Edward stared in shock at his severed arm. Just now, he had clearly seen all of Gusion's movements. His own physical speed and strength were by no means inferior to Gusion's.
But why?
Why couldn't he dodge Gusion's strike!?
A strange, overwhelming sense of eeriness enveloped him.
It felt just like when he faced Shen Wulong. It wasn't that Gusion's blade had come for his arm, but rather that his own arm had delivered itself!
Why did he attack that way at that moment? Why couldn't he change his move in time?
The result of his arm being severed felt like a step in some logical sequence.
His body trembled uncontrollably. As the revived form of the Wu family's ancestor, Wu Hei, for the second time in five thousand years, he felt the emotion called fear.
Now, looking again at the man standing in the corridor, it was like gazing into an abyss. That was not an opponent a single person could challenge.
No wonder The Other Niko's disciples were helpless against Gusion. This man was simply beyond spec!
"Idiot, turn off your Guihun now. Do you want to bleed to death?"
A voice came from the other end of the corridor. A white-haired middle-aged man approached from behind Gusion, looking at the one-armed Edward with a grave expression.
"You're really in a sorry state, Edward."
At the same time, from Edward's side, a handsome man with long golden hair walked over, looking at Gusion. "So this is your peak state. No wonder those fighters couldn't beat you."
"Hm?"
Gusion had no sense of being surrounded. He tilted his head and looked at Xia Yan, the leader of the Worm. "You've seen my peak?"
"What a calm man. Even surrounded by the three of us, you're in the mood for a chat?"
The Other Niko sneered. Unlike Edward Wu, he wasn't an arrogant fool. Here to kill, he naturally came armed.
He had already put on his iron bee-sting knuckle dusters and steel arm guards, maximizing his style's offense and defense.
As he spoke, he launched a surprise attack from behind Gusion, punching towards Gusion's head, eyes fixed on Gusion's limbs, ready to respond to any sudden changes.
But Gusion didn't even turn his head. He sidestepped slightly, swung his right arm back, and the hilt of the Mazuko struck The Other Niko's iron fist.
With the impact, Gusion's arm spun, his waist twisted, and his left leg swept into The Other Niko's waist with a powerful kick. Even with his Iron Body, The Other Niko slid more than ten meters before stopping, a deep red dent at his waist.
Gusion straightened and continued to look towards Xia Yan and Edward. Xia Yan was injecting something into Edward Wu's severed arm, while Edward picked up the broken blade Erioh had dropped.
Xia Yan discarded the syringe and drew two butterfly knives, gazing at Gusion in admiration. "Don't tell me this still isn't your peak?"
Gusion, however, replied off-topic, looking around with some disappointment. "Shen Wulong didn't come, huh."
"So you do know him. Too bad, he's probably eating ramen somewhere right now."
Xia Yan assumed a fighting stance. "And you're not qualified to meet him yet. I'll be the one to—"
As Xia Yan spoke, Edward Wu and The Other Niko also took attack stances, preparing to finish Gusion from three directions.
But before Xia Yan could finish, a formless pressure spread from Gusion like a tidal wave.
"Shatter the chains, Mazoku."
With a low chant, the purple-black blade transformed, chains extending and entwining his right arm like vines, purple lightning patterns spreading over his skin, his aura rising sharply.
With both Shikai and Removal active, Gusion's overall attributes soared to 25!
"Together!"
Xia Yan shouted, cold sweat sliding down his forehead. He hadn't expected Gusion to have mastered Removal, nor had he understood the changes in Gusion's blade.
Now, with that demon blade and Removal, Gusion's body had probably reached an unprecedented level, and he had mastered the ultimate in martial arts!
The three attacked simultaneously from three directions.
Edward's broken blade stabbed at Gusion's chest, Xia Yan's butterfly knives slashed at his throat, and The Other Niko's iron fist aimed for the back of his head.
Three top masters of this world besieging one man—anyone else could have been killed except Shen Wulong. But absurdly, Xia Yan did not feel like he was about to win.
Clearly, they were the attackers, seemingly holding the advantage, but the pressure radiating from the man made it hard for Xia Yan to even breathe.
He'd only felt this way before, when he first met Shen Wulong in his youth.
Could it be that this man was on par with Shen Wulong!?
In a sliver of a second, Xia Yan saw the crazed smile on Gusion's face. There was no tension at being besieged—only wild joy.
In the next instant, the purple-black blade turned pitch-black. Gusion's body suddenly ducked, dodging The Other Niko's punch, and a bloody arc swept out.
Xia Yan had considered countless ways Gusion might respond, but never expected such a direct move. It was an unmatched slash—utterly straightforward.
Gusion didn't try to dodge Edward's stab. The blade slashed upward at an angle, cutting through flesh and bone, slicing Edward in half at the waist!
The blow was so heavy and unstoppable that the pitch-black blade crashed into Xia Yan's twin knives, the force slicing through, breaking Xia Yan's weapons!
The blade continued, the tip grazing Xia Yan's throat and drawing a few drops of blood. Had he not instinctively leaned back, it would have severed his windpipe!
Xia Yan was horrified, yet also a bit relieved—he thought Gusion had made the wrong choice. Edward was dead, but his own attack would land!
But even as Edward was bisected, his broken blade didn't stop, driven by the force of his strike, stabbing for Gusion's heart.
Clang—!
But in the next instant, Xia Yan's eyes widened: Edward's full-powered attack, in Guihun state, didn't penetrate.
Beneath Gusion's clothes, his chest glimmered with a pitch-black sheen. His muscles tensed, and he used The Other Niko's Iron Body technique.
With the huge force, the already short broken blade shattered, scattering fragments.
Gusion's manic smile remained. Without stopping, he slid his left hand down, flicking several shards like bullets toward The Other Niko's eyes, forcing him to dodge.
That reflex, Xia Yan thought, was foolish—The Other niko had been in the best position to attack. If he'd risked his life and punched again, Gusion would have struggled to dodge.
But The Other Niko chose survival, submitting to the instinct to avoid danger.
Thus, he lost his last chance—and met his true death.
Gusion launched a fierce flash step, side-stepping onto the wall, running horizontally, instantly reversing offense and defense.
The Mazuko blade slashed diagonally downward, empowered with Armament Haki—a peerlessly sharp edge. No matter how much The Other Niko channeled Iron Body, he was cut open.
The blade sliced The Other Niko from shoulder to hip, splitting him in two.
Landing, Gusion slid on both feet, converting force from hard to soft, and spun to face Xia Yan again.
Gusion flicked the blood from his blade. "That was a little cathartic. Come at me—I'll make it quick."
Xia Yan felt absurdity. The three of them weren't quite the strongest in the world, but close enough, right?
Yet, with all three besieging Gusion, in a single exchange, two were dead and one wounded.
He touched his neck—the slight sting and the warmth of blood made his body feel cold.
Impossible to win. Other than Shen Wulong, no one could beat this man.
Gusion had reached the pinnacle of martial arts, had a superhuman body, and with Removal, was invincible.
Yes, no human could beat Gusion—but maybe an immortal could.
Thinking this, Xia Yan picked up two broken blades, assumed a stance, and smiled. "Maybe we don't need the Tiger's Vessel after all. He'll be pleased when he hears."
With that, he charged at Gusion. As they passed, his head flew toward the ceiling, still wearing a hopeful smile.
Gusion glanced at Xia Yan's head rolling on the ground. "I'll wait for him."
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