The air was thick with the smell of gunpowder.
Violent waves of energy collided between the two armies, producing sharp crackling sounds.
The war was on the verge of erupting.
Ritter watched the spectacle with great interest and nudged Imu beside him.
"Tsk, tsk. Look at them. Their arguing is more entertaining than the actual fighting."
He grinned.
"But that Alpha guy... the way he keeps talking about 'life energy' and the 'Goddess Project'..."
"Why does that sound so familiar?"
Imu's voice echoed directly into his mind.
"Their confidence comes from that."
"It seems the ritual has reached a critical stage. Otherwise, they wouldn't have sent all four of their core combatants out at once."
After a brief pause, he added:
"And I have a feeling this was intentional."
"A trap."
His white mask turned slightly toward Ritter.
"Do you think they're like you?"
He stopped there.
Although Imu couldn't directly perceive what Ritter was absorbing, he knew Ritter was constantly gathering strength.
The blood mist spread across the battlefield wasn't just decoration.
It was clearly some method of growth.
Ritter knew that Imu knew.
He simply didn't care.
As long as nobody discovered that life force was the key to his immortality, everything else was manageable.
"No idea."
Ritter shrugged.
"We'll find out once the fighting starts."
The exchange of insults was rapidly escalating into open conflict.
The fuse had already been lit.
Imu's white mask turned toward Ritter.
"Follow the plan."
"I'll hold them down."
"Watch carefully."
"I'll open the battlefield."
Before the words fully faded, Imu vanished.
The next instant, he appeared directly before the most imposing of the Four Generals.
Iron Fist Galvan.
Ritter's eyes widened.
"Damn."
"The King of Cool has almost caught up to me."
"He used to be such a quiet kid."
"Ever since meeting me, he's learned how to make dramatic entrances."
"What can I say?"
"My charisma is simply unmatched."
Galvan's electronic eye immediately locked onto Imu.
He couldn't accurately sense his opponent's aura.
But his battle instincts screamed danger.
Extreme danger.
"You're looking to die!"
Galvan roared.
His massive gravity gauntlet distorted the surrounding space as he threw a devastating punch.
If it landed cleanly, it could flatten an entire hill.
The hill, unfortunately, had done nothing wrong.
"Shadow Devourer: Bind."
Imu neither dodged nor retreated.
The shadows around him erupted violently.
Countless black tendrils surged forward, wrapping around Galvan's mechanical arm in an attempt to restrain it and neutralize the terrifying force.
Shadows collided with gravity.
"Hah! Cheap tricks!"
Galvan bellowed.
His mechanical arm trembled violently.
A surge of energy exploded outward.
Most of the shadow tendrils were instantly shattered.
At the same time, his left arm shot forward.
Watching from afar, Ritter couldn't help commenting:
"Honestly, if Zephyr had arms like those, Kizaru would've had a much harder time beating him."
Galvan spread his fingers.
"Gravity Well: Restrain!"
Buzz!
The space around Imu suddenly became thick and viscous.
Like sinking into invisible quicksand.
His movements instantly slowed.
Tenfold gravity.
Then dozens of times greater.
Crushing pressure descended upon him from every direction, threatening to grind him into dust.
"Shadow Shift."
Just before the gravity collapsed inward, Imu's body blurred.
The next moment, he disappeared from the center of the Gravity Well entirely.
He reappeared behind Galvan.
A sword of darkness condensed in his hand.
It radiated ominous energy as it thrust toward the junction where metal and flesh met at Galvan's neck.
Ritter blinked.
"Wait."
"Is Imu a swordsman too?"
The thought lasted only a second before he dismissed it.
As one of the greatest swordsmen on the sea, Ritter could tell the difference immediately.
No.
Imu wasn't a true swordsman.
He was relying entirely on the unnatural sharpness of the shadow blade.
If Ritter had to describe it poetically...
The sword had no soul.
"Hmph!"
Galvan reacted instantly.
Despite his enormous size, his movements were frighteningly agile.
His gravity gauntlet swung back and intercepted the attack.
CLANG!
An ear-splitting metallic explosion erupted.
Invisible shockwaves spread outward from the collision point.
Imu's shadow blade was unbelievably sharp.
A deep slash appeared across the seemingly indestructible gauntlet.
At the same time, the gravity field coating the weapon traveled through the sword and into Imu's arm.
His wrist sank slightly.
Both fighters immediately disengaged and retreated several steps.
Galvan glanced at the cut on his gauntlet.
Red light flashed from his electronic eye.
"You damaged my Earthshatterer."
"You've got some skill, masked coward."
Imu remained silent.
The expressionless white mask revealed nothing.
Yet he subtly adjusted his sword grip.
Clearly, the gravity infiltration hadn't been pleasant for him either.
Their first clash ended without a clear victor.
Both had learned something.
Neither had gained the advantage.
"Again!"
Galvan laughed.
His fighting spirit surged.
He smashed his fists together.
Boom!
The gravity field expanded to its limit.
Every step he took shattered the ground beneath him.
Like a walking fortress, he charged forward.
His fists hammered through the air one after another.
Each punch carried enough force to warp space itself.
"Gravity Turbulence: Barrage!"
Imu became a blur.
He moved through countless punches and distorted gravity fields with ghost-like precision.
The shadow sword transformed continuously.
Sometimes it became a deadly thrust.
Sometimes a defensive barrier.
"Shadow Dance: Thousand Phantoms!"
"Shadow Fortress!"
Sword light and fists collided endlessly.
Energy exploded across the battlefield.
Both fighters abandoned defense for offense.
Fast.
Ruthless.
Relentless.
Even nearby combatants couldn't help but stare in shock.
Yet as the battle continued, a subtle change emerged.
Imu was adapting.
Little by little.
He was learning Galvan's rhythm.
Learning the nature of the gravity field.
"Shadow Corrosion: Decay."
After another evasive maneuver, Imu's sword did not strike Galvan directly.
Instead, the blade touched Galvan's shadow.
Instantly, Galvan felt something wrong.
His mechanical joints became sluggish.
Energy flow throughout his cybernetic body stuttered.
It felt as though something was eating away at the metal from within.
The effect was weak.
Almost insignificant.
But it was accumulating.
Galvan's movements paused for a fraction of a second.
That was all Imu needed.
He melted into the shadows.
Then reappeared beside an opening created during Galvan's swing.
A section beneath the ribs.
One of the few places not covered by heavy armor.
"Shadow Assassination: Heartpiercer!"
The shadow blade condensed into a single point of absolute darkness.
It shot forward like a black comet.
Galvan's pupils contracted.
Danger alarms screamed through every instinct he possessed.
With a furious roar, he forcibly twisted his body and brought the gravity gauntlet back to defend.
Slash!
The gauntlet blocked the fatal strike.
But not completely.
The blade scraped across his side.
A chunk of flesh.
Fragments of metal.
Both were carved away.
A deep wound split open down to the bone.
Dark red blood immediately poured out.
For the first time since the battle began...
Iron Fist Galvan was injured.
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