A deep, resonant roar echoed through the heavens, as if a dragon's cry rang out from the void itself.
Having devoured the azure dragon's high-grade Heat Breath, power surged through Rosha to the point of overflow. He took the initiative.
Whoosh.
Flames erupted from both of his palms, growing fiercer by the second. The immense propulsion sent his body rocketing upward.
Fire Dragon Slayer Magic, unlike lightning or wind, did not naturally grant flight. But that did not mean flight was impossible.
In the Fairy Tail world, Natsu often relied on Happy to stay airborne.
Rosha had no cat.
So he learned to fly on his own.
He began with imagination. Rocket ignition. Iron Man's thrusters. Even memories from other worlds. After years of trial and refinement, he mastered flame-propelled aerial movement.
Within a few breaths, Rosha soared hundreds of meters into the sky. He closed the distance in an instant, flames pouring out of him and forming a pair of nearly solid dragon wings behind his back.
Fire Dragon's Wing Attack!
He dove.
Carrying a storm of roaring dragonfire, Rosha slammed into Kaido's massive dragon body. Flames wrapped around the azure dragon, igniting it completely. Even the strongest creature on land, sea, and sky screamed in pain as his hundreds-of-meters-long body writhed violently through the air.
But it did not end there.
Rosha landed directly on Kaido's back.
His flame-wreathed fists fell like a torrential storm.
Crimson Lotus Fire Dragon Fist!
Punch after punch struck with full force, each one capable of shattering stone and splitting the earth. Combined with the violent fire element coating his fists, even dragon scales could not endure the barrage.
Crack.
Boom.
Scales harder than steel shattered under Rosha's blows.
Dragon blood barely had time to spill before it was vaporized by the intense heat. The scent of scorched flesh drifted through the air.
The earlier burns had only caused Kaido pain, not true damage.
Now, with his scales broken and flames striking exposed flesh, the damage was real.
Kaido's massive body twisted and rolled, trying to throw Rosha off.
It was useless.
Rosha clung to him like a curse, shattering scale after scale and burning deeper with every strike.
At last, with a thunderous crash, Kaido plummeted from the sky and smashed into the forest below, sending dust and debris billowing into the air.
Rosha followed up with another punch.
This one missed.
His flaming fist slammed into the ground instead.
"Wororororo."
A low, rumbling laugh rose from the dust several dozen meters away.
The enormous dragon vanished.
In its place stood a towering figure over seven meters tall.
Charred black hair draped over his shoulders. Massive horns curved from either side of his head. Two long whiskers hung down like a dragon's beard. A purple fur cloak rested on his shoulders, and a thick sacred rope was tied around his waist. A large X-shaped scar crossed his bare torso, and scorch marks covered his front and back.
The strongest creature on land, sea, and sky.
Kaido of the Beasts, in human form.
Compared to his overwhelming dragon body, this form looked far smaller.
But Rosha was not fooled.
His nerves tightened, his focus sharpened.
Kaido's human form was far more dangerous than his dragon form.
Everyone knew it.
In dragon form, Kaido endured punishment. From Gear Fourth Luffy, from the Nine Red Scabbards, from the Supernovas.
But once he abandoned that body and returned to human form, the battlefield changed completely.
Even a Yonko-level Gear Fourth Luffy had been knocked unconscious by a single strike.
Rosha had no intention of following that example.
Kaido lowered his kanabo, Hassaikai, and slammed it into the ground with a heavy thud.
"Wororororo. Dragon Slayer Mage. Without Armament Haki, you still managed to make me feel pain using nothing but raw strength and flames. You really do have some skill."
"Keep calling me a kid and you'll die."
Rosha bared his teeth.
"I'm the master of this island."
Ten years ago, he might have collapsed in fear at the sight of Kaido.
Now, he stood tall.
Even facing someone at the very top of this world, Rosha showed no hesitation. His presence was wild, aggressive, and unrestrained.
"Wororororo. Arrogant brat. I like you more and more."
"I like you too."
Rosha grinned.
Dragon Slayer Magic existed to fight dragons.
One of Rosha's long-standing goals was to slay one.
As far as he knew, Kaido was the only dragon in this world.
He wanted to try.
He also wanted to know where ten years of training placed him in the pirate world.
If he could kill Kaido, he would stand at the absolute peak.
If he could fight evenly, he would still be among the top tier.
As long as he was not taken down in a single blow, Rosha could accept any result.
"Wororororo. Ready?"
Kaido stepped forward.
"Now the real fight begins."
Crackle.
Black and crimson lightning erupted around Kaido, wrapping tightly around the kanabo in his hands.
Veins bulged along his arm as terrifying power surged through his body, gathering into a single point.
"It's coming."
Rosha's expression hardened.
In an instant, Kaido vanished.
The ground exploded where he stood.
The next moment, Kaido was already in front of Rosha.
Thunder.
Bagua!
The kanabo, wrapped in Conqueror's lightning, filled Rosha's vision.
The air screamed under the pressure of the strike as it tore itself apart.
This blow carried enough force to shatter a mountain.
Its speed surpassed the limits of human sight.
Dodging after seeing it was impossible.
Before Kaido even swung, Rosha's instincts screamed.
His body moved first.
In a flash, the two figures crossed paths midair.
Drip.
Drip.
Blood flowed from Rosha's forehead, sliding down his face before falling to the ground.
…