Lille Barro's head was now completely sheathed inside a collar-like shell.
Two vertical yellow streaks split his face, a massive halo hovered above his crown, and his torso was sealed inside a chrysalis. Where his arms should have been, eight hollow white wings unfurled from his back.
He no longer resembled anything human. Gazing at Hui with cold, merciless eyes, Lille radiated absolute confidence.
Hui's interest was instantly piqued.
A smile tugged at the corner of his mouth. "Not bad, you look much stronger than before, if only a tad bit ugly. I hope your power is enough to keep me from getting bored like last time."
Lille Barro shot him an indifferent look, voice flat. "Then let's find out."
With that, the eight wings behind him triggered X-Axis, shooting multiple projectiles from the hollow's in the wings.
It had to be admitted: in this form, Lille was terrifying.
No wonder in the original timeline he overwhelmed even Shunsui Kyōraku, leaving the Captain gasping.
But, and this was the key, Lille Barro was slow.
No matter how overwhelming a power, it still has to land to inflict damage.
Even without tapping into space-manipulation, Hui's raw speed, reflexes, monstrous energy perception, and Observation Haki meant Lille had virtually no chance to hit him.
Hui strode forward right through the storm of 'unstoppable' attacks;
Every blast missed him.
Lille's composure cracked. Shocked by Hui's speed, he felt a prickle of fear.
He knew exactly what would happen if Hui reached close quarters.
In that instant Lille decided to switch plans. Probing Hui's limits mattered, but not at the price of dying here with no intel delivered to the Wandenreich.
He had never imagined Hui could break the Shadow and trap him inside this villa. Had he foreseen it, he would have reported back after his last retreat.
"X-Axis!"
As Hui closed in, Lille hurled his power at full force, flooding the space to seal every avenue forward.
Hui only raised an eyebrow. The rays slipped harmlessly without grazing him as he sidestepped each one with a flicker of spatial displacement.
Pupils contracting, Lille threw up a frantic guard.
A blade flashed straight through him, yet when it passed, he stood there wholly unscathed.
Relief washed over him; confidence surged back. "In this form I am X-Axis, your attacks can't so much as scratch me."
Watching him put on airs again, Hui nearly laughed.
"Well then, let's keep testing."
After Hui finished speaking, the Zhi yi in his hand was swallowed by black, rippling light. Two breaths later it had transformed into a bewitching jet-black blade.
That sheen was Armament Haki, a power Hui had learned in the One Piece world.
In the seas of pirates there exist Devil-Fruit users, and among them the Logia users possess elementalization, a state uncannily similar to Lille Barro's current form. Turning the body wholly into an element renders physical blows useless, but the moment one masters Haki, even an elemental body can be wounded.
Hui intended to see whether Armament Haki could pierce Lille Barro.
Watching the black blade, Lille's heart sank. Dread gnawed at him.
This man named Hui was simply too unfathomable. Lille felt he could never predict what power might emerge next.
A faint sting prickled his senses as he stared at the flowing black edge.
"What ability is that?" he asked.
"A rather… interesting force," Hui replied. "You'll understand once you try it."
He vanished. Before Lille could react, the black sword thrust clean through his chest.
Nothing happened.
The blade slipped out the other side; Lille remained unhurt.
Relief flooded him.
"I told you, nothing can injure me in this form. Yes, you have many abilities, all very mysterious. But if they can't harm your enemy, what good are they? How disappointing… seems this is your limit."
Feigning boredom, Lille turned to leave.
Hui could only laugh at the act. 'Heh, look at this brat putting on a front, let me show you what a real performance is.'
"Originally I meant to toy with you," he said softly, "but you're a tad bit too arrogant. Watch closely. I'm about to show you what true… ability looks like."
His gaze locked onto Lille's. Panic flared in Lille's gut, but pride forced him to maintain the stare even as his scalp tingled.
Then those eyes swallowed his consciousness—
Spurt!
"AAAH!"
A shriek burst from Lille's throat. When lucidity returned, one of the eight wings on his back lay severed on the ground.
Before the pain finished registering, Hui flashed in again, and another wing fell, then a third, then a fourth.
"This," Hui said, halting at last, black sword dripping with faint light, "is an ability that can hurt you."
Lille writhed and howled in agony beneath him.
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