"Bone-Crushing Spiral Strike!" Steve blocked the Sea Warrior's attack with his shield and threw a punch. The wind from his fist turned into a tornado, sweeping away several Sea Warriors in front of him, twisting and slicing them within the swirling wind.
"Ha~ Ha~ There are really so many of them." Steve felt exhausted. He had been tired in past battles, but never this early—not even an hour in—and without any injuries.
Only now did Steve truly feel the intensity of the Holy War. There was no holding back, no room for negotiation—once on the battlefield, death was always a looming risk.
"Die, Saint!"
"Not good!"
While catching his breath, Steve felt a gust of wind coming from behind his head. Out of the corner of his eye, he caught a glimpse of a blade closing in.
"Thunder Serpent Claw!" A purple silhouette flashed past, and a snake of lightning tore apart the Sea Warrior trying to ambush Steve.
"Thanks, Shaina." Steve exhaled in relief and thanked Ophiuchus Shaina, who had saved him.
"This isn't some kids' game in the human world, Steve," said Ophiuchus Shaina, cold-faced, scolding him.
Thanks to Melin's reforms, female Saints no longer had to hide their faces. So Steve could clearly see Shaina's dissatisfaction.
...
...
It was awkward—Ophiuchus Shaina had once been a student taught by Peggy. Now the little girl had grown up and was lecturing him.
But...
"Bone-Crushing Spiral Strike!" Steve didn't reply and instead threw a punch toward Shaina.
Shaina was startled and prepared to counter, thinking Steve had turned traitor—but the tornado brushed past her and, with a few screams, several Sea Warriors were twisted and slammed into the palace walls.
Only then did she realize that Steve had attacked to protect her.
"Seems like we're even now, Shaina." Steve smiled.
"Hmph!" Shaina turned her head away with a cold, proud snort.
"Hey... We're still fighting here. Can you two focus a bit?" Several bursts of fist-light exploded around them, killing a group of lurking Sea Warriors who had been preparing to strike.
"Hehehe, flirting on the battlefield, huh? Steve, why don't you divorce Peggy already? I've been waiting for years." Accompanied by a few crows, Corvus Kimian and Southern Cross Balu joined the fight.
"Get lost! Don't make me beat you like I did when we were kids!" Steve's face darkened, cursing. Even his refined temperament couldn't contain his fury.
These brats even dared to go after his wife—they seriously needed to be rebuilt from scratch!
"Hehehe, you might not be able to beat me now." Corvus Kimian laughed.
"What if I join him?"
"Uhh… Just kidding, just kidding." Seeing Ophiuchus Shaina glaring at him with icy eyes and cracking her knuckles, Corvus Kimian immediately backed down.
"Enough talking. We've got more guests." Southern Cross Balu glanced around and said.
The three of them stopped chatting, stood back-to-back with Southern Cross Balu, and quickly noticed a new wave of Sea Warriors surrounding them.
…
Indian Ocean Pillar, Shura and Sea Prince Kshura stood face-to-face, yet neither struck immediately.
"Sea Prince Kshura."
"Capricorn Gold Saint, Shura."
"You're no match for me. Why come here to die?"
"We'll see about that—after we fight."
"Heh, courting death. Golden Spear!"
With formalities over, Sea Prince Kshura suddenly thrust his golden spear forward.
"Holy Sword Draw."
Facing the sharp spear, Shura's eyes remained emotionless. He raised two fingers like a blade and slashed upward.
Clang~!
The clash between spear wind and sword light rang out like ancient divine weapons striking, the aftermath etching dense scars across nearby palace walls.
"Oh? You blocked my spear and your arm is fine. You're worthy to be my opponent." Sea Prince Kshura grinned, seeing Shura's unharmed right arm.
His golden spear was said to pierce all evil. It was razor-sharp, capable of generating powerful currents to wound enemies even from a distance.
Even Sea Dragon Kseth, the strongest of the Sea Generals, didn't dare face its edge directly—yet this sword master had. Sea Prince Kshura was thrilled.
"Don't underestimate me, Sea Prince. I'm Shura, the sharpest Holy Sword of Lord Melin and Lady Athena. A mere golden spear can't harm my Holy Sword." Shura said coldly.
"Is that so? Then let's test it—whether your sword shatters my spear, or my spear breaks your sword!"
"Let's fight!"
One side's spear shadows fell like rain, while the other wove sword lights into an impenetrable umbrella.
Clang, clang, clang...
Though standing meters apart, the sparks and metallic clangs never stopped. Each clash damaged parts of the palace, reducing everything but the area beneath their feet and the pillar behind Sea Prince Kshura to ruins.
Even the ground had sunk several meters, covered in sword marks and spear holes.
Yet neither's Cosmos diminished; if anything, it burned hotter—the fire in their eyes more intense.
"You're really tough!"
"What's wrong? Tired already, Sea Prince?"
"Shut up! Golden Spear: Sea-Splitting Strike!" Sea Prince Kshura suddenly pulled back his spear, swung it in an arc, and brought it down. The powerful beam sliced through the sword-light umbrella like butter and lunged at Shura.
Unfazed, Shura raised his long-unused left hand, forming a cross at his chest with both hands in sword formation.
"Twin Blade Draw!"
A cross-shaped sword light burst forth, meeting the beam's tip, causing a massive explosion that blew them both apart.
But in the instant they regained footing, they charged at each other again.
"Golden Spear!"
Breaking through the smoke, Sea Prince Kshura focused his spear's force into a single point, stabbing at Shura's heart from a tricky angle.
Shura was startled. The smoke and chaotic Cosmos had dulled his senses momentarily—just long enough for Sea Prince Kshura to strike.
The spear's tip brushed his skin. Though he instinctively dodged, it wasn't enough—a deep crack split his chestplate.
Splurt~
Blood sprayed from the armor's gap. Sea Prince Kshura landed the first solid blow.
"Tch!" Shura winced and retreated swiftly.
But Sea Prince Kshura pressed on, unleashing a barrage of golden spear strikes.
"Holy Sword Draw: Frenzied Dance!"
Gritting his teeth, Shura swung both arms, unleashing dozens of sword strikes in an instant to block the spear attacks.
"Useless! Useless! Useless!" laughed Sea Prince Kshura, speeding up his strikes. Even as Shura's blades cut into him, he only grew more excited.
Since becoming a Sea General, he'd long craved a real battle—not mere sparring among Sea Generals.
Shura was not only a fellow weapon master but a Gold Saint—a perfect match.
If he could defeat a Gold Saint head-on, it would prove him superior—a thrilling thought.
But that fantasy… would remain just that.
"Holy Sword Kappa, Draw."
With a calm chant, Shura's Cosmos surged. In Sea Prince Kshura's stunned eyes, a sword light brighter than all before tore through the rain of spear strikes.
"No wa—"
Splurt~
Sea Prince Kshura was sent flying, crashing into the Pillar. A gaping wound split his chest, nearly bisecting his Scales.
"Cough… Impossible… Lord Poseidon has awakened… Our Scales should be tougher than your Cloths… How did you… cough…" Sea Prince Kshura choked out blood, clutching his spear, barely standing as he stared into the dissipating dust.
"You've misunderstood something."
As Shura's voice rang out, the smoke cleared. Sea Prince Kshura's pupils shrank.
Shura stood tall, his Capricorn Gold Cloth cracked and soaked in blood, his body covered in wounds—but his expression remained steely.
In his right hand was a golden sword.
"What… is that?" Sea Prince Kshura stared, sensing its immense power—as if it could split the very planet.
"Holy Sword Kappa, given to me by Lord Melin. It's the Capricorn Saint's sacred weapon," Shura replied. "You think your Scales are stronger because back then, Lord Melin was sealed, and Lady Athena was weakened. But when blessed by two gods, how could our Cloths be inferior to your single-god-blessed Scales?"
As he spoke, Shura advanced toward Sea Prince Kshura—or rather, toward the Pillar.
"No way… We Sea Generals are rare talents… How can we lose to Saints?" Sea Prince Kshura roared.
"Power gained purely from talent… how could it match the strength we forged through lifelong, unceasing training?"
"Shut up! Seven Chakras!"
With a roar, Sea Prince Kshura's Scales exploded. Bare-chested, he floated cross-legged before the Pillar. Then—
"Divine Light!"
Harnessing nature's energy, he condensed it into a beam that blasted toward Shura—his ultimate technique, capable of stripping away the senses, dissolving body and soul in light.
Yet Shura didn't even blink. He calmly raised Holy Sword Kappa—
—and simply swung it down.
Slice~
With one slash, he split Atlantis, split the ocean, and split the sky itself.
"Impossible… My Seven Chakras are energy centers… Unless you destroy all seven nodes at once, they can't be broken…"
"You only saw one slash?" Shura shook his head in disappointment and sheathed his sword.
Sea Prince Kshura stiffly looked down. All seven of his chakra nodes had been cleanly split.
"So… it was eight strikes… Capricorn Shura… impressive…"
Splurt~
A line of blood traced from his head down. His entire body, Scales and all, was split in two—along with the Indian Ocean Pillar.
"You weren't bad either," Shura said coolly. He tossed aside his torn cloak, letting it land perfectly over Sea Prince Kshura's corpse—leaving the battlefield.