The once calm Sword Domain began to tremble. The muddy ground surged as if guided by an unseen force, rhythmically rising and falling with a wet squelch.
Crimson began to seep into the Sword Domain, spreading at a speed visible to the naked eye, transforming it into something far more terrifying.
Weiss had often wondered what kind of illusion could truly embody his sword intent.
Thanks to the unending waves of Sea Kings he'd fought, Weiss's sword intent had become saturated with killing intent—so potent that, if released without restraint, it could break a person's mental defenses outright.
It could reduce someone to a drooling idiot.
The Sword Domain not only changed color but also shifted in form. Petal-like blades bloomed within, forming lotus-shaped leaves that began folding inward toward the center.
In an instant, a blood-red lotus closed in around Hawkeye, encasing him fully. This lotus, forged entirely from sword energy, wasn't just powerful—it carried Weiss's boundless killing intent.
That killing intent surged within the lotus, assaulting Hawkeye' spirit relentlessly. At the same time, the sword energy tore into his body with unrelenting force.
The moment the lotus enveloped him, Hawkeye activated both Armament Haki and Observation Haki to their peak.
Yet even with dual layers of defense, he couldn't escape unscathed. His Armament Haki faltered in spots where Weiss's mental attacks landed first, leaving visible wounds on his body.
...
...
Hawkeye, of course, wouldn't just sit back and wait for death.
And Weiss didn't believe for a second that this would be enough to kill the world's greatest swordsman.
From within the crimson lotus, countless strands of sword energy suddenly exploded outward like a solar flare, pounding against the lotus from the inside.
It was as if the lotus breathed—expanding and contracting like a living lung.
By now, it was too late for Weiss to retreat.
BOOM!
The red lotus burst apart in a blinding explosion of light and sword energy. Red and white blades streaked across the sky, so brilliant that even the moon above paled in comparison.
The colliding sword energy rampaged across the land, carving dense networks of sword scars into the island. One by one, sections of the island were reduced to shattered fragments, turning the landmass into a true archipelago.
And with that, Weiss had earned the title of Island-Splitting Demon.
Hawkeye stepped out from the shattered storm of sword qi, his body covered in a web of fine cuts. Far ahead, Weiss stood battered and bloodied—the explosion had caught him in it as well.
"That was quite the technique," Hawkeye admitted, nodding in rare approval. "It still needs refinement… but it's impressive."
From his perspective, there were very few in the world who could endure that attack.
"But still… it wasn't enough to seriously hurt me."
That tiny gap—just a hair's breadth—still mattered.
It reminded Weiss of something he once read in a fantasy novel: a genius cultivates for a hundred years to reach the quasi-saint realm, but spends ten thousand more unable to cross the final threshold into true sainthood.
That final step. That one sliver of difference.
Right now, Weiss could hurt Hawkeye. But killing him? Still impossible.
Despite looking like a blood-drenched corpse, Hawkeye was, in truth, barely inconvenienced.
It's like one of those ridiculous news stories—a nurse stabs her boyfriend over thirty times, but it's still ruled as a minor injury. Same energy.
Back on the ship Chris, floating on the sea nearby, tension was mounting. The fighting on the island had suddenly stopped, and the crew didn't know what to expect.
"Jack, can you sense anything up there?" Karina asked anxiously. The earlier explosion had been horrifying—half the island had been obliterated.
Jack rolled his eyes. "You really overestimate me. You think I can sense anything during a battle like that? Don't be fooled by the silence up there."
The moment Jack extended his Observation Haki, he sensed an overwhelming storm of sword energy crisscrossing the island.
"Karina, I get that you're worried… but could you stop pinching me already? That really hurts," muttered Kadun, wincing. Karina had been gripping his shoulder since the blast.
"Ah! Sorry!" she exclaimed, realizing it only now and hastily letting go.
Still, Kadun's complaint didn't ease the tension on the ship. After all, their captain was fighting the man hailed as the world's greatest swordsman.
Karina looked over at Theodore and couldn't help but sigh. Seriously? He was still filming everything with a video Den Den Mushi.
BOOM!
Red and white sword lights erupted again over the island. The already fragmented landmasses shrank even further under the force of the newest barrage.
Even from afar, the oppressive clash between red and white lights made it hard to breathe.
Hawkeye, eyes closed, swung his massive black blade. The air around him howled like a hurricane, twisted by the intensity of his sword qi. The very sky warped.
His hawk-like eyes suddenly snapped open. Golden irises gleamed with raw sword intent. With a single slash of the black blade, the surrounding space seemed to blur and distort—his sword absorbed all surrounding intent.
Weiss gripped Star Abyss, killing intent surging like a flood, coating the blade in a crimson glow so intense even Armament Haki couldn't cover it up.
Neither of them announced their moves.
They just attacked.
CRACK!
Killing intent, sword energy, and torrents of Haki collided in full force. The blend of powers clashed violently, tearing through the air. Phantom blades flickered across the sky as the sword qi surged.
Red and white lights streaked like a moon bursting apart, sending chaotic waves of force everywhere. Even aboard the Chris, the crew had to cover their ears from the deafening roars.
Sword intent surged. Killing intent exploded. The archipelago vanished in eerie silence.
As the light faded, the crew aboard the Chris were left in stunned silence.
Half the island was simply gone.
The remaining half looked like it had been cleanly sliced apart.
Both fighters landed back on the remaining portion of the island. But there was no pause. Their sword energy danced madly across the battlefield—as if they were hellbent on razing what was left before the night ended.
CLANG!
No figures could be clearly seen now—only blurred black shadows clashing across the sky and land. Ripples of force spread with every strike.
Was Hawkeye really weaker than Kaido?
Not necessarily.
It's just that Weiss was still growing—and the gap between them was shrinking.
Weiss, wielding Star Abyss, plunged from the sky, aiming a deadly thrust at Hawkeye' head.
Hawkeye tilted his body slightly, black blade rising in a swift arc, slashing toward Weiss's throat.
Slash!
Slash!
They passed by each other, each dodging a killing blow. Blood welled from their shoulders, a wound apiece.
But neither of them seemed to care.
They plunged right back into battle.
As the island shattered beneath them, even the wild beasts were driven mad with fear, leaping into the ocean to escape.
It felt like the rest of the island would soon follow the same fate as the half that had already vanished.
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