Chapter 23
MC POV — Sunny
The air trembled around me as the towering figure of Jirō stepped into the clearing. Every muscle in his body screamed raw power, his presence radiating the refined killing intent of a master of Knocking Techniques. No nonsense, no joke, no hesitation.
I tightened my stance, feeling {ego} and [system] hum quietly in my mind. Even their personalities — {ego} with her sharp tsundere edge, [system] with her obsessive protective focus — couldn't hide their tense anticipation.
"Observation Haki… active," I murmured, scanning the precise micro-movements in his stance. Each twitch of a muscle, each subtle shift in weight was a potential strike.
Jirō's gaze met mine, cold and unyielding. Then, without warning, he moved.
Opening Clash
The first strike was a blur. His fist came at me like a hammer falling from the sky. I barely reinforced my arm with Armament Haki, feeling the force ripple through me. The impact made the ground crack under our feet.
"Bang technique — Flowing Seal Fist!" I countered, letting my body move with the combined rhythm of Bang martial arts and Jirō's own Knocking Techniques. The clash sent shockwaves into the surrounding trees, and birds scattered into the sky.
We moved faster than the eye could follow. Every punch, every kick, every strike was a test of precision. Jirō's mastery of Knocking allowed him to strike with force distributed perfectly through his body, and it was relentless. My arms ached, my legs burned, but I refused to give ground.
Mid-Fight: Tactical Exchange
He feinted a left hook, then twisted his body, unleashing a barrage of knuckle strikes aimed at my ribs. I twisted mid-air, using my Observation Haki to predict the trajectory and reinforced my body with Air Crunch to slightly compress the surrounding air, giving my strike an unseen cushion.
Jirō growled — a deep, feral sound. "Not bad. But can you keep up?"
He launched himself into a spinning assault. I barely managed to block a fist with Armament Haki, but the shockwave knocked me back several meters. My arms throbbed, and the taste of blood filled my mouth.
I gritted my teeth. "If I don't finish this… I won't survive."
I began integrating Space Crunch subtly, warping the space just enough to misalign his incoming strikes. He noticed immediately, eyes narrowing, but he adapted. Each strike from him became a test of my Haki control and tactical improvisation.
Strategy Shift
Realizing pure offense would get me killed, I shifted my focus entirely to prediction and control. Observation Haki, Armament Haki, Conqueror's Haki — everything converged. I could feel the energy of the battlefield bending slightly to my will.
Jirō's movements grew cautious, his attacks becoming less frenzied and more calculated. Still, he was terrifyingly fast, and I had to push my limits. I reinforced every limb, every joint, every muscle with Haki, using environmental particles to my advantage. The forest became both shield and weapon.
"Your Knocking Techniques are precise… but my Haki… my will… is stronger," I whispered, a cold determination hardening my spine.
Final Escalation: Haki Domain
I exhaled, and the air seemed to thicken, shimmering with latent power. Conqueror's Haki flared outward, saturating the entire clearing. The trees quivered; the ground cracked in a perfect circle around us.
"Domain… activate," I murmured.
Suddenly, the battlefield obeyed me. Within the invisible Haki Domain, my will was law. Jirō's movements slowed — his strikes becoming heavier, his footwork hindered by the subtle gravitational distortions I infused through Space Crunch. I could anticipate his counters perfectly now, every muscle preemptively adjusted.
His eyes widened, recognizing the shift. "Impossible…!"
I moved with lethal grace, striking at every opening simultaneously. Bang martial arts fused with Jirō Knocking Techniques flowed naturally from my body. Each strike reinforced the next. He tried to parry, to redirect, but inside the Haki Domain, every attack was precisely countered.
With one final, concentrated burst of Armament Haki and a precise Conqueror's Haki shockwave, I sent Jirō flying across the clearing. His body slammed into the ground with enough force to leave a crater, and for a heartbeat, he lay still.
I approached slowly, ensuring no tricks, no false recoveries.
Jirō stirred, struggling to rise, but the Haki Domain pressed him like invisible chains. "You've… exceeded… expectations…" he gasped, sweat and blood dripping from his body. His chest heaved.
I clenched my fist, a calm fury radiating from me. "I can't let up. Not until it's finished."
Climax
A final flurry of strikes — Bang techniques enhanced with Knocking precision, augmented by Haki-infused air and spatial manipulation — struck with surgical exactness. Jirō's body crumpled, unable to withstand the combined might.
Silence fell. The only sound was my own breathing and the subtle hum of residual Haki energy in the clearing. I deactivated the Haki Domain, stepping back.
The battlefield bore the marks of a war — splintered trees, scorched earth, and the faint, lingering hum of raw willpower. Jirō lay defeated, but not dishonored. He had been the perfect opponent, the ultimate measure of my mastery of Bang martial arts, Jirō Knocking, and Haki.
{ego} and [system] spoke almost in unison in my mind.
{ego}: "Y-You… actually did it. Hmph… don't get cocky, you still have a long way to go."
[system]: "Master… your control of the Domain is near-perfect. This… is only the beginning. Do not underestimate what you can accomplish next."
I exhaled, finally allowing a brief smirk. Not a terrifying smile, not for anyone else, just… a quiet acknowledgment to myself that I had surpassed this trial.
The battle was over. But the war… had only just begun.
[A/N:I mix up how time pass by and please don't come how weird time is ]