Hooo—
Cross released his grip, letting out a long breath that, like a white wisp, condensed in the air for over ten seconds before slowly dissipating.
At this moment, the giant boar lying on the ground twitched for a while, as if a monster returning to its true form. It rapidly shrank, transforming into a corpulent man clad in a black fur coat with a steel fork on his back, now sprawled on the ground.
Cross observed closely. He saw that the man had short brown hair, a full beard like steel needles, and beneath his black fur coat was a brown battle armor, with a battle skirt on his lower body and leather sandals on his feet. He was indeed one of the Roberts Legion's three generals.
"Hmph, oonk-oonk~ Good kid... huff, huff... I underestimated you just now... again!" Reepel breathed heavily, his expression vexed, and he unyieldingly stood up. He was actually over a meter taller than Cross, standing at almost 3.5 meters. With that, he shook his body and charged directly at Cross.
"If you're looking for death, then so be it! Tekkai: Iron Mountain Impact!" Cross scoffed, not retreating but advancing. He surged forward, using his body as a cannonball, slamming violently into Reepel's form.
Boom—
A circular wave of wind spread out.
Reepel, caught off guard, was instantly sent flying. Then, with a rumble, he directly crashed through a wall a dozen meters away, smashing into a three-story hotel. The enormous impact nearly brought down the entire small building.
"Tch~ He's pretty sturdy!" Cross rotated his slightly sore right arm, muttering under his breath.
Meanwhile, inside the three-story hotel, Reepel lay on his back, pinned under stones and furniture. His chest heaved violently, his breathing like a broken bellows. The intense pain from his lungs told him he had suffered internal injuries.
"Huff... huff... This damn brat..."
Rumble—
The next moment, Reepel's eyes turned bloodshot, filled with fury. His body instantly swelled, his head transforming into a wild boar's head with outward-curving tusks, his body becoming covered in black fur, and his feet turning into hooves. He directly pushed away the stones and furniture pressing on him and charged out ferociously.
Immediately, Cross sensed a foul wind assaulting him. Without thinking, he dodged sideways, evading Reepel's lunge. He then drew his sword, wielding Shusui, and horizontally slashed towards the opponent's neck.
Instantly, Reepel felt a chill at his neck, and a cold dread rose in his heart. He quickly unslung the long-handled steel fork from his back and thrust it forward.
Clang—
The steel fork and long katana collided, producing a metallic clang and spraying sparks. A chaotic airflow and wind pressure exploded outwards, spreading in all directions and kicking up a hazy cloud of dust.
"Stinking brat, just die!"
"Stupid pig, you're the one who should surrender!"
"Hmph, hurr-hurr... Since you don't want a quick death, I'll crush you bit by bit!"
"Stop with the jokes, you're making me laugh my head off!"
"..."
Subsequently, the two, one wielding a long katana and the other a steel fork, engaged in a fierce battle, giving their all.
The incessant clanging of metal on metal filled the air.
For Cross, Shusui was heavy and tough, perfect for harnessing his strength. Thus, each of his sword strikes was like a spear or halberd, or a whip or heavy hammer, clashing head-on with Reepel's steel fork without any hesitation.
Reepel, furthermore, was blinded by rage, believing his previous fall was merely a momentary oversight. He wanted to defeat Cross with overwhelming power, so he too did not shy away from a direct confrontation with Cross.
Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang!
Neither gave way. They clashed head-on repeatedly, their immense power shattering the ground. Even the air vibrated, producing visible ripples.
After five consecutive clashes, Reepel felt his hands, gripping the steel fork, go numb from Cross's strength. His tiger's mouth (the web between thumb and forefinger) felt like it was about to split, which genuinely startled him.
"What immense strength!" Reepel exclaimed in shock, thinking, "If this keeps up, the steel fork will be cut off!"
However, it was this momentary distraction from Reepel that Cross seized upon. The speed of Shusui in his hand increased threefold, sweeping past Reepel's steel fork like a phantom and directly cutting into his chest.
Fortunately, Reepel reacted in time, quickly shielding his chest with Armament Haki. The blade of Shusui slid across his shining black chest, sparking a continuous shower of fire and only cutting off a few chest hairs, but it still sent him flying.
"Good thing you're quick on your feet!" Cross grunted unhappily, then stepped forward again, pursuing him.
At this point, Reepel had crashed over a dozen meters away and then scrambled back up. While wincing and rubbing his aching chest, he adjusted his stance to face the impending attack.
Bang, bang, bang, bang...
Suddenly, muffled gunshots rang out, making Cross abruptly halt.
Bullets, flying from an unknown direction, possessed immense power, blowing off the heads of the stone knights guarding Moratos one after another, sending stone fragments flying and raising clouds of dust.
"Cough, cough, cough..." Moratos, lying on the ground, accidentally inhaled some of the flying stone dust, uncontrollably coughing. Yet, his face couldn't help but reveal excitement.
In a flash, all six stone knights guarding Moratos had their heads blown off. Only their intact bodies remained, but they all fell backward stiffly, crashing heavily onto the ground with a rumbling sound.
"Brother, they're all dealt with!"
"Brother, quickly save the useless Moratos!"
At this moment, two scrawny, disheveled figures with sharp faces ran out from the ruins of a house to the side. One wore a black robe and wielded two pistols. The other wore a gray robe and held a rifle longer than a typical flintlock.
"The Three-Gun Freaks, the brothers Alec and Yorick!" Cross recognized the newcomers, softly muttering to himself, "They arrived quite fast. No wonder I kept feeling like someone was watching me!"
The brothers Alec and Yorick dashed to Moratos's side like a gust of wind. After glancing up at Cross, they hoisted Moratos and ran, without even firing a few shots at Cross.
"General Reepel, quickly! This Marine brat is the monster who killed Gecko Moria!" Yorick, wearing a gray robe, gripped his custom-made rifle, covering his brother Alec and Moratos as they left, while also warning Reepel.
Hearing Yorick's words, Reepel's eyes turned fierce, and a hint of anger appeared on his rough boar-like face. He fumed, "Damn it, so what if he killed Moria? Do I care?!"
"Rise—"
With that, Reepel reversed his grip on the steel fork, plunging it into the ground with both hands. Then, he suddenly exerted force, prying up a large chunk of earth and rock from the ground, which whizzed through the air towards Cross.
Cross's expression remained unchanged. He raised his hand and slashed with his sword, and the sharp blade energy split the several-meter-wide chunk of earth and rock in two. They then crashed on either side of him with a rumbling sound, kicking up clouds of dust.
However, when Cross looked at Reepel again, he found that the opponent had transformed back into his giant boar form and was retreating with a rumble, rumble.
"This guy..." Seeing this, Cross felt a mix of exasperation and amusement. He didn't expect this seemingly wild and reckless guy to actually have a bit of cunning.
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