With Kuina, now transformed into a blade, in his hands, Zoro tested the weight and grip, it felt exactly the same as when he used Wado Ichimonji before.
Then Kuina's voice echoed inside his mind.
"Don't just stand there, Zoro! The monster's coming!"
"Kuina?" Zoro muttered in confusion.
Her voice snapped back, anxious and urgent:
"Yes, it's me! Now move! Dodge!"
In an instant, the monster was upon him, one of its arms raised high and swinging down like an axe.
Zoro spun around and sprinted away, narrowly avoiding the blow.
The monster's strike carved a massive two-meter trench into the ground, its power undeniable.
Seeing the destruction it caused, Zoro finally relaxed a little.
"This one's nothing like the monster in my dream. I thought I was dead for sure."
The creature was dangerous, yes, but not invincible.
If there was even the slightest chance of victory, that was enough for Zoro.
Missing its mark, the beast roared and lunged after Zoro like a starving animal chasing prey.
Its heavy, thunderous footsteps grew closer with each second.
Zoro gripped his sword tighter.
The monster lunged again, its nine blade-like arms raised into a massive arc, trapping Zoro in a deadly fan of steel.
Just as the blades descended, Zoro raised Wado Ichimonji above his head.
Each strike sliced through the air with a roar of pressure.
But Zoro wasn't overwhelmed. His instincts kicked in, he stepped onto one blade mid-swing, pushed off with his leg, and vaulted left, narrowly dodging the rest of the slashes.
However, with nine arms in constant motion, the monster's first strike had already reset by the time Zoro dodged the last.
Still mid-air, with nowhere to evade, Zoro crossed his blade in front of his chest.
The next blow crashed into his guard, creating a massive shockwave that scattered stones and dust.
Zoro used the force of the impact to launch himself backward, landing in a tumble before rolling hard across the ground.
Panting, he sprang to his feet and readied himself again.
The monster was relentless.
Its blade-arms slammed down like mountains, each slash colder and more bone-chilling than the last.
Zoro swung desperately, parrying strike after strike in a blinding blur of steel.
CLANG!
After another powerful clash, Zoro used the opening to widen the gap between them.
Beads of sweat lined his forehead, his face tight with concentration.
"This can't go on," he thought grimly. "The rhythm of the fight is all in its favor. I can't land a single clean hit like this..."
Brushing the sweat from his brow, Zoro raised his blade again.
Then Kuina's voice echoed once more in his mind.
"Zoro, stop relying on brute force!"
Her words brought a strange calm to his heart.
"No brute force... That's right!"
Zoro suddenly remembered something his teacher Koushirou had once said.
Back when he first joined Isshin Dojo, he'd asked a naïve question:
"Sensei, is it true that some swordsmen can cut through iron like butter?"
He remembered how Koushirou had tried to demonstrate by slicing a falling sheet of paper.
But the wind pressure from his swing made the paper drift out of the blade's path.
Then the teacher said quietly:
"There exists a kind of swordsman in this world who can cut through nothing, and yet cut through iron like silk."
"To me, the 'strongest sword' is one that protects what it must and cuts only what it needs to. Nothing more."
Those words echoed in his mind.
Zoro thought of why he came here...
Leaving behind Isshin Dojo, Kuina's home, sailing off into the unknown with Luffy, letting himself be stabbed by his own captain...
What was it all for?
He remembered Koushirou's unwavering guidance.
He remembered that night under the moon, when he and Kuina had made their shared promise.
He remembered Luffy's simple words:
"I can make you stronger."
And how he'd followed without hesitation.
Zoro slowly lifted his head.
His eyes now shimmered with a faint red glow, darker than blood and fiercer than flame.
They were terrifying.
Even more so than the monster.
But the beast didn't give him time to rest.
The sky was still dark.
The ground was still cracked and dim.
This silent hellscape now echoed with the sharp clang of blades.
Zoro met each of the monster's attacks, again, and again, and again.
Finally, after another furious volley, Zoro saw his opening.
He sheathed his blade.
"Ittoryu Secret Technique, Iaijutsu!"
A flash of green light tore through the air.
In an instant, Zoro vanished from in front of the monster... and appeared behind it.
Wado Ichimonji slid smoothly back into its sheath.
Ssst,
A thin red line formed on the monster's left leg. Blood burst forth in a stream.
Still, the monster didn't flinch.
It turned slowly, wounded but unfazed.
It seemed to sense that Zoro was near his limit.
Taking one step back, it raised all nine blades to shoulder height.
Each one glowed with a deadly red aura, then surged forward, aimed directly at Zoro's back.
Zoro remained still, unmoving, facing away.
He seemed lost in the aftermath of his last attack, unresponsive.
Closer and closer the monster came.
Its injury didn't slow it.
The blades were about to pierce Zoro's flesh,
Just then, Zoro turned.
His eyes snapped open.
And in that moment, the red glow in his pupils seemed to pierce the very fabric of the world.
The black fog overhead scattered.
The cracked earth healed.
The moon rose high in a clear night sky.
The repaired ground sprouted fresh green grass, swaying gently in the breeze.
The world had changed.
Only the crimson blades and Zoro remained frozen in the final moment before the clash.
Zoro bent his knees, drawing Wado Ichimonji upright along his right side.
The tip of the sheath pointed behind his left leg, one hand gripping the scabbard, the other poised on the hilt.
"I never understood Sensei's words. But I do know this, my swordsmanship is all about never giving up!"
Zoro's crimson eyes widened.
A wild, fearless grin stretched across his face.
"I can see it! I can feel it! The breath of the wind... the breath of the grass... and your breath too!"
"This is it, the power to cut through steel!"
"Ittoryu, Iaijutsu, Shishi Sonson!"
Zoro and the monster passed each other like phantoms.
Time seemed to pause.
Crack... crack... CRASH!
The monster's nine arms shattered into fragments, falling like confetti to the grass.
SPLURT!
A geyser of blood sprayed from its waist.
Its body split cleanly in two, and both halves dropped to the ground.
Moments later, the monster's corpse vanished without a trace.
Left in its place... was a single sword.
Black hilt.
Black sheath.
==========
You can find much more on my Patreon: Patreon.com/Veltoria
There are currently 5 active fanfictions on Patreon, with over 269+ advanced chapters available across them!
From Naruto Onwards, I Control Time — Up to Chapter 220
Haikyuu!!: Rise of Sengoku — Up to Chapter 134
Danmachi: Is It Wrong To Aspire to Be An Adventurer? — Up to Chapter 68
Legend of Hogwarts (Harry Potter x League of Legends) — Up to Chapter 66
I Am Luffy: Partner System Online (One Piece) — Up to Chapter 49