Two beams of light clashed continuously in the sky, their sword flashes sparking violently with each collision.
Slashes scattered across the heavens, tearing the sky apart piece by piece.
Rosinante had drawn his sword again to fight Golden Lion, aiming to lure him away.
Since fists weren't suited for long-range attacks, Rosinante had to keep a certain distance from Golden Lion, drawing him into pursuit. In these circumstances, sword attacks were more efficient than punches for keeping distance.
As the battle raged on, the two combatants soared higher and higher, eventually surpassing tens of thousands of meters in altitude. Finally, under Rosinante's guidance, they stopped on a massive cloud island.
"Jahaha! So this is the grave you've dug for yourself?" Golden Lion laughed.
With his keen insight, Golden Lion knew Rosinante had deliberately led him here.
But even knowing this, Golden Lion wasn't concerned. After all, he was the Golden Lion.
In his view, with enough strength, any trick or strategy was paper-thin. Even if Rosinante had set an ambush here, his abilities ensured he had nothing to fear.
Whether Rosinante would send forces to attack Stronghold afterward was certain, but to Golden Lion, nothing was more important than chasing him.
No one understood Rosinante's potential better than Golden Lion, who had personally experienced his terror firsthand. Even Cantel could sense Rosinante's potential, so Golden Lion knew full well the threat he posed.
Confident in his subordinates' abilities, Golden Lion was certain that even if Gray Nation intervened, his Flying Sky Pirates could handle it.
"This is the grave I've prepared for you. As someone who rules the seas from the skies, shouldn't you die here, in the air?" Rosinante said with a grin.
"Jahaha! If you want my life, try and take it! But most who seek my life already lie in their graves. So you lie down first!" Golden Lion replied, charging at Rosinante with both swords swinging.
"Don't lump me in with those scraps, Golden Lion Shiki. Today, I'll take your head!" Rosinante became a streak of light, rushing at Golden Lion with his long sword.
Through continuous battle, Rosinante felt his swordsmanship improving at an astonishing pace.
Before the fight, his skill was that of a junior swordmaster. Now, he had advanced to mid-level swordmaster—and was stepping toward high-level mastery.
He recalled Rayleigh's teaching: once one reaches the swordmaster stage, the foundations have been corrected. By solidifying these fundamentals through practice, mastery can be secured.
But advancing further required life-or-death battles against stronger opponents—a level of experience Rosinante couldn't gain from sparring with Rayleigh alone.
Golden Lion was a rare opponent whose strength allowed Rosinante to rapidly improve through combat.
Emboldened, Rosinante relentlessly clashed swords with Golden Lion.
"In such a short time, your swordsmanship has improved greatly. Impressive, little one, but that makes it impossible to let you live!" Golden Lion growled, intensifying his attacks. Slashes rained down like an unstoppable torrent.
"I should thank you for that—you've accelerated my growth in swordsmanship. In return, I'll use this sword to take your head!" Rosinante retorted.
His long sword flashed rapidly, cutting through incoming attacks before dashing toward Golden Lion.
"Limit Sky-Crushing Slash!" Rosinante slashed from above, the sword's energy coalescing into a massive blade-shaped surge of sword qi aimed at Golden Lion.
He had used this technique against Charlotte Linlin before, but now, as a mid-level swordmaster, its power was incomparably greater.
Previously, against Linlin, he wasn't even a swordmaster, so the blade's sharpness and density didn't match a true swordmaster's.
Now, the sword qi, imbued with immense sharpness and power, cut through the air like a blade that could sever metal and stone.
"Lion's Might—Imperial Ground Scroll!" Golden Lion exclaimed as he witnessed the towering blade of sword qi.
Infinite sword qi slashed out, forming a lion's head that collided with Rosinante's massive sword-shaped surge.
"Boom! Boom!" The two forces exploded on impact, shaking the entire sky.
The immense cloud layers and the solid cloud island were shredded by the violent sword qi.
The explosion gradually subsided, revealing the two combatants, faces serious, assessing each other.
"Quite messy, little one. Didn't you say you wanted my life? Not possible this way!" Golden Lion panted, showing several wounds from the clash. Even for him, the attack had posed a genuine threat.
"Heh… you're the same—breathing heavily and bleeding. Golden Lion, looks like you're getting old; even this attack can hurt you. Doesn't match the legendary Golden Lion!" Rosinante taunted.
Rosinante himself was pale, clothes tattered, and breathing heavily. His wounds were hidden by his injury-sealing technique, but in truth, he was more injured than Golden Lion.
Hearing this, veins bulged on Golden Lion's forehead.
"Little one, you'll regret that!" Golden Lion roared, charging at Rosinante once again with deadly speed.