"So fast! He's flying so fast!" Molly pressed her hand against her short hair in front of her forehead, her body slightly crouched. The wind ahead rushed toward her, and the scenery in her vision kept shrinking. It felt like entering a space-time tunnel.
Shiyado smiled proudly. Actually, owl flight speed didn't rank high among birds. This creature's key characteristic was "silent" flight. The reason Shiyado could fly this fast was due to her own strength.
Of course, if Shiyado had eaten the Peregrine Falcon Fruit instead of the Owl Fruit, her speed would have been several times faster!
However, Gan Fall's mount Pierre also flew very fast. The Skypieans specifically tamed certain birds to use as mounts. Vultures and similar birds were good choices. Although the Spotted Bill was unattractive, its flying ability wasn't weak. And after eating the Horse-Horse Fruit, its stamina had also improved to some extent.
In this way, Gan Fall, who was already good at aerial combat, actually had the advantage over Molly. At the beginning, Molly even had trouble standing steadily. Under high-speed movement, the incoming wind became even more fierce, making her slender body sway unsteadily.
But she adapted quickly, centering her weight and charging toward Gan Fall.
"Flash Lance!"
Gan Fall relied on Pierre's speed to charge directly. He gripped his knight's lance tightly and thrust toward Molly and Shiyado.
Pierre in Pegasus form gave Gan Fall many advantages. A horse's body structure was easier to ride and stabilize one's body. Gan Fall left all movement to Pierre and only needed to wield his lance to attack.
In contrast, Molly's situation was much more difficult. Shiyado's back didn't have many anchor points, making it easy for her to be knocked down. Facing Gan Fall's fierce attack, she wasn't confident she could take it.
"Hold on tight!" Shiyado reminded her in a sharp voice. At the same time, she vigorously flapped her wings. The broad wings stirred up wind that created ripples across the White-White Sea. Using this wind force, Shiyado's body rose directly to a higher altitude, passing over Gan Fall's head.
Her combat experience far exceeded Molly's. She had already reached the New World and had experienced battles large and small. Although she basically hadn't mastered Haki, her strength wasn't bad.
In fact, she was considerably stronger than Molly whom she was carrying.
However, Gan Fall was no pushover either. His deflected lance quickly swung back. His body tilted to the side to avoid Shiyado's claw strike. Pierre quickly understood his intent, cooperated with Gan Fall's movement to turn his body, and dodged the attack.
At this moment, Gan Fall's lance had recovered. He aimed at her eyes during the gap in Shiyado's attack. The cone-shaped knight's lance was loosely gripped and thrust upward.
"Don't get cocky!"
Molly wrapped one arm around Shiyado's neck and used her other hand to meet the attack with her sword, nearly knocking Gan Fall's lance away. Fortunately, he still managed to lean forward and grab the end of the lance.
Neither side gained an advantage in this exchange, but the situation was more favorable for Molly. She was now slowly adapting to fighting on a bird's back. Although Gan Fall was skilled, after all, he could only count as one combatant, unlike Molly and Shiyado who were actually two people.
Gan Fall also realized this, so his attacks became increasingly fierce. He no longer dared to underestimate these two enemies before him. His hands kept moving, and the lance tip attacked Molly like a silver rainstorm.
This time, Shiyado didn't help Molly block the enemy's attack. After all, this was still Molly's battle. If Molly couldn't fly on her own, Ren wouldn't have asked her to help.
"Clang—"
"Clang—"
"Origin Style: Flower Rain!"
Molly's blade also moved quickly. Her sword techniques were learned from Yukiko, and Yukiko's techniques were learned from Ren. Ultimately, this style of swordsmanship was synthesized by Ren from many sword styles of Wano Country. Later, he named it Origin Style.
The surname 'Origin' held great importance in the culture of that island nation from Ren's previous life. The Raiden Shogun's martial arts in Inazuma were also called Origin Style. Ren was too lazy to think of a name, so he just called it that.
So-called 'Rain' could also be called 'Shower.' Sometimes slow, sometimes fast, sometimes moving, sometimes stopping.
Like scattered flowers yet with order, swift yet with intervals, making it sometimes hard to predict.
Gan Fall gripped his lance tightly. His armor wasn't just for decoration—many attacks that could land on him could be blocked by the armor's defensive power.
Although Molly had reached the realm of cutting iron, iron and iron were different.
With such heavy armor, Gan Fall could more confidently engage in close combat. He grabbed the tip of his lance and charged forward with a thrust, his left arm crossed in front as a second line of defense.
Pierre beneath him seemed to be treading on air, constantly flapping and galloping, charging toward Molly.
"Let's go too, Shiyado!"
The giant bird dove down. The girl in the white-purple kimono stood in the wind, both hands gripping the sword hilt, her gaze resolute. Suddenly, her body lightly leaped up, leaving Shiyado's back, falling gracefully toward Gan Fall.
"Origin Style: White Mist Drop."
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