Chapter 174: Battle in Grimhollow III: Devil vs Deacon
The attacks from both Zoro and Deacon Dooley violently shook the entire battlefield. Shockwaves split the air, tearing trenches into the earth as many warriors on both sides scrambled to avoid becoming nothing more than casualties of recoil.
Zoro's left and right katanas hammered down with a rhythm like a rampaging gorilla, every strike ringing with fury. Deacon Dooley's saber met each blow, heavy and precise, his swings backed by the domineering might of a Mortal Lord.
Zoro's left katana slashed diagonally, the edge blazing, his footwork carrying him low. Dooley's saber darted forward to intercept, steel ringing out as the ground beneath them ruptured in response. The saber thrust lunged for Zoro's chest, but his right katana surged forward like a coiled beast, smashing it away.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
Twelve furious strikes crashed between them in the span of breaths, their tempo rising until both men were hurled apart by their own clashing momentum.
"You damned monster—don't even think you're leaving here alive!" Dooley snarled, black sclera and glowing irises flaring as he raised his palm.
—Dark Ki Wave—
Dense energy swirled in his hand, compressing into a pitch-black storm of destruction. His Mortal Lord aura poured into it, suffocating the battlefield.
Zoro's gaze narrowed, a brief glance sweeping the battlefield around him. If he dodged, that wave would swallow friend and foe alike. His decision came instantly.
—Maō Ryōiki: Genzan— (Devil's Dominion Illusory Slash)
The world seemed to ignite. A blaze of black flame engulfed the space, and within that inferno, two phantom katanas streaked toward Dooley's palm like flashes of lightning.
Caught off guard, the Deacon cursed and redirected his hand downward, releasing the blast prematurely. The explosion ripped a crater open beneath him, the shockwave blasting him backwards.
"Y-you monstrous bastard! To think I'd fall for one of your tricks!" Dooley spat, rage burning in his voice.
The strike had been more illusion than flesh—Zoro's killing intent given form, a mirage timed to conceal his real movement.
Like a phantom, Zoro emerged from the smoke on Dooley's flank, his real blades mirroring the exact angle of the illusion.
Dooley's saber whipped out with a snarl of sparks, barely deflecting the deadly arc. Their weapons rang again, the land splitting beneath their feet.
—Sword of Night—
Dooley's saber warped, devouring black Ki flooding into it. Each swing left crescents of killing light that seared the battlefield.
"Gh—!" Zoro hissed as one stroke carved a scar across his arm, blood spraying. He backstepped, his black flames intensifying.
—Nitōryū: Maō Enbu Zetsumei— (Two Sword Style: Devil Lord's Flaming Dance of Death Blow)
His entire body erupted in black fire, the aura forming a storm of devilish energy. He surged forward, twin katanas weaving a relentless dance of flaming death. For the first time, Dooley's guard faltered, his teeth gnashing as he was driven back.
"Don't think you've won yet!" Dooley roared. His saber exploded in light, moonlike and radiant, forming a sword-domain of its own.
—Sword of Light—
Each clash now was titanic. Black flames and silver light detonated against one another, the earth quaking like a world splitting open. Their duel painted trails of destruction across the battlefield, warriors screaming as stray shockwaves tore them apart.
…
Elsewhere, Rudecka's gaze flicked toward the chaos. One of her Golden Lord opponents was impaled, writhing on a spear of condensed magic. Her other adversary staggered, panting heavily, his eyes wide with horror at both Zoro's battle and his companion's fate.
"H-how can this be?! That monster! And then there's you! How—"
"Hmm? I simply saw the threads of your future," Rudecka said coldly, four veiled eyes glowing faintly. "And you fools walked right into them. Too distracted by those two…"
Her hand waved; sealing runes crawled up the spear pinning the first Golden Lord, his body convulsing as the magic bound his strength.
"No! Stop!!" the second screamed, lunging desperately.
His foot struck a faint glyph carved into the dirt.
The earth split—black liquid erupted upward, twisting into the shape of a serpent. It coiled around him, dragging him skyward like a drowning man gasping for air. He clawed helplessly as the water clung to him even when it dissolved, sending him plummeting down.
Crash!
The earth shattered with his impact. He did not rise again.
"Pathetic," Rudecka whispered, lowering her veil slightly. Her gaze shifted back to Zoro. "…To think the Church would unleash something like this. Not just Daoist Blue Heavens Sword to be feared, but you—truly a Devil Lord in the making."
…
Back at the duel's center, Dooley's aura erupted again, climbing like a roaring inferno, his wounds leaking rivers of blood but his power only intensifying.
"You damned monster! I'll end you now! Do you hear me, ZORO TATSUMAKI!"
"Oh shut up already," Zoro sneered, blood dripping from his jaw, both katanas burning with black fire. "You've been spouting the same thing this whole time."
—Sword of Night and Light: Devouring Sword Exterminate—
Dooley's saber blazed with a terrifying dual aura, night and light spiraling together, his strength brushing against that of a Middle Stage Mortal Lord.
Zoro's devilish aura deepened, his transformation creeping further across his body. The black fire grew heavier, his blades howling with malevolence.
"I must not lose myself…" he muttered, his voice guttural. "Damned devil… I'll devour you before you devour me."
—Nitōryū: Maō Kokuzan Zetsu— (Two Sword Style: Devil Lord's Black Severance)
Both warriors unleashed their ultimate skills. The battlefield convulsed beneath their wrath, the world drowning in black fire and blinding light.
And then—
Bang.
From the distance, a silent white bullet cut through the storm, streaking toward them.