Kozuki Oden struggled to support his battered, wounded body. Blood continuously seeped from the gash on his forehead, dripping down his cheeks to the ground. He gripped his two famed swords, Ame no Habakiri and Enma, their blades flashing coldly in the sunlight. Oden's gaze was locked onto Kaido's approaching figure, his breathing becoming ragged and heavy.
"Just who... are you?" Oden asked, enduring the intense pain, a note of confusion in his voice. "This should be our first meeting. Why do you hold such intense killing intent towards me?"
It was at this moment Kozuki Oden finally realized the powerful enemy before him had come solely to take his life. He felt an unprecedented sense of oppression, as if being watched by a savage beast.
"Wororororo!" Kaido let out his signature, maniacal laugh, the sound echoing across the desolate battlefield. "Not completely stupid. But..." His eyes suddenly sharpened, becoming as keen as blades. "...if you want the answer, go ask the King of the Underworld!"
"Raimei Hakke!"
Kaido's figure vanished from the spot, moving at an unbelievable speed. The Hassaikai in his hand crackled with dazzling lightning, emitting sharp crackles as it descended towards Oden with annihilating force. The air was torn apart with a piercing shriek.
"Oden Nitoryu: Yari: Oni-giri!"
Facing this fatal strike, Kozuki Oden dared not show the slightest negligence. He immediately unleashed his strongest sword technique to counter. His twin blades traced perfect arcs through the air, their gleam shining like falling stars.
KABOOM!
Two immense forces collided once more, erupting in an ear-splitting blast. The shockwave radiated outward, kicking up clouds of dust. This time, however, Oden was clearly at a disadvantage, forced to stumble back several steps, each footfall leaving a deep imprint in the ground.
"You've gotten weaker!" Kaido mocked, a contemptuous smile curling his lips. He closed the distance again, the Hassaikai in his hands swinging like a furious storm, each blow carrying the weight of a mountain.
Oden could only continue retreating, desperately parrying Kaido's onslaught. His arms were going numb, the skin of his palms splitting and stinging from the vibrations, but his survival instinct allowed no room for respite.
"Kundali: Ryuseigun!"
Kaido suddenly changed his move, coiling Haoshoku Haki around the Hassaikai and unleashing a rapid barrage of strikes in all directions. The black Haki flowed like tangible matter, forming an impenetrable net of attacks that completely sealed off all of Oden's escape routes. The air grew thick with a suffocating pressure.
"Damn it!"
Oden gritted his teeth, fine sweat beading on his forehead. He knew there was no way out now. He had to stake everything on one final gamble.
"Oden Nitoryu: Paradise Tenken!"
He unleashed his ultimate technique in a counterattack. His twin swords carved ten dazzling trails of light through the air, as resplendent as blooming cherry blossoms. And yet...
THUD!
The Hassaikai slammed squarely into Kozuki Oden's chest with a sickening, heavy impact. The tremendous force smashed him into the ground, blasting a crater several meters in diameter. Dust billowed; shattered stones flew in all directions.
"Guh!" Oden vomited another torrent of blood, his body convulsing in agony at the bottom of the pit. Blood soaked his robes and stained the surrounding earth. His vision began to blur; everything before him grew hazy. Yet his will to survive kept his hands clenched around the hilts of his swords, his knuckles white from the strain.
"Oh? Still conscious? You really are tenacious!" Kaido looked down from above at the dying Kozuki Oden, a flicker of surprise in his eyes. He raised the Hassaikai, preparing to deliver the final blow.
At this critical moment...
"Yihihihihi!" An arrogant laugh rang out from nearby, shattering the battlefield's grim atmosphere.
Kaido frowned, turning towards the source of the sound. "I said, old hag, what are you doing showing up now? Don't get in my way."
Hearing Kaido's words and that grating laughter, Oden painfully turned his head. His gaze, piercing through the swirling dust, finally made out the newcomers—the four members of the Kurozumi Clan: Kurozumi Orochi, Kurozumi Kanjuro, Kurozumi Higurashi, and Kurozumi Semimaru.
Oden didn't recognize Higurashi or Semimaru, but the appearance of the other two made his eyes widen in shock.
Kurozumi Orochi, the man who frequently came to him to borrow money, was naturally no stranger. And Kurozumi Kanjuro was even more familiar—he was one of Oden's own retainers!
"Kurozumi Orochi... Kurozumi Kanjuro... you two?!" Oden's voice trembled with disbelief. He couldn't believe his eyes.
"Guhohohoho! Damned Kozuki Oden, so this is your fate!" Kurozumi Orochi, seeing Oden's wretched state, immediately burst into excited laughter, his voice brimming with twisted delight. His portly frame shook with each guffaw, his expression hideously contorted.
"Yihihihihi! Kaido, don't be like that. After all, this is the sworn enemy of our Kurozumi Clan. We should at least bear witness to his end with our own eyes!" Kurozumi Higurashi said to Kaido, her voice grating like metal on metal. A sinister smile spread across her wrinkled face.
Higurashi turned to Oden, a light of pure hatred glittering in her eyes. "Kozuki Oden, the moment of revenge for the Kurozumi Clan has arrived."
"The Kurozumi Clan... I see." Hearing that name, and connecting it with the surnames of the others, Oden understood everything in an instant. He struggled to lift his head, looking at Kaido. "You're the outside help they hired? No wonder you tried to kill me from the very first moment."
"That's right, you damned Kozuki clan!" Kurozumi Orochi waved his arms excitedly, spittle flying. "Do you have any idea how much suffering I've endured since childhood?! Today is your retribution!" His eyes were filled with the thrill of vengeance, as if decades of hatred were finally being unleashed.
Kurozumi Kanjuro stood to the side, looking expressionlessly at his former lord. His gaze was frighteningly cold, as if looking at a stranger.
"Kozuki Oden, don't expect anyone to come to your aid. I've lured all your other retainers away to distant locations. This entire area has been sealed off. No one will come to save you." Kanjuro's words shattered the last sliver of hope in Oden's heart.
Oden's heart sank into an abyss. He realized he was not only facing the formidable enemy Kaido but had also suffered the betrayal of a retainer he had trusted. Despair began to spread through him.
Then, Kozuki Oden, dragging his grievously wounded body, struggled to rise once more. "If this is truly my end... then let me die on the path of battle!" he declared, staggering as he charged towards Kaido.
"Raimei Hakke!"
The response to Kozuki Oden's final charge was the Hassaikai, wielded without mercy by Kaido.
***
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