"Not good!" Perona's face paled as she cried out in alarm.
Although her sharp intuition had already detected Lancelot's sudden, lethal strike, her physical reaction speed was far, far too slow to match his lightning-fast movements.
As the deadly hand blade drew closer and closer, a wave of despair and fear surged in Perona's heart.
"Damn bastard..." Moria roared in fury, but what happened next was utterly unexpected.
He ceased all attempts to block or evade the rain of Rankyaku slashes still cutting at him, resolutely choosing to endure Lancelot's bizarre and unique attack with his own body.
"Doppelman!"
At the same time, Moria's shadow ability was unleashed at full power, creating a staggering spectacle.
The shadow lying quietly at Moria's feet suddenly writhed as if imbued with life.
In the blink of an eye, it shot out like an arrow from a bow, darting straight toward Perona's feet.
"Huh?"
Just as Lancelot's hand blade was a mere centimeter away from the back of Perona's neck, he suddenly felt an irresistible, unseen force tightly restraining his own shadow, rendering his physical body completely immobile in an instant.
Even his fierce attack, on the verge of striking its target, came to an abrupt halt.
This sudden turn of events left Lancelot greatly alarmed.
Yet, what perplexed him most was this: Although he had witnessed the shadow at Moria's feet stirring moments earlier, it hadn't been aimed at him!
So, how had it managed to seize him so firmly in an instant?
Filled with suspicion, Lancelot instinctively glanced downward.
When he saw the situation clearly, his expression instantly turned grave.
That's right—this time, Moria's attack hadn't been directly aimed at him.
On the contrary, Moria first skillfully manipulated his own shadow to make contact with Perona's shadow.
However, Lancelot, in his high-speed Soru approach, had failed to notice that Perona's shadow on the ground had formed an extremely subtle intersection with his own—yes, just that minuscule, almost imperceptible point.
Unexpectedly, this was enough for the cunning Warlord to successfully scheme against him.
"Damn... I let my guard down!"
At that moment, a remarkable change became clearly visible in the three shadows.
Moria had used his Kage Kakumei (Shadow Revolution) to instantly swap his own shadow's position with Lancelot's, binding Lancelot's shadow—and thus his body—in place.
"Kishishishi!" Moria cackled.
Amidst these strange sounds, Perona first let out a long sigh of relief as if a weight had been lifted, then swiftly turned to face the now-frozen Lancelot.
When she witnessed with her own eyes that the terrifyingly fast Marine had been completely subdued by Moria, her trademark "Horohoro" laughter involuntarily surfaced on her face.
Moreover, her laughter seemed to carry a hint of smug satisfaction.
Just then, Moria's lips curled slightly as he subtly shot a glance toward Perona beside him. Understanding his signal, Perona swiftly moved her hands.
"Negative Hollow!" As her clear voice rang out, several ethereal ghost suddenly materialized around her.
These ghosts shot directly toward the trapped Lancelot.
Seeing this, Lancelot's heart tightened abruptly, his pupils contracting to needle-like points.
He knew full well the dire consequences of being struck by these ghosts.
He was acutely aware of the potency of Perona's technique—if those ghosts passed through one's body, the person's mind would instantly plunge into extreme despondency, losing all will to fight, leaving them utterly vulnerable.
Yet, facing such a critical, "law-based" attack, Lancelot showed no trace of fear.
He took a deep breath, tightened his muscles, and suddenly unleashed a terrifying, earth-shattering power.
"Conqueror's Haki!"
With Lancelot's low, authoritative roar, the overwhelmingly powerful spiritual force erupted from his body like a tidal wave, rapidly sweeping in all directions.
The Negative Ghosts faltered in mid-air, their forms wavering and dissipating under the immense pressure.
Moria and Perona froze momentarily, as if time itself had solidified.
Seizing the opportunity, Lancelot snorted coldly.
His own Haki-empowered will shattered Moria's shadow restraint, and he broke free from the bind like an arrow released from its bow.
Immediately after, he drew Sandai Kitetsu from his waist, executing his signature technique.
"One Sword Style: Iaido - Ice Seal Slash!"
In an instant, Lancelot's figure vanished from his original position as if merging with the surrounding air.
The next moment, he reappeared dozens of meters behind Moria, slowly sheathing his blade.
"Thud..."
Accompanied by a dull, wet sound, a vicious and massive wound abruptly appeared on Moria's colossal body.
In an instant, dark blood surged forth like a breached dam, gushing wildly.
Yet, in the very next moment after this shocking spectacle, a piercing chill swept in with lightning speed, swiftly freezing the torrent of blood mid-air.
Thus, a bizarre crimson "crystal" formed over Moria's wound, embedded like a bloody yet exquisite work of art.
This sudden turn of events undoubtedly worsened Moria's already severe injuries.
It must be noted that earlier, to protect Perona, he had withstood Lancelot's devastating Rankyaku: Shigure attack.
Now, with this fresh, freezing wound compounding his old ones, the pain he endured was unimaginable.
"Pfft..."
Another mouthful of scalding blood sprayed from Moria's lips, tracing a tragic arc in the air before splattering on the cold ground, blooming into eerie, enchanting blood flowers.
His once towering and imposing figure now wavered unsteadily, as if on the verge of collapsing at any moment.
"Moria-sama...!" Perona gasped involuntarily at the sight.
Her pretty face was already etched with worry and fear, tears glistening in her eyes, filled with deep concern for Moria's safety.
But before Perona could react further, Lancelot's figure flickered like a phantom, instantly appearing beside her.
Faced with such a formidable enemy at close range, Perona paled in terror.
Yet Lancelot showed no mercy; with a swift swing of his arm, he delivered a sharp, ruthless chop toward the back of her neck.