"Earth Roll. The Yellow Sand's Absolute Silence Slash!" After a fierce battle and suffering several broken ribs, Rosen finally unleashed his full power to break through Charles's bodily defenses, causing an endless stream of sand to surge into his body.
The sword, imbued with dominance, struck a solid target, and a cold smile appeared at the corner of Rosen's mouth, but it quickly froze. For Charles suddenly grabbed his hand, and Rosen hurriedly severed his arm, turning it to sand. However, with this severance, he could no longer control the yellow sand sword he held.
The sand was instantly corroded by black mist, but it didn't matter; as long as it exploded, shattering Charles's body, Rosen would have achieved his goal. Yet, just before the sand could burst forth, Charles split himself into fragments, like a photograph being torn apart by invisible hands and the pieces scattered into the air.
Boom!
The gathered sand erupted, scattering chaotically, yet it could not harm Charles. He manipulated his body into a phantom state, shattering himself and dispersing in all directions, which caused the sand to stab out but only into the air. This maneuver was akin to an early elemental transformation.
Although Rosen was surprised, he was not shocked; such a possibility had been anticipated. He leaped into the air, performing a moon step into the sky, and instantly unleashed a sandstorm filled with stars. The area covered by the sandstorm shrank, concentrating in one area, continuously bombarding Charles with a deluge of yellow sand sword strikes.
However, Rosen knew that such attacks would have little effect, merely serving to annoy Charles and buy him a bit of reaction time. Sure enough, before the great sword could finish falling, Charles reformed his body and shot up like a missile aimed at the sky. His resilient magical form brutally smashed through the yellow sand swords while continuing to strike at Rosen, seemingly enraged by Rosen's previous dangerous blow.
This strike not only darkened the mist but also produced a clear rumble, not from thunder, but from the gathering shockwaves causing a booming sound.
Boom!
He unleashed a palm strike from a distance, sending a crescent-shaped shockwave rushing toward Rosen, whose expression changed drastically, as this shockwave nearly covered the entire sky, leaving him nowhere to escape.
"Sand Copper Barrier!" The surrounding yellow sand frantically gathered, forming a shield in an instant. The shockwave crashed into it, creating a massive explosion in the air, and countless grains of yellow sand were blasted away. After releasing one shockwave, Charles was not satisfied and unleashed another black mist shockwave, accompanied by a deafening roar, sending Rosen's figure flying against a distant wall.
Rosen spat out a mouthful of blood, his skin torn in multiple places, blood flowing, and the black mist threatened to corrode into his wounds. This startled Rosen, as it seemed that five years ago, when Lantis had undergone a shocking transformation, those who had wounds were the first to be infected.
Rosen prepared to remove the necrotic flesh from his injuries, but suddenly a burst of active light particles emanated from the wound, and he saw the black mist dissolve like ice. This surprised Rosen; could this activity also cleanse the black mist from his body? Then he no longer needed to be as cautious as before, as the matter of infection made him hesitant to directly contact Charles.
But now, he could unleash his full power, even if he felt he might not be able to defeat this monster, the thrill of this deadly race was still quite interesting.
Bang!
Rosen slammed his palm against the wall, pulling his body embedded in it free, only to find Charles attacking right in front of him.
It seemed Charles was indeed different from other monsters; not only did it seize opportunities, but it was also incredibly skilled, allowing its power to be fully realized. "Finger Gun. Fist Fury." Rosen was undaunted, adrenaline surging; since his battle with Bam, he had rarely felt such intense fighting spirit, not even when fighting the Ghost Spider.
Bang! The demon claws struck, and his fist exploded, producing a shockwave that blasted a deep pit dozens of meters into the wall behind Rosen. He was knocked back several steps; had he not just completed a task that doubled his bodily defenses, this blow might have broken his arm.
"Sandstorm Burial!"
"Hurricane Sandstorm!"
Taking advantage of his retreat, Rosen pressed his hands against the walls on either side. Rumble! The entire hundred-meter-high wall instantly transformed into a raging sandstorm, rushing towards Charles. The hurricane sandstorm carried immense power, the largest sandstorm Rosen could control with all his might.
Caught off guard, Charles was engulfed by the sandstorm, but without dominance, it couldn't harm the demon form capable of transformation. However, this was merely Rosen's diversion; he reformed a yellow sand great sword in his hands, lurking within the sandstorm, this time aiming for Charles's head.
Just then, a massive black-red sword energy descended from the sky like a colossal axe, directly covering Charles's position. This sword energy was overwhelmingly powerful and immense; if Rosen weren't standing far away, he might have mistaken it for a vast brilliance falling from above.
The sword energy was incredibly sharp, and it bore a sense of danger that made Rosen uneasy, as if it were empowered by a dominant force. Could it harm from a distance? How could that be? Was it a high-level usage of Conqueror's from Wano Country, like flowing cherry blossoms?
Swish!
The sword energy cleaved the ground, and Rosen looked down to see a bottomless fissure spreading beneath him. He quickly moved aside, glancing at the cracked earth, Rosen was slightly taken aback. Who could unleash such sword energy?
Is there someone this powerful in Ming City? Or could it be Lantis?
A tall figure suddenly fell from mid-air, landing beside Rosen while wielding a long sword, the blade crimson as blood, the upper half of the sword's back black. As she landed, a violent wave of Conqueror's Haki swept out, settling the dust.
Charles now bore a gory wound on its demon hand, but as it was an undying monster, as long as its head remained intact, it was not fatal. Moreover, it had many mantis arms behind it to replace the injured ones, so a wound to its arm did not affect its combat power.
"Roar." However, Charles was infuriated, and with a roar, a semicircular shockwave radiated outward from it, toppling dirt and a horde of zombies.
"Seeking death." The tall figure said flatly, her tone devoid of emotion. Rosen couldn't see her face, but her body was incredibly graceful, almost in perfect golden ratio, enough to enchant most male beings.
Her face was painted with camouflage, the dried black-red color resembling the blood of some animal or human. But just then, the shockwave struck, and both of them acted without hesitation.
"Earth Roll. Sandstorm Wave." The sand around Rosen had already linked to the nearby sand, and as the shockwave surged, he directly controlled the sandstorm to crash forward, a magnificent spectacle.
The young woman raised her long sword, delivering a vertical slash, easily unleashing a black-red sword energy. Although it lacked the grandeur of Rosen's attack, its sharpness was evident, and it was fiercely aggressive.
(End of Chapter)