The last line of defense was standing at the edge of Torabia Island. Kong was there, commanding a force of ten thousand Marine soldiers, gazing toward the center of the island.
Occasional bursts of golden light, followed by sudden blizzards or heavenly fire, showed Kong and the others how brutal the battle in the center of the island was.
But it also told them that even with such power, the Marines hadn't defeated Alucard. The constant attacks meant the war was far from over.
"How long has it been since the first attack?" Kong asked suddenly, standing on the bow of a warship in the middle of the fleet.
A Major at the front of the group behind Kong was startled by the question and quickly replied, "Fleet Admiral, about six hours."
"Six hours..."
Kong's brow furrowed, and a vein pulsed. "He still hasn't been taken down after all this time? I even had Issho brought over..."
"Fleet Admiral, should we send more support to the battlefield?" A Rear Admiral on Kong's left stepped forward to ask.
"Not yet. Before the battle started, I gave an order. If anything goes wrong, a signal flare will be sent up," Kong said, stopping the suggestion.
In war, being impatient is the biggest mistake. It doesn't matter if the enemy is one person or a group. If you rush, it's all over.
'With Garp on the battlefield, not much should go wrong, right?' Kong thought to himself. Although that old geezer was often unreliable, his combat skills were no less impressive than his own.
Meanwhile, in the valley at the center of Torabia Island.
Garp was sitting on a peak, watching the battle unfold below.
"HRAAAAGH!"
Momonga roared, swinging his katana up and then horizontally. It was blocked by Alucard's black pistol, Jackal, sending sparks flying. But Momonga didn't stay to fight. He retreated a short distance, and Onigumo seized the opportunity, charging in and slicing Alucard's body in half.
"No..."
Seeing Onigumo slice Alucard's waist in two, Garp showed no sign of joy. Instead, his expression became even more serious.
As expected, Alucard's body regenerated in less than half a second. Before Onigumo could even turn to make his next move, Alucard had already reversed his grip on the gun, pointing the barrel of Jackal at the back of Onigumo's head.
"Onigumo, watch your head!" Momonga shouted, warning him.
"Huh?" Onigumo's eyes narrowed, but it was too late for him to act.
"Yata no Kagami!"
Suddenly, a curving beam of light reached Alucard. As he saw the light, Borsalino's tall body arrived, shielding Onigumo.
Buzz!
Borsalino hovered in the air, bringing his long leg down in an arc, stopping Alucard's hand as he prepared to shoot.
"ROAR! ROAR!"
A dog suddenly sprang out and bit Borsalino's leg. Alucard took the opportunity and kicked Borsalino's right shoulder, sending him flying. Borsalino, who was sliding backward for several hundred meters, turned into light particles, stopping himself in mid-air.
Crack!
At that moment, a crack appeared on Borsalino's sunglasses, and a drop of blood trickled down from it.
"This is... truly troublesome~~" Borsalino said, wiping away the blood with his finger.
Thump! Thump!
A muffled sound and the cracking of the ground caused Alucard to feel his body's weight increase dramatically. He slowly looked up and uttered the name, "Issho..."
"Win or lose, let's gamble here."
About two hundred meters away, Issho stood on the side of an ice mountain to Alucard's right. He drew his sword and released a horizontal slash of purple energy.
"Gravito: Moko!"
Like a monstrous beast, the exaggerated sword slash absorbed everything in its path, increasing its weight and power. By the time it reached Alucard, it had the power to split mountains and rivers.
After Alucard was swallowed by Issho's sword slash, Kuzan seized his chance. He put his hands together like a sword blade, surrounded them with ice, and thrust them forward. "Don't even think about regenerating!"
"Ice Block: Pheasant Peck!"
A giant ice bird shrieked and slammed into Issho's sword slash. The two attacks converged, one from the front and one from behind. The purple and blue energies erupted like a volcano, the shockwaves forcing the other Marines to retreat. Their Marine coats flapped wildly in the wind.
"Oh~~"
Garp smacked his knee and rose from his seat. He twisted his neck, which made a "crack, crack" sound.
Rumble...
The aftershocks from the combined attack of Issho and Kuzan took half a minute to subside. As the smoke slowly cleared, Garp held his neck and tilted his head. "That little brat... no matter how much you kill him, he won't die."
ROOAR!!
As Garp spoke, an indistinct shape, like a shadow and fire, tore through the smoke. The Alucard within it appeared as a phantom. His entire body seemed to be wrapped in black flames, barely holding a human form. His eyes, however, were a pair of fiery red coals.
"Ahahaha..." Kuzan leaned against the trunk of a broken pine tree. He didn't know if he was laughing at himself or the situation. "He still won't die after that. He's a monster a monster"
"Even so... we can't give up..." Issho leaped down from the side of the mountain, his cane-sword drawn a few centimeters. "They say the moment before dawn is the darkest. Well," he said, a look of realization on his face, "I've been in the dark my whole life."
Rumble...
The phantom-like Alucard gradually returned to a human form, his mouth stretching into an exaggerated grin, revealing his fangs.
Garp's body tensed. He waved his hand and shouted, "His aura has changed! Everyone, be on guard!"
"The Bird of Hermes is my name..."
Alucard said slowly, his voice heavy with dread.
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