When Tatsuki reappeared, he was shockingly right in front of Redfield.
He raised Zangetsu high overhead. His highly compressed, jet-black Armament Haki, substantial as matter, coiled around the blade's edge.
This was not Conqueror's Haki Infusion. Rather, it was a pseudo-infusion he formed by leveraging Zangetsu's unique properties to condense his Haki to its extreme. Its destructive power, however, was already comparable.
The black blade, carrying an unmatched ferocity, slashed at Redfield's head.
Faced with this earth-shattering slash, a crack finally appeared in Redfield's eternally aloof expression.
He did not retreat, he simply raised the elegant red umbrella in his hand forward. There was no world-shaking roar, only a piercing screech like tearing cloth.
The jet-black edge of Zangetsu, wreathed in terrifying Haki, came to an abrupt halt in mid-air, less than an inch from the surface of Redfield's red umbrella.
Between them, it was as if an invisible, transparent barrier existed.
Zzzz—
Countless thick bolts of black and red lightning frantically sprouted and exploded in that one-inch gap. It was the most primitive, most savage battle between two Conqueror's Hakis.
The next second, the energy accumulated to its limit erupted violently.
BOOM!
A spherical, pure-white shockwave erupted from the point of collision between their weapons, spreading outwards.
The boiling sea beneath their feet was forcibly pressed down by this unmatched repulsive force, creating a massive concave pit over a hundred meters in diameter.
The rolling dark clouds above were instantly torn apart, revealing a huge circular hole. The bright moonlight poured straight down, like a spotlight shining on these two monsters.
Thud! Thud!
Tatsuki was forced back two steps in the air, the power of the Storm-Storm Fruit instantly stabilizing his posture.
Beneath Redfield's feet, his small boat groaned under unbearable strain. The force transmitted through his feet pressed it several feet deeper into the sea surface.
"Ugh..."
A very faint grunt escaped Redfield's throat. Those crimson eyes were now filled with gravity.
"This density of Haki... this unbelievable speed..."
He looked up, a trace of deep puzzlement towards an unknown monster in his elegant tone.
"Since when did the Marines produce a monster like you?"
...
The Conqueror's Haki of Redfield and Tatsuki collided violently, instantly alerting Kuzan, Borsalino, and Sakazuki at the G-5 Base.
The three of them stood up abruptly from the table, their expressions changing as they sensed the world-destroying aura coming from the distant sea.
"Haki of this intensity..." Sakazuki's face was filled with solemnity, it was a level of power he had never felt before.
"Yeah. The money I just got hasn't even warmed up yet, and I already have to work overtime."
Borsalino took off his sunglasses and wiped them slowly, but the lenses couldn't hide the sharp golden light dancing in his eyes. In the next instant, he turned into a beam of golden light, tearing through the night sky and shooting toward the battlefield first.
"Ara... this commotion, a formidable guest has arrived."
Kuzan exhaled a cold white mist, and a path of crystal-clear ice quickly condensed under his feet, carrying him as he slid away at high speed.
Sakazuki snorted in anger, and the magma beneath his feet erupted with a roar, turning him into a human cannonball as he soared into the sky and charged straight for the battlefield.
...
When the three arrived, they saw the explosive moment where Tatsuki's black blade slashed down in fury, clashing with Redfield's red umbrella.
The terrifying shockwave tore a bottomless crater into the seawater beneath them.
"So full of energy." Borsalino's sleazy, drawn-out tone echoed above the battlefield.
In the next instant, a barrage of light bullets poured down, indiscriminately covering all of Redfield's room to evade.
Yasakani no Magatama!
Almost simultaneously, Sakazuki's roar came from high above, "Great Eruption!"
A giant magma fist, even larger than a warship, trailed a long wake of black smoke as it smashed down toward Redfield.
The scorching high temperature even caused the air to distort.
Kuzan's figure followed closely behind, pressing both hands onto the sea surface.
Ice Age!
The extremely cold frost swept out in a fan shape, instantly freezing the entire sea area and even enveloping all the aftershocks of the light and fire attacks, forming an inescapable cage of interwoven ice and fire.
Facing the thunderous combined attack of these three future Admirals, even Redfield showed a hint of surprise on his face.
The red umbrella in his hand danced into a dazzling blur of afterimages, and with every nonchalant swing, he precisely parried those lethal attacks.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
The ice beneath his feet was pierced by light beams and melted by magma, yet he was always able to move unharmed, his figure flickering and unpredictable.
"Hmph, truly noisy flies."
Redfield twisted his body eerily in mid-air, dodging Sakazuki's pursuit, and with a flick of his umbrella tip, he actually reflected a golden light beam back with precision.
"Don't underestimate us!" Sakazuki roared, as more magma fists crashed down like a rainstorm.
Seeing this, Tatsuki grinned, and his figure disappeared amidst the sound of a sonic boom.
Tensa Zangetsu drew a pitch-black arc of death, slashing fiercely toward Redfield's neck from another direction.
A cold light flashed in Redfield's crimson eyes.
He felt the pressure.
The Marine before him had sharp Haki, fierce swordsmanship, and even more inconceivable speed.
And the three next to him—light, magma, and ice—had troublesome abilities, and their coordination had a natural, seamless quality.
"Four people joining forces... you've certainly given me a massive surprise."
Redfield's tone was no longer relaxed as his figure suddenly shot upward. The red umbrella in his hand thrust out rapidly, its tip drawing a thin blood-colored line in the air, pointing straight at Tatsuki's throat.
Clang!
The collision between the Zanpakuto and the umbrella tip erupted in an ear-piercing shriek.
"How scary. Four against one, you're really bullying me."
Amidst Borsalino's mockery, a laser beam silently shot toward Redfield's ankle.
Redfield's figure was forced to pause. In that split second of hesitation, Sakazuki's magma and Kuzan's ice blades had already sealed off his retreat from both sides.
Boom! Crack!
Redfield swung his umbrella to block Tatsuki's slash while twisting his body to an incredible angle to dodge Sakazuki's magma fist, but his left arm was grazed by Kuzan's ice blade, leaving a shallow bloodstain.