Alucard dropped from the throne, landing in a position level with Zephyr and Sakazuki.
The three stood opposite each other. Suddenly, Sakazuki took a step, not forward, but backward. As he pulled away, he clenched his fists and aimed them at Alucard, firing a barrage of fist- shaped magma like a rocket launcher.
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
The magma fists pierced through several parts of Alucard's body, which instantly healed.
Zephyr charged forward at the same time, unleashing a fierce punch. Alucard met it with a punch of his own. The two fists collided, and the massive force sent the surrounding corpses flying wildly.
"Hmm?"
A sound of confusion escaped Alucard's throat. After landing that blow, Zephyr didn't press his advantage. Instead, he retreated a few steps and switched to a long-range attack with Shigan.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
Alucard swiftly drew his white handgun, Casull. A blue light shimmered from the barrel, clashing with Zephyr's Shigan and creating a series of explosive reverberations in the air.
"So you're playing it safe to prevent my regeneration?" Alucard mused as he drew his other black pistol, Jackal.
In just three moves, he had already noticed a change in Zephyr and Sakazuki's fighting styles— they were completely different from before.
They used to fight in a no-holds-barred, all-out style, seizing every opportunity to attack. After the recent clash of fists, Zephyr should have followed up with a strike from his other hand. Yet, he had inexplicably chosen to retreat and use a long-range attack with Shigan, a strategy that was clearly not his usual style.
"Hmph!"
Zephyr offered no explanation. Hardening both arms with Armament Haki, he shot forward like a bolt of lightning.
CLANG!
Two immense forces collided again as Alucard's Armament Haki-covered fist struck Zephyr's.
Seizing the opportunity, Sakazuki transformed his body into magma and moved along the ground. When he reached Alucard's feet, he suddenly burst out of the magma. One of his hands, now several times its original size and covered in lava, lunged forward.
"Great Eruption!!"
Alucard was still locked in a stalemate with Zephyr, so Sakazuki's surprise attack should have landed instantly.
But it didn't. As he emerged halfway, he felt something block his magma-covered hand. He focused his gaze and saw a massive black dog head clamped down on his arm with its teeth, preventing him from moving even an inch.
"To be able to hit me, an elemental user, that's no ordinary dog, is it?" Although he had seen it years ago, it was still shocking to see something without Haki or a Seastone coating hit an elemental body.
"ROAR!!"
Baskerville roared, its entire body emerging from the pool of blood. With immense force, it flung Sakazuki away, sending him crashing into a wall.
WHOOSH!
Alucard didn't give Zephyr a moment to breathe. A comically large broadsword appeared in his other hand. He swept it horizontally, forcing Zephyr back a step, then swung his now-free left hand around, hitting Zephyr in the chest.
A powerful shockwave erupted from the point of impact on Zephyr's chest. But this time, Zephyr didn't retreat. Instead, he used both hands to grab Alucard's attacking arm.
"Is that Haki you're coating it with?" Alucard squinted. "Hmph!"
A deep growl rumbled in Zephyr's throat. He executed an over-the-shoulder throw, slamming Alucard hard onto the ground.
"Rankyaku!"
Even after throwing Alucard, Zephyr kept a firm grip on his arm. He then unleashed another Rokushiki technique on his downed opponent.
The light and destructive power of the Rankyaku burst forth, decimating the entire palace. Even the Marines handling the ghouls throughout Arderay Street couldn't help but turn their heads toward the palace.
A Marine rookie who understood Zephyr's fighting style stared at the scene, shocked. "That's Zephyr-sensei's… Does this mean the battle has begun?"
ROAR!
Suddenly, a ghoul seized the opportunity, tackling the Marine and biting his neck. Another Marine nearby, witnessing the scene, suppressed his grief and immediately shot and killed his comrade.
After a short period of fighting, they had learned the characteristics of ghouls: if a person was bitten and not stopped, they would become one of them. It was better to kill their companion in pain before they could turn.
Meanwhile, on the palace battlefield, the opulent structure was almost completely leveled, as if it had been hit by a natural disaster.
Gloog, gloog… "I don't get it…"
The blood pool swelled, and the blood coalesced back into Alucard's body. "You came to fight me with this little bit of strength? You should have at least gathered the same strength as at
Torabia to face me. Isn't that right?"
"I didn't come to kill you, I came to capture you."
Zephyr took a fighting stance. "I'm known as 'the Admiral who never kills.' Even if your sins reach the heavens, I won't kill you. In fact, that would be far too easy for you."
"Oh… Isn't that a bit of an overstatement?"
In an instant, Alucard appeared directly in front of Zephyr, throwing a punch.
Zephyr met it with a palm block, but the feeling on his hand felt off. He realized that what was pressing against his palm wasn't a fist, but the muzzle of a gun!
'He switched weapons mid-attack, and I didn't even see it!' Zephyr's eyebrow twitched. "Bye~~" Alucard said in English.
"Tekkai!"
Zephyr hardened his body to the peak of human density. A gunshot rang out, and a drop of blood trickled from his palm.
Alucard didn't stop there. He kicked off the ground with immense force, pushing Zephyr's much bulkier body forward. They crashed through countless walls without stopping.