Chapter 11 – The Power of a Sword Move
A dozen figures rushed toward Dante Voss, eyes savage and strikes merciless.
Though this was their first time fighting together, they moved in flawless unison.
They had roamed the seas for years; their skill and experience far outclassed any ordinary fighter.
"Perfect!"
Dante Voss's lips curved—this was what a real battle should feel like.
Sword in hand, he fixed a razor-sharp gaze on the oncoming silhouettes.
After his explosive rise in strength, he needed to get properly acquainted with his new power.
As they closed in, Dante Voss shot forward, blade whipping in a blur toward the foremost Slave.
That Slave's scalp prickled; he could barely track the sword with his eyes.
Yet long survival instincts kicked in. With a roar he raised his own knife, bracing to meet the blow head-on.
Clang!
He blocked it—unable to see the strike, but catching it all the same.
Dante Voss's force, however, was overwhelming; the Slave's body couldn't take it and he was hurled backward.
His blade snapped clean in two, his body grievously wounded.
Dante Voss studied his own sword and frowned.
He had sent the man flying and shattered his weapon, but the edge now bore a gaping notch.
A common blade—every blow against the foe also damaged the steel itself.
The sword was no longer fit for combat.
With no other choice, Dante Voss hurled the damaged blade after the flying Slave.
Powered by Dante Voss's Strength attribute, the sword shot like lightning and pierced straight through.
The Slave had no time to react before the steel ran him through.
[Killed a Pirate. slaughter points +100]
Reading the system prompt, Dante Voss ignored the fallen man.
The other Slaves used the opening to charge in; he sprang aside, seizing a fresh weapon.
More Slaves closed the ring around him.
They had seen Dante Voss's brutality firsthand.
Two of theirs were already dead; they dared not give him a moment's respite.
"Die!"
One Slave swung a great axe straight at Dante Voss's skull.
The rest attacked from every side, not to be outdone.
Every strike targeted a vital point.
For the first time Dante Voss felt real pressure.
His Spirit focused to a needle; he spotted an opening and his eyes flashed.
"Aurora!"
In an instant his sword flashed like a beam of light at the Slave beside him.
Whoosh!
The man never sensed the slash; by the time he noticed, his head was already on the ground.
Using the gap, Dante Voss burst through and broke the encirclement.
[Killed a Pirate. slaughter points +100]
Aurora was a sword technique Dante Voss had comprehended—a pursuit of absolute Speed.
It combined his Advanced Swordsman experience with his Speed attribute into the fastest possible strike.
Watching Dante Voss escape the trap and casually kill another of their number, the remaining Slaves' faces turned ugly.
But Dante Voss gave them no pause; the moment he was free he turned on another Slave.
That Slave panicked and dared not stand his ground, trying to flee back to the others.
Too slow—after only a few steps Dante Voss was on him.
Shnk!
Steel pierced his body; eyes wide with terror, the Slave collapsed.
[Killed a Pirate. slaughter points +100]
Cold sweat drenched the rest.
Just how strong was this guy?
Why was he so terrifying? Only moments ago he hadn't been this powerful.
Nearby, Vic was soaked in sweat; he never imagined Dante Voss could so easily cut down God's Slaves.
"Damn—what is wrong with this Slave!"
Panic gnawed at him; he feared Dante Voss might slaughter everyone and come for him next.
In the stands the Celestial Dragons stared in shock.
These were mighty Slaves they had bought from across the world!
Now they couldn't even beat a regular arena Slave—utter humiliation.
"Worthless trash—wasting my money!"
"Didn't Number 77 claim to be a 30-million-bounty Pirate? How come he can't even beat a common Slave!"
"Trash! Trash!"
Up ahead, Saint Mike listened to their complaints with the corners of his mouth curling up.
This was exactly the situation he wanted.
None of the other Celestial Dragons could take down Dante Voss; when the time came, he would have his newly bought Number 9 step up, defeat Dante Voss in front of everyone, and win the envy of the other Celestial Dragons.
"Number 9, get ready. In a moment you'll go out and kill them all."
Saint Mike ordered, looking at Number 9 lying on the ground.
Number 9 stared carefully below and nodded.
"Yes, Lord Saint Mike."
Compared to before, Dante Voss's strength had grown far too much, but he still had confidence... On the field, the fight continued.
After Dante Voss killed another Slave, he took advantage of the fact that the Slaves hadn't formed an encirclement and charged at yet another Slave.
This move made the Slaves turn pale with fright; they clenched their teeth and rushed at him.
They couldn't let Dante Voss keep killing—every one of them lost made them more endangered.
However, the gap in their attributes was still rather large.
Before they could close in, Dante Voss had already arrived beside another Slave and swung his sword at him.
The Slave, eyes red, swung a hammer at Dante Voss, trying to block the attack.
But Dante Voss saw through his intention.
Dante Voss had no intention of clashing head-on; halfway through the swing he abruptly changed the sword's path, avoiding contact with the weapon.
Instead, he turned the chop into a thrust aimed at the opponent's neck.
"Shnk!"
The blade flashed like lightning into his body; the Slave's eyes widened.
Dante Voss's Speed was simply too high; with a strength-type weapon like his, there was no way to land a hit.
Seeing the other Slaves charging again, Dante Voss pulled out his sword and flickered away.
[Killed a Pirate, gained 100 slaughter points]
"Damn it!"
The Slaves saw another of their own dead, their faces ugly and their hearts growing cold.
Dante Voss was already stronger than them and refused to fight head-on—there was virtually no chance of victory!
"Stay close together, don't spread out—don't give him an opening."
one Slave shouted.
They were now fewer than ten; if Dante Voss kept cutting them down, they were finished.
The others thought the same; they moved closer, not daring to stray far from their comrades.
Once grouped, the Slaves finally felt a sliver of safety; to keep the Celestial Dragons from growing impatient, they continued pursuing Dante Voss.
This time they advanced steadily, refusing to give Dante Voss any chance to pick them off one by one.
"Think that'll stop me? Naive."
Dante Voss smiled, flicking the blood from his sword.
His attributes already surpassed theirs; he'd avoided direct clashes only to familiarize himself with his improved strength.
Now it was time to finish this.
Dante Voss walked toward them, pace quickening until he broke into a run.
His sword rose as he moved, lifted high above his head.
The Slaves watched him with grave faces; they held together, planning to pool their strength to meet Dante Voss head-on rather than flee.
Dante Voss closed the distance in an instant, then suddenly leapt up,
and in mid-air gripped his sword with both hands, using the force of his fall to bear down on them.
"Meteor Fall!"
If Blood Slaughter Hell is a group sword technique and Aurora is a Speed-based Sword Move, then Meteor Fall is the embodiment of raw power.
As he unleashed the technique, Dante Voss became like a meteorite, crashing downward with irresistible might.
The Slaves below felt overwhelming pressure; they swallowed hard, their eyes trembling.
For a moment they felt as if they were opposing the heavens—tiny and powerless.
At last Dante Voss's attack arrived!
Gritting their teeth, they swung every weapon upward to meet him.
"Boom!"
But beneath Dante Voss's sword technique their strikes seemed feeble, utterly futile.
In an instant their weapons snapped, and a tremendous force exploded at their center.