"Whoooosh…"
Violent winds howled across the deck as two surging airstreams crashed together. In an instant, the weather seemed to turn, waves rolling wildly around the warship.
"Now this is interesting." Onigumo's eyes lit up as he felt the pressure rising from the young man before him.
An opponent like this—
wouldn't disappoint him.
"Killer Bee Card (Non-Tailed Beast Version) activated."
Kairos D. Vale drew in a slow breath as the cold system notification echoed in his ears.
His gaze sharpened on Onigumo.
And in that very instant—
Boom!
The deck beneath Onigumo's feet exploded into a web of cracks before collapsing into a pit nearly three meters wide.
He lunged like a raging dragon, charging straight ahead with brutal momentum.
Clang, clang, clang—
Steel rang out as Onigumo swung all eight swords at once, kicking through the air with Geppo.
In a flash, blade-light flooded the battlefield from every direction, cold and dazzling like countless crescent moons cutting through the sky.
Savage ferocity and icy precision—
two utterly different auras coexisted within him.
"Good."
Kairos let out a low shout.
At the same time, a sharp metallic chorus suddenly echoed overhead.
Onigumo looked up at once.
What he saw was a rain of glittering steel descending from above.
Seven streaks of light.
Each one carried a biting edge that couldn't be ignored.
"Hm?"
Onigumo's eyes narrowed. His charge slowed just slightly as all eight arms moved at once, blades slashing outward in a defensive arc.
Shhk!
One sword moved—
then all eight followed.
Eight pale arcs rose into the sky like freezing crescents, each one beautiful enough to be mesmerizing and deadly enough to chill the soul.
Clang! Clang! Clang!
The falling blades collided with Onigumo's sword-light in a burst of sparks and ringing steel.
The seven streaks were knocked out of the air and slammed point-first into the deck.
The gleam around them faded.
Only then did everyone see what they really were.
"Hiss…!"
Every Marine watching sucked in a sharp breath.
"Seven… seven blades?!"
Their eyes widened in disbelief.
None of them had expected that the "rain of light" falling from the sky would turn out to be seven slender swords with simple designs and red hilts.
"Could it be… is he a multi-blade user too?" the Marine adjutant muttered, his heart pounding.
Seven blades.
That could only mean one thing.
Was this man—this wandering challenger who had appeared out of nowhere—using a style like Vice Admiral Onigumo's?
Had he also mastered Life Return?
The adjutant inhaled deeply, his expression turning grave.
Anyone who could reach that level was no ordinary fighter.
"You use seven swords?"
Onigumo came to a stop, his eyes sweeping over the seven blades before settling back on Kairos.
He was genuinely surprised.
"No," Kairos replied calmly, shaking his head. His tone was light, almost casual—but completely sincere.
"I use eight."
That answer surprised Onigumo even more.
His brow furrowed.
Seven swords were right there in plain sight.
So where was the eighth?
Before he could think further, Kairos moved.
He raised a hand.
The seven swords rose into the air and flew back toward him like streaks of light, stopping in formation before his body.
Qi Control.
Then—
Kairos shifted his stance and guided the seven blades into an extremely strange arrangement.
One sword between his teeth.
One tucked along his bent right arm.
One wedged between his right shoulder and neck.
One under his left armpit.
One along his left arm.
One trapped between his raised right thigh and stomach.
One clasped between his lower right leg and calf.
"This…!"
Every Marine watching looked utterly stunned, eyes nearly bulging out of their sockets.
"What kind of sword style is that?!"
The adjutant swallowed hard, his mind completely shaken.
Most multi-blade styles peaked at three or four swords. Beyond that, the limits of the human body became impossible to ignore.
Even Vice Admiral Onigumo relied on Life Return to manipulate extra blades through his hair.
But Kairos…
He was controlling seven swords using nothing but the natural flexibility of his body.
It was unheard of.
And while the Marines were still reeling from the sheer absurdity of his posture—
a terrifying aura suddenly erupted from the center of the battlefield, soaring skyward like a waterfall crashing into the heavens.
Kairos stood there, seven blades in hand, as the terrifying presence of Killer Bee burst forth from his body.
It was an aura as fierce as rolling thunder.
Bright streams of lightning danced across his body, as if a storm sea of electricity had awakened around him.
Killer Bee—
the pillar of the Land of Lightning,
the perfect host of the Eight-Tails,
a shinobi with Kage-level power.
Every title attached to that name spoke of overwhelming strength.
And now, through the power of the System Card—
Kairos had brought that strength into this world.
Rumble…
Whether it was stirred by Killer Bee's aura or simply the heavens answering the moment, the once-clear sky darkened in an instant, thick storm clouds rolling overhead as thunder churned across the firmament.
Suddenly—
Boom!
Lightning split the sky and crashed into the sea beside the Marine warship.
Waves exploded upward, surging several meters high.
Kairos stood firm with seven swords.
His momentum had reached its peak.
Lightning reflected in his eyes as he stared straight at Onigumo.
The meaning was obvious.
He was telling Onigumo to make the first move.
Though it sounded like much had happened, only a brief moment had passed since Kairos took up the seven blades.
"You…" Onigumo's expression finally turned serious. Even his vicious features grew more solemn. "You're strong."
Before, Kairos had felt like a sheathed blade.
Now—
he was fully drawn.
Clang!
Onigumo surged forward again, all eight swords slashing through the air.
His personality would never allow him to stand still and wait for Kairos to attack first. The moment he moved, he moved to kill.
And he held nothing back.
Onigumo could already tell Kairos wasn't the kind of opponent who would die easily, so there was no point in restraint.
A spar should be fought properly.
It should be satisfying.
Boom!
The deck exploded with freezing light as Kairos and Onigumo clashed again, colliding like two mountains crashing into one another.
Their speed surpassed even lightning.
They blurred into overlapping afterimages, sword-light bursting around them in every direction. In the blink of an eye, they had already exchanged hundreds of moves.
Seven blades against eight—
and somehow, Kairos was gaining the upper hand.
The Marines were left stunned, cold sweat running down their backs.
They had assumed Vice Admiral Onigumo would end the fight effortlessly.
Instead, this drifting swordsman had proven unimaginably strong.
His swordsmanship rivaled Onigumo's.
No—
it was suppressing him.
That single result shattered nearly every assumption the Marines had made before the battle began.
Two true powerhouses were colliding before their eyes.
The winds shifted again and again.
Sword-light flew in all directions.
And the ringing clash of steel shook the heavens.
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