The sacred flames of "Consecration" purified the lands of Punk Hazard, which had been corroded by poison gas, and resolutely kept Sakazuki's surging magma at bay.
Moreover, within this consecrated ground, Wright no longer needed to actively cast Holy Light spells to restore his stamina. Instead, the effect of Vigor Aura allowed him to continuously recover his strength and heal his wounds—completely automated, without the need to seek an opening!
Against an opponent of Sakazuki's caliber, even a momentary pause to recover could create an opportunity for a devastating counterattack. But now, Wright had no such concern.
The Holy Light Wall exhibited an almost ghostly flexibility, allowing Wright to avoid the frequent need for sword parries. His powerful Holy Light Shield neutralized the majority of Sakazuki's standard attacks.
For charged attacks, Wright—whose Observation Haki had reached the level of Future Sight—could preemptively evade or counter them, preventing Sakazuki from landing a decisive blow.
Of course, head-on clashes were Wright's preferred approach. As a Great Swordsman, his formidable sword strikes posed a considerable challenge for Sakazuki.
However, Sakazuki, with his vast combat experience and near-instinctive reactions, had yet to sustain a fatal wound.
This was expected—battles between peak-level fighters often lasted for days, with victory hinging on the slightest of openings.
Even the legendary battle between Commander-in-Chief Kong and Red the Aloof Patrick Redfield had only ended when the aging Kong, exhausted beyond his limit, collapsed—losing by a mere half-step.
Three days into their fight, Wright had yet to find the critical opening needed to defeat Sakazuki.
Likewise, Sakazuki had found no flaw in Wright's defense…
At this stage, Wright's endurance was his greatest advantage. However, Sakazuki had meticulously built towards his own moment of dominance, and that moment had finally arrived.
Unleashing a barrage of slashes powerful enough to rend space itself, Wright narrowed his eyes as he noticed Sakazuki's reaction—unlike before, the Admiral didn't fully evade but instead blocked some of the strikes head-on.
A flash of insight struck Wright as his sharpened Observation Haki dissected Sakazuki's intent in an instant.
"Sakazuki-senpai, I thought you were just a straightforward brawler!"
Wright let out a hearty laugh, prompting Sakazuki to coldly snort.
"The wisdom of battle is no less important than the art of war."
With a thunderous roar, Sakazuki raised both arms high.
"Witness the wrath of the magma!"
Boom—!
The ground trembled violently. At the heart of their battleground, the land beneath their feet began to melt. A cataclysmic explosion erupted, engulfing the island's center in a fiery inferno.
As a deluge of molten rock and volcanic ash spewed forth, Punk Hazard's core was transformed into a sea of magma!
Standing amidst this hellish domain, Sakazuki appeared like a demon of fire incarnate. From the seething lava, colossal Hound Magma Beasts emerged—fused with the primal force of the mantle itself, they charged at Wright with overwhelming ferocity.
And yet, that wasn't all. Towering behind Sakazuki, a colossal magma fist took shape, imbued with an immense concentration of Armament Haki, carrying the destructive power to obliterate anything in its path.
"Volcanic Fist!"
As the tide of magma beasts surged forward and the massive fist descended from above, it seemed that Wright was truly cornered. Sakazuki had meticulously prepared this attack to create the decisive opening he needed!
"Magma, huh? So aggressive and unrelenting…"
Wright gripped his blade with both hands. His Supreme Grade sword, Ashes, flared with a dazzling golden radiance, revealing a form never before seen by Sakazuki.
Golden lightning crackled along its edge as Wright's overwhelming Conqueror's Haki surged forth, oppressing even the magma beasts—their molten bodies visibly distorted under the sheer pressure!
In his Avenging Wrath state, Wright made no attempt to fly away or evade Sakazuki's onslaught. He was preparing for an all-out clash!
Driving Ashes into the ground, he channeled an immense amount of Divine Power through it, preparing a devastating area-of-effect ability—
"Final Reckoning!"
A vast golden sigil materialized on the battlefield, completely encircling the magma hounds and the impending Volcanic Fist. Blinding Holy Light erupted as the ground splintered apart, and countless swords of light rained down, detonating on impact!
BOOOOOM—!
The deafening explosion resounded across all of Punk Hazard. The intense golden brilliance mixed with the crimson glow of fire, dominating the entire battlefield.
The island trembled under the sheer force of their clash, splitting cleanly into two halves!
Despite leveraging the underground lava to turn the island's core into a sea of magma, Sakazuki still failed to breach Wright's Consecration barrier!
"The smaller the ground I stand upon, the more formidable my Consecration becomes."
Wright pointed his sword forward, grinning at Sakazuki, who was still gathering magma.
"Senpai, manipulating the island's magma must have drained quite a bit of your stamina. Now, allow me to show you something… a technique I refrained from using even during the Summit War."
Sakazuki's eyes snapped upward, his pupils contracting sharply.
"Are you saying this move… can determine the outcome of our battle?"
"Well… let's find out!"
A mischievous grin spread across Wright's face.
"I've never had the chance to fully test its power before, so this is the perfect opportunity. If it turns out weaker than expected…"
A vein bulged on Sakazuki's forehead at Wright's casual taunt.
"Then maybe, senpai, you could still turn things around?"
This brat… his mouth is more venomous than mine!
With no room for verbal sparring, Sakazuki let out an angry snort.
"Then come! Show me just how powerful this move you've hidden away truly is!"
"Or… is this just another one of your verbal attacks?"
"As you wish!"
Wright soared into the sky, raising Ashes high above his head. Golden lightning coiled around the blade, crackling ominously. In the stormy skies above, golden arcs of electricity danced within the thick clouds.
Divine power surged violently from Wright's body, coalescing into Ashes until it blazed as brilliantly as the sun itself!
Sakazuki, too, was making his final move. Pouring all his remaining magma into a towering, pressure-laden volcano, he prepared a devastating eruption—his most fearsome technique, simulating the wrath of an apocalyptic volcanic explosion!
Sweat beaded on Sakazuki's brow, his breath growing heavy—proof of the immense energy expenditure.
As their ultimate techniques reached their peak, Wright let out a fierce battle cry, slashing downward with his sword!
"Secret Technique: Divine Adjudicator!"
"Cataclysm!"
A colossal storm of radiant energy, sharper than any blade, descended upon the volcanic eruption rising to meet it. The clash shook the heavens and the earth!
Fleeing at full speed from Punk Hazard's danger zone, war correspondent Smoker turned back with a lingering sense of dread.
These two maniacs! They're going to sink the entire island!
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