Chapter 299: The Fall of Stars
BANG!
Issho shattered a lightning spear, took a step back to avoid the dissipating electricity, took a deep breath, and his body radiated dazzling purple light.
Gravity Field!
With a low shout, his aura surged, causing earth and rocks around him to crumble, forming a terrifying field.
Eventually, many millstone-sized rocks actually rose from the ground and floated around him, his body emanating a terrifying and astonishing aura.
Blood seeped from the sword wound on his chest—a wound reopened due to excessive exertion!
The blood stained Issho's clothes, but it didn't diminish his power, making him appear even more formidable!
"How terrifying."
The spectators were all frightened, sensing his overwhelming strength. This was definitely a sign he'd pushed his Devil Fruit ability to its limit—terrifying beyond measure.
At this moment, Issho was in immense danger. He opened his eyes, and beams of purple light shot from his pupils.
Simultaneously, Rhodes felt his breath catch in his throat, a heavy weight on his shoulders. Even from hundreds of meters away, an invisible force was pressing down on him!
The next moment, Issho charged forward, bringing with him immense momentum, as if crashing into the world with his might—terrifying beyond measure.
Whoosh!
Rhodes discovered this field covered an area several hundred meters in radius, and it moved with Issho's movements, making it impossible to dodge.
Of course, this gravity's intensity wasn't as strong as the previous gravity trap, but it still greatly suppressed Rhodes's speed, like an ordinary person walking through mud, unable to run at all.
After releasing the gravity field, Issho seemed somewhat impatient. He charged toward Rhodes, and before even getting close, he unleashed a powerful slash mid-air.
Jūryokugatana - Mōko!
The familiar technique reappeared, but this time the power was clearly much stronger—the earth almost instantly twisted into a chaotic mess.
And the speed was even faster.
Affected by gravity, Rhodes had no time to dodge and could only unleash a lightning sword wave to clash with it.
Due to gravity's suppression, Rhodes's performance was clearly inadequate. The lightning sword wave that should have dominated was twisted and shattered by the gravity blade, and the remaining power of Mōko, amplified by the gravity field, continued striking like lightning.
"Busoshoku..."
Faced with this scene, Rhodes remained unmoved, coating his body with substantial Busoshoku Haki, making him appear as if cast from steel.
The next moment, the gravity blade struck.
Rhodes's body shuddered, feeling excruciating pain throughout, as if his entire body was being twisted, feeling like it would fall apart.
"That's pretty fierce."
Rhodes rubbed his chest, feeling his vision slightly blur, and couldn't help but reveal a hint of relief.
Fortunately, he'd coated himself with substantial Busoshoku Haki, and fortunately, he'd strengthened his Busoshoku Haki before coming here—otherwise this attack would probably have caused serious injury.
"This is probably Issho's ultimate technique."
Rhodes murmured to himself.
The meteorite shower looked magnificent and vast, but like Sakazuki's Ryūsei Kazan, it was just large-scale AOE to clear out low- to mid-level combatants, and its effectiveness wasn't significant in battles between equals.
Even if one couldn't withstand it head-on, it could be avoided relatively easily.
But this gravity field was very different.
Not only could it suppress opponents, but it could also amplify oneself, and with this combination, the power differential would change dramatically.
Seeing that Rhodes seemed completely unaffected after absorbing the attack's aftershocks, Issho couldn't help but feel his lips twitch, inwardly marveling:
This is too monstrous.
So young, yet he's mastered such powerful swordsmanship and lightning abilities, while simultaneously cultivating an incomparably strong physique and Haki.
Normally, even the most talented individuals need considerable time to accumulate and refine their abilities to peak level.
Rhodes, however, was undoubtedly breaking this convention.
Thinking of this, Issho felt faint stinging pain within his body—the result of his previous injuries.
He understood he probably couldn't maintain the gravity field much longer. While
the gravity field was indeed extraordinary, capable of overcoming the strong with the weak, it also consumed tremendous energy. Even in his best condition, Issho couldn't sustain it long.
"Jūryoku Fīrudo - Daichi Hōkai!"
Issho flashed closer to Rhodes, then extended his shikomizue and lightly tapped the ground.
Buzz!
A circle of deep purple light rippled outward, spreading across the area instantly.
Wherever it passed, stones were crushed to powder, and flora was flattened, as if subjected to a dimensional attack.
Rhodes felt his body sink, as if the ground beneath his feet had suddenly turned into a black hole, powerful gravitational pull restricting him, rendering him unable to move.
He slightly raised his eyes and saw Issho standing on a stone, floating into the air.
"Thunder God Swordsman, even I cannot fully control this next move. If you withstand it, you win."
Issho glanced at the port city thousands of meters away, feeling reassured it wouldn't be affected, and then unleashed beams of purple light toward the sky.
"Behold... Moko Raimei In!"
As soon as he finished speaking, dozens of flashes appeared in the sky.
"Damn..."
Rhodes's face darkened instantly.
He'd just thought falling meteorites were nothing special, but Issho had actually pulled off something like this.
He could clearly see those dozens of flashes were dozens of meteorites!
It was like Sakazuki unleashing a sea of magma raining down—terrifying beyond measure.
After releasing Moko Raimei In, the purple light on Issho's body dimmed instantly, his face turned pale, and his stamina was dangerously low.
Although his condition was poor, Issho's expression carried a hint of pride.
This was his ultimate technique.
This was the first time he'd used it since developing it.
Because the enemies he'd encountered before simply weren't worthy of him using this move.
By restricting the enemy's movement through a gravity field and then simultaneously bombarding them with dozens of meteorites, even Kaido of the Beasts couldn't withstand it, right?
This was a natural disaster!
After being continuously accelerated by gravity, the dozens of meteorites had transformed into crimson fireballs, plummeting straight toward Rhodes.
Before the meteor shower even landed, the terrifying wind pressure had already arrived, and combined with the restrictive gravity field, the surrounding air was practically viscous, almost tangible.
"Is dodging impossible?"
Rhodes sighed inwardly. Paramecia types were indeed troublesome, whether it was Whitebeard's Gura Gura no Mi or Issho's Zushi Zushi no Mi.
Not only could they develop their strength, but they could also develop a series of derivative abilities, unlike Logia or Zoan types, which were relatively rigid and singular.
"It's been a while since I used a large-scale AOE attack."
Rhodes clicked his tongue.
Once upon a time, his lightning power could rival Borsalino's Yasakani no Magatama, and he'd even obliterated an island!
Thinking this, the lightning power around Rhodes's body rapidly spread, instantly covering all directions, forming a sea of lightning.
Crackle!
Arcs of electricity surged, lightning sparkled, as if a sun was hidden within, radiating blinding light and weaving astonishing energy fluctuations.
Borsalino's Yasakani no Magatama is a dense, rain-like attack of laser beams, relying heavily on quantity. Therefore, Rhodes had conjured a massive number of lightning weapons to counter it.
Issho's meteor shower, however, is different—it relies on sheer power.
Therefore, Rhodes adopted a different approach.
(End of Chapter)
[Reader Event Active]
500 Power Stones = +1 Extra Chapter
10 Reviews = +1 Extra Chapter
Thanks for reading!
40+ advance chapters on P1treon Soulforger