| The Cyber Ascension | Arc 7 — "The Bloodlines and Carnage" | Volume 7 | Chapter 71 : "Z VS Sanji Youta" |
The moment Z unsheathed his katana—
The air screamed.
Not metaphorically.
Reality itself let out a sharp, tearing shriek as purple Ki flared around the blade, bending light and shadow alike. The ground beneath Z's feet cracked into a spiderweb pattern, yet his stance remained lazy… calm… almost bored.
Sanji Youta's smile widened.
Sanji Youta
"…Heh."
He lifted his massive katana with one hand.
The weight of it crushed the earth beneath him, sinking several meters down like the ground itself was afraid to support his power.
Sanji Youta
"Show me, Ki Blood."
---
The First Clash
Z vanished.
Not speed.
Not teleportation.
He simply wasn't there anymore.
Sanji Youta's eyes widened for the first time—
CLANG—!
A violent shockwave exploded outward as Z's katana slammed against Sanji Youta's blade. The collision split the clouds, vaporized nearby flames, and erased an entire hill behind them.
The force alone sent a ring of destruction rolling through the forest ruins.
Z slid backward several meters, boots carving trenches into stone.
Sanji Youta didn't move an inch.
He looked… amused.
Sanji Youta
"Oh?"
He twisted his wrist.
Z was launched like a projectile—his body smashing through three mountain ridges before skidding across the ground, tearing it apart like paper.
---
Pressure of a King
Z stood up slowly.
Blood dripped from his mouth.
He wiped it away with his thumb… then smiled faintly.
Z
"…Yeah."
His aura expanded.
Purple Ki ignited fully, flooding the battlefield. Symbols burned across the air behind him—ancient, unstable, violent.
Sanji Youta's smile faded.
The pressure spiked so violently that even Haruko's barriers cracked from afar.
Sanji Youta
"That's it."
He stepped forward.
The world collapsed around his footstep.
Sanji Youta
"Now struggle."
---
Hell Descends
Sanji Youta appeared in front of Z instantly.
Too fast.
His fist slammed into Z's stomach.
BOOM—!!
The impact created a crater several kilometers wide. Z coughed blood violently, his body folding inward—yet before he could be sent flying—
Z stabbed upward.
His katana pierced Sanji Youta's shoulder.
Blood sprayed.
Black-red blood.
For the first time—
Sanji Youta bled.
Silence.
Then—
Sanji Youta laughed.
Loud. Unrestrained. Ecstatic.
Sanji Youta
"HAAAHAHAHAHA—!"
He grabbed Z's face mid-laugh and slammed him into the ground again and again, each impact detonating like a bomb.
Mountains vanished.
The sky split.
The Second Heaven screamed.
---
The Gap
Sanji Youta lifted Z by the throat.
Z's vision blurred. His body shook violently under the crushing aura of Hell.
Sanji Youta
"You see it now, don't you?"
His eyes glowed crimson.
Sanji Youta
"You are strong."
He leaned closer.
Sanji Youta
"But I am absolute."
He drove his knee into Z's chest.
Crack.
Z was launched skyward—his body spinning uncontrollably before crashing down miles away.
---
Z Stands
Smoke filled the horizon.
For a moment—
Nothing moved.
Then…
A hand pressed against the ground.
Z stood up.
Slowly.
Blood-soaked. Bones cracked. Breathing heavy.
Yet—
His eyes were still sharp.
Still alive.
Still unbroken.
Z
"…Guess I was right."
Sanji Youta tilted his head.
Z
"You really are Hell."
Purple energy surged violently around Z, darker than before… unstable… dangerous.
Even Sanji Youta stopped smiling.
---
End of Chapter
Far away, Eirien's eyes widened.
Eirien (thinking)
"…He's pushing his Ki Blood too fast."
Haruko clenched her fists.
The sky darkened further.
The battlefield trembled.
Two monsters stared at each other—
One, the King of Hell.
The other…
A man whose blood refused to kneel.