Although he had expected it, the Shimotsuki: Nine Dragon Flash he had just used was still unable to harm Cyrus in the slightest.
Meanwhile, Cyrus looked at his half-health and marveled at how Koshiro had been holding back.
Those countless slashes with Haki-wrapped blades coming from all directions just now must have been some kind of unique technique.
However, Cyrus had already figured it out.
Koshiro was not his match.
Because he had yet to truly use the power of the Flame-Flame Fruit.
Observation Haki plus a Logia Type was an extremely terrifying combination for any opponent.
Hoo!
Cyrus took a deep breath, and all the flames wrapped around his sword receded.
Although it was a bit foolish not to use the power he had, he had come to Koshiro precisely to become a powerhouse without relying on the Flame-Flame Fruit.
Even though the Flame-Flame Fruit's weakness had disappeared due to his datafication, the powerful force of a Logia Type would always tempt one to rely on it.
The famous educator Cornetto once said that Haki is everything.
Although that statement was a bit extreme, it wasn't wrong.
To become a top-tier powerhouse, powerful Haki was indispensable.
It was for this reason that Cyrus had completely restrained the power of the Flame-Flame Fruit.
Seeing Cyrus's action, Koshiro's expression became wary.
The attack just now had consumed a lot of his stamina and Haki.
If it weren't for the numerous spars with Cyrus over the past year, during which his body had recovered a lot of its condition, he really might not have been able to sustain such consumption.
And now, Cyrus's expression and actions made Koshiro sense something.
Whoosh!
Cyrus's figure flashed, and he and his weapon were already close.
He took the initiative to attack, swinging his sword according to his body's instincts, and slashed at Koshiro.
With just this one slash, Koshiro, as a top-tier Master Swordsman, understood Cyrus's intention and swung his sword to meet it.
Their figures flickered and intertwined, and scattered slashes flew out in all directions.
The two engaged in close combat, their Haki-wrapped blades carrying a dangerous aura as they attacked each other.
In terms of pure Swordsmanship, Cyrus was definitely no match for Koshiro right now.
You couldn't expect someone who had just started learning the sword a year ago and had only recently found his own direction in Swordsmanship to defeat a man who had been immersed in it for decades.
But Cyrus had more strength and a greater amount of Haki.
His powerful constitution, or rather, his physique, made Cyrus's physical qualities far superior to Koshiro's.
A sword that only attacked and never defended left Koshiro flustered for a moment.
This guy, is he abandoning all defense, relying on his trait of not getting injured?
Koshiro was speechless.
He felt that Cyrus hadn't learned his Swordsmanship at all; he had never taught this kind of Swordsmanship.
But he had to admit, it suited Cyrus very well.
Meanwhile, Cyrus was constantly monitoring his own health.
In truth, the battle with Koshiro should have ended.
Because Koshiro didn't have a datafied body like him. If he were truly injured too severely, or if a vital point was hit, he would either be gravely wounded or die.
Having been his sparring partner for nearly a year, Cyrus couldn't bring himself to do such a thing.
Right now, Cyrus just wanted to try and reduce his own health to meet the trigger condition for Unyielding.
After all, he would be leaving soon, so he had to thoroughly understand what kind of power he possessed after activating Unyielding.
This way, he would know what to expect when facing powerful opponents in the future.
Koshiro, unaware of all this, thought Cyrus was completely unaffected by his sword and cooperated in reducing Cyrus's health.
10%!
5%!
1%!
[Your health has dropped to its lowest point. Unyielding activated.]
Abruptly, such a prompt appeared before Cyrus's eyes.
Subconsciously, Cyrus raised his left hand.
The incoming Wado Ichimonji was lightly pinched between his left thumb and forefinger.
Abundant Haki, as if uncontrollable, surged out of Cyrus's body, dancing behind him like a cloud of flame.
A terrifying aura oppressed everything around them.
Koshiro, holding Wado Ichimonji, looked in horror at Cyrus, whose aura had suddenly changed.
In his keen Observation Haki perception, Cyrus, who was right in front of him, seemed to have transformed into a terrifying monster.
The horrifying sense of pressure instantly drenched him in a cold sweat.
Cyrus clearly perceived the change in Koshiro's emotions.
He clearly sensed fear from Koshiro.
"It's over!" Cyrus said after releasing his two fingers.
"You?" Koshiro's voice was strained.
The terrifying oppressive feeling from Cyrus made it almost impossible for him to speak.
"My trump card!" Cyrus said as the surging Haki receded, and the extremely oppressive aura from just now vanished.
Koshiro let out a long breath, his eyes filled with shock and confusion as he looked at Cyrus.
He didn't understand what had just happened to Cyrus.
"Ennetsu Jigoku!" Cyrus said softly, stunning Koshiro.
But the next moment, he was sent flying, a scorching wave of heat rushing toward him.
With Cyrus at the center, terrifying flames erupted, surging into the sky.
Cyrus, within the flames, looked as if he were wearing a trench coat made of fire.
The space distorted due to the high temperature.
"Taimatsu!"
BOOM!
A massive Fire Tornado appeared, instantly enveloping half the island.
"Jōkaku Enjō!"
Above the sea, a flaming palm larger than the island itself clasped shut.
The terrifyingly high temperature evaporated the seawater, and in a moment, mist completely shrouded the surrounding sea.
But the hot wind stirred up by the terrifying flames blew the mist away, in a repeating cycle.
"What in the world is this?"
Koshiro retreated again and again, returning to the boat by the shore, his eyes filled with shock as he watched the endless flames that enveloped the island and the sea before him.
"Tenchi Kaijin!"
A voice seemed to ring in his ear, and then, he saw it.
A terrifying slash split half the island!
He couldn't see the true form of that slash, but he saw that the sea had been split open.
The sundered sea could not close, and the surrounding seawater was evaporating.
The water rushing in couldn't keep up with the rate of evaporation.
This terrifying sword scar was expanding.
Until, all the flames receded, and the seawater rolled back to fill the scar.
The churning sea caused the boat under Koshiro's feet to shake violently.
However, Koshiro couldn't be bothered with that now. His gaze was fixed on the center of the island.
In the center of the incinerated island, Cyrus stood quietly.
And the sword in his hand made Koshiro's Observation Haki sense an unprecedented level of terror.
But Cyrus did not unleash that strike.
The terrifying feeling came as quickly as it went.
Then, Cyrus leaped up and landed on the boat.
Koshiro looked at the returning Cyrus, his lips moved, but he said nothing.
"A pity, I didn't unleash the Kyokujitsujin (Rising Sun Blade) I can feel that if I had, En probably wouldn't have been able to withstand it. To unleash that strike, it needs to truly become a black blade."
Cyrus looked somewhat regretful.
"What would happen if you unleashed that strike?" Koshiro asked after a moment of silence.
"That? The island might be destroyed," Cyrus said, turning to look at the island that had been ravaged beyond recognition by his flames.
---------
All his name attack is from Yamamoto shikai and bankai ability.