"Anything is possible."
Aeridar scoffed, delivering a rather pretentious advertising slogan. He stepped forward, his blackened fist meeting the tip of Judge's long spear.
Beneath their feet, the deck was covered in a dense network of fine cracks. Judge's shock, it turned out, stemmed from how the opponent could so accurately locate the physical weapon amidst a flurry of spear shadows and casually deliver a precise punch, completely nullifying his technique.
"What a strong guy!"
"The Commander's technique was actually countered!!!"
"It was too easy! A man with the title of Warlord of the Sea is indeed not to be underestimated!"
"It's better to stay far away from a battle of this magnitude."
"A fight of this caliber isn't something you get to see every day."
"..."
Witnessing Aeridar effortlessly parry their Commander's attack, the soldiers on board erupted in discussion. They immediately cleared a large area for the two to fight.
"Don't get cocky!"
Judge shed his shocked expression and roared, bringing his spear down like a great axe. The sharp spear-blade cut through the air, producing a piercing shriek.
Aeridar didn't meet the attack head-on, instead he shimmered and vanished from his spot.
"He disappeared!"
His spear strike hitting empty air, Judge quickly retracted his weapon to defend and simultaneously scanned his surroundings.
Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh, whoosh...
Suddenly, a series of rushing sounds came from the sky.
"Nani?!"
Judge snapped his head up, seeing Aeridar standing in mid-air, rapidly swinging his legs towards him. Dozens of slashing attacks rained down like a storm.
Rankyaku: Blade Frenzy!!!
"Damn it!"
Clang, clang, clang, clang...
Judge cursed under his breath, but his hands were quick. His long spear danced, deflecting one slashing attack after another. While Judge was strong enough to block such attacks, others lacked that capability. As the slashes descended, a group of people on the deck were engulfed.
Splish, splat, splish, splat...
In an instant, blood splattered. A bloody storm erupted on the deck, severed limbs flew, and even the thick ironwood deck was scarred with cracks.
When the attack ceased, dozens of Germa 66 soldiers lay in pools of blood. No fewer than twenty died on the spot, and many more, with severed limbs, wailed endlessly.
Even these elite, fearless new-model soldiers, who wouldn't bat an eye at being cannon fodder, weren't immune to pain. They weren't strong enough to be dismembered without a sound.
Truth be told, sometimes, living was worse than dying.
Judge didn't have time to mourn his subordinates, as Aeridar had already launched another attack.
Whoosh!
Rumble!
With a loud crash, the entire warship lurched downward. A powerful gust of wind, carrying wood fragments, blew away everything nearby, kicking up a large cloud of dust.
Thud!
Judge somersaulted back to the ship's bow.
As the dust settled, a two-meter-wide hole appeared on the deck, offering a clear view of the ship's lower cargo hold. The Germa 66 soldiers beneath the hole were covered in wood chips and splinters, looking disheveled.
"Come on!"
Standing beside the gaping hole, Aeridar provocatively beckoned to Judge with a hooked finger.
"Hmph."
Judge's face turned cold. Without a word, his body flickered, instantly covering over twenty meters, ghost-like, appearing before Aeridar. At the same time, a powerful electric current discharged from his combat boots, sending a direct kick towards Aeridar's body.
Electromagnetic Crack!!!
"A little interesting!"
Aeridar grinned savagely, then suddenly extended both hands, shouting, "Shinra Tensei!!!"
Whoosh!
The air vibrated, and an overwhelming impact force unleashed from Aeridar's body.
"What is this..."
Enveloped by an irresistible force, Judge felt as if he had been hit head-on by a high-speed train. His body felt like it would shatter, and he was sent flying backward in mid-air, exactly as he had come forward.
Rumble!
Judge's entire body slammed into the structure beneath the ship's bow, half of his body embedded within it, surrounded by a dense network of cracks. Small pieces of wood and splinters occasionally fell from above.
"Cough... What kind of ability is this?"
Judge extracted himself from the wooden wall, a trickle of blood at the corner of his mouth. If not for his combat suit, which had absorbed part of the impact and recoil, it wouldn't have just been a trickle of blood; he would have at least vomited a mouthful of it.
"Hehe, if you keep this up, you'll die," Aeridar sneered, his body suddenly vanishing from his spot. The next moment, Judge also disappeared.
Clang, clang, clang, clang...
Explosions continuously echoed through the air, causing ripples of air pressure. Rings of airwaves spread across the deck, and two dark figures flickered in and out of sight. Even the hard, thick ironwood deck showed numerous cracks and craters.
Mid-air, Judge thrust his spear forward. The sharp wind from the attack was fierce, aimed directly at Aeridar's head. Aeridar tilted his head, easily avoiding the spear, then flashed directly to Judge's side and swept a kick at his waist.
Whoosh!
Rumble!
A circle of airwaves appeared as Judge was sent flying horizontally at supersonic speed, crashing into a structure on the deck, reducing a room to rubble. A powerful airwave erupted on the spot, kicking up a cloud of dust.
Then, Aeridar landed.
Bang!
Large amounts of shattered wood planks flew out as Judge burst from the ruined room. Seeing Judge charge again, Aeridar raised his right leg and delivered a kick.
Whoosh!
A massive, blue-white crescent-shaped slash flew out, aimed directly at Judge.
Rankyaku: Lunar Wolf!
Splish!
Seeing such a large slash, Judge didn't dare to take it head-on. He immediately dodged, and the slash, missing Judge, struck the buildings on the deck. It sliced straight through them from top to bottom, continuing its flight for dozens of meters across the sea before disappearing.
Before Judge could attack, Aeridar leaped into the air, flying upwards. His right arm muscles bulged, veins popping, as he smashed a heavy punch downwards.
Impact Cannon!!!
The air suddenly became chaotic, and a massive turbulent air current converged, forming a pale white column of air, five to six meters in diameter, descending from the sky.
Rumble!
With overwhelming force, everything in the path of the air column was destroyed. It pierced straight through the entire warship almost instantly, reaching the seabed. In a flash, large amounts of seawater flooded the ship's compartments, and the vessel slowly began to sink.
"This kind of attack... could be lethal." Judge, who had managed to dodge, sweat profusely, his heart filled with dread. If that had hit him, even his combat suit wouldn't have helped.
"Damn it, the ship is sinking!"
"That's outrageous!"
"Is that even human, that kind of attack?"
"This man is a monster!"
The soldiers observing the battle from the ship were greatly astonished, barely believing their eyes. They were accustomed to fighting the armies of various kingdoms and had never witnessed the true terrifying power of a Great Pirate.
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