"I've got you, too!"
As if ignoring the penetrating wound in his chest, Redfield spat out a mouthful of blood but let out a wicked laugh, gripping Aeridar's arm tightly.
"Oh, damn it!" Aeridar stared at his firmly held right arm in shock.
"Crimson Solitude… Cut!"
A brilliant, scarlet blood-light burst forth. The pitch-black long umbrella, carrying the blood-light, flashed lightning-fast towards Aeridar's neck like a decapitating sword, aiming to take his head clean off.
In an instant, every hair on Aeridar's body stood on end. A strong sense of danger washed over him, especially around his neck; he could almost feel the sharpness of the incoming attack.
"Don't you dare!! SHINRA TENSEI!!!"
A powerful surge of repulsion burst from his body. Subtle ripples appeared in the air, acting as a strong repellent force that blocked the long umbrella's deadly arc.
"Die—"
Redfield's face flushed crimson, veins bulging on his forehead and the back of his hand. The pitch-black long umbrella seemed to sink into a quagmire. Its lightning-fast, near-invisible speed slowed down dramatically, but it continued to inch forward relentlessly towards its target.
"Graaargh—"
With a roar.
Pfff!
Blood splattered.
Aeridar stumbled backward, clutching his neck, blood pouring unstoppably from between his fingers.
BOOM!
Redfield was sent flying backward like a cannonball, slamming into the ground and creating a large crater. The powerful force kicked up a cloud of dust, and dozens of cracks radiated outward.
"So close..."
Aeridar had a look of lingering fear on his face. A deep gash, skin and flesh turned inside out and bleeding profusely, ran across his neck, narrowly missing his windpipe.
"Damn it! I almost had him..."
Redfield crawled out of the crater, wiping the blood from the corner of his mouth, and looked at Aeridar not far away with deep resentment.
One was almost killed by his opponent! The other almost killed his opponent!
"Tsk tsk~ What a brutal sight!"
"That power and speed... he's a monster!"
"Damn him!"
Doflamingo, Tesoro, and Enel watched from afar, their expressions varying. But faced with the full-power clash between Aeridar and Redfield, and the blinding speed of the fight, none of the three dared to easily interfere.
Oliver also stumbled over, a shocking sword scar running across his chest, which Doflamingo was now helping to stitch up.
"You really can't afford to relax for a second…"
Aeridar sneered fiercely at Redfield nearby. The muscles in his neck pulsed, and the wound slowly began to heal.
In truth, he hadn't relaxed at all; his guard had been at its peak the moment he saw Redfield restore his youth. He simply hadn't anticipated that his opponent would resort to such a mutually destructive move.
Cough…
Redfield coughed up blood. The bloody hole in his chest was a fatal, penetrating wound. His only fortune was that it was through his right chest, sparing his heart.
The muscle tissue around the hole rippled, and countless dense, tiny granules of flesh quickly grew, attempting to regenerate and heal the injury.
However, Redfield's face grew paler and paler. His formerly smooth and vibrant skin gradually became withered, devoid of any color.
"Is your life finally reaching its end?" Seeing Redfield's condition, Aeridar sighed and shook his head, his tone a mix of regret and excitement.
Of course, Aeridar regretted the imminent death of such a legendary pirate, lamenting the loss of a potentially powerful enforcer.
"But a man who deserves to die should die quickly."
"Impact Wave!!!"
Aeridar roared, throwing a punch into the air. The terrifying impact force was transmitted outward by the powerful punch, and the air immediately became chaotic, bursting out as a violent shockwave that shattered the earth inch by inch.
"Crap!"
Redfield, who was momentarily checking his own physical state, was caught completely off-guard. He was instantly enveloped by the visible shockwave, which sent him flying backward, spitting blood.
"Lion's Threat: Grand Earth Bind!!!"
Immediately, Aeridar yelled, sweeping both hands upward.
Rumble… Rumble…
The ground began to shake, with one wave of tremors more powerful than the last. The earth swelled and shuddered, and fissures rapidly appeared. Loose rocks and debris began to float.
The earth seemed to be peeled back. The subsurface soil and rocks, the houses, bricks, trees, and debris on the surface... the ground within a one-kilometer radius was lifted up and, under an invisible force, transformed into ten massive lion heads.
"Bastard!"
Redfield pushed away the half-wall pinning him down and wiped the blood from his mouth, his face grim as he scanned the surroundings.
"ROAR!"
The ten massive lion heads roared incessantly, forming a tight siege around him. They simultaneously began to contract, closing in for the kill...
"You bastard! Scarlet Flash!!!"
Redfield transformed into a streak of blood-light and lunged forward, his long umbrella stabbing out abruptly.
BOOM!
Innumerable soil and rocks were scattered into the sky. The encirclement formed by the ten gigantic earth lion heads was violently blasted open, creating a forced breach.
"Get back here! Impact Cannon!!!"
Seeing Redfield charge out directly, Aeridar used Soru to instantly appear directly opposite him, throwing a punch at the pirate's head.
BANG!
Redfield, having just spent his old strength with no new strength generated, was caught completely off guard and struck directly in the head by Aeridar's punch.
It felt like being slammed by an iron hammer. Redfield's head rang, his mind went blank, and his body shot backward at an incredible speed, even leaving circles of white air rings in his wake.
Amidst a series of thunderous crashes, Redfield smashed violently into the ground. Several deep fissures appeared in the earth, and the ground plates buckled, instantly kicking up an enormous cloud of expanding dust and pressure.
"Be buried beneath the earth!" Aeridar shouted triumphantly, manipulating the remaining giant lion heads to close in.
"Roar~"
Rumble… Rumble…
The pride of lions roared, their thunderous advance unrelenting. The massive lion heads instantly crushed Redfield. The rock and soil, calculated in units of tens of thousands of tons, surged frantically, squeezing the pirate in the center.
Pfft!
Boom!
Suddenly, several streaks of sharp, scarlet blood-light burst through the soil, blasting open several gaps.
"He's still not dead!" Aeridar gave a savage grin. "Heh heh~ But it's useless!"
The next moment, he shot into the sky, the air-rings of a sonic boom trailing him, soaring to the very top edge of the Birdcage.
"Impact Secret Art: Starfall!"
Shwoo…
Aeridar descended at a breakneck pace. The super-high speed of his descent caused the air to crackle and pop, creating rings of sonic boom air. The friction between his body and the air even produced scorching flames, making him look like a meteorite falling from the heavens, ready to smash violently into the earth.
BOOM!
Rumble… Rumble!
With a deafening, massive roar, the earth within a three-kilometer radius instantly tore apart. The ground plates buckled then immediately disintegrated. Smoke-like dust surged toward the sky, and the terrifying blast wave, like a visible hurricane, swept in all directions, blowing away everything in its path.