painstakingly prepared for her by Sol, were now nothing more than useless fragments.
With her weapons destroyed and her legs severely frostbitten, Sunny could barely move, let alone assist Maude.
The immediate threat posed by Wolfrat alone left her paralyzed.
Wolfrat glanced at Maude, who was on the verge of being overwhelmed by Gion. His usual flippant demeanor was nowhere to be seen, replaced by a stern expression.
"Gion intends to kill Maude."
"…?"
Gion? That female Marine?
Sunny gritted her teeth, her mind racing to devise a way out.
"Give it up," Wolfrat said, seemingly reading her thoughts.
Retracting his gaze from Maude, he turned to Sunny.
Unnoticed until now, thick fur sprouted along Wolfrat's arms, and his fingers transformed into razor-sharp claws.
The sudden partial beastification revealed his intent.
"I don't know why Gion wants Maude dead, but knowing her, she must have her reasons."
Wolfrat raised his clawed hand, the jet-black talons hovering ominously over Sunny's forehead.
"Whatever her reasons may be, I have no interest. What I do know is that Gion is my superior, and following her lead is what I, as her subordinate, must do."
The beastly claws poised above Sunny's head fell abruptly, like an executioner's blade.
"Sol... Maude... Bailey..."
In that moment of life and death, flashes of their faces raced through Sunny's mind.
Just then, a blur of white streaked through the air, crashing into Wolfrat's side with ferocious force.
Thud!
Caught off guard, Wolfrat was sent flying several meters away.
The descending claws left only faint scratches on Sunny's forehead.
Sunny stared blankly at the white figure that had saved her.
"Bailey!"
"Big Sis, I'm here to rescue you!"
Bailey, airborne and filled with a heroic determination, looked at Sunny with pride.
It was as though his earlier act of fleeing had vanished into the clouds.
He hit the ground with a loud thud, landing face-first in an ungraceful heap.
For all its dramatic flair, his airborne charge seemed almost impossible for his plump frame.
The truth was, Bailey had been thrown.
"Bullseye!"
Dozens of meters away, Koala, a practitioner of Fish-Man Karate, snapped her fingers in satisfaction.
She had thrown Bailey toward Wolfrat, saving Sunny in the nick of time.
Morley, her massive frame eerily pliable, emerged from a large fissure in the ground. She scolded Koala, "Next time, don't be so rough. I can't stand to see little cuties get hurt."
"Relax! I controlled the force perfectly. Besides, Bailey's built like a tank—he can take it."
Koala gave Morley a reassuring look.
Knowing Morley's fondness for animals, Koala had made sure to get Bailey's consent before the throw.
"Fine, I'll forgive you this time," Morley said with a wide grin, her beard twitching as she smiled.
Back near Sunny...
Wolfrat recovered quickly after being sent flying. He stood, his sharp eyes flickering coldly as they landed on Bailey.
"So, it's you, you little runt."
His icy glare shifted to the group emerging from the fissure.
"The Revolutionary Army..."
Suddenly, Wolfrat's eyes locked on a familiar figure among them. He froze, momentarily stunned.
But his hesitation lasted only an instant.
With renewed determination, he lunged at Sunny again.
Bailey, legs scrambling, rushed to intercept him.
But against Wolfrat's speed, Bailey's efforts were in vain.
Just as Wolfrat reached Sunny, a figure larger than him stepped forward, shielding her like an impenetrable wall.
"Tatamu!"
Wolfrat's expression twisted.
He knew full well the strength Tatamu possessed. Without hesitation, he fully transformed into his beast form.
What happened next left him utterly astonished.
Tatamu's body expanded, his bartender uniform tearing apart to reveal vibrant yellow fur beneath.
His usually impassive face transformed into that of a cat, complete with luminous, expressive eyes.
In an instant, cat and mouse stood face to face in a dramatic standoff.
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