"...Then let us begin the battle of myths."
Luo Hao spoke softly, her lips parting as she recited in a low, majestic chant:
"South or north, battlefield or wilderness—wherever I stand is where victory bows."
"Divine Might of Vajrapani—!"
Golden particles burst outward like drifting stars, swirling around her before solidifying into two colossal guardian statues. Each stood over twenty meters tall—towering Vajrapani Avatars, radiant and terrifying.
At a glance, they resembled the wooden constructs used by Senju Hashirama in the Naruto world…but these weren't man-made.
These were divine Authorities—powers Luo Hao had seized by defeating the two Buddhist kings: the Secret Vajrapani and the Strong King Nārāyaṇa.
With this Authority alone, Luo Hao commanded ultimate offense and ultimate defense.
Those fists could split mountains. Those palms could intercept any "sword that cuts everything."
"The first exchange will test your strength and speed."
Mana roared inside her like a rising tempest.
The two golden Vajrapani Guardians behind her blurred—
—and in the next heartbeat, materialized directly in front of Jaeger through sheer, impossible movement.
Both titans raised their golden palms and brought them down with crushing force.
"Shukuchi!"
It wasn't an Authority, but Luo Hao's self-mastered martial technique—true instantaneous movement.
And the technique her two avatars were unleashing—
"Twelve Divine Palm Strikes of the Phoenix—Red Phoenix Basks in the Sun!"
Fwoooosh—!!
Mana ignited into blazing fire. The surrounding forest instantly erupted, trees becoming pillars of flame.
One guardian left. One guardian right.
Both stomped forward simultaneously, earth cracking under their weight as they unleashed Luo Hao's signature martial art in perfect, mirrored form.
There was no escape.
Facing the simultaneous left-and-right strike, Jaeger understood that instantly.
This was the supreme pinnacle of martial arts—the martial emperor whose mind and body had been sharpened through two centuries of real combat.
She had sealed every escape route the moment she moved.
Even if he were faster, it wouldn't matter.
So Jaeger didn't run.
He liberated a Noble Phantasm.
"Hercules' Belt."
The legend of Byrnndi World—the monster who wielded the Moa Moa no Mi to battle giants—was engraved deep into the seas.
This Noble Phantasm was its sublimated form, granting Jaeger overwhelming power and speed meant to crush all opposition.
In a one-on-one fight?
Once released—
Jaeger was absurdly close to invincible.
"Don't underestimate me!"
Power and speed surged through every cell of his body, surpassing even the Vajrapani Avatars.
Jaeger stepped forward and thrust out his arms, catching both golden palms head-on.
"BOOOOOOM!!!"
The impact rippled across worlds. Even viewers in the chat group felt their ears ring from the shockwave.
Nearby, Miyuki Uchiha's expression tightened—
not just from danger, but from the sheer panic of Utaha being within blast radius.
She immediately grabbed Kasumigaoka Utaha's hand.
Then grabbed it again.
Then pulled her behind her like a princess being escorted from a collapsing castle.
"U-Utaha-senpai, please step back! This level of shockwave isn't suitable for your skin—your complexion might dry out!"
Utaha stared at her speechless.
"…Miyuki. Are you prioritizing skin care over the fact we might die?"
Miyuki didn't even blink.
"Your beauty must be protected at all costs."
A boulder exploded beside them.
Utaha said with a dazed expression: "…Shouldn't we be running?!"
Miyuki already scooped her halfway off the ground.
"I WAS ABOUT TO CARRY YOU!! PLEASE COOPERATE!!"
"M-Miyuki…? Are we retreating or are you abducting me?"
"I'm preventing us from becoming scenery."
At the core of the clash—
Everything within tens of kilometers vanished. Forest. Mountains. Soil. Stone.
All obliterated.
"—What!?"
The startled voice came not from Luo Hao—
—but from Jaeger.
Because although the two massive golden palms were held firmly in his grasp—cracks crawling up their forearms, strength overwhelmed—
Luo Hao had already begun reciting a second Authority.
"Heaven roar—earth tremble."
"Dragon Roars. Tiger Howls!"
BZzzzzzz—!!
A demonic gale erupted from the Vajrapani Guardians, riding along Jaeger's arms and detonating against him like a divine hammer.
This was the Authority Luo Hao seized from the Hindu Goddess of Chant, Gayatri.
Normally, her incantations grew stronger the longer she chanted but even a short verse produced a monstrous storm capable of leveling fortresses.
Knowing she would lose in raw power and speed against Hercules' Belt, Luo Hao didn't try to resist.
She had the Guardians close the distance— They were bait.
The real attack was the "Dragon's Roar and Tiger's Howl" hidden behind them.
A single decisive blow.
Even if her arms shattered, she would trade injuries if it meant striking him down.
And—
Her assumption was correct.
Right now, Jaeger's offense far exceeded his defense.
But this time—
she still miscalculated.
People from the pirate world had insane HP bars. Mutual destruction was practically their comfort zone.
Jaeger's eyes narrowed, divine energy surging.
He swung both arms outward, throwing the two damaged Vajrapani Guardians aside—
and invoked his second Noble Phantasm.
"'God Avoid'—!"
Ziiing—!!
Golden sword light flashed from his hand like a falling star, slicing across the battlefield.
A must-hit slash. Ignoring distance. Ignoring defense. Ignoring evasion.
A blow even a god couldn't avoid.
BOOOOOOM—!!
Even weakened by the short chant, the demonic wind smashed into Jaeger with crushing force.
"Guh—!!"
Blood spurted from his mouth. Ribs cracked. His body was launched skyward like debris from an explosion.
At the same instant—
Luo Hao was struck by God Avoid.
Her attempt to wrap herself in Vajrapani armor was meaningless before that unavoidable slash.
Zzzzt—!!
A vicious sword wound carved from shoulder to hip, nearly cleaving her in two. Blood scattered through the air, dyeing the battlefield crimson.
From the backlash and blood loss, her golden avatars crumbled like sand.
Esdeath: "So… did they take each other out?"
Yamamoto Mei: "No! It's not over! Neither of them are the types to go down from injuries like that!"
Correct.
This battle was far from done.
Kick her when she's down. End it.
To Luo Hao, mercy mid-battle would be humiliation. Jaeger knew that instinctively.
So he wiped the blood from his lips and ignored Luo Hao, who was already dragging herself back up in the distance.
He raised his hand.
"A Godslayer with two centuries of experience and still in her prime… Fine. Let me show you the true might of the one who rules the flow of time itself."
"'I Am the Lord of Life and Death—!!"
Jaeger's third Noble Phantasm—unleashed.
•••
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