Moria likely realized that his bulked-up form was no advantage in a battle on the open sea.
He had never held the upper hand in raw strength to begin with, and if his mobility worsened as well, then there was no way he could fight.
"Shadow Revolution!"
Moria threw back his head and let out a hoarse roar.
Under July's astonished gaze, his swollen body instantly became lean, and in moments he had shrunk from a giant's frame to something even smaller than before.
Now Moria stood barely three meters tall.
In sheer size, he was no larger than July in her Oni form.
He looked like a tightly coiled devil!
"Hee hee hee, how's this?"
Moria's sharp upturned eyes gleamed like a demon's, and his shrill, hoarse voice sent chills down the spine.
This instant slimming effect was so dramatic that July could not help but want to ask him for the secret.
"So you gave up on using the shadows' power to make yourself stronger?"
"Those shadows?"
Moria rolled his long neck, grinning cruelly.
"Those people's shadows are of course still inside my body. I've just compressed them down."
"Since a shadow is linked to its owner's body, when the body changes, the shadow changes as well."
"And conversely, when the shadow changes, the body naturally changes too," Moria said.
"Gathering all those people's shadows together, what was once scattered power has now become concentrated."
"I am no longer the same as I was just now!"
Hearing this, July noticed that Moria's shadow had grown inky black, as if countless shadows had been compressed inside it.
"What a terrifying fellow."
This method of empowering himself, combined with that attack style, made him impossible to guard against.
"Die—"
Moria had no intention of wasting any more time with July.
Though he had devoured the Marines' shadows, this was not his true strength to begin with, and now that those Marines were dead, the shadows he had swallowed would not last long.
He had to finish July off before his power faded, then lead his men to escape.
If he could escape successfully, Moria vowed to keep his head down for a while, establish himself firmly, and only then declare war on Inazuma.
"Shadow Horn Spear!"
He struck without warning.
His empty hands swung toward July, and in the next instant, a jet-black spear of shadow shot forth from the shadow at his feet!
This attack was impossible to guard against.
July's attention was still fixed on Moria himself, while the shadow at his feet came striking like lightning.
But July was a seasoned warrior who had been through countless battles.
Since she already knew his ability was tied to shadows, July had been wary of his shadow from the start.
Even her own shadow was kept on guard.
Facing the Shadow Horn Spear, she simply leapt into the air and dodged the strike.
Her two dragon-like bowed legs braced against the empty air, and with a crack the air itself exploded beneath her feet!
July's figure rocketed forward, propelled by that explosive force!
Faster than a cannonball, with even greater destructive power.
Her body seemed to stretch in her vision, her slender frame twisting in midair.
The long tail extending from her tailbone sliced through the air like a blade, chopping down toward Moria's neck!
Facing this lightning-fast attack, Moria had no time to evade.
"BOOM—"
A massive crash rang out, as if a giant axe had smashed the deck apart!
July's face grew heavy, and with a flash she vanished from her spot, putting distance between herself and Moria once more.
She was certain Moria had not had time to dodge that strike, yet the sensation when her tail whipped out felt somehow wrong.
'He didn't get hit?'
Sure enough, an unscathed Moria reemerged from the dust cloud.
"Hee hee hee, Shadow Warrior... it's useless. Your attacks simply don't work on me."
Moria looked at July with triumphant delight.
Though he had been on the back foot at first, it now seemed clear that he was the stronger one.
Brute strength was not his forte, but battles between ability users could not be won by brute force alone.
"I see. You used your shadow to absorb the damage just now, didn't you?"
July had fought more than her share of ability users, but this was the first time she had seen damage transferred in such a way.
"Correct. But even if you've seen through my technique, what does it matter?"
"I can swap positions with my shadow in an instant. Your attacks are completely useless against me. Hee hee hee hee."
July shook her head at his arrogant display.
This kid had probably never been on the receiving end of Observation Haki.
"Kid, since you're new here, let me give you a little lesson."
"In this New World, you'll soon see what happens to those who rely too heavily on their abilities."
July's voice was cold.
Beneath her bone mask, her eyes turned gold, the slit pupils fixing on Moria like a cold serpent's gaze, making it hard for him to breathe.
It was the feeling of being marked as prey.
A lump in his throat!
This instantly enraged Moria, who roared back:
"Don't look down on me! Right now I'm the one who's—"
His voice cut off halfway.
The dragon beast's claw, suddenly enlarged in his vision, nearly tore apart his entire field of view!
The speed was too fast!
But, just in time.
A single bead of sweat rolled down his brow, yet in this tense moment his heart turned contemptuous.
That woman had the audacity to claim she would teach him a lesson.
True, the speed of this strike was impressive, but it still wasn't enough!
"—Shadow Warrior!"
He roared, and in an instant his body swapped places with his shadow.
In his line of sight, the dragon claw wreathed in black energy tore his shadow to shreds!
A triumphant expression spread across Moria's face.
That was it? That was it? That was it?
She'd talked such a good game, and yet she'd been blocked by Shadow Warrior just like that?
"Hee hee hee—"
He grinned wide, though for some reason his stomach was beginning to ache faintly.
Just then, Moria suddenly heard his crewmen's worried shouts at his ear.
"C-Captain!"
"Captain, your stomach..."
My stomach?
Moria looked down in surprise, and saw that his abdomen had been pierced through by a massive wound!
No wonder it hurt so much...
"...When..."
Not far away, the slender July stood with her feet together atop the mast.
With a look of disgust, she shook the thick blood from her right hand.
"Fool. I could see from the start that you were going to swap places with your shadow."
"My claw was never aimed at you to begin with."
[
Dear Readers,
I am currently posting two chapters every day across two active fictions, along with bonus releases and extra chapters. The workload is steady, and I am putting in the effort to keep the schedule consistent for everyone.
Right now, my financial situation is not great. Patreon support is what keeps this translation work sustainable. If you have been following the stories and want to help, joining a tier makes a direct difference.
Here is what membership offers:
Adventurer — $3 per month
10 chapters in advance for all of my works
Warrior — $7 per month
20 chapters in advance for all of my works
Immortal — $10 per month (Highlighted Tier)
30 chapters in advance for all of my works
Access to character images
Important note: Subscribing through the Apple App adds an extra 30 percent fee (Apple/Patreon policy). Subscribe through your browser to avoid the extra charge. Apple also processes payments very late (2 to 3 months), which makes it much harder for me to receive money quickly after you subscribe.
If you can support, it would genuinely help me continue the daily releases and early access content. If you cannot, reading and sharing the work is also appreciated.
Thank you for your time.
Patreon: patreon.com/anish_44
Ko-fi: ko-fi.com/anish_44
]