A piercing glint flashed in Rayleigh's dark eyes a clear sign of absolute concentration and unwavering focus.
His Observation Haki surged outward like a tidal wave, enveloping every inch of the battlefield.
To him, the entire world slowed down.
Even the billowing sand obscuring the battlefield was now mapped out in perfect, three-dimensional clarity within his mind.
There wasn't a single stray thought in his heart.
With explosive force, Rayleigh launched himself forward like a bolt of lightning. Sword in hand his infamous black blade he lunged straight toward Ares.
"One-Sword Style: Return of the Hellbringer!"
In that instant, a blackish-purple flame flared around Rayleigh's body. As the aura gathered, it coalesced behind him into the form of a terrifying demonic specter.
Faceless and featureless, the shadow loomed with curled, twisted horns like a devil crawling out from the gates of the underworld. It was a manifestation of Rayleigh's sheer will, Haki, and killing intent.
The twisted shadow followed the arc of his blade, slicing through the golden sands as it lunged toward Ares.
This was the moment Rayleigh had been waiting for.
This was the opening and he wouldn't let it slip away.
His killing intent surged without restraint.
The air itself grew heavy and frigid, as if the battlefield had been swallowed by an invisible winter.
The Dark King had revealed his fangs.
Cold.
That was Ares's first sensation. Even his armor-thick dragon scales couldn't shield him from the chill that stabbed into his bones.
The moment the sand had risen, he realized Rayleigh's intent.
But what he hadn't expected was that a battlefield could be manipulated this way.
In Ares's experience, combat had always been about sheer strength. Overpower your foe. Strike until their lifeforce drained away. The idea of shaping the terrain, turning it into a weapon itself, was alien to him.
"Rayleigh, the Dark King…"
"To be worthy of that title… I suppose this is what it takes."
But now was no time to be caught in thought. Rayleigh's blade was already upon him close enough to claim his life.
Sensing the threat, Ares's instincts roared.
He couldn't afford even the slightest arrogance.
Every pore of his body screamed with danger.
"Haaah!"
Veins bulged along Ares's neck as he let out a thunderous shout. In that instant, his entire dragon-man form began to transform.
"Flames of the Azure Dragon!!"
He opened his massive jaws.
From within, a glowing orb of blinding golden-white light like a condensed sun formed between his jagged, fang-lined teeth.
The previously freezing air suddenly turned scorching.
A torrent of flame erupted from his mouth, a column of hellfire so intense that it instantly engulfed Rayleigh and even swallowed the demonic figure looming behind him.
Simultaneously.
Storm clouds gathered in the sky above.
Black thunderheads swirled violently, blue lightning dancing across their surface.
The sudden arrival of the thunderclouds plunged the world into darkness.
The pressure was suffocating.
"D-Dragon!"
"T-The legendary dragon!!"
"Oi, what the hell is that thing?! Where did it come from?!"
"How can something like that even exist?! It's a monster no, a goddamn calamity!"
The immense form coiling through the heavens struck a wave of fear into the hearts of the Roger Pirates. Many of them were paralyzed in place, staring up in terror at the colossal dragon soaring above.
Even seasoned pirates couldn't stop their limbs from trembling.
That overwhelming sense of dread…
That oppressive force...
This was the power of the Mythical Zoan: Fish-Fish Fruit, Azure Dragon Form.
Compared to the shaken Roger crew, the Rocks Pirates were elated.
Their morale skyrocketed.
"Oi, Ares! Wipe 'em out! These fools dared turn down Rocks's invitation!"
"Crush them all! Show the world just how terrifying you really are!"
"Anyone who defies the Rocks Pirates doesn't deserve to live!"
The jeers and battle cries rang out. Ares, in his Azure Dragon form, had become their pillar of strength.
Amid the firestorm.
Rayleigh remained on the ground, wrapped in blazing heat.
Despite enveloping himself in Armament Haki, the flames' scorching temperature had already burned holes through his cloak.
His body was covered in scorch marks.
He looked worse for wear.
"Dark King, let your brilliance shine!"
From within the roaring flames, Rayleigh's voice rang out like steel.
The black blade in his hand erupted with violent purple-black energy, its aura flaring wildly.
Even under this hellish heat.
Rayleigh would finish his strike.
A blurred black shadow darted through the fire, cutting forward like a missile.
There was no hesitation, no retreat.
At that moment, he and his blade had become one.
No separation.
No distinction.
Rayleigh was the sword and the sword was Rayleigh.
Ares's golden, slit-pupil eyes twitched ever so slightly.
"That sword…"
In the heat of battle, Ares had barely paid it any mind.
It looked ordinary unremarkable.
But now… now he truly saw it.
There was no way that was a common blade.
"That's no ordinary sword… it's a famous blade!"
The final words escaped with certainty.
As a half-trained smith himself, Ares could sense the truth.
This was a blade of legends.
In response, Ares opened his jaws wide and poured every ounce of strength into his flame breath, pushing the heat to its limit.
But even so.
He could not stop Rayleigh's advance.
In the blink of an eye, the black blade was upon him.
CRACK!
A sharp sound rang out.
Ares's eyes widened in disbelief.
"My… my tooth… it broke?!"
His fangs and claws tougher than even his scales were the hardest parts of his body.
Yet under this one swing…
His tooth had shattered.
Chunks of jagged white teeth flew through the air. Some crumbled into dust.
Rayleigh, still wrapped in flame, stumbled as he descended, his body collapsing with exhaustion.
Boom!
He landed hard, both feet crashing into the earth, sending shockwaves across the scorched battlefield.
Tilting his head back, he looked up at the beast in the sky.
"Incredible instincts. A born battle beast…"
Ares had used his fangs at the very last second to deflect the attack.
If he hadn't.
That sword would've pierced his throat.
And this fight…
Would've been over.
"Fighting someone like him…" Rayleigh took a deep breath, trying to steady himself, "was never going to be easy."
Not just physically.
But mentally too.
Now came a crucial moment to recover, if only for a few breaths.
But then.
A surge of alarm shot through Rayleigh's senses.
His Observation Haki screamed.
And the vision it showed him made his heart drop.
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