Bahr stared at the old man before him, who seemed to treat life and death as nothing more than dirt beneath his feet, and couldn't help but feel a flicker of admiration.
Regardless of whether the Golden Lion had been good or evil in the past, just this sheer, reckless ferocity and his undeniable skill made him a true legend—a man worthy of the title "great hero."
It was absurd, really. How could someone so powerful have been casually beaten down by the Straw Hat Boy, who hadn't even mastered Haki? The thought was downright ridiculous.
Suddenly, the Golden Lion coughed violently, blood spraying onto the blade of Cherry Ten. He could feel his life force draining rapidly. The wounds on his legs had long gone numb, but his gaze only grew sharper.
"Brat... time to end this," the Golden Lion rasped, his voice hoarse. Suddenly, he crossed Cherry Ten and Withered Tree, pointing them at Bahr, his blood-smeared face splitting into a savage grin. "Let me show you what a real Lion Demon Descent looks like!"
Bahr's pupils contracted. A sharp sense of danger prickled at his back—this was the Golden Lion's final, life-burning attack. A single misstep, and he'd be dead.
With a whoosh, the Golden Lion shot into the air, his face twisted with madness. "Brat, catch this!"
With an earth-shaking roar, Cherry Ten and Withered Tree crossed in midair, forming a dazzling X. Thick, tangible Haki erupted from the blades as he slashed downward:
"Lion Demon Cross Rending Sky!"
Two condensed Haki slashes tore through the air, intertwining to form the massive, spectral head of a lion. It let out a deafening roar that made ears ring, shaking the entire island. The ground split open, fissures spreading as rubble flew in all directions.
Bahr felt his breath catch—the air seemed to vanish in an instant. A gale-force wind, sharp as blades, scraped against his cheeks, making every hair on his body stand on end.
Instinctively, he activated his Space Fruit powers. Spatial ripples shimmered around him, but the sheer force of the Haki distorted them violently.
"Damn it!" Bahr bellowed, veins bulging in his neck as he raised Autumn Water, the blade trembling with a high-pitched hum. "Space Devour!"
A black sphere, roughly a meter in diameter, materialized in midair. Purple lightning crackled across its surface, hissing with an eerie frequency.
The two forces collided in a blinding explosion of light. The black sphere instantly fractured, spiderweb cracks spreading across its surface as if it might shatter at any moment.
Bahr's face paled, but at the brink of life and death, he unleashed everything he had. The sphere hummed violently, swelling to over three meters wide—a bottomless abyss of darkness.
Where the two energies met, a vortex the size of a millstone formed. Rubble and broken wood that flew too close were instantly pulverized into dust. The sky itself seemed split—half blindingly bright, half ink-black—with blue-purple lightning crackling along the fissure.
Yet, the Golden Lion's slash carried an unyielding killing intent. The spectral lion shuddered, then suddenly spat out a blinding golden cross from its maw.
With a deafening BOOM, the black sphere shattered under the pressure. The cross-shaped slash tore forward, unstoppable, hurtling straight toward Bahr.
Bahr's hair stood on end as the terrifying airwave sent him flying backward. Goosebumps erupted across his exposed skin—every pore screamed danger.
At the brink of death, adrenaline surged through him. The veins in his neck bulged as he roared with everything he had, his voice cracking, his throat burning with the taste of blood.
With that shout, his Space Fruit abilities went into overdrive. The space within a ten-meter radius around him twisted violently, folding like dough in the grip of an invisible hand. The air itself shrieked as it tore apart.
The cross-shaped slash was inches away. Bahr's eyes burned red as he forcibly displaced himself three meters to the right. The slash's trajectory warped unnaturally, grazing past his left shoulder.
Even so, the residual force hit him like a tidal wave. Bahr grunted as his chest took the impact of a sledgehammer, his organs quaking. He was sent flying like a cannonball, smashing through rocks and carving a bloody trench into the ground.
The Golden Lion plummeted from the sky, crashing heavily onto the scorched earth, kicking up a cloud of dust. Cherry Ten and Withered Tree slipped from his grasp, embedding themselves deep into the ground.
Blood gushed from the hole in his head. His chest heaved violently, each breath rattling like a broken bellows. Blood-flecked foam bubbled at the corners of his mouth.
The once-invincible "Golden Lion" was now a candle in the wind—his life flickering on the verge of extinction.
Not far away, amidst the rubble, Bahr gritted his teeth and forced himself up. His tattered clothes revealed wounds deep enough to see bone—crisscrossing gashes, all bleeding freely.
His left arm hung limp, clearly dislocated. The moment he tried to move it, his face drained of color. Cold sweat dripped from his forehead, hitting the ground with soft plops.
His broken ribs stabbed into his chest with every breath, each inhale like a red-hot brand pressed against his heart. The pain made stars dance in his vision.
After a long pause, he mustered the last of his strength and staggered over to the Golden Lion. Looking down at the dying old man, he grinned weakly.
"Tch... looks like the heavens aren't ready to take me yet."
The Golden Lion strained to turn his head, his dim eyes fixing on Bahr. He coughed up another mouthful of blood, his voice barely more than a whisper.
"So... that's how it is. My era... has long passed."
Three days and nights of fighting without rest, injuries this severe, yet his eyes are still so fierce... Youth really is something.
Come to think of it, this brat's from East Blue too. How irritating.
His fingers twitched slightly. Cherry Ten and Withered Tree, still embedded in the ground, wobbled before floating slowly toward Bahr.
Gasping for breath, the Golden Lion rasped, "These... are your spoils. Take my head... inherit my name... and conquer the seas, Blasphemer—Bahr!"
Bahr glanced at the two swords, then scoffed. "Yeah, no thanks. Not my style."
He plopped down on a nearby rock, wincing at the pain. "Rather than fighting and conquering, I'd much rather find some pretty islands, laze in the sun, and flirt with women. Now that's the good life."
Almost died just from a moment of recklessness. Yeah, the lazy life suits me better.
The Golden Lion's eyes bulged at that. His pale face flushed red as he coughed up another mouthful of blood. With what seemed like his final burst of energy, he propped himself up and roared:
"You—! A man with such strength, yet the heart of a coward! You worthless trash!"
Then, with a thud, he collapsed, motionless.
Bahr: "..."
Even in death, this old bastard had to get the last word in. What a firecracker—had to explode one last time.
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