"So now, is it an offense-defense switch?"
Mai Hime showed a playful smile, but the 'Seimasun Hime' in her hand was merciless, fiercely swinging out a swirling sword wind that sounded like a divine bird's cry!
"Phoenix Song!"
"Damn it... Tiger Malign Wind!"
Fleming gritted his teeth and countered with a flying slash, but this time the 'Tiger' was completely crushed by the 'Phoenix', and the swirling sword wind continued to slash towards Fleming with undiminished force!
He had no choice but to quickly jump onto another stone, but at that moment, a violent tremor came from a distance, and Fleming was thrown to the ground as soon as he landed.
"Damn it... what kind of monsters are fighting in the distance! Can't Master Moria deal with a young punk quickly?" The sword light, rapidly approaching from far away, interrupted Fleming's thoughts. He desperately wielded his cursed sword, blocking Mai Hime's continuous slashes.
The situation had completely reversed.
Fleming was already slower than Mai Hime, and now his chest was heavily wounded, causing his combat power to rapidly decline.
He felt his hands, wielding the cursed sword, becoming increasingly heavy, and his occasional counterattacks were easily avoided by the opponent, while his own wounds accumulated.
If this continued, he would truly be done for!
Fleming gritted his teeth and made up his mind, gathering all his strength to unleash a wide-range horizontal slash, forcing Mai Hime to jump back and avoid it.
Just as Mai Hime was about to pursue, she suddenly noticed that the opponent had stopped in place, and the cursed sword he held horizontally began to emit an eerie purple mist.
"Right, now that looks like a cursed sword,"
Mai Hime muttered under her breath.
Although the visual effect was impressive, she wasn't about to give the enemy time to transform. She held 'Seimasun Hime' level with her eyes, its tip pointing at Fleming's throat, then she pushed off with her feet and charged forward!
Thornbird Stab!
The dazzling blade light, stretched into a straight line, stabbed directly at Fleming but was forced to stop two meters in front of him.
Mai Hime felt as if she had fallen into an invisible quicksand, the air around her feeling like a viscous gel. Fleming, opposite her, finally opened his eyes, his formerly black pupils now golden vertical slits, and his entire body was shrouded in dense purple smoke!
"...You've waited long enough, Imp Possession."
Mai Hime was startled. At this moment, Fleming was filled with the ominous aura identical to 'Cursed Sword Man-Tiger Calamity'. She desperately swung 'Seimasun Hime' in her hand, forcibly cleaving a rift in the almost solidified air around her, then leaped several times to a distant spot.
"What a troublesome woman, do you know how much this move costs me?" Fleming looked annoyed, gripping his sword with one hand and fiercely swinging it towards Mai Hime in the distance!
"Tiger Malign Wind: Vicious Cry Great Demon!!"
Like a raging hurricane, followed by violent tearing! The fierce wind pressure carried by Fleming's flying slash was dyed an ominous purple, accompanied by grotesque cries and roars, directly destroying the giant rock where Mai Hime stood!
And Mai Hime, with her swift movements, had already escaped to another location. A loud bang occasionally exploded in the sky, and the ground beneath her continued to tremble, and it seemed to be getting worse! But Mai Hime could no longer afford to be distracted, because the man opposite her had become much more threatening.
"You made me waste a full 300 imps!"
Fleming now resembled a fierce tiger demon, thick purple smoke enveloped his entire body, and only his golden, fierce eyes stared intently at Mai Hime: "You damned woman, I'll cut your tendons and hamstrings later, then slowly torture you..."
Mai Hime's expression grew cold: "Imps?" She had a bad feeling.
"Hehehehe... An ignorant woman! Don't you know about imps?" Fleming said with a sinister, mocking laugh: "This 'Cursed Sword Man-Tiger Calamity' of mine was originally sealed in Tiger Yin Mountain, the lair of the Happo Navy. The local legend is false, there was no tiger demon at all, only a sword demon entangled by a 'cursed sword'!"
"That person was enchanted by the cursed sword, wantonly slaughtering the surrounding villagers. Each person killed would turn into an imp and be absorbed into the sword! Each imp could transform into an invisible sword qi to help the master defend against enemies! The first leader of the Happo Navy, Great Monk Reiin, fought that sword demon for seven days and seven nights, finally exhausting the imps in the sword. The sword demon died, and the great monk was also gravely injured and never recovered. Before his death, he instructed the next leader to seal this cursed sword, hehe, what a waste of natural resources!"
The rock beneath Mai Hime's feet completely crumbled with the violent tremors. She leaped onto another rock and said coldly: "Then you stole this cursed sword?"
"Why should such a treasure lie forever lonely in the Seal Sword Pavilion?" The 'Man-Tiger Calamity' in Fleming's hand vibrated, as if echoing his words: "After I obtained this sword, I escaped to the Grand Line. There was no other way; after killing so many Happo Navy members, Don Chinjao wanted to kill me! Finally, I hid with Master Moria, and the great master generously opened his doors to me! Under my master's command, I can freely collect imps! But you, this vile woman, actually forced me to use all my imps to transform into this 'Imp Possession'..."
"I know you're stalling for time. Do you think this transformation of mine has a time limit? Yes, it does, but it's enough for me to slowly mutilate and then kill you, picking your tendons and hamstrings one by one!"
Fleming let out a wicked laugh.
Mai Hime, however, felt a pang of sorrow. Not for herself, but for Fleming. In their previous battles, she could sense that even though he was somewhat unscrupulous in combat, he was still a swordsman of integrity. But at this moment, he was completely enthralled by the cursed sword, having entirely transformed into the 'sword demon' he spoke of.
There was no longer a person named Fleming.
Mai Hime sheathed 'Seimasun Hime' and slowly walked towards Fleming, stopping less than 5 meters from him, adopting a drawing stance.
"Oh? Giving up, are we? Good, since you're so obedient, I'll make you feel ecstatic~"
Fleming spewed vulgarities, but his 'Man-Tiger Calamity' was also sheathed, and he took a drawing stance.
It seemed both parties had the same idea—to decide the outcome with a draw technique.
Time passed second by second, and suddenly! A violent fluctuation exploded in the sky!
Both moved simultaneously!
"Tiger Calamity: Imp Chaos Great Demon!!"
"Moonlit Ougi: Perfected Bird."
The surging sword wind transformed into a monstrously roaring, huge, wailing ghost face, but before it could fully form, it was illuminated by a perfectly circular, exquisitely beautiful ring of sword light! With a clear, echoing chime, the wailing, struggling ghost face melted like spring snow, transforming into hundreds of serene faces that scattered with the wind.
Fleming, who had remained motionless in his sword-swinging posture, suddenly gushed blood and fell to the ground. The cursed sword 'Man-Tiger Calamity' in his hand let out a desperate shriek before shattering into pieces, forever vanishing from this world!
Mai Hime lightly exhaled, flicking her sword to shake off the lingering purple aura, and slowly sheathed 'Seimasun Hime'.
The Perfected Bird, also implying 'exorcism'.
Battle of the Eastern Garden Plaza in the Ruined Bell-Ringing Village—
—Victor, Mai Hime.
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