Chapter 532: The Shifting Tides of Battle (Continued)
No matter how Esdeath had attacked Katakuri's mochi space in the past, she had never been able to break it. This time, however, she was going to try attacking from the outside. Although she knew Katakuri was fighting Borsalino, the wielder of the Glint-Glint Fruit and one of the Marines' three monster Vice Admirals, she still wanted to try.
Her right hand rested on the hilt of her sword. Her aura gathered, ready to be unleashed. An intense cold began to emanate from her, and those who were watching felt a chill seep into their bones.
"Mahakala's Inception!"
A flash of light from her blade!
An ice-blue slash flew towards the mochi dome. The attack seemed to lack any real force as it struck the barrier. But in the next moment, at the point of impact, ice flowers began to bloom. They spread continuously, fanning out in all directions with an audible cracking sound, visibly encasing the entire mochi dome at a rapid pace.
CRACK!
Once the ice flowers had covered the whole structure, a crisp shattering sound echoed. The mochi dome began to crumble, and shards of ice rained down.
Inside, Katakuri's face instantly went pale. He felt his connection to the mochi space sever. He immediately looked up. Kizaru also noticed something was wrong and looked up at the strange sounds coming from above. He saw that the once-seamless mochi space was now covered in a web of deep cracks.
Kizaru's eyes lit up. "Can't maintain it anymore?" he said, looking down at Katakuri.
Ever since Katakuri had pulled him into this space, he had been constrained at every turn. He couldn't utilize his speed at all and had to constantly deal with attacks coming from all over the space. After fighting for a day and a night, he had spent most of his time dodging. Worse, his opponent was a master of Observation Haki who could predict his movements, making it even harder to attack. He could only dodge endlessly.
Kizaru made a mental note: in the future, he had to be extremely careful of this move. It was the perfect counter to his abilities. Still, his opponent's stamina seemed a bit lacking. He had thought the young man could last another full day, but it seemed he was already at his limit.
"Well now, young man, it seems you can't hold me anymore!"
With that, Kizaru's body transformed into a beam of light and shot towards the cracks appearing overhead. The sliver of sunlight shining through was a welcome sight. But the moment he emerged from the fissure, a cold light flashed. An ice-cold longsword was pressed against his throat.
A cold sweat broke out on Kizaru's back. The low temperature of the surroundings did nothing to stop the stream of sweat running down his spine. He slowly raised his hands.
"Miss, pointing a sword at someone can easily hurt them. How about we put it down and talk?" Kizaru's sleazy voice sounded out.
Esdeath, holding the sword, stared at him without expression, the coldness in her eyes growing deeper.
Seeing this, Kizaru quickly changed his tune. "Alright, alright, I surrender. You can tie me up. You could get a handsome reward from the Marines for me."
His words made the newly emerged Katakuri freeze. He had just stepped out and was immediately greeted by this scene.
"Esdeath!" Katakuri exclaimed in surprise. He then looked around at the shattered remains of his awakened space and fell silent. Esdeath was the one who had broken it. He wanted to say something, but seeing her holding Kizaru hostage, he closed his mouth.
Just as Kizaru was about to say more, Esdeath's impatient voice cut him off. "Shut up!"
Kizaru zipped his lips with his right hand to show he understood.
Esdeath then turned her gaze to Katakuri. Their eyes met for a moment. Katakuri's heart gave a sudden lurch, and he lowered his head, looking around at the battlefield. The scene was unfamiliar to him.
"Did the Marines... lose?" Katakuri found it incredible. The war had only started a day ago; how had it come to this? He glanced at Esdeath again before quickly looking away. This must have something to do with her, he guessed internally.
Kizaru also took in the surroundings. "What's going on? Where are the Fleet Admiral and the other Admirals?" He was baffled. Did they abandon me and run away?
"Crimson Hound Lotus!"
A fiery attack suddenly shot out from the distance. Esdeath's expression, which had been fixed on Katakuri, changed. She twisted to the side, dodging the magma projectile. But that single movement gave Kizaru the opening he needed. His body immediately turned to light, and in an instant, he was a hundred meters away, causing Esdeath's sword to strike empty air.
"Ooooh~! Thanks a lot, old classmate! If it weren't for you, I might have lost my life to that young lady's sword," Kizaru said, appearing next to Akainu and waving his hand.
Akainu glanced at Kizaru's completely unharmed body. "You don't look like you were about to die," came his voice, devoid of any warmth.
"Don't be so heartless, will you? We're the best partners!" Kizaru said nonchalantly. He then looked Akainu over and noticed his partner was in a wretched state. His clothes were tattered, there was a large burn on his neck, and blood was flowing down his body. He looked absolutely miserable. What in the world did he go through? Kizaru wondered with a flicker of curiosity.
"Let's go. We can't stay here any longer. We need to find the Fleet Admiral," Akainu said, showing no intention of fighting Esdeath and the others. Although Esdeath and Katakuri were closing in, with Caesar and Tesla in pursuit from behind, Akainu and Kizaru began to retreat, moving back towards the Whitebeard Pirates' battlefield.
By now, a massive number of soldiers from the Rockefeller and Big Mom Pirates were flooding towards the Marines, who were using the weapons on their ships to mount a frantic defense. But the attacking pirates were no slouches. The Rockefeller crew had brought countless cannons ashore and were using the electromagnetic railgun on their ship, the Poseidon, aiming all their firepower at the Marine formation.
By the time Esdeath and the others arrived, countless pirates had already fallen on the path of the advance. When Katakuri saw that the ones charging and dying were all from the Big Mom Pirates, he could not stand by. He flashed to Smoothie's side.
"Brother!" Smoothie and the others cried out happily upon seeing him.
"Mm. I'll take it from here. You all follow behind me!" Katakuri took command, and with a swing of his trident, he deflected an incoming cannonball, causing it to detonate in mid-air.
"Charge with me!" Katakuri roared, raising his trident and rushing forward.
Countless pirates swarmed behind him, charging towards the Marines. And just as the Rockefeller and Big Mom Pirates were moving to support the Whitebeard Pirates...
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