Daidara refused to accept defeat!
Even if Shirou could utterly crush him, even if he ended up dead and buried six feet under, Daidara would still shout defiantly:
I refuse to accept it!
Compared to the overwhelming and terrifying aura Esdeath exuded, Shirou looked more like a friendly neighborhood boy eager to lend a helping hand—completely harmless and utterly non-threatening.
He was the polar opposite of the image Daidara had of true strength.
A genuinely strong person should be like Esdeath, dominating everything around her with absolute authority and crushing force.
Daidara couldn't bear the idea that the man who repeatedly defeated him so effortlessly had none of the bearing a real warrior should have.
The gap between himself and Shirou was as insurmountable as the chasm separating Shirou from Esdeath.
Even knowing he stood no chance, Daidara still swung ferociously, his axe aiming straight for Shirou's neck!
"Look out!"
Tatsumi couldn't fathom why they were fighting amongst themselves, but Shirou had just saved him—that was an undeniable fact.
He refused to watch this young man, barely older than himself, die right in front of him.
But Tatsumi was neither a Teigu user nor possessed Shirou's extraordinary skills. All he could do was desperately shout out a warning.
"You should worry more about yourself!"
Before Tatsumi could react, a flute brutally struck his face.
Tatsumi was flung aside like a rag doll, crashing violently onto the deck. The dull thud was accompanied by a miserable, anguished scream.
Just hearing it conveyed how agonizingly painful that strike was.
Whoosh—!
The mighty axe narrowly missed Shirou's neck, slicing through the air as Shirou swiftly retreated, barely avoiding the lethal blow.
Daidara's speed had noticeably improved.
But against Shirou, it still wasn't enough!
"I will grow stronger—I'll defeat you!!"
The repeated humiliation, Shirou's indifferent demeanor, and his utter lack of the arrogance befitting a warrior—all of it enraged Daidara. Shirou had become his obsession.
His breathing quickened sharply. Steam began rising visibly from his body, his skin turning an angry, flushed red. Even from a distance, Shirou could feel the intense heat emanating from him.
His body temperature is rising dramatically!
Shirou was genuinely shocked. Daidara now resembled a genuine beast, roaring furiously. Every step shattered the deck beneath his feet, the sheer force making the entire ship tremble violently on the water.
On the other side, enduring the searing pain radiating through his cheek, Tatsumi slowly struggled back to his feet.
That flute melody had been Nyau's favorite—a tune that amplified the sensation of pain by dozens of times.
Nyau had always played this melody while peeling faces off his female victims, delighting in their screams of despair.
Before Tatsumi could wipe the blood from his mouth, a pale figure materialized behind him.
BOOM—!
Tatsumi heard a heavy collision right behind him, prompting him to spin around quickly.
There stood a towering man, fully armored, shielding Tatsumi from harm.
"Aniki!"
Tatsumi was overwhelmed with relief. He'd been certain his companion had fallen unconscious due to the flute's attack.
"How's this possible?! Why aren't you unconscious?"
Shirou was unaffected because he was allied with Nyau; Tatsumi was tone-deaf. But this armored man—what was his secret?
"Right before passing out, I stabbed myself in the thigh."
He answered softly enough for only Tatsumi to hear. The message wasn't meant to worry him but to emphasize they had to end this fight quickly—his injured body couldn't endure a prolonged battle.
"It's been a while."
From within the swirling mist, a pale figure stepped forward, gazing nostalgically at the armored man.
"Bulat..."
"Liver?"
Under normal circumstances, reuniting with an old friend would be cause for celebration. But here they stood, clearly on opposing sides.
But let's leave Bulat and Liver's complex past aside for now, and return our attention to Shirou.
Daidara's eyes had become completely bloodshot, stripped of all rationality. Now, only one word echoed from his throat—Kill!
The three-sided battle erupted instantly!
Swish—!
In Daidara's eyes, Shirou's figure suddenly blurred, leaving behind only an afterimage.
In the next instant, a streak of silver erupted from that fading image.
A razor-sharp flash of silver sword-light.
With perfectly controlled breathing pulsating steadily from his lips, Shirou moved like a living storm.
BOOM—!
An explosive burst of power slammed into Daidara. The resulting shockwave swirled fiercely around them before vanishing abruptly.
A thin, emerald-colored line appeared across Daidara's neck.
"[Sword Breathing—Wind Form: Dust Whirlwind Cutter]."
Seeing Daidara abandon his humanity to become a murderous beast, Shirou instinctively struck at a spot perfectly suited to slay inhuman creatures.
---
"You brat, you're no match for me!"
Tatsumi was just a rookie, fresh out of training. Even against Nyau, a support-type Teigu user, he was completely outmatched.
Yet Bulat's worsening condition left Tatsumi anxious, torn between his struggle and Bulat's fierce clash with Liver.
But soon, Tatsumi didn't have to think anymore.
"You're as strong as ever—I'm no match for you right now."
Liver staggered backward, clutching his shoulder. While their battle seemed evenly matched, Liver understood clearly—despite Bulat's injuries, he was still at a disadvantage against the armor-enhancing Teigu—[Incursio].
"However, you still have one fatal weakness!"
Liver abruptly retreated. The ocean suddenly surged violently, and a massive, vicious water dragon erupted from the sea, looming menacingly before Bulat.
"If you don't block this, you already know what will happen!"
Bulat's grip tightened around his spear, trembling slightly. He couldn't believe that Liver, his former superior who once pursued justice passionately, had sunk so low.
This ship wasn't merely filled with corrupt nobles—there were slaves, guards, and countless innocent lives aboard. Bulat couldn't stand by and watch them perish.
"Die—!!"
Liver roared fiercely as the gigantic water dragon lunged straight toward Bulat.
It was an open threat—a move Bulat had no choice but to intercept!
"—!!"
Bulat and Liver's eyes widened simultaneously. Within their shrinking pupils, a blurred figure slipped through the gap like a ghost, penetrating the raging currents.
It moved at a speed surpassing even Bulat's.
Slash—!
The mighty roar of rushing water was suddenly silenced. Even Bulat had doubts about whether Incursio could withstand that dragon's immense force, yet it had just been sliced through effortlessly.
But before Bulat could even express gratitude to his savior, he felt a heavy impact slam into his abdomen.
Thud—!